Markov walked into the operations room and glanced around. 'Has anyone seen Commander Lance?' he said.
Commander Maureen Kendle was sat in the corner. She looked up and shook her head. On her left, Commander Susan Kemp was hitting the side of the desk with a small hammer. When Markov glanced in her direction, she stood up straight, her face red and sweaty. 'This damn console is stuck at the wrong angle. I can't read it like this.'
'Have you seen Lance?'
'No,' she said. 'Maybe try the accommodation level. He hangs out around there quite a lot.'
Markov frowned and walked out into the corridor. The floor was made of intricate swirling patterns but the walls were plain white stone. Small blue lights embedded in the walls filled the corridor with light. Markov walked to the nearest Air Route and climbed inside. He closed his eyes as the door slid shut in front of him and waited for the familiar feeling of falling.
When the Air Route stopped on the accommodation level, he climbed out with a semblance of dignity, but he still wasn't sure how he had arrived in the right place. He stared at the rows of doors on each side of the corridor, wondering which one led to Lance's quarters. There were no markings on the doors. He had to take his console out of his trouser pocket and pull up a schematic of the level to find out which way to go.
Twenty metres ahead, on the left side of the corridor, he found the door that matched the schematic. A small white logo of a rabbit's head was stuck to the middle of the door. Markov had no idea what it meant. He leant close to the door and listened. He couldn't hear any voices from inside. Pressing the button beside the door he folded his arms and waited for a response. When nobody answered his call, he pressed it twice more. This time the door slid up into the ceiling above.
'General, good to see you.' Lance stood in the doorway with his jacket half open. His hair was ruffled as though he had been lying on it.
'I was looking for you in the operations room,' Markov said.
'Ah yes, I was just up there. I came down to get something.'
'Nobody up there knew where you were.'
'Oh, they probably forgot I'd been there. I don't make much noise. They don't always notice me coming and going.'
'Were you sleeping just now?'
Lance laughed. 'No. I wasn't sleeping. I was just changing my shirt, freshening up.'
'I was expecting an update.'
'On what?' Lance looked irritated. Why was he acting like Markov had disturbed him in the middle of something.
'I asked you to find out how the Kamari managed to take over a satellite platform. We need to get this investigation moving. Like I said, there's still too many loose ends.'
Lance turned away and straightened the blanket on his bunk. When he turned back, he was smiling, and his eyes angled up towards the ceiling. 'Yes, of course. I looked into it. The Kamari managed to intercept transmissions that were sent from Central Command to satellite platform twenty-three. They decoded some messages and sent their own in the same way.'
'The transmissions are encrypted.'
'Of course they are, but the Kamari specialise in hacking security. Given time and money, anything can be broken.'
'I thought the encryption used on the satellite platforms was sophisticated? What makes you think they broke the codes?'
'I found evidence in the platform logs. It said the transmissions were intercepted.'
Markov frowned. 'Did you find anything else?'
'No. That's all so far. I'll let you know as soon as I have anything else.' Lance sat on his bunk and placed his elbows on his knees with his fingers interlocked in front of him. 'Was there anything else, General?'
Markov got the feeling that he was being dismissed. He considered back-handing Lance across the face to see how good his reactions were now. His lax attitude was beginning to grate. The room was a mess. Papers were scattered across the floor and unwashed clothes had been piled against the wall. It wasn't what Markov expected from a commander of Central Command. He was sure Lance had been sleeping when he had arrived, and his report was far from complete. He should have been more thorough about his investigation, and he should have brought his findings to Markov's attention sooner.
Markov shook his head. 'That's it for now, but I expected more from you. Next time I ask for a report I expect it to be brought to my office in good time. I shouldn't have to come looking for you. I have better things to do than walk around the accommodation units trying to find napping commanders.'
Anger flashed across Lance's face. His upper lip twitched.
Markov waited for the retort but it didn't come. 'Is that understood?' Markov said.
Lance hesitated, rubbing his hands together. Finally he spoke. 'Yes, General. I understand you perfectly.'
'Good. Let me know when you have any more news.' Markov turned and walked towards the door. When he stepped out into the corridor, the door closed behind him at once. He stood looking up at the small camera that was attached above the door. All the officer quarters had a camera outside. Markov got the feeling that Lance was watching him through the camera right now. He frowned towards the small reflective lens and then turned and walked towards the Air Route.