E.I.A. (Jim Able: Offworld Book 5) by Ed Charlton

Author:Ed Charlton [Charlton, Ed]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: nir, Lone agent, female scientist, strong female, discovery, exploration, cooperation, Friendship, persistence, Relationships, feel good, classic, Jim Able, aliens, contact, Humor, Metaphysical, Visionary, theology, spiritual, space, Action, adventure, Ed Charlton, Scribbulations, ABLE, able series, Sci-fi, Science Fiction, serial, sci-fi serial, sci-fi series, series, kindle, TMV, Sopha, A&#39
Publisher: Scribbulations LLC
Published: 2021-04-25T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

In Tanna Jorr’s capital city, the park of choice for a lunchtime walk was always Farg Huran, “Flower Nest” in Standard. Crowded and increasingly commercialized, it was the park of choice for Gritta Mel’s meeting.

Gritta, sitting on a bench, watched the delegate stride up as if she owned the whole park. As a representative of the global government—the source of all funding for public projects—in a sense, the delegate did.

“Auditor Latya, a pleasure to meet you.” She extended her paw.

“Professor Mel...”

“Please, call me Gritta.”

“Thank you, Gritta. I’m Cay.”

“Cay, please sit down. Or do you want to get something?”

“No, thanks.”

The delegate sat close to Gritta and dropped her voice. “I would welcome your telling me we are not being monitored.”

Gritta shook her head, the whiskers at the side of her short snout bristling. “There’s nothing I can do about that. I’m sorry.”

Cay nodded, extending and then retracting her claws in a gesture of resignation.

“Oh well. To business. The Overarch’s Office of Finance has begun to ask questions about your work—specifically with the boy Larc.”

“Again?”

“There are several old-timers who weren’t happy with the results last time. They are still convinced that any interplanetary cross will suffer cerebral instability.”

Gritta bowed her head and said quietly, “How serious are they?”

Cay leaned her snout in and said, “I think more so than before. Some of them genuinely believe that he should be in a special institution.”

Gritta snorted.

Rather than speak aloud for the security monitors, she spread her paws on her lap, extending her claws to tap on her lab coat, and shook her head.

“Gritta, I understand. You must understand too; we have to tell them something. I’m willing to help, but you’ll have to give me something to take back...to divert them with.”

The professor thought for a moment. “I’ll release his records for the first year.”

Cay calculated. “Seven years ago. That won’t do it. They’ll say it’s stale material. Why not up to last year? I could explain that this year is not complete yet.”

“No, it’s too much. I can’t have other people feeding me their political interpretations and clouding the science. I won’t have prejudice getting in my way.”

“You’ll have to give me six years’ worth at least.”

The professor turned one eye to her visitor, assessing her trustworthiness, deciding how far to go.

“Four years. The first four years—but it has to be marked for highly selective access. How about Departmental Bridges and above?”

Cay thought and nodded. “That would actually...take it over the heads of most of those expressing their concern.”

They nodded and smiled at each other.

Cay said, “I know Larc is very special to you.”

“Do you have children?”

“Three.”

“Then you know.”

They stood and walked a while through the park, their arms linked.

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