Free Audacity (Warner's World Book 5) by Dave O'Connor

numbers for changing that were getting better every week. He should know because he was the principal architect.
    He was the perfect political operator. He knew everyone of note, kept his ear to the ground, and was capable of engineering support wherever it was needed. Right now he knew his boss needed it, even if she did not recognise it. This was his doing but it was for her good and he would also argue that it was for the greater good of mankind. Mankind was facing its toughest challenge and it needed the toughest, most capable leader in charge. ‘And that’s my chief minister’ thought Kaito as he closed the door behind the last of the now departing committee members.

Chapter 26. Slidwon, Istridium 2220, 7 August
    Angina Slirinus was tired. It had been a long gruelling day. She wanted to retire for the day but there was one matter that must be dealt with now. She had received the communique direct from the office of the First Consul only forty minutes ago. One did not ignore an imperial directive.
    There was no hint of disapproval conveyed in the message. She knew that the First Consul would have been bitterly disappointed at the failure of their efforts to capture Sallusam but she also knew that it was his staff’s way to expunge all expressions of emotion from his correspondence. Angina hated this practice. She liked to know where she stood with her Imperial master.
    ‘Yes, he wants Torine. Of course’ she thought. She brought up Torine Philastane’s status on her screen. ‘It’s going to take a week just to get her anywhere close. That’s the trouble when you are the best. You are always in demand and in our line of work that means big long journeys.’
    Angina would have to reassign another agent to take over Torine’s current assignment. After a few minutes of searching she committed to the reassignment and tasked Torine to pursue Sallusam.

Chapter 27. Resolute to Qwantum 1515, 8 August
    LCmd Chase Hanlon was at his wits end. They had been at it for hours now just him and the new XO, Cmdr Charles Chen. As per his orders from the Captain he was putting the new XO through a condensed version of the Ship Officers Battle Course, known affectionately as the son of a bitch course by all who go through it. It got this moniker partially because of its acronym but all agreed that it was one hell of a tough course. It usually sorted out the wheat from the chaff. After two days of it Chase was prepared to declare the current participant as falling in the latter group.
    Chase knew that he had to tread carefully. This was a superior officer, albeit one with no battle experience and to his amazement one who had somehow avoided all the usual combat courses that you would expect a Commander to have done.
    The simulator was unforgiving. It had failed the participant for the third time and this was according to its protocol as far as the current participant could go. Chase stared at the screen where the alert flashed in red “DISQUALIFIED.”
    “Let’s call it a break there Sir” said Chase “I have to reset the simulator and then we need to start again.”
    For what was probably the first time that afternoon Charles spoke “Can’t we just mark this one off and move to the next?” His brown eyes bored into Chase.
    “I’ll ask the Captain Sir” and Chase stood up and left the battle lab before Chen could respond. He headed straight down the corridor of A deck and after a quick squiz to make sure there was no one else in with the Captain he entered and closed the door behind him.
    Dave could see by the frustrated expression on Chase’s face that things were not going well down in the battle lab. He was not surprised.
    “Permission to be frank” asked Chase.
    “Well you don’t look like a John” said Dave with a smile in a doomed attempt to cheer up his ops officer. Chase frowned disapprovingly as he sat down in the chair opposite.
    “He’s fucking hopeless Sir. He’s failed lesson three six times