The Quarry

[Rage Menelas]

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode]It was a dilemma. Obviously the item had been left intentionally for the investigators to find. But who had left it? And could they be trusted?

After the visit with Quang, Charlie and Ryan had gone back to their accommodations, a very nice suite overlooking one of the other-worldly nature parks. Attached to it was a game-hall where festivities occurred around the clock. It was a favorite of his master, but they were both more tired and hungry now than anything else. Accordingly, they opted to stop by their room and then to go get something to eat. They were planning on calling it an early night, get some rest. Charlie was anxious to be away now that Quang was going to be okay... then he found the mysterious item.

“What is that?” Ryan asked, staring at the three-inch long rod that his boss was studying carefully, turning it over and over in his hand. “It looks like a pen of some type...”

“Yes... a laser scribe. But who left it...?”

Ryan shrugged. The master turned the device toward the wall and activated it. A tiny stream of crimson light flew from the end of it and fell on the bare wall. Ka'Ossafetti ideograms suddenly began to appear, as if being etched in its surface by an invisible hand. Ryan was entranced by the process, the intricate characters slowly formed one after another. He had no way of knowing what it said, for his knowledge of Ka'Ossafetti writing was minimal – only that required for the understanding of the various labels around the ship – but it was still quite amazing to watch the ornate hieroglyphics scribe themselves onto the bare wall. Soon a paragraph of several lines stood there. Charlie turned off the pen and silently mouthed the words as he read it to himself. He finished and turned to his apprentice, wide-eyed.

“Well,” Ryan finally blurted out. “Are you going to tell me what it says...?”

“It says there is a shipment that must be interdicted en route to Hei'a 12... an illegal shipment... of humanoids. Then it gives the time and place of departure along with estimated time of arrival...”

“An informant...?”

“Seems as if... but...”

“But what... this is a good thing...”

“Yes, but what if it is a trap...?”

Ryan frowned. “There you go... ruining it for me...”

Charlie glanced back at the wall; the writing was slowly fading. “Whomever left this knows that we are investigating the Baeliwiks. That does not bode well. If they know – and assuming they are not Baeliwiks themselves – perhaps the ones we are investigating know as well. We must watch ourselves carefully from here on out. These people are fanatical about their convictions.”

“Yes,” Ryan nodded, “most fanatics are...”