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

and confirmed that she would be removing the enclave. She also told them that it would take time, since the enclave was so big she couldn’t do it without a larger force. She asked for permission to bring a larger group of humans onto Epriccom for the sole purpose of removing the human enclave. She promised that the force would leave as soon as the enclave left.
    The Eaufasse said it understood and had been expecting such a thing. It did not offer any help from its own people, which, Gomez knew, was a good thing. She had no idea what that enclave would do if it saw a group of Eaufasse approaching it. She certainly didn’t want weaponry fired at the Eaufasse on their own land, which—she also knew—was a possibility.
    She didn’t want to be the person who inadvertently started a war between some humans and the Eaufasse.
    After dancing around the topic for a while, she finally asked the question that had been the real point behind this conversation. She always began pointed and possibly offensive questions with an apology first, having learned the hard way that translators did not add politeness in the cultures that required it, but always subtracted politeness when it didn’t serve the needed purpose.
    “Please forgive the intrusive nature of the remainder of the conversation,” she said. “But I need information to help my people understand what has happened here, so that we might remove this enclave quickly and easily.”
    Uzven translated, its fingers tapping against its suit jacket.
    “It seems like the enclave has been on Epriccom for quite a while,” Gomez said. “Did something recently bring it to your attention?”
    Uzven continued to translate, then looked at Gomez, clearly waiting. Then the Uzven bowed its head and closed its eyes, listening.
    It had not been doing a simultaneous translation from the beginning of the conversation. Uzven did not think itself fluent enough, which worried Gomez.
    Uzven translated after the Eaufasse finished. Gomez wondered how much Uzven missed just by waiting. And Gomez didn’t entirely trust a summary. Sometimes the Eaufasse said a lot, and Uzven translated it into very few words.
    Gomez didn’t know if that was because Fasse used more words than Standard or if Uzven felt the need to shorten long thoughts or if Uzven was actually leaving out important details.
    “The ambassador said the enclave applied for permission to build on the land sixteen years ago. Permission was granted with minimal fuss. This is a remote part of the Eaufasse nation, and so the Eaufasse do not pay it much mind. In fact, they did not hear anything more from the enclave until it started attacking itself.”
    Gomez cursed silently. She wished she spoke Fasse. There were so many areas that could be misinterpreted in just that one little reply.
    But she was a veteran at this. She’d had more first- or second- or third-contacts than most diplomats in the Earth Alliance.
    “Okay,” she said to Uzven. “Before you translate for me, answer me a few questions. Tell them that’s what you’ll be doing, for clarification.”
    Uzven spoke rapidly to the Eaufasse. The Eaufasse raised its arms and wrapped them over its shoulders, which made Gomez look away. She had no idea if that was a relaxed position or if it was the same as nodding in her culture.
    “Proceed,” Uzven said to her.
    Proceed . She took a deep breath. She didn’t like its tone, but Uzven was all she had. “The Eaufasse I’m speaking with is an ambassador?”
    “That is how it identifies itself,” Uzven said.
    Crap. That created all kinds of problems for her. Technically, she was supposed to interact with a counterpart, someone of equal rank—if, of course, the alien/native culture had a ranked system. Conversations with ambassadors were supposed to be conducted by diplomats.
    Still, this ambassador was her contact, so she could argue that she had no choice about who she talked to. And of course, the argument would be true.
    “Do