"Richart, how have you been?"
The man who had just been shoved into the room looked hard at his interlocutor. The man was plump, not fat exactly, his face was pudgy and the metal implants where his eyes had been were crowded by the skin that pushed up against them. One forelock curl hung over his face and a hairless hand reached up and brushed it aside before another word was uttered. His clothes were impeccable. He wore a quartered red and blue dress coat that would have fell to his knees if he was standing. His legs, hidden by the desk, were equally well clothed, imagined Richart.
The creak of leather brought Richart's head back towards the door where he saw that the sound came from the woman who had brought him here adjusted the strap on her heavy stubber so that it hung behind her instead of at her side.
She returned his glace with a no hint of emotion on her face.
"I am doing better, Baron, thanks to you I see now."
"And, of course, this young lady behind me and her companions."
"Can you tell me more about what happened, Richart?"
"Yes Baron! I woke up in a cage, there was one savage there who would abuse me with harsh curses. I never saw his face as it was covered by a respirator and he wore little but rags."
The Baron nodded.
"I heard nothing and the savage was looking at something on the wall outside of my cage when he turned suddenly and ran towards the corridor."
"I saw only some of what happened next. Perhaps the young lady behind you may have more details."
"I will hear Miss Vickers version of events after you have related your story. Please continue."
"The savage must have heard the venators because he ran into the hallway and started shooting. I heard yelling and almost immediately more gunfire, louder this time. The savage was slammed against the bulk head and slunk down insensate. I assumed he was dead."
"One of the venators then through a canister which produced a great deal of smoke in the corridor while more moved into the room where my cage was."
"There was more yelling and I heard more gunfire and as the smoke cleared there was another one of the savage's friends there. I had seen this one before as he had checked on my guard."
Soon another of the venators was on him and after a few quick strokes with a shock baton the man was on the floor and not moving."
"After that more gunfire could be heard down the corridor. Soon the cage door was opened. I was rather roughly handled and moved down the hall and soon we were on our way with the just the echos of shots in the distance."
There was a silence in the room as the Baron nodded his head slowly.
"From their clothing I would assume that they were affiliated with House Cawdor, Baron."
"And yet that is the problem with House Cawdor, they share so much of the raggedness of the rest of the denizens of the accursed Underhive that it is difficult to make a positive identification without. Still kidnapping the accountant of a powerful guilder concern seems reckless even for those half-mad fanatics."
The Baron then opened his top desk drawer and pulled out a leather case. He tossed it to the woman behind Richart.
"You will find both your payments in that. The credits are there as is the map. You have done well and we may seek your services in the future."
"Thank you Baron," said Maxim Vickers opening the pouch and pulling the data slate out. She turned and flicked on the switch with one hand as she slung the pouch over her shoulder with the other while walking through the opening door.
++
