An Unfortunate Conflict of Interest

[Gulliver]

Beneath a great arching roof of glass and steel, whose construction dated back to the previous century, lay the tracks and platforms of Sandyrva’s Gojanvak Station. It was not only the central station of the metropolis, but the central station of the entire country which was administered from the capital. Thus it was not at all surprising to find that every inch of the station’s platforms were covered almost perpetually by an ever shifting mass of travellers, bound for and arriving from all corners of the map. Given these conditions, it would also have been natural to conclude that a passenger like Imi, stepping off of the train in a strange new land after a long journey and burdened with quite a bit of luggage, would have had an appreciable amount of difficulty in locating her brother amidst the mob. Certainly, she personally would have be easy to lose under such conditions. Her build was entirely typical for a female of the lupine species, and her coat was a the rust and brown sort with a lighter frontside commonly found out in the west from where she’d just arrived. Hereditary principles suggested that her brother should share these features.

True, his fur was the same pattern of rust and brown, save for the trivial addition of black at the tips of his ears and tail which conspired to give him a noticeably foxish appearance. But at some point in his adolescence his body had, for entirely unfathomable reasons, decided it was unsatisfied with the already very generous stature he was entitled as a lupine, and subsequently had not stopped growing until he’d just past the seven foot mark, all the while making sure to grow in appropriate proportion both widthwise and depthwise. Then, perhaps for good measure, perhaps running on momentum and unable to stop sooner, it had piled an extra layer of muscle on top of his already oversized frame. The natural end result of all this was a giant of a man who was very difficult, if not simply impossible, to lose in even the most impressive crowd. The masses standing and moving about the platform didn’t stand a chance, and Imi could see him from the moment she stepped out of the train. Just as quickly he caught sight of her and signalled by waving one of his large paws high above everyone else and calling out to her in his appropriately thundrous voice.

“Imi, over here!” She couldn’t help but smile when she saw the people around him instinctively jump back from the outburst and noted how completely oblivious he seemed of it. He hadn’t changed a bit in all their time apart. She quickly capitalized on the opening he’d accidentally created around himself, and ran up to him before the crowd closed back around. Before he had a chance to utter even the first syllable of a greeting, she dropped her bags and embraced him. While she could barely wrap her arms around the thick trunk of his body, it was still an impressively strong embrace.

“Maks! It’s so good to see you, you haven’t changed a bit!” She let up just enough so that she could look up at her slightly shocked but elated brother with a grin. He returned it with a more subdued but equally affectionate smile of his own.

“Sheesh, if I didn’t know better I’d swear you were trying to crush me,” he chuckled and vigorously rubbed the top of her head. “You haven’t changed either!” Imi broke her grip on him completely to free an arm to push away his offending paw. Once free she deftly turned the teasing back around on him in a well practiced ritual of mock sibling rivalry.

“Showing off again, tough guy?” she asked with a sly smile, noting the snug fit of his T-shirt and prodding his broad chest. Maks responded by crossing his arms and turning up his muzzle with an artificial expression of indignation on his face.

“You know it’s difficult for me to find affordable clothing that fit me.” He shifted his expression towards something more hurt and sorrowful before continuing. He even managed to sniffle a bit. “It’s not my fault I’m this size, and I would think that you, my own sister, of all people would be the most sensitive about it.” Imi reciprocated the show with her own look of false pity, but her words didn’t match the expression.

“You’ve been practicing haven’t you?” Maks’s smile, a genuine one, returned at the question.

“I should be be asking you the same thing. Come on, I’ll carry your bags to the truck for you.” Seeing him effortlessly sling the heavy luggage up onto his shoulders, Imi couldn’t resist taking another jab at her brother.

“Like I said, showing off.” This time, Maks just shrugged.

“Fine, you can carry them,” he replied calmly and moved to put the bags back down on the ground. Imi rolled her eyes.

“Sun, sometimes you’re no fun. Fine, you can have your bags and I won’t say anything about it. Let’s just get out of here, we’re probably starting to weird someone out.”

[Gulliver]

Maks’s truck was as easy to locate as its owner had been. The well worn pickup truck was sorely out of place among the slick, urbane sedans of the well-to-do that made up the rest of the vehicles in the parking lot. Even Imi, with absolutely no previous knowledge of her surroundings, was immediately able to identify where they were headed. When they got closer, she ran a curious paw along the side of the cargo bed while she walked around to the passenger side.

“Is there really that much money in landscaping that you can afford a truck?” she asked. The question prompted Maks to chuckle slightly.

“It’s not a question of luxury, and this isn’t exactly a brand new truck. I need it for the job, being able to drive it other places is just a fortunate perk,” he explained matter of factly as he began to slip his sister’s luggage from his shoulders and into his paws. “They tend to disapprove of people dragging truckloads of gardening equipment and supplies with them onto the trams. The best jobs are typically outside of the city at people’s dachas anyway. So…” He hoisted up the bags in his paws above the side of the truck so they were visible to Imi. “There isn’t anything fragile in any of these is there?” Imi, after a second of thought, shook her head. “Good,” continued Maks and heaved her belongings unceremoniously into the cargo bed. “There isn’t that much room up front.”

“There isn’t that much room anywhere you’re going to be,” smirked Imi before quickly slipping into the passenger seat, robbing Mask of a chance to an immediate retaliation. He was instead forced to wait until he’d gotten in on his side of the truck to make the obvious retaliatory threat.

“You know I can kick you out and drive off without you if I want, right?” Grudging silence followed on Imi’s part, which Maks considered to be an adequate condition of victory. A turn of the key in the ignition later they were on their way.

The first part of the journey was passed without conversation. Not out of hostility, real or play. Imi understandably appeared to be quite interested in the novel sights of the metropolis through which they were weaving their way. Leaning her arm on the door and resting her head in turn on her paw, she looked out the window at the passing urban scenery and seemed all in all quite taken by it. Recognizing this and not wishing to spoil the experience in anyway for her, Maks considerately held his tongue. There was ample time for chatting, no rush. Imi could talk when she had had enough of the view.

“You know, everyone was really surprised you ended up in the line of work you did,” she said when she finally started talking again. She was still staring out the window wistfully with her head on her paw when she did. A bemused smile slid onto her lips. “They thought you’d stay on in the military, or do something else more physical.” Maks frowned, slightly taken aback by what he had just heard.

“Ever tried lifting a bag of mulch before?” he asked defensively.

“Oh, I know, when I said ‘everyone’ I didn’t mean me.” She let her arm down and lifted up her head, turning it to look over to her brother. “All those muscles might fool everyone else, but I’ve always known that deep down your just a big softy.” Maks risked taking his eyes off the road long enough to meet her gaze with a questioning glance. “You don’t have to look at me like that, I wasn’t saying you’re a coward or anything, I was just saying you’re a nice guy. That’s a good thing, it’s one of the things I like about you.” Maks’s look of concern and mild insult moved into a smile to match Imi’s.

“Yeah, I know.” Since Imi had started speaking again, Maks now felt that it would not be inconsiderate of him to occupy her attention with the questions he’d been waiting to ask her. “So you got a job at the university, right? I hope they didn’t make you a full professor.” Imi laughed briefly.

“I only wish they had. No, It’s just an assistant’s job for now.”

“Still, it’s a job at Sandyrva University. That’s great! Trust me, if you stay on course you have a very good future ahead of you. Though,” A hint of his concern crept back onto his face. “Did you really have to come up here before you even had a chance to find a place?” Imi shrugged, communicating to her brother that she was just as lost as her brother on this particular topic.

“I have to be here for the start of the semester, why they didn’t give me more of a heads up is anyone’s guess. But I am sorry for forcing you to deal with their bureaucratic incompetence.” Maks immediately snorted and waved a paw dismissively at the last comment.

“It’s not a problem! You’re my sister, you’re welcome to stay with me for as long as you have to, that’s what the guest room’s for.” Imi’s brows lifted in surprise.

“You have a guest room?” Maks risked a second questioning glance in her direction.

“Yeah, I do, nothing unusual about that. Why?” Imi shook her and waved her hand.

“No you’re right.” She sighed and returned to leaning on the door and looking out the window. “We’ve just really been out of touch, haven’t we?”

[Gulliver]

The journey ended in the residential outskirts of Sandyrva, well away from the city center where the train station had understandably been located. The neighborhood into which they entered was obviously a relatively recent development, if the clean-lined architecture of the rows of identical, mass-produced domiciles was any indication. The one building whose driveway they pulled into in particular was no different than the rest, apart from minor decorative peculiarities. Imi was the first one to step out of the truck.

“Wow, this isn’t really your place, is it?” Her tone was a mixture of awe and incredulity. “I’ll believe the truck, but there’s no way you can afford all of this.”

“Smart girl!” Maks exclaimed patronizingly in reply as he got out after her and walked to the back of the truck. Imi didn’t say anything back, apparently too eager for an explanation of the situation to upset her only available source of information. “Only one of the apartment’s is mine.”

“Apartment?” It wasn’t quite the explanation that she had been expecting. Maks nodded.

“Yeah, there’s four of them in there, two on each floor.”

“Only four apartments in one building? With a driveway?” Imi persisted in her line of questioning, not satisfied by what she had been told so far. Maks happily met her confusion with more explanations.

“I know, it’s kinda weird, but that’s the style now-a-days, at least here in the capital. I guess they just got tired of all those big, ugly apartment blocks they used to build everywhere.” Unnoticed by Imi, whose eyes had remained fixed on what was apparently an apartment building, Maks had removed her luggage from the truck and walked up beside her. The sizable shadow he cast over her tipped her off to his presence. She looked away from the building and up at him. He grinned back at her.

“Well, you want to see what it’s like on the inside don’t you?” Imi nodded, expectant of whatever unexpected luxuries her brother had been hiding from her these past few years.

The revelation was anticlimactic. While the apartment was definitely well maintained, clean and all around easy on the eye, it was also very small. She even felt a pang of claustrophobia. She could only imagine what it must be like for Maks, who could only barely squeeze his exceptionally large body through the narrow doorways. The promised guestroom was no exception. The single bed provided took up almost half of the available floor space.

“Here’s your room,” said Maks as he dropped her luggage on the bed, and then shifted himself to give her a slightly better view of her quarters. “I know it isn’t much, but it’s all I’ve got.” Imi casually dismissed the apology.

“It’s a lot more than I was expecting. Plus, if it makes you feel better, I brought you a small gift.” Maks’s ears pricked up in interest. “If you could just let me…” Maks tilted his head for a moment in puzzlement, but then lit up with realization. He quickly but awkwardly sidled out of the way to let her reach her bags. There was no prolonged rummaging on her part. Whatever it was, she had apparently packed it last.

“What is it?” asked Maks as he accepted the stained wooden picture frame.

“They’re pressed wildflowers from the field, I picked and arranged them myself. I thought it would be nice to have something to remind you of home.” She began to look uncertain while Maks examined the gift. “There isn’t something wrong with it?” she asked uncertainly.

“Of course not, it’s wonderful! I just haven’t seen some of these flowers for a while, I was trying to pick them out.” He smiled warmly at his sister. The gesture swiftly restored her previous cheer. “Come on, you must be starved, I’ll make you something for lunch.”

[Gulliver]

The morning following her arrival, Imi woke up just in time to catch her brother before he stepped out the door. They took a moment to express their mutual, if slightly different, surprise.

“You’re already leaving?” she muttered in a voice still slurred by sleepiness. She glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall while Maks removed the keys to his truck from a nearby rack.

“Hey, I’ve got a job to do. If anything I should be asking you why you’re up already, you don’t have anywhere to be for a few more days.” Imi just stared at him blankly while he continued to move through the final steps his preparations for work and moved to the door. Her yet sleep-addled brain was having some difficulty in figuring out whether what he had just said was to be taken as an innocent observation or an implicit accusation of laziness. She was unable to reach a conclusion before Maks said his final goodbyes.

“I probably won’t be back until the early evening. I’ve got my cellphone so, well, you’re free to do whatever you want with your time.” He lifted a paw in acknowledgement of his final departure, and Imi blearily returned the gesture as he brother left for work without another word. The sound of his truck being started and pulling out of the driveway soon followed, before travelling out of earshot down the street. Now alone, she began a search for breakfast and speculation about just where her brother was headed.

The answer to the question, as it turned out, was the well appointed residence of one Vaan Ogarena, the typical customer of nouveau rich stock which Maks had described to his sister the previous day. Ogarena himself was a better known member of the class, having made his respectable fortune in several private media enterprises whose investigative reporting of certain scandals had made him a thorn in the government’s side. Maks arrived to find him in nearly the same state his sister had found him earlier, the only real difference being that Ogarena had made it all the way to his silver sedan before he was interrupted. He looked up when his ears detected the crunching of his new landscaper’s truck pulling into the gravel driveway.

“Right on time, that’s a good start!” he announced in a good humor while Maks got out of the truck. “I was just about to l…” He trailed off mid-word and blinked a few times while he took in Maks for the first time in person. Maks for his part simply waited calmly with a friendly smile. This had happened many times before, and he understood that he wasn’t what people were expecting. After a few seconds, as always, the norms of polite social conduct won out. “…eave for work. I hope you don’t mind, but we’ve already discussed what I’m looking for, and I’ve had heard very good reviews of your work and trust you, so I don’t think it’s necessary for me to be around while you work. In fact…” He began to chuckle. “I’m pretty sure I’d just get in the way.” Maks responded with his own expression of mirth.

“You’re probably right about that! But no, you’re right that you don’t have to be at home, most people aren’t. So please, don’t let me make you late.” Ogarena didn’t hesitate a moment in accepting the offer, and soon the only vehicle left in the driveway was Maks’s truck, from which he began to remove the tools he needed as he marvelled at how complete strangers continued to put so much trust in him.

To be fair, in the case of a majority of said strangers their trust had been well placed. They had left him to do a good job for a fair price, no more and no less, and that’s what he had done. A sizeable minority, however, had not been so lucky, and if everything went well Vaan Ogarena would soon unknowingly count himself among their members. His case was a particular source of wonder to Maks. He had to know that he was no friend of quite a few powerful people. Perhaps if he had stuck around longer to see Maks pick up a toolbox from the bed of his truck he might have begun to sense that something was afoot. The toolbox itself was plain looking enough, but it certainly wasn’t what one would expect a man who was supposed to be gardening to pick out for the job. Ogarena certainly would have been alerted to the fact that something was up if he’d been able to catch a glimpse of the container’s contents.

Today’s job was quite an important one. Maks’s superiors had been starting to despair that Ogarena would ever take the bait that had worked so well before, and that they would be forced to formulate a less elegant approach if they wished to continue, which they absolutely did. Ogarena had earned himself the dubious distinction of being the current bugbear of the security services. Privately, Maks suspected their resentment was personal, and since he was not officially on the public records as a member of any government body he was in no position to sympathize with their indignation of media criticism. But his orders were just that, orders. He enjoyed and took pride in his work, and wasn’t going to jeopardize the promising future of his career on the basis of a few personal speculations. Moreover, if the man hadn’t committed any actual wrong then nothing incriminating would come up, no harm done.

Maks took a moment to inspect the bugging equipment inside of his toolbox. It was important that he not get halfway through and then find some key component missing or out of order, he had to leave enough time after all to do the work that Ogarena had paid for. Satisfied that he had everything, he went to work.

[Gulliver]

“Sir?”

Director Garnt hadn’t even so much as glanced up at Maks when he had first stepped into the room. Even now, prompted as he had been, he continued to bide his time and shuffle through the paperwork on top of his desk. Maks was left standing awkwardly at attention with nothing to keep him entertained but listening to the persistent ticking of a clock somewhere on the wall behind him. When the director did speak Maks was almost caught by surprise.

“I’m sorry for that, I should have learned by to expect you exactly when I ask for you, you’ve always been a punctual person, maybe the most punctual person around here.” Maks accepted the flattery silently. Director Garnt simply smiled and continued. “But you probably don’t want me to keep you waiting any longer and just get down to business?”

“Yes sir, I was only told to report to your office, not about what,” Maks responded stiffly. Drawing conversations out like this was a habit of the director’s that could only be endured. Whether he did this because he was a sociable man or a narcissist in love with the sound of his own voice was uncertain.

“Well, it wasn’t important for you to know beforehand. Now…” He withdrew a single sheet of paper from one of the stacks neatly arranged about his desktop. “Your sister Imi moved to Sandyrva a few months ago to take a teaching job at the university?”

“Yes, that’s correct sir.” It was not at all surprising that the bureau had that sort of information on record, considering the nature of its work. What Maks found to be of greater concern was the question of why the director had decided to bring it up. “She stayed with me until she was able to find her own place for about a month.” The director nodded slowly.

“And how much do you know about what she’s been doing since then?” Maks had difficulty in determining whether the question had been posed to extract new information or to test his knowledge of things they were already aware of.

“She hasn’t told me anything. I believe she’s just working.” Another session of slow nodding.

“So you wouldn’t know anything about her involvement in a certain group calling itself…” He stopped for a few seconds while he checked another one of the documents before him. “‘Srëvar’s Circle’ would you?” Maks could only shake his head cautiously, now sincerely at a lost. Puzzlement became concern when Director Garnt’s expression became grim.

“They’re a group organized by a Professor Srëvar at the university, hence, of course, the name. They’ve been under suspicion of subversive activities around the capital Unfortunately, Srëvar to date has been a fairly intelligent man. They don’t make any secret of their existence, but they’re very selective about who they actually let participate, so we’ve never been able to get any eyes on the inside and actually pin anything on them for certain.” The director grimaced. “It’s been particularly bothersome for me because of how profile their leader is, it’s practically insulting.” Maks at this point decided to go ahead and jump to the conclusion implied by everything he had been told so far.

“Am I right to think that you’ve come to believe that I can be allowed in because of my sister’s participation?” The director immediately brightened up noticeably at this.

“Precisely! This is an unforeseen but excellent opportunity to finally deal with Mr. Srëvar and his troublesome circle. Publicly you’re a landscaper, and the university frequently hires private labor, so it’ll be easy to manufacture an excuse for how you came to be aware of the organization’s existence. The only important question is…” The director leaned forward and looked up at Maks with an intent gaze. “Do you think you’re capable of this?” From the very outset a whole number of misgivings had begun to populate Maks’s mind, and he had been put on the spot before he’d had any proper chance to resolve them. But he did not want to hesitate. If he did the director might think less of his confidence and loyalty and as a result hold back his career. So instead he ignored them and answered immediately, saving their resolution for later.

“Of course I do, sir! It would be an honor to serve on an assignment of such importance.”

[Gulliver]

Maks began trying to rationalize the morally dubious task ahead of him as soon as he had agreed to it. The eagerness with which he had acceded to his superior’s request belied the understandable misgivings he harbored about taking advantage of his sister’s trust to spy on her and her associates. The very direct solution of simply not going through with the questionable assignment was not an option, so he was instead left trying to patch together an excuse good enough to justify the entire sorry affair to himself.

By the time Maks was waiting outside Professor Srëvar’s respectable urban duplex where his society met, the best justification he had managed to fabricate was that even if he had refused to participate, the Security Bureau would have gone ahead and sent someone in anyway. At least this way he could keep an eye out for his sister. It was an unsatisfying excuse. The Security Bureau had after all picked him precisely because he was the only one with a way in after all. So even at the eleventh hour, standing in cool air of an early autumn dusk, his mind continued to race, seeking a sounder excuse for what he was about to do. Lost in his thoughts as he was, he did not have to entirely face his surprise when his sister did finally show up.

“Maks, is that you?” was the inquiry with which she announced her arrival as she approached him from behind. The sound of her voice prompted Maks to do an about face and allow her to confirm her suspicion. “It is you! What are you doing here?” she asked with a smile of pleasant surprise, which her brother promptly reciprocated.

“I should be asking you the same thing,” he began, but then failed to follow through when he noticed a second, significantly less expected surprise. Accompanying Imi was a young man who seemed almost purposely designed as his morphological foil. He was an astoundingly small and unimposing person, barely taller than his sister and with what might have been the lightest build Maks had ever seen. The extreme contrast in size was complimented by one of color. Where Maks sported the rusty coat a westerner, his gray and white fur plainly identified him as an easterner, and probably a Novrish one at that, hailing from the very east of the east. Even his eyes had gone out of the way to be an exceptionally rare shade of icy blue to complete the contrast.

“Hm?” It took Imi a moment to catch on to why Maks had stopped talking. She laughed when she realized her oversight. “Oh, I’m sorry, I almost forgot, I need to introduce you two! Maks, this one of my students, Okë. Okë, this is my brother Maks.” The young man named Okë gave quick bow and grinned ingratiatingly. He looked nervously up at Maks through the pair of spectacles balanced on his muzzle.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you sir, your sister has already told me a bit about you.” Maks couldn’t help but smirk a touch at the deference and formality on Okë’s part. While completely appropriate according to the prevailing social conventions, it necessarily seemed stilted and awkward when juxtaposed with Imi’s casual tone. It even made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

“Heh, that’s okay, you can take the honorifics down a notch. It’s great to meet you too.” He grinned back at Okë, who responded by turning his head to the side and scratching nervously behind of his ears. Imi intervened before the two could continue any further with their uncomfortable exchange.

“So Maks, what are you doing here? You’re not here for the Circle too are you?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s actually exactly what I’m here for,” said Maks, both surprised and relieved that she had cut to the chase so quickly. “I heard about it when I was doing some jobs at the university and, well, it caught my attention and I thought I could help, I guess.” He smiled sheepishly. “Actually seems a bit stupid now that I say it out loud.”

“Nonsense, I know you, you’re a smart guy!” his sister immediately reassured him. “This is actually Okë’s first time here also, so you won’t be the only one trying to get in. Here, I’ll take you in and introduce both of you to everyone else.”