{SNIP}
> Kit took the food and the coffee into her
> office, sipping the coffee and
> relishing the spicey bitterness of it. She
> fixed a bagel for herself and
> then went about the business of the morning,
> which was changing her command
> staff. First up - get rid of the current chief
> of staff, Commander
> Thrasis, and put him in charge of the support
> operations. She'd finesse it
> with him later, and it really was a better
> pick. He was a wizard with
> detail, and the supply and support department
> needed that badly. In his
> place she put Captain Aurelius. As her Chief
> of Staff, he was now
> officially her right hand, and she put in a
> request to Intell to change his
> security clearance to reflect that. The change
> would be effective as of
> the following week. Next, she began the task
> of changing the commands of
> the outposts to those with the skill and
> experience to run them, ousting
> the bureaucrats that were getting her people
> killed. Those orders she sent
> immediately. She wanted commanders who had
> come from the ranks in those
> outposts, not political people put there to
> cajole a corrupt command
> structure. She was still working on that, the
> coffee long snice gone, when
> Aurelius came in.
>
> "Captain, please, sit down," she gestured,
> putting the computer on hold.
>
"Reporting as ordered, Admiral. I see you liked the treat your new aide
and I left for you." he said as he took the seat offered.
>
> "Thank you forrr the bagels and coffee. It was
> excellent. Was it
> rrreplicated?"
>
"Heavens no, sir. I know this little shop in New York that makes them
fresh every morning. It happens to be just down the block from my
rent-control apartment. Honestly, I love New York, and can't stand living on
station if I don't have to. It reminds me of the best of Londonium and
Carthage back home on Magna Roma, without the seedy side.
Anyway, I am glad you liked them." he answered, visably pleased that she
was back, and that she liked the treat.
{response}
