There was a ping at his door.

It had been a long time since anyone but Kirie or Nova had come to his office, so he had forgotten where his intercom button was. It took a moment to find.

He pressed it.

" Who is it?" he asked, still reviewing the mass media response to the interview Nova had been surprised with.

" It's Noctis, Commodore General," a clipped tone answered.

" Oh good, I've been meaning to hear from you," he said, tapping her in.

Noctis was surprisingly reliable; she had understood the specificity of the study, and her prior experience was extensive. Such talent had been wasted on the empire.

" The Kalvinate negation chamber is running at full capacity," she said. " When shall we retrieve the samples I'll be working with from the ground base?"

" Now is fine," William said, standing up and swiping his holoscreen down. " It's best if we get it back onboard as soon as possible. I'll accompany you."

She tipped her head.

" Is that alright? You seemed busy," she asked.

" I wasn't," he said. " Even if I was, this would be of higher priority."

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