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The Commodore's office aboard the ISD-II Warrior
Rear Admiral Hav Antiel sank into the chair behind his large, messy desk. Rubbing a fist against his eye, he took a long sip from his Warrior coffee mug.
Ugh, he thought. Friggin’ space coffee.
He blinked wearily at the splayed array of unaddressed paperwork and sighed.
“Time to get to work,†he muttered.
At the top of the pile were monthly evaluations from the commanders of Kappa, Sin, and Theta squadrons. Paperwork was never Antiel’s forte, but he enjoyed the monthly evals because they recognized the efforts of his pilots and crew.
As he put the finishing touches on the compiled Warrior report, Antiel noticed an unmistakable package peeking out from the pile: a neatly-folded manilla envelope, brown strings knotted in a tidy bow.
“Frown,†he sighed. “All right, let’s see what the damage is.â€
Antiel ripped the envelope open and dumped out the contents. With a thud, a small hologram projector landed on the desk. A miniature blue officer flickered sideway onto a stack of papers. Despite the garbled transmission, Antiel recognized General Frown’s distinctive tenor and annoyed tone.
“Rear Admiral Ant Hill,†the hologram sneered. After a prolonged pause, it added, “Sir.â€
“It has come to my attention that someone has authorized an attack on Emperor’s Hammer personnel, namely one officer LK-71665, fifth squad, third platoon, second company, first battalion of the 729th regiment.â€
Antiel rolled his eyes.
“Ninth legion,†Frown’s hologram added.
“Yes,†the hologram continued, “As you’re no doubt aware, LK-71665 was attacked and subdued by what he has described as a contingent of well-armed subversives working – and I am directly quoting LK-71665 when I say this – working under your specific auspices, Admiral.â€
“Sithspit,†Antiel sputtered, slamming a fist on his desk. “That damn stormtrooper…â€
“Naturally, I instigated an investigation at the first sign of wrong-doing,†Frown's hologram smirked. “However, I believe it best practice to alert—†Frown paused here again, visibly irritated. “—my direct superior to the nature of the situation. There appears to be a conflict of interest, here, Admiral, as this suspected malfeasance shows multiple inclinations of emanating from your office.â€
Antiel spun the holodisk projector, rotating the mini-Frown in frustration.
“I must advise you, Admiral, to control your crew: namely, your pilots. Idle hands, as you know, lead to, well, handcuffed stormtroopers in abandoned barracks, apparently. Although I doubt you lack the requisite tasks to keep your staff occupied, my office could easily provide overflow assignments.
“Our investigation will close this week, Admiral. I will alert you to our findings in seven day’s time.â€
The hologram fizzled into darkness.
Antiel sucked air through his teeth and banged a fist on his desk again.
“That damn stormtrooper,†he repeated.
Didn’t want to do it this way,, he thought. Guess I’ve got no choice now. Antiel pressed the intercom, and a naval officer snapped into his office.
“Well, it’s happened,†said Antiel. “Time to move our little project.â€
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