Sergeant Rennik Colmes. c/o Sergeant Medur Adaken

[Stranger]

Maribeh 8th, 7787,

I've spoken to my colleagues at length. It was about as productive as our own conversation. We seem to agree that the air between our organizations has become too poisoned to entrust to you something as sensitive as the topic I alluded to. Although I yet believe it is important to share with you, for the security of Ephia's Well, there is a reticence among the Astronomers, an anticipation that the scarabs will immediately burn us if we entrust any vulnerable details. That our work will be sabotaged. That we might lose human assets, traced from their reports, when the next tide rolls in and rinses away whatever bridges we've built between our sand castles.

In particular, there seems to be a surprising unanimity in negative expectations regarding  the Janissary I named. And there are not any soldiers that have distinguished themselves as particularly trustworthy. There's only you, and our relationship with you is strained and complicated at the best of times.

If you have a suggestion for putting old hatches to rest, I will hear you out. Because I am more concerned about this problem than I am angry with your recent decision.

But I do not see a way forward at this time.

M.v

[Blue41]

Apothar,

There's a fair amount of information that I keep to myself, out of our records, for a number of reasons. Fear, that someone else might muck it up (by screaming out accusations over sending or in a public forum without evidence.) Arrogance, the ill-founded but deep-rooted belief that if you want something done right, you do it by your lonesome.  Faith, the anticipation that if I'm to be betrayed, it will be by one of my own, exactly when it is most convenient.

For weeks-- months-- I investigated the conduct of our Legates, and the only people I brought into that circle were much like myself at that time. People too scared for their lives, too arrogant to share, too sure in themselves to tell their friends or significant others what they were up to. For much of that time I was a Soldier, and I suspected damn near everyone of being tied to the Wyrm in some way. I laid out my suspicions and nearly imploded my career in the process. I've proven I can keep a secret, and I'm not going to beg you for what you might know. Either you can trust that I can keep the investigation of a potential threat to the security of the Well separate from the sniping and back-and-forth of sendings and Assemblies, or you cannot-- and I will find out what you know in some other manner down the road. Because I do not stop.

You'll recall that I have already entrusted you with information relevant to Zarat's whereabouts, and I've not yet been given reason to believe you've shared that with anyone else. That was me putting the interests of the Well before myself.

Put me in the position of awaiting to hear if you will deign to provide me with information that could be crucial to an investigation again, and I will walk out every time.

Sgt. R. Colmes