I am delighted to have Sam Sinclair back here for a second interview, in which he talks about his new story that has just been published.

Hello again Sam, thank you so much for returning.  How are you, and what have you been up to since we last talked?

Hi, it’s good to see you again.  I’m very well, thank you.  I’ve been busy, as always but I always make time for fun too.  Everything is very much the same as it always is; work takes up most of my time.

You do work a lot don’t you?  You don’t seem to take much time off.  Why is that?

Well I’m a single guy with no family and I’m so used to working all the time that when I do get extended periods of free time, I get restless and bored quickly.  My work is my life, really.  I’m good at it and I enjoy it.  It’s more than just a job to me, it’s my life.

That makes your life sound lonely.  Is it?

It could be, if you’re the type who gets lonely.  In fact, I’m constantly in touch with people and I mix with all sorts of people from all over the galaxy, so the actual amount of time I’m totally alone, is quite small.  In this job you have to learn to make casual acquaintances quickly, enjoy the time you have with them, and not miss them when it’s over.  That’s the way it is in this life.  There’s a high turnover of acquaintances which means I never get to know anyone that deeply, but it also means I’m constantly meeting new people.  It has its good and bad sides, like everything.

I guess that means you never have time to get into a rut with your relationships huh?

Absolutely.  You got it hunny.  (Sam smiles in that enigmatic way of his)

So you’re here to tell us about the new episode of your V-Logs and what happened to you when you went to Bygora Vandos.  This was an undercover job for you wasn’t it?  A little different from the way you normally work.

Yes, it was the first time my boss asked me to work undercover and do some actual detective work.  I normally know who I’m chasing, and all I have to do is find them, restrain them and deliver them into the care of the Inter-Galactic Law Enforcement Agency.  All the hard work has been done for me by other detectives.  This time however, I had to do the preliminary detective work, and find out what was going on and who was to blame, before I could then apprehend them and bring the whole situation to a satisfactory close.  This meant that the job was bound to take a while and I would have to dig in and become part of the community and work my way in slowly.  It was nice that my boss trusted me with this job and I managed to finish it in the way everyone wanted.

But it wasn’t without cost was it?

No it wasn’t.  (Sam’s eyes cloud over momentarily).  This job was big, very big, and this meant that my boss made me work with a partner.  We lived together on site and worked the case together and we became good friends.  He quickly became my best friend and we even planned to team up together when the job finished, but.  Well that didn’t pan out.

Are you happy to talk about him and what happened?

Oh sure, he was my best friend, why wouldn’t I like to talk about him?  His name was Ren and he was another Freelance Law Enforcer.  We worked the case together and he had already secured himself a job in the Personnel Department before I arrived, and he helped me a lot by sneaking a look at the files he had access to and he told me anything he could find out that was useful to us.  I couldn’t have done the job without his help.  To cut a long story short, and not to give too much away, he died just as the job was drawing to a close.  I was able to be with him as he died, and we exchanged a few words, which I realise now was a huge help to me as I mourned him.  He was a unique individual, a Damiklonian and he was the wisest person I’ve ever met.  Damiklonians are empaths and we formed a strong bond of trust and respect.  He even taught me his race’s martial art, which I still practice to this day.

I’m sorry you lost your friend.

Thank you.  He changed me and I’m grateful.

You used an alias for this job didn’t you?  Gilden.  Can you tell us the story behind why you used that name?

Well I can’t go into too much detail about that, as it would give too much away, but yeah,  I used the name Joss Gilden while I was at Bygora Vandos.  Whenever I need to use an alias, I always use Gilden.  It was the name of someone I knew a long time ago, a woman who died and it’s my way of honouring her and remembering her.

So what exactly was happening?  Why were you there?

Okay, it all started when the trees started dying on Deligon 2.  Nobody knew why they were dying, so eventually a scientific research station was built there by a company called Calmarin.  They were supposed to be investigating what was happening to the trees, but over time, rumours began to surface about stuff that was allegedly going on at the station.  The Inter-Galactic Law Enforcement Agency got involved after the death of a woman who worked there.  It was discovered that the official cause of death was wrong and a cover up seemed likely.  After some digging, seven deaths were brought to light, all workers at the station and all in a short period of time.  My boss did some more digging and found some intriguing facts about the company that owned Calmarin and the more we found out, the more obvious is was that something was being covered up.  I was sent in the find out just exactly what was being covered up, and why, and then to stop it.

And there was indeed a cover up wasn’t there?

Oh jeez, there was indeed.  I could never have imagined what was really happening, not in my wildest nightmares.  Once Ren and I began to understand what was going on, we knew we had to stop it.  There was no way we were going to walk away from that job and let such an enormous crime continue.  It was horrific and I still dream about it sometimes.

You did the galaxy a huge favour by stopping those people Sam, thank you.

It wasn’t just me, but thank you.  I wasn’t working alone and I couldn’t have cleared the mess up if I had been.

You also got yourself a pet from that job didn’t you?  Tell us about her.

Yeah, you’re talking about Essy aren’t you?  (Sam grins).  When I had managed to work my way into the place and secured a position in the R & D department, I was issued with her as a security animal, a sort of guard dog.  They are called Hymalonts and they will only ever work for one handler and when they choose which handler they want, they imprint on that one person and won’t obey anyone else.  When the job ended, I couldn’t just leave her to be put to sleep, so I kept her and she worked with me for another eight months before she died saving me from a bullet.  (Sam’s eyes mist over).  She was huge and scary looking but she was the most friendly and demonstrative animal I’ve ever encountered.  I miss her fun and playful personality.

Do you keep in touch with any of the friends you made on Deligon?

I do, yeah.  Donal and the three boys joined my list of official contacts, so whenever I need them, I can call them and know I have people I trust searching for information for me.  I call them up every few months, just to let them know I’m still around and I’ve had to ask them to find information for me on a couple of jobs since the Calmarin situation.  They keep asking me to go and spend a couple of weeks on holiday with them, and I promised I would, so next time I get the chance of a few weeks off, I’m going back to Deligon for a reunion with them.

Have you been to Damiklon, where Ren came from?

I have, yes.  I was invited by Ren’s family and enjoyed meeting them.  They showed me his memorial and showed me where my name was listed in his Sovenda Lonraal, the list of his closest loved ones who mourn him.  They told me the list was read out during his funeral and I was really proud that my name was part of it.  They are  nice people, wise and friendly and I’m glad they call me a friend.

Are we going to get any more Sinclair V-Logs?

Good lord yes.  I have much more to tell you yet.  Believe me, you’ll get bored with me banging on about chasing criminals and crazies all over the galaxy, way before I run out of stories to tell.  (Sam laughs).

That’s good news.  When will we get the next episode and what will it be?

The next story I want to tell you, is about the guy who worked at a museum and absconded with an old relic.  That job was one of those that will always stick in my mind.  It was just so completely strange that at times I refused to believe what I was seeing and experiencing.  I hope to have that story for you by March 2014.

That’s wonderful, we look forward to it.  Thank you so much Sam and will you come back again soon?

I’d be happy to, thank you hunny.  (Sam grins and winks at me and I blush like a schoolgirl)