Between

Chapter Eight

Kovaleski Estate at HMUC Headquarters in Sector 1, Central Corzibar

Master Controller of the High Ministry of the Union of Corzibar Edric Kovaleski followed the clay pigeon into the air with the barrel of his gun. It had been some time since he had been free to go shooting, and as he squeezed the trigger and the clay pigeon exploded, he felt some of the stress of the previous few days dissipate.

"Excellent shot Sir."

Beside him, Lieutenant Commander Joseph Greeves gave a few short claps of approval. Edric nodded at him in thanks, but his expression remained flat and unimpressed.

"One more, Master Controller?"

This time the voice came from one of Edric's butlers, who held up the last clay pigeon for clarification. The Master Controller nodded and raised his rifle again.

The boom of the shot and the satisfying clank of the hit seemed to soothe the man's tired soul. The butler collected Edric's rifle then, much to the MC's inner disappointment, but he knew this pastime was a privilege. Clay pigeons were a commodity these days, after all. They were hard to find and even harder to make given the terraforming requirements of the CO2 scrubs. Clay was desperately needed for the algae sloughs because it acted as a natural sealant and stopped the water the algae so depended on from seeping away too quickly.

As a result, Edric had been forced to, for the most part, give up his favorite pastime. Shooting anything but clay just wasn't the same, and live targets were just too difficult and time consuming to consider.

"Your drink, Sir."

To his left, a maid offered Edric a small glass of wine, which he took gratefully. The maid then offered a second glass to Greeves.

"Thank you, Miss," Edric said to the maid in dismissal. She curtsied and backed away a few steps before pivoting and striding away. The butler, too, was dismissed. Left alone with the Lieutenant, Edric raised his glass, and after each took a sip, he gestured to a nearby table.

"So," Edric began as they sat down, "You have news?"

Beside them, in a stone fountain, several small birds bathed and sang.

"Yes, Master Controller," Greeves replied with an inclination of his head. He placed his wine glass on the hand carved stone of the table.

"Well, do tell me, Lieutenant. I'm a very busy man, you see, and as much as I enjoy languishing in my gardens and entertaining guests, I simply do not have all day to do so."

"Of course Master Controller. I shall get right to the point."

Edric raised his eyebrows in anticipation.

"We have reason to believe one of our evaluators is not following protocol."

"Explain."

Greeves shifted under Edric's gaze, and he felt a certain pride that he could make the other man, so stoic and strong willed, shrivel like an insect in the midday sun.

"We intercepted a transmission that indicated the presence of a possible Exotic, yet we at the HMUC have received no such reports."

"And to whom was this transmission made?" Edric took another sip of his wine, his interest overshadowed by his irritation that the Lieutenant could not be bothered to provide all of the information to him at once.

"We aren't sure about that, Sir," Greeves admitted, lowering his eyes, "but we do know who made it. Her name is Isla Williams. She's been with the evaluators for a number of years. Six, I believe."

"What was said during this contact that makes you suspect an Exotic?" Kovaleski pressed, running his fingertip along the rim of the wineglass. "Surely you would not waste my time if you did not have a solid reason behind such accusations. Evaluators are difficult to replace, therefore I would prefer to know for certain this Isla Williams is guilty before we remove her from her position."

Here, Edric saw Greeves falter, and his brows furrowed in suspicion.

"Nothing specific, Sir, however, her willingness to risk the transmission at all, coupled with the hurried nature and the few words we did hear—"

"What did you hear, Lieutenant?"

"She insisted the girl be retrieved, 'before the HMUC realizes the significance of what they've lost.'"

A deep, exasperated sigh escaped Kovaleski's lips then, and he took another tired sip of his wine. Sometimes incompetence seemed to follow him around like a shadow. Greeves was, of course, more competent than most, but at times like these it was difficult to believe.

"So, you're accusing this woman of treason...without any solid proof. Based on a...gut feeling, Mister Greeves. Is that how I am to understand this 'news' of yours?"

Greeves didn't immediately reply, a fact for which Kovaleski felt almost grateful. It was times like these—people like Greeves—who could draw the carefully concealed monster from the depths of his being. For many years Edric had fought to gain control of his temper, and now, some two decades after first taking control of the HMUC, he had nearly imprisoned the monster for good. He didn't take kindly to anyone who seemed to want to draw that monster out again.

"I...and my team...surely we cannot share a...gut feeling....amongst us all."

Edric studied his subordinate for a moment then, considering his words. He had a point, and Edric wasn't afraid to acknowledge that fact.

"Very well," the MC acquiesced at last. "What do you propose we do, then, Lieutenant?"

"I would suggest we take her in for questioning, Sir," Greeves replied, straightening in his seat and frowning. "If we find nothing of interest, we can provide her with monetary compensation for her troubles. And, if we find anything of merit, I will defer to you for further disciplinary actions."

After another moment of consideration, Edric gave a nod of approval.

"You have my blessing, Lieutenant Commander. You are dismissed."