[i]The Next Day
[/i]

"This is pre-xanthanite iconography based on the..." I stumbled, peering at the arcane text before me.

"Based on variations in straigraphic matrix," Lazarus prompted. I lay the book down and rubbed my eyes. The tech adept had been giving me a crash course in the world's xeno-archaology. Some of the material was actually interesting, but the goal of the exercise was to equip me with enough jargon that I could pass myself off as an Adept. Lazarus had secured me the marjor writings on the pre-xanthanite tombs and taken me through them in exhaustive detail. The human story was more interesting than the xenos one to my mind, the various archaeological authorities in this sub-sector seemed to hate each other with a passion only present on battlefields and in academic discourse. Bachman hated Tellus, Tellus hated Vorkosigan, Epienhiemer hated Vorkosigan, all arguing back and forth about the particulars of a civilization that had died before the Great Crusade began.

"Straigraphic matrix," I muttered, tucking the information away in my mind. It seemed unlikely I would be able to convince a real expert, but assuming I just dealt with amatuers, I could probably vomit enough buzzwords to sound credible.

"Do you think it will be a problem that my invitation is just for one?" I asked Hadrian. He snorted.

"Probably won't make him too happy, I'm sure he was looking to get the lovely Adept alone," the Inquisitor admitted. "But he can hardly complain if I properly chaperone you, not without making a scene anyway."

"And what exactly are we looking for?" I asked, my eyes scanning the dataslate one more time.