Page 75 - The Perpetrations of Captain Kaga

Claiming the Vegimal Property

building on the edge of the landing pad. It was a standard structure,
one he’d seen many times. The door opened to his thumb print, and
he entered.
A Vegimal stood by the reception desk. A hole had been cut in the
floor, and several of the creature’s sturdy limbs were thrust down
through it into the ground below the building. It switched on the
Languex on the desk and spoke to Kaga.
“What do you want?” it asked gruffly.
Captain Kaga was taken aback. “Why—why, I’ve come here to
find out what has happened to Lieutenant Lugo.”
“I can’t tell you that, because I don’t know, because he didn’t tell
me where he was going, because he didn’t know.”
“Is that all you can tell me?” asked Kaga, still amazed at the
Vegimal’s rudeness.
“I can tell you what I know, but I haven’t moved from this spot
for a long time, so I can’t tell you much.”
Kaga looked around .for a chair, found one, and sat down. “Did he
tell you why he left the base?”
“Yes,” replied the Vegimal, flexing its stationary limbs slightly. “He
went in search of something.”
“What?”
“I don’t know, although he did tell me. It has something to do with
getting permission to remove some soil from this island. The word
he used does not come out of this box.”
The Vegimal gave the Languex a tap with one of his free limbs.
“I think I know what it is,” said Captain Kaga. “Now let me tell
you a few things. I am in charge of this post in Lieutenant Lugo’s
absence. I have been sent here to find him. If he has been harmed,
the PKU will take reprisals. That means a sort of brief war which you
Vegimals will lose, you must understand that. Beside the loss of life
and destruction of resources, you will then be at the mercy of a
military representative of the PKU instead of a commercial one. Is
that clear?”
“Yes,” the Vegimal replied. “Does it mean I will lose my position
here?”
“It most certainly does, unless I can find him quickly.’’
“Then because of what you tell me, I will help you all I can,
although I will not move from this particular location.”
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