“The scheme is simple, it consists of two parts only,” Dogrose slurped from her mug labeled "Horn-y power" and licked her lips. “First is the state subsidies. It's no secret all of the Yurga shafts are in a near-breakdown shape. The worn-out hardware, the sand drainage collectors, the supporting constructions. It is one of the oldest mining systems that was founded during the first wave of colonization. At the same time one does not simply decommission it. Even formally speaking, you can't get rid of more than a thousand convicts in a day, especially if they are two hours away from the capital.”
“And informally speaking?” Luna gulped down some coffee and curiously watched at the radiopony.
“I have no direct access to these numbers,” the pony crunched on a cookie. The second, exactly the same, stopped short of the princess, enveloped in the softly glowing levitation field. “But I suspect that you can dig out two new mines for the money they provide us. The maintenance crew files more breakage and malfunction messages every day, the things got even better with Celekh. She decided to organize the material, and the chief got some very condensed reports. Surely, he never missed the opportunity to use them in his correspondence with the superiors. The amount of subsidies increased...”
“Let me guess,” Luna stretched her neck and grabbed a cookie with her teeth. Mmm. Chocolate crumbs. “The equipment remained in the same state of disrepair.”
“If it all gets fixed, one will have great difficulties when defending the budget, right?” Dow waved her hoof like if conducting an invisible orchestra, then winched in disgust. “Obviously Lash has some high-ranking patrons in the capital. He is loyal and controllable... a much more valuable trait than honesty and skills for some ponies.”
“What's the second part?”
“Second, I wasn't aware of before the umbrum appeared here. Now, however, it feels only natural. You see, Yurga mines are not so dried up as they are usually considered to be. There was no deposit re-evaluation but I've seen some numbers on the actual output. Both kinds. The official and...”
“...the non-official ones,” Luna finished for her habitually. “To think of it, I began to get bored in here. Is there much difference?”
“Several times,” Dow gulped from her mug again. “No idea where and how does this "extra" go to but if part of it goes to the warehouses of some Equestrian corporations I won't be much surprised. Amber is a valuable resource. Not everyone is that picky to dig its origins.”
“You're talking contraband,” the princess glanced at her, waiting for confirmation.
“The law-enforcement-covered-it-up kind,” the radio pony nodded. “Please don't call Lash a smuggler. Real smugglers don't use slave labor.”
“If you know so much why don't you do something about it?”
“And what can a mere assigned intern possibly do?” Dogrose asked. She sounded tired, almost without irritation. “Send a paper to the superiors? All I got in return was a polite "thanks" and an unambiguous hint that I will be blacklisted if anything like that is filed again.”
“I somehow doubt it scared you,” Luna assumed.
Dow sniffed.
“I will not be thrown out of this place if I don't do something completely stupid, and I will be free in about three months. I am impudent enough to consider myself not so greedy as the captain. Any appropriate private company or a corp will be glad to accept a clever pony regardless of any state blacklisting. They can offer more for the work, too. Still, even if I am stupid I'm not that stupid to try the same closed door again and again expecting another outcome. Looking for more options is much wiser.”
“What about the security staff?”
“Most get a share. First of all, the ‘experienced ones’,” the unicorn sniffed in disgust, letting know about what she thinked of their experience. “The rest are either newbies or have no real voice in decision-making.”
“The convicts?”
Dogrose crunched on a new cookie.
“Do you suggest to start a Revolution in One Mine? I believe, princess, that you are slightly misguided about what Yurga truly is. It is a labor camp. A prison. A fancy, convenient, an arguably comfortable one, but a prison still. And any prison is a feudal microcosm of sorts, the Chief of Security being a king of a little Equestria of his own, free to execute or pardon as he pleases.”
The alicorn grew serious when she remembered the recent search for umbrum.
“That leaves you. Civilian specialists.”
“Yes,” the unicorn nodded. “Our hooves are tied by the contract but we are not obliged to execute military orders without question.”
“It seems we've made full circle,” the princess observed. “As a civilian spec you may be able to write a three-volume book on corruption, but if Lash has some high-ranking officials covering him up...”
“Precisely,” Dow nodded and used her levitation to bring the bag of crunchy cookies to the bed. “Still picking them one at a time, princess? Don't be shy. My treat.”
Luna mournfully sighed, mentally waving goodbye to her dreams of losing weight. She didn't miss the opportunity to pick another round goodness smelling of cinnamon, cocoa and raisins from the bag, though.
“The problem is, once you've started it's hard to stop. A true story, and not just about the cookies. In case you still remember, princess, I combine two positions here.”
“I remember.” The aroma was overwhelming, she had to struggle to keep the thoughts running straight. “A radio operator and... Hold on a second. You're trying to say Lash has issues with keeping up the security?”
Dow gave a sweet smile.
“You have no idea.”