Looks like it was sealed at the shipping facility and has been bumped around but not opened since.

Good.

DZ installs some extra security software, just in case, and sends Peka a message.

Hello again. We're in Iantep; Deskyl's resting a bit before we get started on spaceships, and they've agreed to wait until we have a planet lined up to start on robots. We have some money, too, how much do you need?

Rest of the credit is 3,000 tap. They're keeping you completely quiet, nobody's heard anything.

We can do 3,000 tap. And they haven't said anything about telling the public about us yet, I expect they'll at least wait until Deskyl is recovered.

There's a money transfer for 3,500 tap along with the message.

Thank you so much!!!

Thank you for helping us. It's a good thing you found us first - you should have seen the look on Deskyl's face when she found out just how bad things are for reds, and I doubt we would have found out on our own.

Do you mind if we keep in touch? We might have more questions for you.

I don't mind. I'm still stuck in the army so I might not always be able to answer fast.

Aww.

We've been keeping you a secret so far - they know we talked to a red, but not who - but if you don't need to be, we can ask about getting you out, if you want.

Depends if you can definitely convince them you'll be mad if I suddenly disappear.

Deskyl will definitely be mad if you suddenly disappear, I don't think it will be hard to convince them. We'll wait to tell them who you are until we're sure it's safe, though.

(She has a few changes of clothes delivered - all black - and an embroidery kit, and a few likely-looking books of poetry, and an art book full of photographs of sunsets from around the world.)

I'd rather be home with my baby now we don't desperately need the extra money.

She puts them away and messages the blues.

Would it be possible to arrange for the red who first found us to come home from her army posting? Deskyl is concerned that she'll end up near the fighting and be injured.

We'd need to know which one.

I'd like to make sure she won't be punished for not reporting us, first; she did that at our request and Deskyl will be upset if anything happens to her because of it.

Well, no harm done. We can just discharge her and leave it at that.

She forwards the exchange to Peka.

Does that look good enough to you?

Maybe make sure they know you'll be emailing me and stuff after.

That's a good idea, I'll make sure they know.

All right. Her name is Peka Atan; the one from Sampika.

We'll be keeping in touch with her; Deskyl will want to make sure she continues to be safe and well, and she seems like a useful person to consult on how reds will see different approaches to the transition to robots.

I've sent in the discharge order. An undertaker seems an odd choice for a consultant.

It's not that she's an undertaker, though the fact that her job will be one of the most directly affected doesn't hurt. But she in particular has met us and talked to us; she knows we care about what happens to her and that we're going to be careful about how we allow robots to be introduced, and it would be hard to build that kind of rapport with someone else.

Why is that necessary to quiz one on how they feel about robots?

It's necessary for useful collaboration. How they feel about robots is obvious; what we need to do to give you robots without making them feel threatened isn't.

Well, she'll be on her way home as soon as her unit has a replacement.

Thank you.

They're sending a replacement, you can go home as soon as they're there.

At some point I'm going to have to explain to these blues that just because Deskyl is a pacifist of a Sith doesn't mean it's safe to keep being stupid around her, wow.

Yeah, I got notice. They threatened dire consequences if I tell anybody there's aliens or anything but I go home tomorrow. Is she going to hurt people?