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Liad: Department of Interior Command Headquarters

Of the four assigned to the detail at Jelaza Kazone, two were undergoing retraining. The report on the Commander's screen indicated that one of those would quite possibly re-attain his pre-catastrophe condition. The other would not, in the informed opinion of the departmental senior overseeing the process, re-achieve his former level of expertise. However, the senior remained sanguine concerning that one's eventual effectiveness as a first-line operative.

Not so, Agent yo'Zeamin, whom the Commander's second had been obliged to dispatch in the antechamber of the Commander's own office, nor Agent pel'Iso, fatally shot by a Solcintra Port security guard during an ill-conceived attempt to steal a Jumpship.

From the two presently undergoing retraining came a tale of horrific—nightmarish—event, alike in nothing save the overmastering sense of personal doom. One reported a disconnection with the physical world coinciding with an overriding need to flee.

The second stated that his head had begun to pain him and he had closed his eyes to ease the strain. When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing on the outside of Jelaza Kazone's perimeter, near the place where he and the others had crossed over the evening before. Disbelieving, he closed his eyes once more. And opened them to discover himself on the ridge that marked the boundary to Korval's Valley, with no memory of having walked there. He continued to function in this on-again, off-again manner until he was apprehended in Solcintra itself by a first-line operative, who took the precaution of locking him into a storeroom before placing the call to her cell-leader.

The most disturbing part of this unlikely occurrence, to the Commander's eye, was that the expert's report indicated the force in operation during the agent's lapses of perceptual sense was the raw will of the subordinated native personality.

It was this Agent whom the expert felt might be adequately retrained to basic operative. The Commander frowned, touched the button to activate the line to his second's desk.

"Commander?"

"Agent ven'Egut."

"Undergoing retraining, Commander."

"Yes. See to his termination. Unacceptable risk."

"Yes, Commander."

He cut the connection and swept the screen clear. Three Agents, lost to Korval. He would meditate upon the best answer to that. In the meanwhile, there was Agent yos'Phelium's pet Terran to consider.

A match program placing the gene-set known as Miri Robertson against the Book of Clans had yielded an—interesting—piece of data.

The genes of Miri Robertson closely matched the genes of Clan Erob, Korval's oldest ally.

This significantly altered the face of event—transforming an apparently chance meeting between yos'Phelium and a "Terran mercenary" into a bit of well—planned and long-standing subterfuge.

It also invested one place in all the wide galaxy with a reason for Val Con yos'Phelium's presence.

Commander of Agents touched the speaker-button once more. "I will have four full Agents of Change in the mid-level meeting room in twelve hours precisely. Commander's Priority.

"I will also have the history, decision point records, and current clan and strength particulars on the planet Lytaxin. I need full loyalty-compliance reports on any Agent ever on Lytaxin."

"Immediately, Commander," said his second. "Is there more?"

The Commander hesitated, considering three Agents wasted and likely a Korval dramliza responsible. Especial study was required there, with one mistake already laid to his account.

"Yes. I will have an overview of the current strengths of the various dramliz on planet, and a comparison of reputed powers. Also. . ." Here he hesitated. It would not do to disturb the balances quite yet. But, if Anthora yos'Galan were to call due a debt from another dramliza. . .

"Also please refer to me, for tomorrow's morning briefing, our contingency plans for dealing with the guilds and halls.

"That will be all for this moment," he concluded, and closed the line.

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Framed