Post by Dust of Chaos on Sept 1, 2010 11:32:21 GMT -5
*finder gamle støvede historier frem fra sin computers dyb*
"Fine. It's settled then." Derek Vall, the general of the Republic's Fleet, added the last notes before putting away the datapads.
"Seems like we'll be able to catch a fair night's sleep after all." Lieutenant Ocelot stacked the huge amount of status rapports before turning off the detailed map hologram.
Derek shook his head, grabbing his cup of coffee to empty it.
"I told you, you should just have gone to bed. I could have managed the rest by myself."
"Yes, I know, General. But then you wouldn't get any sleep at all."
Derek didn't answer that. No need to tell her she was right. She knew it.
"I owe you a hell lot of days off, don't I?"
"We both know none of us do very well with vacations."
"True. But be sure to write down your extra hours so you at least get paid for them."
"Will do, General."
"Good." Derek rubbed his forehead over his blind eye, letting himself fall into the chair.
"You shouldn't drink coffee before sleeping."
"I know. But I can't help it."
Call looked at her general with those sharp eyes of hers. "You are stressed."
"I am fine."
"You missed lunch, and you were not concentrating at the training session."
Derek sighed, wishing he had more coffee.
"I know." He also knew why. But that was not something he was going to discuss with one of his lieutenants, no matter how trusted a friend said lieutenant was to him.
"Something is on your mind." That was a clear fact.
"Does it have something to do with Captain Jupal?" That...was not...
"Excuse me?"
"Captain Jupal, Sir. She left for the Outer Rim last week, if I remember correctly?"
"So she did." Derek tried to keep calm, but there was something dark in the glare he sent her. Captain Tanné Jupal was a...delicate subject to him right now. He could only hope Call didn't notice that.
Somehow he got the feeling, that she had noticed long ago.
She didn't say any more. She just sat there, meeting his gaze.
She knew. There was no doubt. And he thought they had been so careful. Of course, Call knew him better than any one else around. Had it been anyone else to notice it, he would have been kind of disappointed with her.
Derek sighed deeply, letting his face drop into his palm, and breaking the staring contest he had lost before it even begun. Then he looked at her again.
"She's only one problem. And that problem is over, if you really must know." No point in denying. Might as well try to lie while having his mind read by a Jedi.
Call nodded slowly, not the slightest hint of surprise to see in her face.
"You know, when I said you needed to get laid, I didn't think you'd go for Jupal." Was she teasing him?
Derek gave her a gloomy look. "And when I said that YOU needed to get laid, I meant with who- or whatever you could dig up, as long as you did something about it."
Call just smiled. "Are we discussing my private life or yours?"
Derek sighed, running a hand over his millimetres short hair. "Are any of us entitled to a private life at all? Sometimes I doubt it."
Call arched one of her eyebrows, waiting for him to explain. Derek just shook his head.
"We're at war though we're not at war, enemies are lashing at the Republic constantly, and we barely have enough ships to cover our territories, not to speak of soldiers. I hardly have enough hours a day to keep this mess together, I can't really afford to take out time for private matters."
"You forget you are still a living being. And the Republic owes YOU a hell lot of days off."
Derek couldn't help but smile. He didn't know why, this wasn't exactly a funny subject.
"Well, even if I could allow myself to forget about my duties for a couple of days, it shouldn't be with one of my own officers." Saying the words out loud somehow left a bitter taste on his tongue.
"No. It shouldn't."
He looked at her calmly. He wouldn't blame her if she reported it, and got Tanné assigned to another part of the galaxy. He should have done it himself. But even after two years, he had apparently not learned the lesson properly.
Relationships like that caused problems. The sheer fact that he wanted Tanné more than what he knew was best, was a proof.
'Had wanted', he reminded himself. He didn't want her any more. And she didn't want him. It was over. For good.
Call getting up from her chair ripped him out of his thoughts.
"Well. We all have our problems. As long as the problems don't hurt anybody else, they're not bad problems."
Derek looked at her sharply. Call Kane. Not Ocelot. Kane. Like the pirate.
"Sounds like something I could have said."
"I believe you have, Sir." The Republic was not exactly fond of her father. Derek lacked the ability to see why that should make her unable to serve the Republic like any other good soldier.
"Good night, Lieutenant."
Call nodded once.
"God night, Sir."
Then she left.
"Fine. It's settled then." Derek Vall, the general of the Republic's Fleet, added the last notes before putting away the datapads.
"Seems like we'll be able to catch a fair night's sleep after all." Lieutenant Ocelot stacked the huge amount of status rapports before turning off the detailed map hologram.
Derek shook his head, grabbing his cup of coffee to empty it.
"I told you, you should just have gone to bed. I could have managed the rest by myself."
"Yes, I know, General. But then you wouldn't get any sleep at all."
Derek didn't answer that. No need to tell her she was right. She knew it.
"I owe you a hell lot of days off, don't I?"
"We both know none of us do very well with vacations."
"True. But be sure to write down your extra hours so you at least get paid for them."
"Will do, General."
"Good." Derek rubbed his forehead over his blind eye, letting himself fall into the chair.
"You shouldn't drink coffee before sleeping."
"I know. But I can't help it."
Call looked at her general with those sharp eyes of hers. "You are stressed."
"I am fine."
"You missed lunch, and you were not concentrating at the training session."
Derek sighed, wishing he had more coffee.
"I know." He also knew why. But that was not something he was going to discuss with one of his lieutenants, no matter how trusted a friend said lieutenant was to him.
"Something is on your mind." That was a clear fact.
"Does it have something to do with Captain Jupal?" That...was not...
"Excuse me?"
"Captain Jupal, Sir. She left for the Outer Rim last week, if I remember correctly?"
"So she did." Derek tried to keep calm, but there was something dark in the glare he sent her. Captain Tanné Jupal was a...delicate subject to him right now. He could only hope Call didn't notice that.
Somehow he got the feeling, that she had noticed long ago.
She didn't say any more. She just sat there, meeting his gaze.
She knew. There was no doubt. And he thought they had been so careful. Of course, Call knew him better than any one else around. Had it been anyone else to notice it, he would have been kind of disappointed with her.
Derek sighed deeply, letting his face drop into his palm, and breaking the staring contest he had lost before it even begun. Then he looked at her again.
"She's only one problem. And that problem is over, if you really must know." No point in denying. Might as well try to lie while having his mind read by a Jedi.
Call nodded slowly, not the slightest hint of surprise to see in her face.
"You know, when I said you needed to get laid, I didn't think you'd go for Jupal." Was she teasing him?
Derek gave her a gloomy look. "And when I said that YOU needed to get laid, I meant with who- or whatever you could dig up, as long as you did something about it."
Call just smiled. "Are we discussing my private life or yours?"
Derek sighed, running a hand over his millimetres short hair. "Are any of us entitled to a private life at all? Sometimes I doubt it."
Call arched one of her eyebrows, waiting for him to explain. Derek just shook his head.
"We're at war though we're not at war, enemies are lashing at the Republic constantly, and we barely have enough ships to cover our territories, not to speak of soldiers. I hardly have enough hours a day to keep this mess together, I can't really afford to take out time for private matters."
"You forget you are still a living being. And the Republic owes YOU a hell lot of days off."
Derek couldn't help but smile. He didn't know why, this wasn't exactly a funny subject.
"Well, even if I could allow myself to forget about my duties for a couple of days, it shouldn't be with one of my own officers." Saying the words out loud somehow left a bitter taste on his tongue.
"No. It shouldn't."
He looked at her calmly. He wouldn't blame her if she reported it, and got Tanné assigned to another part of the galaxy. He should have done it himself. But even after two years, he had apparently not learned the lesson properly.
Relationships like that caused problems. The sheer fact that he wanted Tanné more than what he knew was best, was a proof.
'Had wanted', he reminded himself. He didn't want her any more. And she didn't want him. It was over. For good.
Call getting up from her chair ripped him out of his thoughts.
"Well. We all have our problems. As long as the problems don't hurt anybody else, they're not bad problems."
Derek looked at her sharply. Call Kane. Not Ocelot. Kane. Like the pirate.
"Sounds like something I could have said."
"I believe you have, Sir." The Republic was not exactly fond of her father. Derek lacked the ability to see why that should make her unable to serve the Republic like any other good soldier.
"Good night, Lieutenant."
Call nodded once.
"God night, Sir."
Then she left.
