They're ringing the door bell? That adds credence to his theory this is someone who knows him or a family member. He knew this possibility became greater when he was stationed on Komarr. Even in a dome full of as many people as there were, it was hard to escape that part of his past. Whether they intend to be friendly or not is another matter and he keeps his stunner in hand.
He takes a moment to approach the door, standing off to the side in case it's already been rigged with explosives. He is in Imperial Security after all and preparing for the worst was a key survival trait.
"I wasn't expecting any visitors," he says in an even tone. "Name?"
York would call the guy a paranoiac, except that he's taking totally reasonable measures against someone he knows has been following him. Still, this is gonna get awkward if they have to keep talking through a door.
"Yeah, 'cause that's why you left the door unlocked." Just because she knocked doesn't mean she didn't notice. "Not a name you'd recognize, but hey, as a sign of good will: you can call me York."
"A codename?" He doesn't need an answer to be willing to bet it is with the way she phrased that introduction. York. Nothing he recognizes or even in the realm of what a Komarran would choose for an alias. Which then begs the question what the hell is she doing here if she's not some old acquaintance of the family.
He edges his foot in front of the door, having decided it's not ready to explode if she's still standing so close. He has one more requirement before he opens it. "Weapons out and on the floor. You can slide them to me when I open."
She might still have some hidden on her, but he can at least get an idea of the tech level he's dealing with. The nature of trade on Komarr meant all kinds of equipment passed through.
York sighs. They never do make it easy, do they? She was willing to put her hands up at stunner point, sure, but drop her own? This might be turning out to be more trouble than it's worth. Hey, D, what do you think he's packing?
Based on Duv Galeni's psychological profile, he is most likely holding a stunner. However, I estimate there to be a seventy-point-three percent chance that he also has a nerve disrupter somewhere in his apartment.
Okay, I know, not the time, but I do you go out of your way to avoid saying 'sixty-nine' on purpose?
But rather than wait for an answer, because she's sure Galeni isn't going to wait long, she unholsters her stunner and sets it on the floor. After a moment's hesitation, she sets down her nerve disrupter in resignation, too. Well, she'll keep the knife hidden in her boot. He's probably not expecting that anyway. And if it really comes down to it, as long as she gets in close, York doesn't really need a weapon.
Good. He was wondering if it would be wiser to stun her and sort out the rest later if she was hesitating this long. Door open and stunner pointed at her, he notes that at least one of the weapons she's laid out is lethal. If there's another on her in hiding, he'll have to be sure he's faster. Distance would be his best weapon.
He slides her weapons back into his flat with his foot before stepping back from the door and motioning her in. Whatever it is she has to say, he has a feeling it would be best to say them behind closed doors.
"You've been following me," he states with a raised brow. He'd really appreciate an explanation.
Terrible time to make jokes, but then again, York never was good at holding back the commentary. She holds her hands up, showing them empty in a sign of sort-of surrender. "I know, I know, stranger following you home, that's always a red flag. But I only came to talk, I swear." She raises her eyebrows in a hopefully disarming smile, the scarred skin around her bad eye stretching a little, and steps in.
A mercenary? Those weren't uncommon on Komarr where many used their money to their advantage. If only Komarr relied on their own bodyguards, but with their population limited and interests lying elsewhere, outside resources had always been more practical.
"Talk quickly. Right now I see no reason not to alert security to your presence." And then they could take it from here, both the headache and paperwork that came with such an intrusion.
Hey, D, how quick could he alert security if he gets bored with conversation?
Very quickly.
Okay, cool.
York keeps both her hands and that disarming expression up, apparently mostly unruffled by the threat. She's had worse said to her at nerve disrupter point. "Something's a little rotten in your house, Ser Galeni. I'd do some finance audits on your ImpSec outposts on Komarr. Some of your officers are investing Daddy Emperor's pocket change in the wrong places."
Now that gets his attention. His aim doesn't falter, but his interest is piqued. Questions are flooding through his mind, but there's one that sticks out above the rest.
"If your concerns are with what ImpSec is doing," he starts, "you realize there are better places to report such information than a random Captain in the same organization."
"Yeah, but then I'd have to explain a bunch of stuff I don't really want to, and I think this ticket'd get lost going through proper channels, if you know what I mean." York tilts her head with a shrug, keeping her hands up. "You seem like a standup kinda guy. How much do you think it'd boost your career if you outed an internal racket?"
"That depends on the racket," he answers dryly. A Komarran going after important Barrayarans in Imperial Security sounds like a dream of his, but a dangerous one. He almost committed career suicide once when he answered his father's call on Earth and covered his tracks.
"You're already going to have to explain it here and now. The only part you're changing is the audience."
"That part's a long story. And it's not really the part you care about." A little eyebrow raise, a nod in his direction. "I think the part you care about is the one where you've got an internal racket funding what's probably a terrorist cell."
There's a long moment where he stares her down before reluctantly kneeling to grab the weaponry she dropped. His stunner isn't holstered, but he's at least not aiming it at her anymore.
"I'll give you a chance to explain," he says curtly and motions for her to take a seat in the conversation circle adorning the main room of his flat.
"Generous of you." York carefully moves to sit, keeping her hands up, but muscles still tensed. "I don't have all the details -- I just noticed a few things looked kinda off, and the rest followed from there. There's a local contracting company under your budget, but I think that might be a front."
A front receiving Imperial money and converting it into terrorist funds. He had been hoping to come home to relax and have a drink before he went to bed for the night. That thought is long gone as he watches her. How much of what she was saying was true?
"Komarran run?" he asks dryly. "And I hope you have proof of what was 'off' in your estimations."
"Hey, I didn't save any of it. I just happened to notice it. They're your records, you go check 'em." York sits back on the couch slightly, hands still up, and nods at Duv. "Komarran run, and some of their employees don't have the most pristine backgrounds." She raises an eyebrow. "You should get on that. This could be a career-changer for you."
"If I have the clearance for them," he grumbles to himself. It wasn't too long ago he remembers that being an issue when a supposed military fleet captain landed in his embassy's care. He eyes the woman before pacing a few steps. If she were telling the truth...
York shrugs noncommittally. "Let's just say I'm operating off an...alternative revenue stream."
That is perhaps not the most comforting answer she could've offered, but it isn't a lie. "Like I said, I stumbled on it by chance. I think you'll have clearance for a few financial records, won't you, Captain?"
"Alternative revune stream?" he repeats dryly. "If I'm dealing with a criminal syndicate, I'd appreciate knowing which one should a knife end up in my back."
Or a plasma burst or a needle. Still this could be worth investigating and he didn't go into academics to ignore that nagging voice of curiosity that was always in his mind.
"I'll consider putting in a request," he acquiescences.
"Syndicate? Nah, you've got nothing to worry about. I'm just a freelancer. Don't worry, pal, where my money's coming from isn't a stitch in this particular tapestry of trouble."
She grins at that concession. "Good for you. Take that career move by the balls and ride it to the top. Can I go now?"
"No," he says bluntly. That was a colorful expression. The fact that the woman is from Jackson's Whole is solidified in his mind at those words.
"I need to verify your information and prepare a proper report of it." After a moment's consideration he adds, "One I'll file once I know the extent of this corruption." Because what good was a report if it only went to the one in charge of this laundering scheme.
"Yeah, that sounds like a lot of paperwork. What do you think I'm gonna be doing all that time, sitting with my thumbs up my ass?" York raises her eyebrows at him. "Illegally detaining a woman in your flat, Captain? Not a good look for you."
"You arrived willingly," he says with a scowl. He can't keep her here, that much she has right. Detaining her would only cause further problems if there were those in his ranks he couldn't trust never mind how trustworthy this woman would be if he turned his back on her.
"Yeah, and now I'd like to leave willingly," York says pointedly, but Duv seems to be drifting away from that crucial point. She'd really like to part on good terms here. She spreads her hands out palm up, empty. "I told you, all I did was notice a few irregularities and do a little probing. I didn't take anything."
Well, nothing related to that, anyway.
York raises an eyebrow. "You want me to go back and do my dirty work again, don't you?"
"It would make this investigation go more smoothly," he says with a frown. The word of a woman he's met only this evening isn't much to go on no matter how plausible the story is given the difficulties of Komarran integration.
"There would be a stipend once this is all said and done, in Betan dollars." Since he has a feeling she'd need incentive to return. Even the Imperial coffers knew outsiders didn't operate the same as subjects in terms of motivation. "I wouldn't expect you to work for free."
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sunchime2016-12-27 10:11 am
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He takes a moment to approach the door, standing off to the side in case it's already been rigged with explosives. He is in Imperial Security after all and preparing for the worst was a key survival trait.
"I wasn't expecting any visitors," he says in an even tone. "Name?"
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"Yeah, 'cause that's why you left the door unlocked." Just because she knocked doesn't mean she didn't notice. "Not a name you'd recognize, but hey, as a sign of good will: you can call me York."
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He edges his foot in front of the door, having decided it's not ready to explode if she's still standing so close. He has one more requirement before he opens it. "Weapons out and on the floor. You can slide them to me when I open."
She might still have some hidden on her, but he can at least get an idea of the tech level he's dealing with. The nature of trade on Komarr meant all kinds of equipment passed through.
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Based on Duv Galeni's psychological profile, he is most likely holding a stunner. However, I estimate there to be a seventy-point-three percent chance that he also has a nerve disrupter somewhere in his apartment.
Okay, I know, not the time, but I do you go out of your way to avoid saying 'sixty-nine' on purpose?
But rather than wait for an answer, because she's sure Galeni isn't going to wait long, she unholsters her stunner and sets it on the floor. After a moment's hesitation, she sets down her nerve disrupter in resignation, too. Well, she'll keep the knife hidden in her boot. He's probably not expecting that anyway. And if it really comes down to it, as long as she gets in close, York doesn't really need a weapon.
"All yours, pal."
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He slides her weapons back into his flat with his foot before stepping back from the door and motioning her in. Whatever it is she has to say, he has a feeling it would be best to say them behind closed doors.
"You've been following me," he states with a raised brow. He'd really appreciate an explanation.
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Terrible time to make jokes, but then again, York never was good at holding back the commentary. She holds her hands up, showing them empty in a sign of sort-of surrender. "I know, I know, stranger following you home, that's always a red flag. But I only came to talk, I swear." She raises her eyebrows in a hopefully disarming smile, the scarred skin around her bad eye stretching a little, and steps in.
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"Talk quickly. Right now I see no reason not to alert security to your presence." And then they could take it from here, both the headache and paperwork that came with such an intrusion.
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Very quickly.
Okay, cool.
York keeps both her hands and that disarming expression up, apparently mostly unruffled by the threat. She's had worse said to her at nerve disrupter point. "Something's a little rotten in your house, Ser Galeni. I'd do some finance audits on your ImpSec outposts on Komarr. Some of your officers are investing Daddy Emperor's pocket change in the wrong places."
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"If your concerns are with what ImpSec is doing," he starts, "you realize there are better places to report such information than a random Captain in the same organization."
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"You're already going to have to explain it here and now. The only part you're changing is the audience."
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"I'll give you a chance to explain," he says curtly and motions for her to take a seat in the conversation circle adorning the main room of his flat.
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"Komarran run?" he asks dryly. "And I hope you have proof of what was 'off' in your estimations."
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"What's your reward in all of this"
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That is perhaps not the most comforting answer she could've offered, but it isn't a lie. "Like I said, I stumbled on it by chance. I think you'll have clearance for a few financial records, won't you, Captain?"
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Or a plasma burst or a needle. Still this could be worth investigating and he didn't go into academics to ignore that nagging voice of curiosity that was always in his mind.
"I'll consider putting in a request," he acquiescences.
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She grins at that concession. "Good for you. Take that career move by the balls and ride it to the top. Can I go now?"
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"I need to verify your information and prepare a proper report of it." After a moment's consideration he adds, "One I'll file once I know the extent of this corruption." Because what good was a report if it only went to the one in charge of this laundering scheme.
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"Do you have any files to support your claims?"
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Well, nothing related to that, anyway.
York raises an eyebrow. "You want me to go back and do my dirty work again, don't you?"
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"There would be a stipend once this is all said and done, in Betan dollars." Since he has a feeling she'd need incentive to return. Even the Imperial coffers knew outsiders didn't operate the same as subjects in terms of motivation. "I wouldn't expect you to work for free."
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