[dumbluck]

Commadore Xavan was finally in her element, and yet she was in over her head. Last month, Lt. Commander Vitax had reported contact with another race. At first she was excited; after 2 years she would finally get to do the job she was designed for. Euphoria had quickly turned to dismay, however; the Lerconian Collective was a race hitherto unknown to the Vaxin Consortium, and she was having difficulties gathering any kind of diplomatic information on them. An entire month after the initial contact, all she had discovered was that the Lerconians were a genetically engineered, sentient fauna. Genetically engineered by whom remained to be answered, and Xavan was having a devil of a time trying to get information of even that basic caliber. The Lerconians intent was unknown. Their political structure was unknown, but appeared rather chaotic. Nothing like the Vaxin strict, regimented style.

And on top of her difficulties performing her own duties, she was still the acting Commander, Expeditionary Force. Fortunately, it was not taking up much of her time, so she could devote most of her efforts to unlocking the Lerconian’s secrets. She only had to spent an hour or two a day behind the Admiral’s desk. She still wasn’t comfortable with it; the view was unfamiliar, almost alien. The fact that this discomfort was intentionally added to her logic subroutines didn’t even register in her consciousness.

She returned to his desk again to review the Strategic Readiness Status. The first thing that caught her eye was a small, green indicator light next to the words “Combat in Rakella”.

“Wha- What?!?!” She tapped the indicator to bring up a summary of the events. She stared in disbelief as a Lerconian vessel emerged from the warppoint, then closed with and engaged Lt. Commander Vitax’s Revival class scout vessel. It was the very first Revival built, the namesake of the class. She had reached the limits of her range, and had been on the return leg of her scouting mission when she’d discovered the Lerconian colony. Now she was damaged and in need of assistance.

Xavan found this most inconvenient. She had hoped to find an ally in the Lerconians. It was in her programming; after all, she was a Political Minister, not a War Minister. Her Objective was to bring all alien races, save one, to the bargaining table. It was her Objective to gain as much advantage for the Vaxin as possible through treaties and alliances. Every armed conflict for her is a lost opportunity, every war a catastrophe to be avoided at all costs.

This was the part of Command she despised. Life and Death decisions were not her specialty; she was designed for intrigue and diplomatic exchanges. What’s more, she had been specifically designed to not find these kind of decisions easy, or comfortable. After all, she wasn’t a Command Unit; she was a Political Minister. She knew this. It was no secret that one’s occupational pre-dispositions are chosen for you. That’s what the Reproduction Minister is there for: to fill the expected occupational vacancies with new units. The concept of self-determination was completely alien to her; indeed, the very notion seemed both illogical and terrifying at the same time.

But such idle pondering was getting her nowhere. The Revival 0001 was in hostile space and needed assistance. She must decide on a coarse of action, and soon.