Chapter 3

Tom was using the short-range communication console in Admiral Kelly's office, trying to calm Desiree down. His aide was on the long-range communications console. He was calling headquarters, to make arrangements for Commander McLean to come and start negotiations. Tom could tell Desiree was starting to lose most of her anger, although he knew that there was no way that she would land, as that would give up her advantage.

Admiral Kelly was really starting to worry, now. Commander McLean was definitely not one of his favorite people. He still blamed him for losing his last command. Why couldn't any of these people realize that the Navy way was the way things should be done? People needed to follow the rules! He had always followed them and now it looked as if it may cost him his career! It just wasn't right! He was one of the youngest men ever to become an Admiral! Now it seemed that by trying to follow the Navy Way of doing things, and trying to make the Base more efficient, he was put in the wrong. It seemed that these civilians insisted everything be done their way, and not the Navy way. He knew the Navy way was the best way, but the Emperor gave total freedom to the O'Connell's, and they insisted things be run their way. He worried that butting heads with them would be the end of his naval career.

Admiral Kelly's aide looked up and said, "I've reached headquarters in the Pegasus sector. Commander McLean is being dispatched. He and his crew should arrive within the next eight hours."

Admiral Kelly was still moping about how things had gotten so out of hand, and just acknowledged his aide.

Hearing this, Tom said, "Desiree, are you still there? The Admiral just received word that Commander McLean should be here within eight hours. Are you going to be okay out there for that long?"

"Sure, Tom, no problem. I think I know what was wrong with that disruptor torpedo. I don't think I had the polarity quite right. I was working on it, and had just set a tool on level polarity fluctuations, because of the higher shields by the Battle Cruiser. It should have just popped a few breakers, instead it's totally shorting out the system. I'll just use the time while we're waiting for Commander McLean to get here to tweak it a little. Tell Private Kelly if he has any more ships come close to me, they will be met with more force than that lame ass Battle cruiser got!"

"Now, sweetheart, you can't just go blowing military ships out of space. The crews of those ships are just following orders.

"Then you make sure to tell them to stay the hell away. I'm already pissed off enough, without the damned Navy ordering me around."

"Now, dear, I'm having a talk with Admiral Kelly right now. It seems as if most of this was just a big misunderstanding. He came here without being fully informed of the way we did things. You know how it is when an Admiral comes to a new command. He has to show others he's the one in control. I don't think he realized that this was just a support base for you and your tinkering."

"I still don't like him! He's trying to make us do everything his way. Couldn't he see that the way we were doing things worked?"

"You know, he was appointed to command this base. He wasn't aware of the way things are done here. The only way he knew how to do things was the way the Navy normally does them. He didn't realize that Galactic Headquarters had given you carte blanche on basically anything you wanted to do."