"Your mother." Wolfe's finger traced a line in the file.
"Caravan Master Li Mei Chen. Died two years ago in a raider attack near New Vegas."
There was no emotion in her voice, but the fact that she'd memorized this detail told him something.
"You've been drifting since. Working as a translator, mediator, sometimes fixer. Then you applied to the Rangers six months ago. Application sat in processing until three weeks ago when it was suddenly fast-tracked."
She closed the folder and looked at him directly.
"You want to know why."
Kai nodded once.
Wolfe stood and moved to the map of Colorado. She tapped a cluster of red pins.
"Two weeks ago, we received fragmented radio transmissions from Colorado. Multiple frequencies, different encryption methods, some in languages we haven't heard in decades. Our standard intelligence couldn't crack most of them. We need a linguist."
She turned back to him.
"But that's not why your application was fast-tracked."
She opened her desk drawer and pulled out a different file---older, the edges worn, the classification stamp faded but still visible: CONFIDENTIAL - EYES ONLY.
"Fifteen years ago, Marcus Chen led a diplomatic mission to Colorado. He was our best---fluent in nine languages, brilliant negotiator, one of the few Rangers who could talk warlords down from bloodshed."
Her voice was carefully controlled.
"He was trying to establish communication with the regional powers there. The Patriarch, the various gangs, the tribals. We lost contact six weeks into the mission. No distress signal. No bodies recovered. No trace."
She slid the classified folder across the desk, but kept her hand on it.
"Your father's final mission was sealed. Command decision. Political reasons I didn't agree with then and still don't."
"When your application came through, it triggered alerts in the system. Marcus Chen's son, with similar linguistic abilities, applying to the Rangers. Given the new transmissions from Colorado..."
She paused.
"Some people in command think it's too much of a coincidence. Others think it's an opportunity."
"An opportunity for what, Commander?"
"To finish what your father started."
She tapped the Colorado map.
"The Patriarch---self-proclaimed ruler of Colorado Springs---has sent an official request for Ranger assistance. First time in over eighty years Colorado has reached out to Arizona. He's offering resources, territory, alliance. In exchange for help dealing with his enemies."
"And the transmissions you mentioned?"
"Some match the Patriarch's official channels. Others..."
She hesitated.
"Others are coming from different sources. Encrypted. Fragmented. Some appear to be warnings. Others might be cries for help. We can't tell because we can't fully translate them."
She finally slid the folder fully across to him.
"This is what we've recovered of your father's mission records. It's incomplete---large sections are redacted or missing. But it's yours to review. You have clearance as of right now."
Kai's hand reached for the folder, but he stopped himself.
"Commander, I appreciate the transparency, but I have to ask---why show me this? If it's classified, if it's been sealed for fifteen years... why give it to me now?"
Wolfe's eyes met his.
"Because I'm tired of secrets getting Rangers killed. Your father disappeared because we didn't know enough about Colorado. Now we're being asked to send people back into that same situation."
She leaned forward.
"I need someone who can decode those transmissions. Someone who learns languages fast enough to handle whatever we encounter. Someone with motivation to actually care about what happened there."
"And you think that's me."
"I think you're Marcus Chen's son. I think you didn't join the Rangers out of patriotic duty---you joined because we have resources and access you couldn't get anywhere else. I think you've been looking for answers about your father since the day he disappeared."
She didn't blink.
"Am I wrong?"