Only in the Inspector General’s office do we send our best and brightest out into the field with full knowledge that they may never make it back to us—and if they do return, they won’t be the same.

— Sephora Damerian, date unknown

 14 Decem, 5249 PD

             “This is as far as we take you, Inspector.”

Timrel glanced up from the console, brows knitting.  “Already?”

“I warned you it wouldn’t be long.”  The captain nodded to the console.  “Solve your mystery?”

“Not quite,” Tim said quietly, edging a little closer to the console.  He pressed the data crystal secreted in his palm into a port on the console, hoping that it’d download what he’d been working on without further intervention like it was supposed to.  This was a mystery he had no interest in leaving behind just because he was leaving the ship.  “I don’t know if it’s possible,” he lied.  “We really didn’t get a good look, did we?”

The captain shook his head.  “No, and I don’t regret it, either.  Come on. If you don’t hurry, you’ll miss the shuttle out to the planet.”

They were out in the further-flung regions of the Eridani Trelasia system, near the asteroid belt, on one of the few Mission Systems installations that had already been moved.  Tim wasn’t quite sure what to expect when he stepped through the airlock, but that was part of what made his heart beat a little faster, made his throat tighten just a little bit.

This was what he’d signed up for when he’d joined the Inspector General’s office.  Investigating the unknown—digging deeper into thing he didn’t understand, things that needed to be known, understood.  Investigated, revealed.

He killed a smile and shucked the crystal out of the port, pushing away from the console.  “I’ll get my bag, then, and meet you at the airlock.”

He felt the captain’s eyes on his back as he left the bridge and headed for his cubbyhole of a cabin.  I wonder if he suspects something?

If he did, it probably didn’t matter.  As the captain himself had said, the minute Tim was off his ship, he’d stop being his problem.

With a faint smile, he tucked the crystal into his pocket and ducked into his cabin.  Gathering his things didn’t take long since he’d just been living out of his duffle the whole trip from the station.  He slung it over his shoulder by the straps and headed out into the narrow corridor toward the airlock.

The captain was the only one waiting for him there, and the older man studied the young inspector as if seeing him for the first time.  Tim arched a brow.

“Something wrong?”

The captain grunted and shook his head.  “Likely not.”  He slapped the airlock controls.  “Have a safe trip to the Colony,” he said.

“I’ll settle for an illuminating one,” Tim said with a smile, then stepped into the airlock.  Behind him, the captain shook his head.

“You’re an odd one, Inspector.  Step lightly. Carry a big stick.”

Hopefully, Tim thought as the airlock cycled closed behind him and then irised open in front of him, I won’t need one.

 

•           •           •

 

The smell of pine and the sea hit him as he disembarked from the lander.  He walked a few paces along the smooth surface of the tarmac, eyes widening as his gaze swept over the field, the stone walls and the trees and mountains beyond.  As the engines spun down, he could hear the ocean—probably not far away from the sound of things.

“Takes your breath away,” a voice said from his left, “doesn’t it?”

“I—yes.”  He turned toward the woman who’d spoken, blinking rapidly.  She was somewhere north of thirty-five, hair dark and curling, dressed in heavy cotton slacks and a fitted shirt.

“I reacted the same way when I first came here,” she said, one hand on her hip.

Tim swallowed.  “How long ago was that, Miss…?”

“Farragut.  Though, it’s actually Speaker.”  She extended one hand.  “Rachel Farragut.  And you’re Inspector…?”

He tried to cover the jolt of surprise.  “Timrel Winston,” he said.  “Inspector First Grade with the New Earth Commonwealth Inspector General’s office”

“We’ve been expecting you,” she said as he shook her hand.  “Welcome to E-557.”

“You knew that I would come asking about the Whispers.”

“Of course.  We’re the closest world to it, aren’t we?”  She stepped back and nodded toward the edge of the field.  “I have a skimmer waiting for us.  We made arrangements for you to stay at Halo Ridge.”

Arrangements, hm?  I’m not sure if I should trust those arrangements or not.  Could they be trying to keep me from seeing something they don’t want me to see.  Tim’s brow arched.  “Sounds impressive.”

“Best vantage on the whole city, to be honest,” Rachel said as she led him toward the waiting skimmer.  A dark-eyed man of possibly Chinasian extraction was at the controls and he regarded Tim with a long, measuring look, even though they were still well outside of earshot.

“I don’t think your driver likes me,” Tim observed, eyeing the man right back.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rachel smirk.

“Commander Cho is inherently suspicious of anyone from the Commonwealth suddenly showing up on-planet, announced or otherwise.  It’s a level of paranoia that does tend to keep him out of enemy hands.”  Her smirk blossomed into a grin.  “I’ll see that you’re properly introduced when we’re within earshot.”

She’s a lot more genial than I expected.  Then again…  “I was led to believe that the current leader of the Foundation was Sergei Petremoore.”

Rachel took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.  “With everything changing as quickly as it is these days, Sergei has made the decision to step down from his position as Speaker for the Rose Council and nominal head of the Foundation.  He passed the mantle to me.”

“I see.”

“Do you, Inspector?”  Rachel stopped walking and rounded on him, halting his forward process as she studied him with a stare so intense he could have sworn she was looking through him.  “Do you understand what that means?”

“Perhaps you could explain it to me, Speaker,” he said quietly, meeting her gaze-head on and hoping that she saw as much steel in his spine as he could see in hers.

Tread lightly.  You need their respect, but you also need their cooperation.

“I could,” she agreed.  “But here isn’t the time nor is it the place.  Our skimmer is waiting.”

She spun on her heel and started walking again, leaving him bewildered in her wake.