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“I will have Laconian guards stationed to assure your safety”

“And Dr Rittenaur’s”

“Yes, sir And I will begin an investigation as to who this individual was at once, and who allowed him on the property”

“Thank you,” Biryar said “This has to be our first priority now”

“Agreed, sir I’ll have a preliminary report ready before you reach the Notus And…” Overstreet pressed his lips together and looked away

“What’s bothering you, Major?”

“This was either an egregious failure on the part of the local forces or an outright subversion of security protocols Either way, there will have to be consequences Before I begin an investigation, it would be good to have some sense of how you would prefer to escalate this Should that be needed”

It was a measure of how much the encounter had shaken him that Biryar hadn’t considered this already On Laconia, a breach of this nitude would mean someone was executed at the least, and more likely sent to the Pens as a test subject But on Laconia, a breach like this would never have happened The first decision of his career would be whether to execute someone and very possibly alienate the planet he’d come to preside over And the decision was coh on Medina

“We both understand the dangers of overreach,” Biryar said, speaking the words gently, as if they were sharp “If the offending party is a native of Auberon, arrest the of their case will need to be thoroughly and coree that we safely can I won’t escalate until Auberon’s legal system has the chance to do this well”

“And if the issue began with us?”

Biryar smiled That was easier “If a Laconian is responsible for breaking protocol and putting our administration at risk, either now or in the future, ill execute them publicly Laconian standards are absolute”

“Understood, sir,” Overstreet said, as if Biryar hadn’t siht-years to the desk of High Consul Winston Duarte hi, sir? Until this is addressed, I’d be more comfortable if you carried a sidearm”

Biryar shook his head “It will be seen as a sign of fear I trust your security force to make it unnecessary”

“I appreciate your confidence, but I’ you to do it anyway,” Overstreet said “The man was in your house”

Biryar sighed, then nodded his agreement Overstreet left