Episode 22
Chief Gnaeus sat in his creaky old chair leaning back with
his hands cradling his face. His head ached and his eyes were ever so tired of
looking at reports. He felt like he hadn’t slept in days and couldn’t see
himself finding the time anytime soon. His mug was depressingly empty as he
reached for once more and tipped it over to check the contents. Not even a
single drop remained to provide even an ounce of relief for his diminished
spirits.
A sudden commotion outside managed to redirect his thoughts
quick enough to instead wonder just what was going on out there. But it didn’t
take long before his door flew open and the answer was standing before him. Or
in this case, she was striding purposefully directly towards him.
“I’m sorry sir, we told her you were busy but…” a meek
officer apologized before the Chief cut her off with a single gesture of his
hand. “Just shit the door, it’s alright,” Gnaeus offered firmly. This was not
going to help his headache in the least, the Chief lamented to himself as his
door closed immediately.
A pair of slender hands slammed home atop his desk to send a
fresh avalanche of reports and case files flying. “You’re going to talk to me
Gnaeus,” Dr. Foxfire declared in a tone that blurred the line from demand to
threat. Somewhere hidden in the unspoken challenge Gnaeus almost thought he had
heard the subtle presence of a growl. Had she just growled at him? Perhaps he
had really allowed himself to become far too exhausted for his job of late.
“Alright, what is it Doctor,” the Chief finally groaned as
he rubbed at his eyes. “This had better be important, and quick; I am far too
tired for this nonsense.” But instead of defusing any of the explosive temper
that had just charged into his office he found the fiery form before him even
more eager to ignite. Dr. Foxfire was clearly consumed with some gripping
concern that stirred him awake like a bucket of ice water.
“I have just discovered that the source of our current
predicament was smuggled onto Gallu,” Dr. Foxfire explained angrily. “And the
responsible party is none other than the Magistrate Council themselves.” The
proclaimed news stabbed at the Chief’s belly to sicken him with all its
implications. There was no way the Council could have been involved – it just
didn’t make sense. The Magistrate Council was the direct intermediary between
the New Republic government and Gallu itself.
They were responsible for overseeing the world’s safety and governing its
overall well being. There was no way they could have taken any action to
jeopardize it.
“What utter madness,” Gnaeus spat back. “This is
foolishness; there is simply no reason why the Council would ever be involved
in anything of the sort. It would be like slitting them slitting their own
throat. Why would they destroy the very thing they are answerable for
preserving?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” Dr. Foxfire hissed icily.
“I’ve been considering the matter quite carefully, and you know what I
concluded? Nothing arrives on this world without a full security scan of
everyone and everything onboard. And while I am the medical authority on world
I am always informed to check for biological matters. However there is one
above me who has to be involved for any check no matter how trivial.”
“Just what are you implying,” the Chief demanded instantly,
his own agitation reaching a bursting point. He had heard enough of this whole
business. “Tread carefully, dear Doctor, because you are dangerously close to
finding yourself familiar with a cell for a while.
“It is as simple a matter as it obvious, Chief,” Dr. Foxfire
confirmed. “Nothing gets onto Gallu without getting through the routine checks
and procedures. But if something did manage to bypass any of such checks then
it would have to be waived through by the primary authority overseeing matters;
and that’s you. So just tell me, Chief, have there been any such ‘special
deliveries’ lately? For compassion’s sake people are dying out there!”
If there had been anything left in his empty stomach, Chief
Gnaeus was immediately certain that he would have just lost it – violently. None
of this made sense but with each passing second the details were starting to
add up. Just recently he had received word through encrypted channels from the
Council that asked him for special considerations with regards to a delicate
matter. It was supposed to be an off-the-book transaction that he had been
assured was private Council business. As his superiors he had no reason to
question the issue or object for that matter. All he had to do was flag the
marked vessel to bypass the security check point and allow it to land, and then
leave.
His head began to spin further away from him until he could
barely sit upright. He had willing held the door open for this monster to waltz
right into endanger everyone he was sword to safeguard. And for what reason
other than because he had been told to do so? “Feverish fool,” Gnaeus cursed
himself as his guilt circled full round to lurch in his belly in an endless
spin.
“There was one vessel,” he confessed weakly. “They said it
was nothing dangerous; just a sensitive delivery that was private Council
business. Nothing of this sort has ever happened before. I’ve never had any
reason to question anything like this, and if it had been something like
contraband or the like I was sure we could handle the issue. The Council exists
to oversee us, it is their job to make sure that we are safe and get what we
need from the New
Republic. Why, why would
they ever sabotage something they would have to answer for?”
Dr. Foxfire watched sharply as the Chief wrestled with his
own guilt as some measure of understanding lit behind his eyes. In some part of
her she sympathized with the Chief. He had blindly acted on their request that
resulted in the deadly situation they now dealt with. While he had no way of
knowing what to expect, he was now primarily responsible for dealing with that
very problem. It was asking a lot for someone in his position to accept that
something like a man-turned-monster was on the loose but it was something else
to know that you basically invited them in.
“Chief,” Dr. Foxfire called to him in a soft delicate tone
that lured his closed eyes to open and look to her once more. “We still have to
deal with this matter, Gnaeus,” she advised gently. Obediently the conscience-stricken
Chief nodded his agreement solemnly as he took a moment to try to collect his
thoughts. For whatever reasons the Magistrate Council had seen it fit to
covertly conspire to engineer this emergency. And they had used him to do it.
With a somber seriousness Chief Gnaeus reached over to
unlock a desk drawer that hadn’t seen the light of his office in a long time.
Nestled under a sleepy layer of dust was the familiar presence of his old
sidearm. It had never been standard issue even back in his day – in fact he had
been written up a handful of times for insisting on carrying the weapon. But he
had always been able to count on this formidable friend. Unlike the current
standard sidearm’s his officers used this old Python was made to pack a serious
punch. He had sent many a man free from his feet when they were unfortunate
enough to be on the receiving end of his ignored warning. But neither it nor he
for that matter had seen anything but the rear of his desk in years. Did either
of them still work?
Curiously he clicked the weapon open to check the inserted
power cell’s charge and found to his surprise they were still active. The feel
of his old Python once more in his grip solidified his decision with absolute
finality. “I’m going to hunt this beast down and put an end to the danger it
poses,” he vowed with an iron will. “This is my mess and I aim to clean it up,
personally.”
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