Iris (The Color of Water and Sky Book 1)

by Andrew Gates

  “I’ll just get right to it,” Kateb went on. “Dr. Parnel, we’ve heard in your testimony so far that you’ve shut down certain zones of the station to apprehend Mr. Saljov. Putting the practicality and necessity of this aside, let’s agree for the sake of argument that apprehending him truly is of the utmost priority. Why then did you make the call to exclude his image or name from any media publications?”

  Sanja wondered when this question would come up.

  “Yes, thank you, Mr. Kateb,” she responded, getting her formalities out of the way. She was thankful this man did not seem nearly as candid as the previous questioner. “To answer that, I made the call right away to keep any information regarding Mr. Saljov private from the public. This was done for two reasons. The first was to quell any further disturbances. I did not want any of his close friends or allies joining in to support his anarchical cause. The second reason was to help manage the operation. I find doing everything with my internal team is a productive way to-”

  “You see, this is what I’m talking about,” interrupted the woman from earlier. “You want to control everything, Dr. Parnel. Like that servant of yours who brings you water. You’d love to be running this whole city, wouldn’t you?”

  Fielder leaned over towards her.

  “May I remind my fellow member that speaking out of turn is-”

  “May I remind the Chairman that this hearing is a joke? This is not public. Everything we discuss is behind closed doors. There are no constituents to appeal to here.”

  Fielder did not seem happy with his colleague. Even when they’re on the same side, they can’t stand each other.

  “Mrs. Nazif, cameras or no, we still have procedure to follow. You yielded your time,” he said. Sanja was surprised to see him take a stand like this. “And just to let you know, this is still going on record and when this information becomes declassified, it will eventually be available for the public.”

  Nazif, clearly disappointed by Fielder’s response, stood up from the table and slowly made her way out of the room.

  Sanja glanced back to Yuri. As expected, he seemed completely unfazed by the comment against him.

  “Sorry about that interruption,” Fielder continued. “Mr. Kateb, you still have the floor.”

  “Thank you, Chairman,” Kateb responded. He looked at Sanja again. “Dr. Parnel, I have to agree with my colleague, Mrs. Nazif. It seems like your decision to keep this information classified is really about control.”

  “That’s my job. To take control of the situation,” Sanja replied.

  “I think you know what I mean, Dr. Parnel. In this case, I find it to be an unnecessary step and I think it limits your ability to track him.”

  “Well sir, that’s just your opinion,” Sanja added. “And this is my job, not yours.”

  There were a few more quiet gasps in the room. Perhaps that was too candid.

  “Very well,” Kateb said, seemingly unfazed, “as you are the expert, perhaps you can tell me this: how come you have not been able to catch Mr. Saljov?”

  “Well sir, our station was attacked one week ago by an outside force. As you can imagine, I’ve been pretty busy,” Sanja replied. “Finding Saljov has become somewhat of a secondary priority.”

  “Yes, busy doing the job you were supposed to be doing all along,” Kateb responded. “And you’ve made significant headway I presume?”

  Sanja nodded.

  “I have, but that information is on a need to know basis. This was not my call. This came from the Strategic Action Room,” she answered. “Believe me, in this case this is the one time I agree that some classified information should be shared. If you all knew what my research has found, we wouldn’t be here right now wasting our time with this pointless childishness.”

  That statement seemed to surprise a lot of members of the Committee. Even James Kateb seemed shocked to hear this. She wondered if her answer did a good job scaring them.

  “May I ask, why is that?” he eventually asked. His tone sounded different than before. It was more humble and less imposing.

  Sanja rubbed her face and pulled her hair back behind her head.

  “Unfortunately I don’t believe I have the authority to answer that question,” she answered with a sigh. “You all speak of how I am hungry for power. But even I have to follow the rules. I’m sure the President will inform you all of my findings in short time, but for now… well, you know.”

  She wanted to tell them the truth. She could almost feel the words coming out of her.

  An army is coming and it’s coming soon.

  Sanja closed her eyes and remembered what Ortega said about getting that extra defense funding. The President had said those words less than an hour ago, back when the SAR was just as chaotic as the halls outside. Surely he was going to inform them soon. Every moment the right people were kept in the dark was a moment wasted. But for now, there was nothing she could do but wait.

  “Well I’ve heard what I wanted to hear,” Kateb said after a moment of hesitation. “I would like to postpone the remainder of my time and resume when our second witness arrives, Mr. Chairman.”

  “Very well, Mr. Kateb,” Fielder replied. The EO looked around, as if he were looking to see which of his colleagues were present. He eventually faced forward again and spoke into his mic. “I would now like to turn the floor over to Mr. Andre White.”

  Andre White was another EO with whom Sanja was familiar, although familiar was putting it lightly. They had met many times through his fiancée, Commander Linda Faulkner. The two of them made an interesting couple, an Elected Official and a Navy commander, but their love was real. Sanja could tell the difference between the fakers and those who really meant it. And although their ethnicities did not match up perfectly, both of them had enough pulling power in the government to twist the right arms.

  Sanja smiled as White moved the microphone towards his mouth and leaned forward in the chair. As a fiancé to a Navy commander, Sanja knew he would be one of the few EOs to give her the support she needed.

  “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and fellow members of the Committee,” White started. “I know we are each given time for questioning and I’ll certainly get to that, but I’d like to start out by reminding this committee what we already know.”

  As a younger member of the CEO, his voice seemed more energetic and charismatic. Though he was only reading a prepared statement off his pod, Sanja was strangely eager to hear what he had to say.

  “Several months ago, our Cassidy X20 submarine was attacked by an unknown assailant. In just a short period of time, Dr. Parnel’s investigative team discovered details of the orb, weapon and craft that our normal Navy operations would have taken twice as long to find. Since then she has discovered even more details and continues to be a valuable asset to our station, due, in large part, to her ability to operate alongside, not inside, the formal government structure. Granting her this special degree of autonomy seems to generate productivity and positive results.”

  Sanja felt herself smile. Finally someone who understands me, she thought.

  “Last Wednesday, exactly one week ago, this city came under attack for the first time in the 200 plus years of this station’s existence.” White looked up from his pod for a moment. “I’m including the couple of weeks or months before our record-keeping started because there is no evidence of an attack like this during the Dark Years either.” White returned his gaze back down again and continued reading. “Given our apparent vulnerability and threat, now is hardly the time to defund such an effective operation. As a member of the Defense Committee, I am surprised that defense is not a higher priority for many of my colleagues here in this room today.”

  Sanja was impressed by that last line. Oh Linda, you’ve chosen well, she thought.

  “In regards to Dr. Parnel’s decision to focus her attention on Mr. Saljov, I will say this: remember that one individual is always capable of blowing an investigation. Given Mr. Saljov’s clearly defiant natu
re, I see no reason to judge Dr. Parnel’s decision as anything other than a rational one to avoid any potential setbacks. The resulting murders and escape from prison were completely unforeseen occurrences, for which Dr. Parnel is not at fault. As we all know, she has done everything in her power so far to apprehend this escaped criminal and I see no reason why we should inhibit her ability to do so.”

  White placed his pod down flat on the table and looked up at Sanja.

  “Dr. Parnel, I will now begin my questioning,” he said.

  Sanja adjusted in her chair. She was so caught up in his opening remarks that she did not expect to answer questions so soon.

  “You speak of classified information that would help influence our decision. Obviously you cannot divulge any of this information at this time, but my question is this: if we were to further fund your investigation, would the information you gather help us with our general defense?”

  Thank you for the easy question.

  “Yes sir, it certainly would. In the past week since the attack, my investigation has already uncovered a lot. We’re learning more each day.”

  “And do you think this investigation can be handled just as well by Navy intelligence?” White asked.

  “No sir, I do not. Government bureaucracy would only slow everything down. My operation works quickly because, as you said, I work alongside the government but not within it,” Sanja answered, taking advantage of her time to shine. “As you can see by this hearing today, the government system tends to waste a lot of time.”

  Don’t push it, she reminded herself, though it was hard to resist.

  “Clearly President Ortega has faith in your ability to conduct this investigation. Why do you think that is?” White asked.

  Again with the easy question.

  “The President knows more details than this committee, especially concerning recent events. While I cannot speak for him directly, I would think the President understands that my ability to operate the way I do is very important at this time,” Sanja responded.

  She took another sip of water. It felt odd to speak so vaguely.

  “And do you foresee any progress on the apprehension of Mr. Saljov?” White wondered. As he said this, a young staff member in her mid-20s, seated behind the Eos, walked down to Fielder and whispered in his ear. Fielder nodded back to her and dismissed her.

  “I am sorry to interrupt, Mr. White, but I have just been informed that our second witness has arrived.” Fielder stood up from his seat and motioned to one of the guards in the back. “Can you make sure he knows where to go? He may be waiting at the entrance or-”

  Just as he said this, the doors opened from the outside. Sanja turned her head to get a better view, but several people behind her stood up as well, blocking her line of sight.

  She could hear someone walking in. The footsteps sounded strong and confident. She could hear a few quiet gasps in the crowd as the witness walked by. All the while she sat, wondering who this mysterious person was.

  It was not until he reached the table that she could finally see.

  Well Fielder, you are bolder than I thought.

  The witness pulled out his chair and sat down behind the table. He turned and glared at Sanja, but she could not tell if it was a glare of respect or contempt.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we welcome our witness, Mr. Baltir Yavenna, to the floor,” Fielder stated. “Welcome, Mr. Yavenna. I hope your commute was safe.”

  The half-breed nodded his head.

  “Well I got here alive,” he replied jokingly. For some reason his words were not picked up by the microphone, but Sanja was close enough to hear.

  “It seems there is an issue with Mr. Yavenna’s microphone. Can we get someone to look at this?” Fielder said.

  It was a bold move bringing an illegal half-breed in as a witness. Cameras or not, Fielder was playing a dangerous game. Sanja was curious to see how this was going to play out.

  She took advantage of this momentary break to lean over to her fellow witness, seated directly next to her. She spoke quietly.

  “Baltir, it’s good to see you again,” she said, trying to keep her voice down.

  He turned to face her. Their eyes were locked on one another.

  “I wish I could say the same,” he replied, keeping his voice just as quiet as hers.

  “You flatter me.”

  Baltir continued to stare. Sanja cleared her throat and looked out towards the rest of the room as the EOs whispered to their own staff. She turned back to face the half-breed.

  “Are you still in contact with Tracey Saljov?” she asked, continuing to keep her voice down.

  “Of course not. He probably thinks I’m dead,” Baltir responded, “no thanks to you.”

  “He trusted you. Forgive me for exploiting a weakness,” Sanja replied.

  He rolled his eyes and leaned away.

  “No,” she said, a bit louder than she intended, “don’t block me out. I need your help.”

  Baltir turned towards her again. He did not seem eager to listen, but he had no choice.

  “Have you ever heard of the FCP?” Sanja asked.

  The half-breed shook his head.

  “No. What is it?”

  “I don’t know. That’s what I want you to find out.”

  “It’s classified?”

  “Highly.”

  The tech man finally arrived with a replacement microphone in his hand. He was surprisingly well dressed. It seemed even an AV guy had to wear a full suit and tie here in the OCAFCEO. Sanja and Baltir both leaned back to let him do his work.

  The man could hear everything they were saying from his proximity. Sanja held her tongue as he installed the new equipment. After 30 seconds, the man turned away from them and crouched down to the floor. Sanja took advantage of this moment and leaned over towards Baltir once again.

  “I need you to find out about it for me,” she said as quietly as she could.

  “You’re ordering me to access classified information?” the half-breed responded.

  The tech man turned back around and finished his work. Sanja was sitting upright again by this point, facing forward. The man only took a few more seconds to finish and walked away.

  “It wouldn’t be the first time,” Sanja said.

  Though she was looking forward, she could feel Baltir’s eyes on her.

  “Alright,” Fielder said, “sorry for that brief delay. Mr. Yavenna, if you would be so kind to test the microphone again.”

  “Yes,” Baltir replied. This time his voice was amplified throughout the room.

  “Good,” Fielder said. “The mic seems to be working. So now that everything is set up, we can proceed from where we left off. Mr. White, you still have the floor.”

  Sanja stopped paying attention to the speakers. Her mind was focused on other things. There was chaos in the halls and an army on the way, but for some reason Baltir Yavenna’s reinsertion into this game fueled her thoughts more than any of the threats to the station.

  Surely the EOs were going to ask him questions about his involvement in this whole affair and Baltir, being the good pawn, would deny everything. He was a good liar when he needed to be. Good pawns were always good liars. She just hoped he was not a pawn in someone else’s game, working against her as well. With so much hanging over his head, he was an easy man to manipulate.

  So long as she remained one step ahead of everyone else, Sanja was confident she could pull through and bring this station back to order.

  Order.

  The only thing that had kept them alive this long.

  Sanja looked up at the red flag that hung on the wall behind Fielder’s head. It was still hanging. For now.

  IRIS LIFTED THE BANANA IN her hand. It was brown and mushy, but it was the best she had seen in days.

  “How much?” she asked the old man. He reeked of sweat and rotting fruits.

  “17 units,” he answered, walking over to her.

  Iris placed the banana back on
the stand. 17 units was four times what she expected to pay for a perfectly ripe banana. She shook her head to the man and walked away.

  Ever since the mantises attacked, the price of real produce had escalated faster than an elevator off-hour. People had their own theories as to why, but most people seemed to think the agricultural sector was damaged from the salt water flooding.

  Iris looked into her bag. It was nearly empty apart from a half a loaf of bread and a few apples, for which she paid too much already. She searched around one more time to make sure there was nothing else she wanted. After one more loop around the Saturday market, she decided to leave. There was nothing left here she could afford. I guess it’s more artificial food again, she thought. Trace won’t be happy about that.

  Costs aside, part of her was glad to see that the market had even taken place. With all the chaos going on everywhere else in the station, it was refreshing to see an area that still resembled the old times.

  Well, not exactly the old times. In the old times there weren’t armed guards at every stand, Iris thought, noting how there seemed to be one guard for every vendor present. Unfortunately this was the only way a hall market could function these days.

  She looked around for her new personal bodyguard. He could not have gone far. She had only just seen him a few minutes ago by the apple stand. She scanned the area, but Trace was nowhere to be found.

  “Iris,” she heard behind her. She turned.

  “Ah, there you are,” she replied to Trace. He wore a long coat again with the collars raised. This was all he ever seemed to wear when going out.

  “I saw you looking around. Ready to go?” he asked.

  Iris nodded.

  “I’m sorry, I couldn’t get a lot. Prices are high.”

  “We’ll make do. Come, let’s get you home.”

  Once they stepped away from the Saturday market, the halls were no longer safe. As much as it pained her to be so dependent on him, Iris needed Trace by her side if she was to move around the station.