Sunday Snippet: Covert Heart

Hello, February. An extra day in the month probably won't make much difference, right? Eh, January already felt like an entire year, so here's hoping February doesn't.

Another slow week for television viewing, but not a bad one. I finished up season three of Riverdale and, whew, what an ending. Talk about jamming a crap-ton of stuff into forty-three minutes. That said, wow. I'm still processing all the crazypants. I'm very glad I can start season four this week. I'll be dreading the first episode but can't wait to see what happens from here. Hopefully something utterly horrible for Hiram is on the horizon but I doubt it. Sigh.

Midsomer Murders had a good opener for series twenty-one. One down and three to go. Then I have to find another show to start. I have a few on my list to check out.

Caught another episode of Peak Practice. I went back to the first season again. I'll watch another of the final season this week.

Watched another full arc of Classic Who and have one more set before starting the last season with Three. Looking forward to Sarah Jane episodes.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Covert Heart, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

An impossible task. A couple sworn to carry it out or die trying. One big test of the depth of their courage and love.

And a sneaky peek…

"I'll have more coffee." The Saskitet delegate nodded toward the mug on the desk and resumed her heated vid conversation.

Rick McBride lifted the carafe and filled the cup to just below the brim. Six weeks undercover taught him the exact preferred spot. Going too low or high resulted in a verbal tongue lashing that could be heard in the adjoining suites. Minister Marlena Hix didn't fear a "difficult" label.

In fact, she welcomed it. No one went against her wishes. The more who knew that fact the easier things went.

Ruffling feathers had become her trademark. It also made Rick's presence necessary. He assumed the role of her domestic aide to keep a close watch on her activities.

Minister Hix had declared war on secrets and stealth. Her goal to expose the nasty stuff agencies did to help maintain democracy and make it available for public scrutiny had the planetary governments in an uproar. She liked to shine a spotlight on any and all who tried to fly under the radar and work behind the lines and those participating didn't appreciate it.

The Condorian regime kept peace along their borders by supplying the Ramarians with minerals they refined to make fuel. The problem? The Condorian public voted against it.

Hix exposed the deal. And the Condorian senate scrambled to provide answers to their populace.

She didn't stop there. Other back room alliances had been outed. Under-the-table handshakes that kept several treaties intact, made public. Covert operations cracked and crumbled in each sector of the solar system.

If left unchecked, Hix would unravel the entire political system.

Rick silently backed away after refilling the minister's cup. He took his place by the entrance of the suite, standing vigil until Hix's assistant minister returned from his morning rounds.

She had the man skulk around the central hub every morning to catch any and all pertinent information regarding new alliances, agreements, or favor swapping. Rick had to admit the brilliance of the strategy. He actually admired her willingness to stand for the truth. But he also realized her underhanded tactics put her right on the level of any other delegate. Maybe lower, because Minister Hix masterfully turned facts to her own end and didn't care who got hurt in the process.

Bringing down the current democracy and putting an autocratic ruler in place served her ambitions. Especially since she'd deemed herself worthy of the job.

Hix waved him over to her side when she finished her vid conference. "Has Martin checked in yet?" She lifted the mug to her lips and took a large gulp.

Rick answered quickly. "No, Minister." The door slid open and Rick stepped back. "Ah, here he is, ma'am." He waited for Martin Helms to seat himself across from Hix. "Will there be anything else, ma'am?"

Hix nodded toward the assistant minister. "Get Martin some coffee then leave." She shot a venom-filled look at Helms. "Return back with lunch at 1300." She leveled her sharp gaze on Rick. "That's one PM. I keep forgetting you staff people don't speak military." She swung her eyes back to the assistant minister. "And make sure you're not one moment late. Or I'll have your position filled with someone more capable." Her words, meant for Helms, made the man twitch a bit.

Rick ignored the interplay, poured the coffee, and laid out two sugars, Martin's preferred choice. "Lunch. One PM." He tucked the carafe under his arm. "Yes, ma'am." He moved away from the desk and busied himself with clean-up, quietly stacking breakfast dishes on the cart. He excelled at this part of his job, using efficient movements to maintain his cover and gather intel. Minister Hix already forgot about him and demanded a report from Helms.

Helms briefly slid his gaze in Rick's direction, but didn't keep Hix waiting. "The Calderans have opened negotiations with the Velamites to do a guns-for-grain deal."

Hix hissed out a satisfied breath. "That's wonderful news. I needed something on the Velamites." She lowered her voice. "The populace voted against exporting. They want their crops to stay local." Marlena scribbled something on her notepad and handed it to Martin. "Contact this list and plant the seeds."

Martin tore the page from the tablet and tucked it inside his pocket.

Hix pushed him for more. "What else can you report?"

Rick couldn't stick around to hear the rest. He'd finished the clean-up and needed to leave. Pushing the cart toward the door, neither Helms nor Hix spared him a glance. He exited the suite and waited until he got on the elevator to activate his comm link.

"McBride for the chancellor. Message follows. Priority debrief in thirty. Location E." He switched off just in time for the doors to swish open and admit two low-level aides.

Rick smiled a greeting, but didn't engage either in conversation. Staff didn't speak unless spoken to, and his fellow passengers had a running dialog already in play. Interestingly enough, their topic happened to be Hix and the firestorm that always seemed to follow in her wake.

A tall, slim blond with chiseled cheekbones and a neatly trimmed goatee spoke in low tones. "Rumor has it Minister Hix has something big planned for the summit." He keyed in his destination.

The other aide, a voluptuous redhead with striking green eyes, nodded. "I've heard the same. Rumblings are rolling through the administrative branch. The holy terror plans to bring more truthful mayhem to the proceedings."

The two rolled their eyes and fell silent. A moment later, the elevator chimed and each exited, after ignoring Rick for the entire ride.

With more intel to share, his debrief couldn't come soon enough. And his bonus would be seeing Emma, after a long, dry spell.

I've had a lot of fun writing this one. All the pieces are in place but I need to get them all in order. The sages decided to feed me the story in little chunks and didn't stick to a linear timeline.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye