Chapter 245 245 Plans for Investigation

'Why do I suddenly feel like I'm in danger.' Avery thought as Esmeralda closed in on him.

Her ever glanced seemed to be scrutinizing him, and from the frown she was wearing, it was apparent that she was not impressed.

"I'd like to make one thing clear. Jasmine didn't run away from home to be with me. She left to follow her dreams, and we just happened to end up together later." Avery said defensively.

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that. Regina told me that she recently returned home but then left again with you after you proposed. How else am I supposed to take this situation other than you stealing Jasmine away."

It was at this point that Avery realized that he was not going to be changing this woman's mind.

She had a certain view of him, and it was set in stone.

'Why is she acting more like a scrutinizing mother than Regina? Even if it had initially been a move to get Jasmine to stay, she accepted our relationship without batting an eye.'

Thankfully, Jasmine moved to reign Esmeralda in, and they all moved into her office to discuss the details of the mission Regina had given them.

"The chancellor has contacted me about the issue of missing funds that should have been going towards schools on Azade. Together we tried to set a trap for those involved over here, but they must have found out ahead of time that their coconspirators on Azade had been captured and ceased their illicit operations." Esmeralda informed them.

This meant that the grant money was now coming in without any losses now. Still, the culprits working within the central government of the Dramid Alliance had hidden themselves away well. Effectively cutting off the trial leading to them.

"If that's the case, how are we supposed to find them? It's not like we can just barge in and start questioning everyone that could possibly have done this." Jasmine said.

Their authority here was a lot more limited than it had been on Azade. Esmeralda held an important status as an Alliance Assembly member, but it did not give her carte blanche to send operatives wherever she wanted to investigate even the most minor of suspicions.

"Yes, I understand. That is why I've prepared three temporary positions at the Department of Education. They're the ones in charge of overseeing the grant that was being stolen from. Making someone working there the most likely culprit. Of course, there are other possible points where the money could have been diverted, so you'll need to look into those as well."

Hearing all of this made it clear that this job was going to be a massive headache.

Avery's team was a lot better at simply crushing their enemies with force rather than investigating shady dealings.

Nevertheless, Regina had paid them very well to do so, and it was not as if they were all completely lacking in experience.

Without hesitation, Avery, Kasandra, and Ezra turned towards Jasmine and Olivia. The two of them were definitely the best fit for taking the positions offered and infiltrating the Department of Education.

"I suppose that it only makes sense that I'd do this considering my background in the Alliance Police." Jasmine responded without any resistance.

Olivia though, wore a sour look on her face.

She may have worked as the Chancellor's Special Investigator back on Azade, but that did not mean she enjoyed doing so.

Her skills were decent to be sure, and she was intelligent and diligent.

Yet being capable and wanting to do something we two different things.

Olivia hated running around and bashing her head against wall after wall searching for tidbits of evidence and clues.

She was a warrior first and foremost. Fighting was her forte, not investigation.

"You'll get another special bonus for this, and since there shouldn't be any need for your ship to enter combat, you can just drag along Langdon with you to take the third position and have him do most of the work for you." Avery said, understanding that Olivia needed some extra encouragement.

"Very well. I can't disregard a request from our team's leader. And, while I'd rather have Havanna and Rorson around for a fight, Langdon will be a lot better at this type of work." Olivia said, agreeing to being one of the three to infiltrate the Department of Education.

With that decided, Ezra offered to poke around less savory areas and see if he could not dig up any leads.

He was not good at being subtle, but when it came to intimidation, he was more capable than anyone else on Avery's team.

"Take my brother with you as well. He's got a mean look in his eyes and his senses are sharp. I'm sure he'll be able to assist you."

Since he had abstained from coming to the meeting, Kasandra decided to unitarily assign Kaiden a position. If he wanted to complain, she would tell him that he should have come with them if he wanted to choose his role himself.

"Are you sure that will be fine?" Avery asked, hinting at the people after Kasandra and Kaiden.

Sending her brother into the underbelly of the Dramid System sounded like a good way for him to become the perfect target for others like Fahad.

"I don't think that there will be any problems. Ezra will be there with him to keep him out of trouble. And if they think that they need more manpower, they can just take Rorson or some of Olivia's other crew members with them." Kasandra said, seeming unconcerned.

Sighing, Avery agreed despite the potential danger. It was not like he could keep the two of them locked up on their ships all the time in the name of keeping them safe.

"What are you going to be doing then, Kasandra?" Jasmine asked, noticing that she had not stated any involvement in the investigation.

"Well, I think that should be obvious. I don't have my vessel yet, so I'm still Avery's copilot for a bit longer. That means I'll be joining the competition alongside him."

Everyone was caught surprise by this declaration. They had all figured that Avery would be participating alone since he was the only one that Storeen Corp. had hired.

As for Jasmine, she was looking at Kasandra jealously. While she had the most experience as an investigator, she would rather be with Avery than off on a mission that kept them separated.

"Please just indulge me this one time. Once my ship has arrived, I won't be living on the Dauntless anymore and I'll see Avery a lot less. let me spend some time with him right now." Kasandra pleaded.

"Fine, I'll allow it. Keep him safe and don't let him do anything crazy." Jasmine said, relenting to Kasandra's selfishness.

'Do I not get a say in this matter.' Avery thought.

He was supposed to be the one in charge, but his copilot and supporter had just made a big decision without consulting him.

Of course, they both held another position as his lovers, so he made the decision that it was best not to voice his complaints out loud.

There was nothing in the rules stating that only one person had to be controlling every system during the competition.

The Dauntless had originally been made to accommodate a maximum of twelve crew members and one captain. With five stations in the cockpit that could be filled as necessary.

"Okay, you can come along with me Kasandra. I'll feel more reassured with my reliable copilot along for one last time."

Kasandra was beaming with a bright smile upon receiving Avery's acceptance.

However, there was someone in the room that was not.

"How could you treat my dear Jasmine so coldly and send her off on a dangerous mission while cozying up to another woman!" Esmeralda shouted.

Her outburst caught everyone by surprise, and Avery flinched as she glared at him.

Despite Avery being far stronger than her, Esmeralda had an intimidation to her that shook even him.

Avery was busy floundering for the right words to say when Jasmine spoke up. A cold tone in her voice.

"Representative Rhinelander, I don't understand why you think it is okay to talk to the person hired directly by Azade's Chancellor in such a manner. I overlooked it once earlier, but I'm not going to just let you continue to disrespect Avery. I'm the one that chose to be with him knowing that he was already in another relationship. So, if you want to criticize anyone, it should be me."

Esmeralda looked dismayed to hear what Jasmine had just said.

She did not have any children of her own, so she had always doted on Jasmine, the daughter of her second cousin, Regina. They were close enough that Jasmine had even started calling her aunt despite the fact that she was a more distant relative.

"My apologies. I spoke out of turn." Esmeralda said, bowing her head.

With that, their meeting came to a close. They now had an initial plan of action for the investigation into the missing grant funds and we're going to do what they could to uncover the culprits involved.