Lasiter and Faylan had developed a very good working relationship in the time that they had worked together at SF Command. It was Faylan that was the first, other than Lasiter's old friend t'Llhweiir, to welcome him to Spacedock and SF Command. It was also Faylan that helped Lasiter get up to speed on SF Command Protocols and up to speed on events at Command that had not made their way down to area commanders such as Lasiter. Safe to say they had a respect and trust for one another.
After Faylan left the CinC's office, Lasiter thought it was high time to make him the Chief of Fleet Operations, not just the acting chief. He had done very well at the job, and had earned Lasiter's respect. He would see to that tomorrow. What Samuel Lasiter needed now was a few more people he could work with. Afterall, there were going to be openings at SF Command, and soon..... Lasiter first called someone that he had worked with many years ago. Worked with and fought with on a daily basis. Rear Admiral Richard Smallwood, Commander of Starbase Zebra- the tactical nerve center along the Cardassian Border. It was Lasiter that relieved Smallwood of command once when Smallwood commanded the USS Kaga, which was in a task force under the command of Rear Admiral Samuel Lasiter. They were opposites in command style. Smallwood was not a delagator. He was into everything and anything that went on in his command. He was a fanatic about security protocols, preparedness, drills, and vigilance. Smallwood thought Lasiter was too lax, overly leinent (sp), too slow to make up a decision, etc. Basically he thought that Lasiter was soft. However the too working together, while a troublesome combination, could work wonders. It all depended on who was boss, and Smallwood thought it should be him. Lasiter also called another person from the past, Captain Scott Latimer. Latimer was the XO of the flagship that Lasiter used while in command of the task force that contained the Kaga and Captian Smallwood. He was also the Chief Engineer of the USS Wayne, where Lasiter was Captain just prior to being promoted to Rear Admiral. They had gorwn very fond of each other, although Lasiter never showed it. Lasiter was brutal on engineering. Constantly picking on the department every chance he got. On a few ocassions Lasiter even sent Latimer to the brig for his outbursts in staff meetings when he had taken enough of Lasiter's ranting. But there was a reason behind it. Latimer was the son of an Admiral, and was a gifted officer. His only problem was that he was always treated as if he were an Admiral's son, and rarely challenged. Lasiter saw it as his duty to challenge him, and he did. Latimer was a better officer for it, and because of that experience Lasiter took him along for the task force assignment and gave Latimer his first command. But there was more... tbc....
