Tertioday, Jaufre 29th 067.M42

I'm incredibly proud of my row right now, they continue to focus hard on improving their error rate and I'm seeing improvements every time I do a spot-check on their work. Transcript-Adept Kader has been an absolute star in this aspect. As a new adept, I have her on a 75 percent check rate - I am checking 75% of the work that she completes, and so far she's had one hundred percent accuracy. I'm considering dropping her to fifty percent, she seems to have a good handle on the work. I'm very pleased, to say the least. Scribe-Adept Luka has been having no end of issues with his new Transcript-Adept. I'll not admit to feeling rather smug about that, he always bragged about how much better his row was than ours. Not that I'm smug at all.

I've found it interesting to be transcribing the business negotiation records as well. It's intriguing to see the inner workings of the business that keeps our world prosperous and displays our loyalty to the Emperor. But… I think I noticed something odd today when I was transcribing the negotiations between Lord-Captain Drexor and the representative of the Kai-Ten Conglomerate. I thought that these negotiations were recorded as a matter of course, and the representatives of the organisations in question would forward the recordings to us for the good of the Administratum. Now I'm… not so sure.

The Lord-Captain and the Kai-Ten representative were talking business, as was expected. I'd stopped paying much active attention to the recording - it tends to be much easier to transcribe these details if you just, well it's a bit hard to explain, but you really need to stop focusing on the content and just let your fingers produce the words that you hear. It sounds ridiculous, I know. But I'd settled into a rhythm and was a few hours into the recording when I decided to pause and review my work, going over what I'd typed and checking any parts that didn't make sense or seemed grammatically unsound against the recording to make sure I'd actually written what was being said. And as I was checking my transcription I realised that the Kai-Ten representative had said something to the Lord-Captain about a sample escaping. It seemed curious enough that I flagged it, but the Lord-Captain's response was much more curious to me. He said that it was a matter that they would have to discuss on his ship, because - and I quote - "We don't know who is listening in these damned places, all of the walls have ears…". And then the discussion moved on to more prosaic matters.

It just seemed odd to me. It seems odd that the Lord-Captain and the Kai-Ten representative would have business that they would want to conceal from the Administratum. We aren't here to interfere in their business, but simply to log the imports and exports and make sure the tithe is fairly met. But the way the Lord-Captain spoke, it was like he suspected that they were being recorded, but wasn't actually sure. Surely he would know that we listen, for the very reasons that I outlined?

It is incredibly curious. So I flagged the whole exchange and continued with the rest of the file. I do hope that the Lord-Captain and the Kai-Ten are not planning anything perfidious. It would be a shame to see a Lord-Captain stripped of his warrant, and one of the premier trading conglomerates of our world taken out of business. It could only mean harm for Asphodel as a whole. But it will be escalated from me to the Scribe-Master and on above her if it is deemed necessary. If there is falsehood or treachery in their dealings, it will be brought to light.

Thought for the Day: All those who think themselves above the will of the Emperor will find they are deathly incorrect.