A Murder of Clones: A Retrieval Artist Universe Novel Read Online Free Page A

with, and so I need to ask the Eaufasse a lot of questions.”
    Simiaar had already set up part of the forensic wing as a quarantined area, just in case the dead had contracted something or been infected with something that wasn’t obvious to the collection team.
    Gomez beckoned Uzven to move with her to a different part of the lab. Gomez wanted to keep Uzven here in case Collection had more questions for it.
    Uzven walked beside her on its spindly legs. It hadn’t said more than a handful of words to her since its arrival. She didn’t know if it was naturally reticent or if it disapproved of the Stanley’s presence here.
    “First,” Gomez said, “I assume you understand the Eaufasse culture since you speak their language. Maybe you can answer a question for me.”
    Uzven put two fingers against the breathing mask that covered the lower part of its face. It adjusted the mask as if the mask were uncomfortable, then said, “The assumption isn’t a good one. We have just begun to understand the Eaufasse. Our language is more compatible with theirs than yours is. That is why I am somewhat fluent.”
    “Somewhat fluent?” Gomez didn’t like the sound of that. She had asked for someone fluent.
    “I am as fluent as anyone in the Earth Alliance,” Uzven said. “But that is not saying much. I understand quite a bit of Fasse, the Eaufasse language, but I do not have much jargon for technical details.”
    “Like murder?”
    “Death is a universal,” Uzven said. “However, I am not entirely sure of what constitutes murder to the Eaufasse. Not that it matters here. We do not have Eaufasse corpses. We have human ones. I will keep the discussion focused on the human side of things as much as I can.”
    “I don’t want you to make unilateral decisions,” Gomez said. “If I have a question that needs an answer, I expect you to ask it. And if you cannot get an answer from the Eaufasse, I don’t want you trying to find a way to force one. I want to know that they didn’t answer my question. This isn’t a court of law, so I don’t necessarily need something on the record. I need information, and if we can’t get that information without a cadre of diplomats working the case, then I need to know that as well.”
    “I understand,” Uzven said. “I am at your service.”
    Gomez thought she heard sarcasm. It wouldn’t surprise her. Peyti always thought themselves superior to humans. Working with a human boss had to be difficult for a Peyti. But Uzven had signed up to work with the Earth Alliance, so it didn’t get to choose who its boss was on any particular job.
    “We will be speaking to my initial contact with the Eaufasse,” Gomez said. “If we need to speak to someone of higher rank or with different knowledge, then we’ll do that.”
    Uzven nodded, always a strange movement from a Peyti. The mask didn’t really bend, so the head moved without any mask movement.
    With Uzven’s help, Gomez contacted the Eaufasse. She did not have this conversation through an audio-only link, but used both audio and visual, so that the Eaufasse could examine her body movements. She didn’t move a lot, though, just in case some movement might be offensive.
    Still, the Eaufasse had had interactions with humans before, so they were somewhat familiar with the way that humans did things. She stood as casually as she could when she began the conversation.
    The Eaufasse had blacked out the area behind it, so she couldn’t see where it was standing. The Eaufasse looked like it floated against a black background, unmoored by anything. Privacy concerns? An unwillingness to let humans or the Earth Alliance see what the interior of Eaufasse offices looked like? Or something else entirely?
    It didn’t matter, since the interior of an Eaufasse building or even the exterior of an Eaufasse street was not her concern. She didn’t care where the Eaufasse was, so long as it talked with her.
    She thanked the Eaufasse for the initial contact,