Hellsky (Hunter-Killer #3)

Chapter 25 - Get a Little Paranoid

If she needed any proof of the credentials of Lieutenant Aurelia Belisarius, she got in when there was not a whiff of consequence for the brawl in the bar.

Beyond a bandaged up hand, Brackenshaw didn't have anything to show for their altercation with the saboteur's squad mates. Normally there would have been whole hearings and a stint in the cells over a bust-up like that, particularly since the leader or Parsher's friends would be taking an extended stay in the infirmary.

But not this time.

After the altercation, she'd been given a set of instructions from Aurelia, with a not-so-subtle threat that if she didn't cooperate, Stamm Basin's cells were still very much an option. No-one in her command chain questioned it when she requested three days of personal leave, in spite of the fact that every other soldier in the city was busy mobilising for war.

So Aurelia definitely had connections that ran high up the chain of command in Brekka. Walking through the corridors of Stamm Basin's command headquarters, she wasn't sure if she should be happy about it, or terrified.

She marched on, following the set of memorised directions until she reached an unassuming office in the north quarter of the command building. There weren't a lot of people around – a handful of analysts and administrative staff, and the occasional patrolling guard that only paid her a cursory glance.

There wasn't even a guard on the door. Brackenshaw hesitated for a moment, double checking the office number and corridor, but this seemed to be the place. With unease niggling at the back of her mind, she closed her fingers around the handle and pushed the door open.

Stepping into the room, she found Aurelia waiting for her, along with a woman in the garb of a commissariat minister. She was middle-aged with short curls of black hair and skin the colour of burnished brass – something about her struck a chord in Brackenshaw's mind, but she couldn't quite place it.

But she knew where she stood in the order of things, and saluted smartly, letting the door swing shut behind her.

"Lieutenant Brackenshaw, reporting as ordered," she said.

"At ease, Lieutenant," the minister told her with a wry smile. She glanced at Aurelia. "You didn't mention me?"

Aurelia frowned. "I felt it was more secure."

"Well you can introduce me now."

"Lieutenant, this is Minister Yanfoukis," Aurelia said matter-of-factly. "She's been assisting me with my investigations."

"Minister." Brackenshaw gave the woman a respectful nod.

"Take a seat, Ms. Brackenshaw," Yanfoukis told her. "We've got a lot to talk about."

Brackenshaw did as she was bidden, sitting down at the small round table opposite from the other women. She tried to relax a little, leaning back and crossing her legs. There room was a sparse, utilitarian affair, with a few computer consoles built into the far wall and a dormant display screen in the centre of the table. The only thing that looked out of place was the jet black folder between Aurelia's hands.

"Thank you for meeting us," Yanfoukis began.

"Didn't think I had much of a choice," she replied blithely, allowing a thin smile to creep across her face.

"Yes. Well, it took a few well-greased palms and more than one threat to keep your little altercation off the books. I'd rather not have that be for nothing."

"Me too," Brackenshaw agreed, flexing the fingers of her right hand gingerly. "I'm here, Minister, and if this is about stopping Parsher's friends from pulling off any more of their little stunts, I'm all yours."