Chapter 4, part 2
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As the men continued to jabber amongst each other, touching on random, meaningless topics, a man seated alone at a table off in the shadows behind them just sat and listened in silence, repulsed by the level of crudeness in their mannerisms. As their discussion weaved in and out about Isaac Clarke, he discreetly leaned forward in his chair, piqued with interest and listened harder, trying to pick up everything they were saying over the droning hum of the crowd in the mess hall. He remained in his seat as they finished and got up to leave. He stared at them warily as they all walked away, and once they exited, he sat there thinking for a moment, then eventually got up and made his way quietly out of the mess hall and down to the elevator with an apparent urgency in his step.
As the doors slid open he stepped into the elevator, his hands tucked neatly behind his back. The doors closed and the lift immediately began its ascent to the upper decks of the station, home to the executive quarters. Once isolated within the confines of the tiny space, the man raised his let arm and activated the communications device on his sleeve. Within a few seconds, a small holomonitor blipped to life in front of his face and the static imagery revealed an older woman sitting down in a chair to address his call.
"Yes Abbot, what can I do for you?"
The Abbot's face was tightly drawn and tense, appearing agitated. With a dark glare, he curtly replied to the woman's greeting.
"Counselor, there's been a lot of talk going around this place about the Clarke case. Why is that?"
The Counselor paused momentarily; she seemed a little caught off guard by what she interpreted as an indirect accusation.
"... Sir, I don't understand what you mean."
"I've been hearing a lot of the regulars talking about Clarke's arrival back at the station. Regulars, Counselor. You assured me that this would be a discreet operation, with minimal intel spread."
"The Counselor frowned slightly, but didn't seem to be overly concerned.
"We have been very discreet, Abbot. There's nothing to worry about. Of course, there is always a small probability of leakage; it's inevitable that people would eventually find out Isaac's been brought back - he's not exactly an unknown entity within the CEC, sir. His dispatch was pretty high profile. But I do assure you, nothing sensitive has been released. It's all trivial gossip at best. If people talk amongst themselves, that's nothing to concern us, or the Church. "
A brief moment of uncomfortable silence fell between them, which the Counselor broke by lighting one of her cigarettes. The Abbot jumped to another subject.
"What's all this about an appeal on Director Mattock's part? I didn't hear anything about that."
"Mattock? He's started filing papers to have Isaac released back to Engineering. It's well known that Mattock wasn't very supportive of the Ishimura dispatch in the first place... he's just an enthusiast for Isaac's cause, and this is giving him an outlet to smear his Anti-Unitology propaganda around, that's all. But it's nothing you should be worried about. I'm in charge of the appeals committee overhearing the case, so the ball's still in our court."
The Abbot grimaced at her response, suspecting she wasn't being entirely forthcoming with him. However, he took into consideration that there was truth in her words; interesting news of any kind, one way or another, was bound to get around to some degree, especially among such a secluded population with so little to keep them occupied. As such, he felt inclined to be lenient; he had no reason not to trust her.
"Well, Madam - let's make sure that this all stays as 'trivial gossip'. I don't have to remind you we can't afford to have people here realizing that we have a live case on our hands. We're already treading thin waters as it is; the Church cannot keep hiding from these complications. And keep a watchful eye on Mattock; he has quite a mouth on him, from what I've heard."
The Counselor exhaled a blast of smoke that momentarily obscured the holo image.
"Abbot, again I assure you that your concern is unfounded. We have things well under control. The memory reduction procedures are on schedule. We have no reason to suspect that we won't finish our work flawlessly, and perhaps even accommodate Mattock's zealous desires long before the Church or the CEC becomes the center of suspicion. Trust me sir, we're going to come out of this looking like true heroes. Altman be praised."
The Abbot paused, then nodded prudently, just as the elevator stopped is ascent and the doors slid open.
"So be it. Altman be praised."
He flicked a switch on his communicator, the image of the Counselor vanished and he stepped out of the elevator, making his way down the hall to his quarters.
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