XVI. Debriefing
On the command level of the headquarters of the Interplanetary Defence Forces of the Republic of United Planets, Colonel (at least for the time being) Brian Mayhew stood at attention on a polished marble floor, listening to his superior General Ralph Honold yelling. In the background, a cleaning bot whirled, keeping the floor polished to a mirror sheen.
Honold had been yelling for a very long time now and still didn’t seem to be finished. Whatever else you could say about the man, he certainly had endurance. Though truth to be told, Mayhew had tuned out minutes ago. He knew that what Honold was yelling was as cliched as the stereotypical “the impudent young cadet gets chewed out by his mentor” scene that showed up in every second episode of Starship.
Like everybody in th
