The office door opened.

" Kirie, could you see when Dawson is available for our next video conference?" He said, not moving from his desk. Paperwork. A truly awful amount of paperwork. The Starka didn't seem to have much regard for it, but the DASS did, and he'd been swamped in red tape over the Lyeha.

She coughed lightly, clearing her throat.

" Of course, William," she answered, sounding much more nervous than usual. " I, brought your lunch, and I have the papers filled out for the Lyeha's room, our sector's headquarters are aware of the situation, and they've approved it, since the Starka instigated it in the first place..."

He stretched and leaned back in his chair.

" I heard that she's a lot younger than Nova... Could you assign one of the cadet girls from Thrace to keep her company? She should have someone her own age around, she'll probably be more comfortable with that."

" Right."

Kirie was avoiding his gaze, like something was on her mind.

" Is something wrong, Kirie?"

She took a breath.

" Commodore General, there are cameras in the garden..."

He set his pencil down.

" Oh. I forgot about those."

" Are you... I know, um, that what... I..." she stumbled over her words helplessly for a moment. " I... It's just that. You and Lyena-Nova. It's not like that thing you had going on back in the academy, is it...? I just... I still think you were hurting yourself by being like that."

William evaluated her for a moment before he spoke.

" I'm not throwing myself on anything that moves," he said. " I've just come to like him, is all."

" Right. It's just. Been a while, since I saw you like that."

" You make it sound so much worse than it actually was!"

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