Security - a situation Astrid had really not had to deal with until moving to OED V and becoming its head judge. Her positions before had never required more than basic security, someone to be with her during her work day and drive her to and from work. Other than that she had been on her own. This of course, was a significantly higher and less academic position. Here she was noticed and watched by the underworld of OED V. It was essentially a small country and it had its bad guys like any would. Never had Astrid been so aware of it as she was now.

Her security was significant, both visible and not. She was certainly aware of it. At all times she has two people on her immediate detail, a driver and a body-man. The drivers are expert pilots. She has a team of four drivers working on different shifts available at all hours of the day. Her body-man is her personal bodyguard that escorts her in all public areas. She lives in her house and is generally aware of all her comings and goings.During work hours her Hover-Car will be escorted by a single Police Cruiser.

There are three primary layers of security around her property. The front gate station will have two guards at all times for the foreseeable future, working eight-hour shifts. They will be in charge of letting people in and watching the outer perimeter. The second layer is the sensor heavy area, Joseph Karlson (Head of Police Force) set up a new Security facility in the Residential area that is charged with watching the sensor information, it creates a sensor bubble around Astrid’s house that will detect anything larger than a microbe, then the video surveillance takes over. These are manned 24/7 and she has constant access to the records so she can modify how she wishes for your surveillance to be, with moderation of course. With these new features in place and a changing of the guards, as they say, police response time will be lowered to two to four minutes at most at any time of the day.

Astrid’s sanctum sanctorum will be monitored by her private security force, not the general watchers. Sensors at every opening scans each individual who enters the house, taking a holographic image which she can review at any time she wishes, there won’t be any video or audio surveillance anywhere in the house or the pool area for privacy concerns. The Holographic sensor equipment protects privacy and is on an internal system so it can’t be accessed from the outside so she can’t be monitored. There will be weekly security sweeps for any listening devices scheduled randomly at the Head of the Police Force’s behest.

She woke now as light streamed in to her bedroom from the sun. She blinked her bright blue eyes and shifted, stretching slowly under the linens of her bed. Her house was quiet, but somehow she could still feel the movement of someone else in it. Maybe it was the paranoia from having had her home broken into while she was present within, but she was extra sensitive to other’s presence within her home now. No doubt her cook was making breakfast and her personal body guard was either in her room or in the kitchen being served breakfast. The smell of fresh vegetables and bacon hit her nose as Astrid sat up. She slid her feet from the bed to the floor and finally stood. Today was not a work day, though work would be done. It was her weekend and the weather looked like it was going to be glorious and sunny. Perhaps Astrid would open the house up. It was chilly, but the sun was warm and the fresh air would do her good.

She went into her bathroom to begin her morning routine. She eventually emerged from the adjoining closet and put on a lounge set of high waisted wide leg velvet pants and a cropped long sleeve wrap shirt of the same fabric. The set was deep burgundy and matched the slippers she put on. Her hair was in a braid down over one shoulder with a matching ribbon. She smiled at the two women present in the kitchen when she entered it. Both women smiled back. The cook handed the Judge a cup of coffee and the bodyguard continued to read on her datapad. Compared to the Judge, the bodyguard could almost be missed. She was nondescript in every way. She wasn’t especially pretty, especially well or vibrantly dressed, especially tall or short or curvy… wasn’t especially anything… that is until she talked.

“Judge, it looks like you were wanting to run some errands today. Is that still correct and the intended itinerary up to date?”

“Yes Max, I am and it is. I plan to do it after lunch if that is okay with my fine security force.”

“Judge, we are here to serve. If that is when you want to do it, that is when we will do it.”

“Thank you Max. Colleen, I would like a light lunch today and something pasta for dinner. The more garlic the better. I have no one to impress with my rank garlic breath so I shall indulge.”

“Yes Miss Rousseau. Will Max be joining us?”

Astrid smiled a teasing smile. “Colleen, I don’t think Maxine Nic would miss out on your cooking. If you two keep going on like you are, I am pretty sure she shall never miss out on it again and I shall be having two people live with me.”

Colleen’s mouth dropped open wide in shock. She had no idea that the Judge had known that her and Max were developing something. Max on the other hand, shook her head. She had been careful, she had even avoided a lot of opportunities to engage in affection with the cook just in case the Judge might walk in on them. And yet, the Judge had known anyway. “I … if you … Do you wish me or Colleen to resign?”

Astrid thought about that for a long moment. Both women nearly sweat with worry. They would have done it. Both were professional and excellent at their jobs. Finally Astrid shook her head. “No. I believe it is a non issue. Besides, who could I get that could possibly make better French dishes than Colleen. And who could be more stoic and yet still likeable than you?”

Max snorted audibly. “As you wish Judge.”

She smiled to both women and took her coffee into the living room where last nights paperwork lay scattered on her coffee table. With a tap on her datapad the long wall of windows parted to reveal the outdoor sitting area and a nice fire in the fireplace outside warming up the areas the sun could not reach. She picked up her PADD and went to sit on the inviting cushions there. Coffee and reading morning news seemed just the thing.

The two women in the kitchen sighed in relief and reached out to hold each other’s hand.

Astrid Rousseau