Eventually the trail of witnesses led into an alcove. And there she took a momentarily break to collect herself.

“Did no one actually think to simply ask where to go? Really? You lost them because none of you could simply ask?”

▙◀ spoke first, chiming up with a calm timbre. Stilling the words from the Ministry rep before they could finish forming.

“You arrived with great alacrity mistress Courtesan. There were no minister approved experts available within range and authorization had not been passed to make use of outside contractors so that a local siren could be commissioned... Furthermore although Redweed’s many Ministries and Polis pride themselves on their civil expertise. There are very few among our local Siren families that would have been all that helpful with this”

Pylo peered at the space, it wasn't too cramped. The walker could have fit through easily.

“What do you mean? I even when I was a sproutling I could have done this... Hardly seems like a problem for any adult Siren no matter how backwards”

She started gently slipping into the passage, forcing the column of rounded blocks to follow. The puttering little ministry representative lingering outside the passage. Unwilling to go in.

It only took ▙◀ a few moments to finally collect itself for the answer.

“As I am sure you are aware Siren are not common and they are not the easiest to keep properly fed and cared for”

Pylo scoffed, so she and her family eat a bit more than the reef tenders or the little orbs of the technicians. But that was hardly fair, they lived on practically nothing but a bit of water and some carbon!

The tower of compartments continued in that soft slightly annoyingly patient tone.

“Furthermore, of the dozen local Sirens I know of being anywhere near Petalweft Salts three are barred from entering any offices with vital documentation due to past offenses. Four will not leave their current lodgings for any reason without a formal declaration of marriage, full courtship expense payment funds provided up front and a dowery including satisfaction bonus clauses.”

Pylo scowled a bit to herself, what kind of Sirens had to beg for that kind of thing? She eased her way slowly along the passage, listening to the quiet buzz and hum of happy but fairly comatose residents.

“The last five are suspected of fraud and one is publicly under investigation for criminal hoarding. To put it bluntly those members of your species that live in Redweed are rarely aligned with the efforts of the Ministries and those that do are rare and require exorbitant compensation and personal favors.”

If it was delivered in anything but that calm and polite tone Pylo would have been offended. The implication that somehow Sirens were ‘unlawful’ or selfish in some subtle form of their heritage?

Well!

If that is what the wastrel orphans that had washed up here in Redweed had beget it was no wonder they could not even get one to help out with something this simple.

It explain why no one had bothered to do what she just did to track down the errant terrans. Alas this was a small and mostly rural habitat after all. Despite its pretensions of grandeur and civilization.

Hardly better than Terra really.

Then again if no one else had the means to poll the torporing revelers this was something only she could do right? So it came down to Pylo to meander into the subtly curving hallway and do what no one else was capable or willing to.

Which she really should get back too.

There were not any of the piles of exhausted clerks here. But there was a teeming audience all the same embedded in the walls. Even though the passage had no branches or particularly sharp bends she thought it would be good to check this was the right way.

These people were not as utterly spent as the ones outside, but they did still feel of heavy fatigue and in quite a few of their sealed capsules signs of quickening eggs.

So might as well treat them equally gently.

“Qusho qush qush qou? Did a trio of figures come through this way? I am Pylo and I do need to find them and make sure they are safe”

Several of the individuals in their cans set into the walls stirred, some suckled nutrients or stimulants from feeding tubes to bring their minds to more readiness.

Most however were too groggy or turgid to bother.

Pylo had to prod and nudge across the walls a few times before finding even one awake enough and willing to actually talk.

“Nmhnm... Love-love-qush? Neh-mah-nah! I filed all my breeding forms already! And I drank my entire tank of boni praise juice! No more seeds! All full and plump in my can here!”

Pylo huffed and worked at the intent a little more carefully, apparently the dialect was a bit different here.

“I just want to know if they came this way. Trio in a bubble with a-”

“Oh-neh-mah-ya! Yes Yes Yush-ush! I remember! They filed... they filed so many boni! So many many many boni! Enough boni for me to plump me and my daughters daughters daughters daughters full of eggs! Generations down so many openings! So rich is I! So rich is we! Live sweet and file and drink the praise-juice!”

Pylo tilted her head, that sounded ominous. It sounded like maybe some one had started paying for things they should not have.

Dangerously contractually protected things that Pylo would need to purchase back.

“How did they pay you the bonuses? Do you have a file for tha-”

“Oh sure-sho-sweet... Such a good-best portfolio is mine... will tally and tally to... I’ll just-jush-ush... ur? ... MUR?!”

The soppy minded individual suddenly turned icy cold and then the little clerk in a can convulsed and pulled an almost toxic draw of entirely less pleasant stimulants into itself.

Spiking their mood down into fear and terror.

“Where- Where is the Portfolio?! Where is the accounts?! THe ledger! No-nonnononononnoOOO! Where is the tally?! Hey HEY! Wake up all! The tally! The count is gone! THE COUNT IS GONE! Alert! Catastrophe! apocalypse! The count is gone! The Accounts are missing! THE ACCOUNTS ARE MISSING!”

Pylo looked around herself, face taking on a frown for no one present but herself. Damn terran mannerisms.

The jars lining the walls were spiking from happy torpor to terror filled shock and anguished panic.

“My ledger is blank?! MY LEDGER IS BLANK! HOW IS MY LEDGER BLANK!? I’VE NEVER EVEN SEEN A BLANK LEDGER! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!”

Pylo tried to get a thought in edgewise but the whole place was starting to buzz and churn with rapidly rising traffic and a cascading wave of panic and terror. She could feel starting to even jolt the lazy exhausted clumps outside into sudden frenzy driven motion.

That didn't sound healthy.

“Uh I guess I’ll just get going to find them down this way then?”

No one seemed inclined to pay attention to here though.

“How am I going to get my nutrient restock?! I can’t show my needs tally! I DON’T HAVE A NEEDS TALLY?!”

Well except ▙◀ , who seemed somewhat smug.

“Perhaps more delicacy would have been in order Mistress Courtesan? Either I will send word to have emergency triage services dispatched. Hopefully we can prevent any deaths from over-exertion of the juvenile clerks.”

Pylo fumed and focused on the task of navigating through the tunnel as little indicator lights and signaling arrays sparked and spurted to life all around her to give voice to the rising wail of horror that was filling the district.

“Where is my ACCOUNT?! All MY investments!? I quickened a thousand brood for the payout of those futures! How am I going to FEED THEM?! How am I going to feed MYSELF?!”

It was confusion and terror ringing out of every wall of the hallway. It bombarded Pylo in waves. Terrible revelation on terrible revelation collapsing over each other and spiking more to awaken and check their own little corner of the situation and then add their shouts and confusion to the tumult.

It made what should have been a simple drifting float into a grueling endurance test for Pylo’s senses.

But it was under these conditions that eventually she found her charges, curled up asleep inside the bubble with the mechanical limbs furled against a wall. Tucked around a curve in the hallway.

It was a relief to see them safe and whole.

Although on closer inspection Pylo was pretty sure they were not supposed to be oozing that much or have those kinds of bits on their outsides like that!

In fact that probably was not good or safe at all.

This could be bad. This could be really bad! Possibly as bad as when Aleph had a little problem with Pylo shouting at her.

What was worse she didn't have a convenient species expert conscious and willing to tell her what to do if terrans were leaking like this! She would have to try and read the books stored with Tunie and figure something out?

This was really bad, Pylo was not her sister.

She was not a doctor.

She was going to void the contract!

“Oh... That does not look right at all”

The pile of blocks broke through her spiraling panic attack and the wailing halls of despair without a hint of concern to her tone.

▙◀ had a way being calm that up until this very moment had been starting to grate Pylo a little bit.

But just then with the complete break down of her contract looming up in the future and surrounded by screaming voices of despair on fore-aft-dorsal and ventral sides?

She kind of appreciated it. It helped her take on a similar detached tone even with her spores trying to burst out all over in mild panic.

It centered her. Maybe this would not be so bad.

“No, no it does not... I’m pretty sure they are not supposed to be leaking like that or have those things embedded in those parts.”

The block unfolded itself a bit, slender limbs extending into the membrane and past it to gently brush one of Pylo’s charges.

“Well, I think I can help a bit with this...”

And Pylo felt a huge relief at the assurance the blocky little technician felt about her chances to prevent this disaster.

This was probably going to turn out fine!