Earth Unaware (First Formic War)

summoned to a stranger’s office so soon after meeting with Gardona and Ukko Jukes. It couldn’t be a coincidence.
    She took the tube up to the fourth floor and knocked on the office door.
    “Come in.”
    Fareed Bakárzai’s office was an organized disaster. There were stacks of discs, boxes, and files everywhere, all strapped to the floor with long bands. Rows of old tariff and tax-code books lined shelves, though they had to be years, if not decades, out of date. It was the most paper Imala had seen since coming to Luna.
    Fareed flicked off his holospace and faced her. He was about the same age as Director Gardona, but the similarities stopped there. Fareed reminded Imala of a few professors from Arizona State: cardigan, beard, slightly unkempt appearance, the kind of person you’d find running an antique store filled mostly with junk.
    “Ms. Bootstamp,” he said, extending a hand. “I’m Fareed. Welcome. You probably don’t know this, but I’m the man who brought you here. To Luna, I mean. I read your paper on iron trade discrepancies and found it naïve in places but mostly on the nose. Very keen observations for a grad student. I had HR do a little digging. When they saw that you had actually submitted an application, I had them pull it from the slush pile and told them to interview you.”
    Imala was momentarily speechless. She had no idea. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you, sir.”
    He shook a finger. “Not ‘sir.’ Fareed.” He gestured to the mess. “I’d offer you a place to sit down, but there isn’t one and we’re nearly weightless up here anyway.”
    She looked around and said nothing.
    “You’re wondering why I brought you here,” he said. “And I’ll be forthright with you. It’s not good news.” He took a moment and sighed. “Essentially you were terminated about half an hour ago.”
    “What!”
    Fareed held a hand. “Now, before you get angry and say something you might regret, hear me out. You are not terminated. The executive team met, and I fought for you.”
    “Wait. I’m not fired?”
    “You were. I talked them into keeping you on, though not with your old job. That was out of the question. You’re getting a new assignment.”
    “Why was I terminated in the first place?” But as soon as she asked the question she knew the answer. Ukko. She had turned him down an hour ago, and Ukko had wasted no time getting a holo to whomever he owned in the agency.
    “Does Ukko Jukes own Director Gardona?” asked Imala. “Is that what this is?”
    “Careful what you say, Imala. These walls are thin. There were several legitimate reasons for your termination.”
    She folded her arms, furious. “Such as?”
    “You pretended to be a journalist and lied to a fellow employee, violating the agency’s code of ethics.”
    Imala threw a hand up. “I lied to a secretary . And I did it in the interest of the agency. Gardona wouldn’t see me otherwise.”
    “You also snooped around agency files for which you had no authorization to access.”
    “I was conducting an investigation into illegal practices. I couldn’t exactly go to Seabright and ask to see his files.”
    “There are channels to follow for this kind of thing, Imala. You skipped them all and played sheriff.”
    She couldn’t believe this. Here she had done what no one else in the agency had the courage to do—and maybe even the brains to do—and they were vilifying her.
    “Whom was I supposed to go to?” she asked. “Pendergrass? Because I did go to him. He blew me off.”
    Fareed seemed surprised. “When was this?”
    “A month ago.”
    “Do you any have documentation of this? E-mails? Holos?”
    She tried to remember. “No. I pulled him aside and showed him everything in person.”
    Fareed was disappointed. He shrugged. “He’d probably only say he thought you were being zealous and admit he made a mistake.”
    “That’s exactly what he said. Right before he led me outside and put me in a car with Ukko Jukes.”
    Fareed was startled. “When?”
    “An hour ago. That’s where I was at lunch.”
    “I see.” Fareed went back behind his desk, paced a moment, then turned to her. “I can’t get you your old job back, Imala. Even knowing that you went to Pendergrass. The executive team was adamant.”
    “Of course they were. Ukko Jukes has them in his pocket. They’re trying to shut me up and make the whole scandal with Seabright go away.”
    “It already is going away,” said Fareed.