TGoaW-136

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==Chapter 136 - The Glow of a Worm inside a Child's Eye==
"Let me get this straight-you sent your brother...
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...Arthur, my very good friend-you sent him to the far side of the REALM??" Elizabeth Ngo was almost shocked, "WHY??"
"He volunteered." His Majesty Victor Steiner-Davion told her, "He asked for the hardest assignment we could give him-the one without much if any glory in it, I actually argued with him over the Coast Guard position instead of Transport Command-he was adamant about taking on the new 'small boat' service over being XO on the New Avalon."
"RX-80." she confirmed, "He wanted...what are you calling them?"
"We're also calling the small corvettes 'cutters'." he told her.
"So he's in a patrol squadron, in command of a cutter." 
"Yes...and he's doing good work out there-he's managed to open a dialogue with the Taurians over Piracy issues, and he's done so well that Loeffler recommended him for promotion outside his Zone and command of 6 Squadron Federated Coast Guard."
"Twelve ships?"
"Fifteen with the tenders." Victor confirmed.
"Uh-huh...it's off the Clan front...and in an area that's got long term neglect issues."
"Yeah. I would've thought of it, but Arthur thought of it first. He's got twelve mostly-green crews with barely-seasoned officers on the periphery front facing bandits, but it's all according to Li's Reforms that those crew an officers were trained."
"Hmmm...so has he taken out a Pirate nest yet?"
"He's working on it-my guys say he's taking things slow, precise, methodical."
"I have confidence he will be amazing and successful then." Liz said, raising her chin, "Absolute confidence. Where's Penny in all this?"
"Filtvelt, officer's housing. She's currently giving the local major-general's spouse a real run for title of 'grand dame' of the Dependent's housing area."
"I could've guessed that!!" Elizabeth said cheerily, "You are monitoring her recovery, aren't you?"
"Drug and alcohol counseling twice a week, and we've got a Fox team that's keeping an eye on her-My brother will not be coming back to a dead junkie for a wife."
"Then my heart is glad." Liz said, "Now, about my service..."
"Yeah, no. Your time in the Exchequer counts as partial time in service, I'm not letting you enlist."
"but-"
"But nothing." Victor told her. "YOU, are a Civilian, Lizzie. If I put you in the Navy, I could order you to go back to the treatment lab...and you'd be obliged to follow that order. So count it lucky that I won't waiver you for military service, because that WOULD be my first order given to you as a Naval Officer."
"So I have what? Four years left?"
"About that, yeah. I'm going to give you three options." he told her.
"What are they?"
"You can go work in the Exchequer again, or go to work in the Department of Reclamations, or, you can go to work in the Federated Commonwealth Science Ministry."
"We have a Science ministry?"
"We will if you say yes." Victor told her, "it's an administration post, but it dovetails with your extensive interest in all things scientific and academic, and it keeps you from running your own mad science activities if you have to ride herd on people with crazier ideas than you get. it's a Cabinet-level post, Liz."
"There are better people for that."
"Those 'better people' aren't invested in replicating the Ceres disaster of 2598, or coming up with self-replicating hell weapons, or amusing themselves by plotting how to blow up planets using fifty ton rockets fired from the oort cloud. If you're stuck being responsible for other people's irresponsible ideas, you won't have time to follow up on your own-especially if you have to figure out how to brief me on subjects that were so boring I slept through them in school."
"I...guess I will take the job-for four years." Liz told him.
"Good, I expect you to do your best." Victor told her.
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