Communications Tap File #75228-Rho (extract)

Galatea City, Galatea; 1015 hr

Voice 1 [Male; 40s; no discernable accent, native English speaker]: I’m trailing the Snake [NOTE: Takahashi Oda] now.

Voice 2 [Female; 50s; accent suggests Capellan March or Taurian]: Well keep on him then. I want to know what they’re up to.

Voice 1: Find weaknesses, know your enemies and all that. I know. It’s what you pay me for.

Voice 2: Then quit the backtalk and keep on it. I ain’t paying you to tell me what yer doing. I’m paying you to do it.

Voice 1: [inaudible]

Voice 2: What was that?

Voice 1: Still tailing the snake. I’ll let you know when I have more.

[tap pause]

Voice 1: He’s entered the Combine embassy now.

Voice 2: Figures that a snake would go there. Try an’ get us some details.

[tap pause]

Voice 1: It appears that he’s gone to see the cultural attaché

Voice 2: Which is usually the local head spook.

Voice 1: Exactly. And in my experience, the main reason for someone to be meeting them would be as an intelligence contact themselves. Someone who's just come back from a combat campaign would have a lot to talk about, after all

Voice 2: You think our snake’s a spook too?

Voice 1: He could just be having an elaborate tea ceremony and talking about local sports teams.

Voice 2: Yer a ball of laughs, ain’t ya? Keep an eye out fer when he emerges, already. If he’s up to something, then I want to know exactly what and how I can use it.

Voice 1: That’s not going to be easy. If he is a spook, then he’s also going to be ready. I’m already sticking my neck out a lot for this.

Voice 2: Fine. Y’all get me something really good, then I’ll throw down a bonus.

Voice 1: You’re on. Consider him tailed.