"Nice office you got here, much nicer than enlisted quarters. It's good to be in charge, huh big guy?"       "Around these parts most people refer to me as Admiral or sir, Trooper."       "Oh...right...sir."       *Ahem* "Then let us continue. As you know, the Resolute III has just been finished and will be christened next week. Which means we need to select its crew, THIS week."       "Pardon me, sir...but this sort of thing...isn't what Admirals usually do. Shouldn't some egghead in Military Intelligence be doin' this? Sir."       "Normally, yes. But this is not a normal situation, this is the new flagship of the Exofleet."       "Yeah, but even for the flagship..."       "There are special circumstances at play here, Trooper."       "Yes sir."       "Now then. Let's talk about you. Trooper Angela Merck. According to your file, you started out your career in the exofleet as a Jumptrooper. Then you went into armored infantry, and now you're an exotrooper."       "Correct, sir."       "Care to explain that, Angela?"       "Sir, if you're going to use my first name, I prefer to be called Angie."       "Fine. Care to explain that, Angie?"       "I wanted to be all that I can be, sir."       "Spare me the academy yearbook answer, Angie. Just tell me why you decided to leave the Jumpcorps."       "Well, sir, I'm good with a gun."       "So I've heard, you set new marksmanship records when you were in boot camp, most of which have yet to be broken."       "That's right, sir. The bottom line is this: I like playing with guns, and being an exotrooper means I get to play with BIGGER guns."       "I see." The Admiral stroked his chin, emphasizing the fact he was digesting her response. He tapped a few buttons on the keyboard in front of him. Angie stood at attention in front of his desk. Having made the necessary notations, he turned his attention back to Angie herself.       "You'll do. Someone will contact you in the next few days with your assignment. Dismissed." <- Previous | Next ->