Internal Affairs

Angelina Ballentyne sat at the large desk in her quarters and looked at the file. It sat there, like a poisonous viper, waiting to strike, eyeing up it's prey, a fat buff snake, one that contained many secrets.

She walked over to the drinks cabinet and pulled out a bottle and some ice. The sound of the ice cracking as the liquor warmed it seemed over loud, but then she was concentrating on the file. Almost as an afterthought she lit up one of her special cigarettes and inhaled deeply before blowing the smoke towards the rooms extractor.

Crossing back to the table she gazed at it, as if she could read it just by looking at the exterior. As files go it was fat, the contents bulging out. But the front contained just three things. The stamp of the Guristas Associates, her name, and the stamp of Internal Affairs. Opening the folder with a delicate motion she glanced over the front page, a brief rundown of her career prior to joining TGA, a card with her fingerprints, the ubiquitous portrait photo of her. Taped to the inside the medical file and a protective case with the blood sample taken the day she arrived her.

Flipping through she came across transcripts from conversations she'd had with various people, some now forgotten, others less so. Pictures of her with agents from the Angel Cartel, associates of the Sansha, high ranking officials from various alliances. Most normal, with her drinking, eating, talking. Others, more risque, more personal.

Near the top a sheet of paper, a copy of the transfer papers to the White Rabbits, stamped Application Denied by order of Internal Affairs. Another had lists of requisitioned supplies which had been transfered to Carmilla and never returned, a penciled note indicating the amount of isk they cost. Another had the post battle report from a rather brutal attack where significant losses had occured, underlined were departure times from Ishomilken and arrival times in Mara. Again the penciled note indicating transfer time between systems was four times longer than expected with no reason. Fourteen seperate notes regarding the criminal matters between certain shady characters and the Caldari Navy in Jita, copies of internal Navy memo's regarding the scam auctions.

Back and forth she moved through the folder. Financial statements, shipping manifests, statements, confessions, reports, surveillance. Returning to the top page she read the brief covering letter and the empty verdict, just waiting to be filled by Internal Affairs. She took a pen from a drawer and began writing on the letter, filling in the verdict.

"No further action," she read,"Pilot to be reinstated to active service immediately. All findings of Interal Affairs investigation into subject now deemed classified at Director Level."

With a flourish she signed a name at the bottom of the letter, dated it and opening a drawer selected an IA Approved stamp, marked the bottom of the page and closed the file, wrapping it in a red ribbon and leaving it on the corner of her desk. A few moments later her door opened and a uniformed officer walked in, picked up the folder and dropped another one, saluted her and left. Blowing the smoke from her cigarette over the table she leant forward and checked the name on the front. Again a familiar buff folder, stamped with the symbols of the TGA, Internal Affairs and a name that was oh so familiar.

"So Alice.... lets see what we have turned up on you....."