General A�amon had finished putting several files onto a data crystal when his second-in-command arrived. Jonalla R�saran, an ambitious Mora�sai [commander] from the R�saran family, had been overseeing the installation of the new administrative personell at the Venasian government offices. R�saran was razor-effecient, a considerable athlete, and was possibly one of the most highly-trained military minds in tactical operations, weapons, and combat strategy. She could plan and execute an attack on the smallest, most covert level, all the way up to a full-scale intergalactic war. Not recorded on her resume, she was also a formidable foos-ball player.
�Report,� A�amon ordered.
�The installation of the new personell is complete,� she replied, standing with her feet apart and her hands folded behind her back. Even without her boots, the Mora�sai stood almost as tall as A�amon, like one of the legendary warrior-women of Venasian past. �Pacifica will continue to be a useful base of operations for media and paperwork, which will allow the important functions of the government to be run without distraction from your offices. The Pacifican government has sent some queries as to our intention; I assured them we will remain within our designated boundaries and hold with the terms of our agreement. As stated in that agreement, internal changes within our government are not subject to Pacifican inquiry unless those changes directly affect the state of Pacifica, which they clearly do not in this case.�
A�amon asked, �And the colonies?�
�Our colonies, for the most part, have remained quiet as ordered, and are giving the pretense of accepting the new government without comment. I believe they�re still in too much shock to put up a fight, and by the time they start collecting their wits, the new system will be firmly in place. The other species - especially the Klingons and the Romulans - are suspicious of our colonies� attitude, but the advantage of being a communally telepathic species is that nobody else can hear what we�re talking about.�
�Once we start regaining our former glory, we will have our people�s full support,� A�amon said dismissively, �In the meantime, we must nurture and care for them as any parent would for a child who has been rudely awakened.�
�Of course, sir. You realize that the other species, especially the humans, are likely to cause considerable noise over this - especially over the disappearance of T�remea D�amondra? I understand that they were quite fond of her.�
�Let them,� A�amon shrugged, �If they interfere, we�ll have plenty of surprises for them, the least of which being our uses for the lovely T�remea.� He changed the subject. "And our missing ships?"
She told him. He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Very good. Everything is going to plan. Make preparations to return to my ship within the hour."
TBC...
-S
_________________________________________________________________
The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 3 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail&xAPID=42&PS=47575&PI=7324&DI=7474&SU= http://www.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/getmsg&HL=1216hotmailtaglines_smartspamprotection_3mf
