Apriltober 26 Evidence (Salsa coda)

a/n: Rina the OC wants to know about her past. Lila Brown the NPC OC used to work security on the Whale. For a small fee, she dabbles in finding out missing information.

All the good things belong to Monolith Soft.

Lila Brown looked across the scarred desk at her client. Last time they'd met, Rina had come with two supporters, a former client who had talked more than the current one and a lanky stranger that had kept his mouth shut. She had arrived alone this time and was now nervously picking at the arms of the chair.

"Well, let's get to the good news first," Lila began. Rina lifted her sharp nose in the air, almost sniffing for danger. "Easy, easy. It's better than good news. It's boring. I found some records from the Whale, about what you did and so on."

"They told me there weren't any records."

"Maybe not personnel or medical, but I have a friend in payroll. Your private files may have gone with the wind, but tax records are bombproof." Lila tilted the screen of her comm device, the better to read from it in the dim light of her office. "Best, Katrina. Worked for the ECP in 2054, salaried as a GS13. That'd be skilled technician level, someone with valuable skills. Continues in 2055, Mim Maintenance Center, and I'm presuming in 2056."

"No," Rina contradicted her. "No one remembers me at the Mim Center."

"Not that one. You were at the branch that served those of us working to keep the ship running. The facilities were located in the rear of the ship, near hydroponics, Lifehold." She took a quick breath. "Engineering," Lila said thickly.

Rina looked uncertain.

Lila cleared her throat and continued. "Those groups took heavy losses. The survivors in NLA? Passengers, fighters, command crew. Our guys stuck by their stations and ... didn't make it."

"Oh."

"I should probably say thank you. You might have patched me up at some point, not that I ever paid much attention to the medi teams."

"Do you think so?"

"Probably not. But, still, thank you." They were silent for a moment. Lila admired the dust motes glinting in the air. She had closed the blinds almost completely, partly for privacy, partly to cut the fireworks from the enthusiastic Ma-non welding going on at the station.

"Is there anyone else?" Rina asked.

"No," Lila said. She shook her head slightly, reminding herself that she needed to do the job she'd been hired to do. "I don't know why you survived. Possibly making a delivery or grabbing supplies, working with a paramedic team."

"I do that now, sometimes," Rina said quietly. "Work as a medic." She ran a hand through her hair, cut too short to tug at.

"That sounds likely." There was a rattling clang outside and a golden flash that lit the office wall. Lila flinched. Rina didn't. Lila pushed her memories of the chaotic hours of the crash from her mind. "I don't know how your group was organized during emergency situations, and even though I could probably get the details, it wouldn't really answer the question of why. Everything indicates you were doing a good job, somewhere on the ship, and we're lucky to have you here."

"Thank you." A determined look crossed Rina's face. "You said you were starting with the good news."

"Nothing gets past you," Lila said. She shoved the comm device towards Rina. "Recognize him?"

Rina didn't rush to look at the photo. She lifted the comm device carefully with both hands, her eyes flicking over the image of an older man. "No, I don't." One finger traced his face. "He looks like Roo, a little. The man who came with me last time," she added in explanation.

"Oh, yeah, there's a resemblance. Grey hair, the facial scar."

"His eyes are ... kind." Rina was staring at the face.

"Yeah, well, that's the bad news."

"He's dead," Rina said with resignation. She put the comm device down firmly.

"That too." Lila retrieved the device and scrolled up to a news headline. "'Local man pleads guilty to manslaughter,'" she read before showing it to Rina.

"Oh."

"There's not much more. The court case dressed it up as medical record theft that resulted in a few hospital accidents. What he was really doing was running a ring to get people on to the ECP ships. It wasn't a small thing like we usually dealt with. He was swapping thousands of people." Lila had tucked away the device. No point distressing her client with the inaccurate news report. "This was up in the Pacific Northwest, but we heard about it at the Whale. It was big."

Rina's eyes were darting around the office. "And I helped him."

"No." Lila waggled a finger to emphasize the point. "No," she said again, "and you didn't turn him in, either. He did make an attempt to gather you up, maybe to get your help or more likely just to distract you. The thing is, security was already about to bust him anyway. I know you gave testimony, some kind of evidence. The news report mentions it. The timing of your transfer to the Whale is shortly after that."

"Some kind of reward," Rina said bitterly.

"Or protection. The thing he was doing, that was bigger than anything they had to deal with at the Whale. It wasn't just swapping passengers. They went after crew members too. It probably put the whole ship at risk, the one he was targeting. The Lewis and Clark." She watched Rina for a response.

"I don't know."

"Which explains why no one remembers you. You were brought in late, kept a low profile, anything to keep you safe."

Rina was pulling herself together, Lila was pleased to see. "Do you suppose my amnesia has something to do with trying to forget all this?"

Lila snorted. "I don't know much about it, but there's plenty of stasis side-effects to go around. Probably isn't much different from what other people are coping with. But now you know. You're clean, mostly."

"Clean. I don't feel much better."

"I'll send you a report."

"No, that's okay. I don't need to see his face, uh, to read anything about it. What you've given me is fine."

"Cool, cool. If you have any questions, give me a call or swing round the station. I'm usually here." Lila rose, left the office with Rina and even walked her to the edge of the station lot. "Good luck." She offered her hand. The other woman accepted and they shook on it. Then Rina straightened her shoulders and jogged off.

/"Well?" "She took it." "Good." "Gonna tell me why?" "Dr. Loos deserved the retirement she chose." "If you say so. Seems unfair to the woman who's left." "Dr. Loos didn't think so and I'd like to honor her choice. Not every past can be overcome." "I wish I could say you were wrong, but maybe not."/

a/n: No, really this is it.

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