<div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/f/fa/Mars_test.jpg)</div><table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Character name:</strong></td><td>Lt Colonel Louise Cotter</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Location:</strong> </td><td>Dr Gadi's Office</td></tr><tr><td><strong>With:</strong> </td><td>Stefan Versatile, Dr. Gadi, Maj Jack Monroe, Maj Laura Hicks</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Doing:</strong> </td><td>Contributing to the meeting</td></tr></tbody></table><br/><hr/><br/>I sat and listened to the discussion. My presence here was necessary, but I didn't really have much to contribute. My staff was clearly a good team and working well together to solve this initial crisis. But I needed to step in now.<br/><br/>"Okay, there is one thing you are all missing here. Yes, worst case scenario, they may be in the hands of some kleptomaniac here on Mars. But let's face it, the most likely scenario is that these lasers were pilfered before they even got on the MCM-1. In fact, they probably never made it to orbit!"<br/><br/>I looked around. "Before we call everyone in for screening, let's find that out first. There will be a paper trail to follow. Stefan, that's your bailiwick. Get on the Horn to the ship and get them to patch you through to MarsCorp HQ. And I don't give a shit what time it is on Branson, wake the whole dam station if you have to!" Sir Richard Branson Space Station was on Zulu time. We weren't.<br/><br/>"I don't want a panic," I said softly. "People have odd ideas about lasers. If this information gets out, we may just find we have people walking around wrapped in tinfoil!" I giggled at the image, and sent a quick message to my sweetie:<br/><br/><tt class="bbc_tt">I would love to wrap you in tinfoil, and make you roast in your own juices...</tt><br/><br/>I kept my expression carefully neutral as she read it, and carried on talking. "Everyone has already been fully screened several times. Okay there may be some suppressed tendencies that are only coming out now we're here, but the South Pole shrinks were very thorough. What I will do is go over all the confidential files, see if I can find any sing of an instability".<br/><br/>I was the only one who could do that, because I was the only one with access to the all the full psych profiles. Not even the base Psychologist had that level of access. I would need to down-link them from the ship's computer - something I would have needed to do anyway, but not until just before the MCM-1 left orbit.<br/><br/>"In the mean time, Alon, what does the absence of these lasers hold up? Can we continue without them, is there a work around, or are they going to force the delay of an important project?"<br/><br/>I needed to know, because MarsCorp, and the US General Staff, would want to know. I had a sudden idea, but kept it to myself for a moment. I had enemies in the US military, those who wanted an American in charge, in stead of an Aussie, no matter how famous, high profile, politically expedient or well decorated that Aussie may be. Something like this, if it went badly, could result in my recall.<br/><br/>I sent a quick private message to Laura:<br/><br/><tt class="bbc_tt">Suspect a rat. Lasers not pilfered here, not loaded at all. Someone trying to discredit mission. I suspect I know who...</tt>