Carefully I put down my knife and fork, being to sure to thoroughly chew and swallow my last bite.

I chance a glance at Karlach and return my gaze to Oleg.

"Permission to speak freely?"

"Of course, Palatinate. In fact, given the nature of our mission, you may set aside that aspect of protocol as well. Civvies tend not to ask permission to speak freely."

Another furtive glance to Karlach, and then I shift so that I am sitting even more at attention and I fix my stare on Oleg.

Otto, guide me.

"You and I are the last two original members of our mission team."

"We were gathered and sent under strict orders of secrecy.  We were given strict orders to maintain that secrecy."

"We have left multiple witnesses in our wake.  The two guards.  The farmers."

"We have no means by which to ascertain the veracity of the sending that withdrew our commander or what has befallen her since.  Sendings are not a secure means of communication and no effort was made or even provisions given for determining identities and securing lines of communication.  Lines of communication which we were led to believe would not even exist."

"We should all be dead.  Enemy agents engaged us at our rendezvous point, apparently waiting our arrival after the loss of our commander.  After the sending which took her away."

"These agents were able to subdue us and presumably extract information from us about our mission.  Yet we remain alive."

"Soon after we are given under a new command.  We have no way of determining the veracity of his credentials and no provision for an adequate protocol."

"He dismissed a member of our mission team with no regard to mission security."

"He has no apparent knowledge of a mission critical order to maintain secrecy and discretion."

"He claims to be well known and easily recognizable in this area.  To have a personal liability who can easily be exploited by enemy agents.  And he expresses no intention to mitigate these weaknesses."

"We left additional eyewitnesses in the aftermath of the encounter at the inn.  Not to mention the attention that the conflagration itself has and will attract."

"Additionally we are easily identifiable by the presence of the spectre, who haven already demonstrated earlier the ability to be concealable, has made the notable decision not to do so in a populated area."

"We are now dining in public accommodations of unknown alignment and allegiance under the possible gaze of enemy agents; at the very least creating more eyewitnesses that under proper protocol would need to be neutralized."

I pause.  Knowing that a "so what?" is the most likely response, I push on, keeping my gaze fixed on the dwarf.

"We must acknowledge that the secret nature of our mission has been a failure and either dispense with all pretense towards it, or go to ground for an adequate amount of time so that we might properly prepare and emerge with new cover and a new plan of approach."

I pause again.

"But first we must verify that our new commander is not in fact an enemy agent, and if he is we must move to neutralize him immediately."

Go big or go home.

Maybe I'll be seeing you soon, Otto.

There is silence for a long moment as I sit, expressionless.

Then I bark out a laugh, genuinely amused.  "Gods, woman, that is what you have been stewing about?  I suppose you would claim my identification papers could be forged, were I to show you them.  Well, your captain was satisfied enough with the veracity of my letter of introduction - unless this is a matter that concerns you as well, Captain?" I ask Olegov, an edge of derisiveness in my tone.

Paranoid little thing, that elf.  A useful enough trait in a soldier, if properly controlled, but not one that we have either the time or the means to indulge at present, even were I so inclined.

"You and I are the last two original members of our mission team."

[Poor Val]

"Special Forces are not given over to such amusements, Lt. Colonel."

Hells.  Did I just say that aloud?

The mirth drops from my expression as I lean forward.  "You are nothing, Palatinate, until I say otherwise.  A common soldier in this army, unmissed and easily replaced.  And make no mistake; I allow this line of questioning so far as it pertains to the task before us, but carry it too far, and you will indeed be replaced.  Neither I, your captain, nor your corporal cares to hear your opinion on our tone, and if you wish to impress me with your capacity for acceptable judgement, I suggest you start by applying a modicum of such judgement to just how freely you choose to exercise your permission to speak."

I manage a somewhat lukewarm, "Acknowledged." and avert my gaze to a point on the wall just behind Karlach.

Arcanist. Type unknown.  Martial.  Veteran.  Well armed and armoured.  He has the advantage of command. 

Tactical assessment: low probability of success in open or one-on-one combat.

Strategic assessment: alliance, subterfuge, sabotage, assassination ... at range.

Critical resource: time.

Immediate pathway of least resistance: mollification.

"I apologize for speaing out of turn.  It has been some time since I have served on a mission team.  I shall not err again."

"See that you do not," I reply, settling back in my seat once more and returning my gaze to Olegov.

"I assure you," I say to Palatinate while untucking my beard braids from my gambeson, "Karlach's letter of introduction bore all the marks of authenticity. I would not have surrendered command of this unit were it otherwise."

"Now," I say, turning to Karlach, "Palatinate makes an accurate evaluation of the state of our mission's secrecy. And in fact, it raises some interesting questions that I would ask you, Karlach, as the more experienced officer."

Between my fingers, I turn one of my beard braid rings, considering.

"Why would the general send our team on a mission with the parameter of secrecy that was impossible for it to fulfill?"

I take a long moment to consider before answering.

"The obvious answer is that there is a pretence of some sort in this situation," I say finally.  "Apart from why, the question seems to be - whom is it for?  Who is meant to believe that the general - or his own superiors, perhaps - desire secrecy when that is not the case?  And is it the secret nature of our task that was intended to fail, or the task itself?  Should it end with the mission uncompleted, or completed and known?"

I shrug slightly.  "I have only met the man briefly, myself, and received my transfer orders in writing; I must confess myself to be at something of a disadvantage in trying to ascertain the answers to these questions.  But I gather that we do have someone here who has a more extended acquaintance with him, yes?"  I transfer my gaze over to Mari as I finish speaking.

"Well," I reply, "he doesn't have much of a sense of humour. That doesn't really help, does it?"

"No," I reply chillingly, and fold my hands, waiting for her to continue.

"Oh, well", I say. Not the most talkative guy ever, our new commander.

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose for a moment.  An interrogation it is, then.  "How long have you been... haunting him?" I ask to start.

I pick through the remains of my quiche and let my thoughts wander.

I begin to wonder *why* a high ranking officer would allow himself to be haunted at all.

Why not send a lackey to dispose of the key in the ocean?

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose for a moment.  An interrogation it is, then.  "How long have you been... haunting him?" I ask to start.

I shrug. "More than day, less than a century? Ever tried to keep track of time when you're dead? Trust me, it isn't easy."

Or lock it away in a storage vault with the r est of the recquisition.

But he kept it in his office.

Then 'gave' it to us.

Huh.

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose for a moment.  An interrogation it is, then.  "How long have you been... haunting him?" I ask to start.

I shrug. "More than day, less than a century? Ever tried to keep track of time when you're dead? Trust me, it isn't easy."

"Was he in command when first you arrived at the fort?" I ask.  "How much has he appeared to age since the beginning?  Estimate."