In Time Gone By...

~ 16 ~

"No luck then?" 

Bailee sat at her desk in the room that she had been placed in, chatting to Grace over a communication. The presidential palace of the planet that they were visiting was beautiful. It certainly made an impression.

The rolling gardens stretched out toward snow-capped mountains, the peaks of which glistened in the afternoon sun while the gardens themselves were draped with shadow. Hedges clipped into zig-zagging patterns seemed to weave on forever, towered over by perfectly spaced trees that lined their edges; a gardener or two leaned over beds of wildflowers. 

Bailee sighed, half in response to her friend's question and half in awe of the landscape. "No. The troopers are outside as we speak. Been following me since we arrived." 

"I can't imagine what you said to him, though. I suppose it didn't go well." 

She bit her lip thoughtfully. That interaction in his quarters before they had left had been...different. While it had made clear the trust he had in her - the care -, the nature of it was still unclear. How he felt deep down was hard to pinpoint, especially given their permanent guest in Rose. "No, not particularly. But there's a lot to tell when I get back." 

"Yeah, as long as I don't get called in late like yesterday so we couldn't share... Now I'm intrigued though." 

"I don't think it'll be quite what you expect." she muttered as a notification came through. 

"Now you have to tell me! Right now! Come on! B!" she pleaded when she shook her head. 

"I've been summoned, I have to go."

"Oh, come on!" she said as her friend laughed, a knock at the door drawing her attention. 

"The general wants you." one of the troopers said after being called in. 

"Yeah, I'll be right there, thanks...See?" She turned back to Grace when the door closed. "Like a child...as if I can't read a message." 

"It's only for a week, B. Then you're free." 

"We'll see if he doesn't keep it going when I'm back...Talk to you soon." 

The general's room was barely three doors down, yet the two soldiers still followed her down there, the clacking of their armour over her shoulder grating slightly on her nerves. Still, she had to admire how diligently they kept to their task, taking up their position outside the general's door as she entered. 

A room of officials greeted her, sitting or standing around a long table in the centre. Evidently, the place had multiple separate rooms, one of which the general left with a drink in hand, joining back in the conversation almost immediately. 

The place was slight chaos with documents and papers all over the place, people discussing the information on their screens with fervour and shouting over to others across the room. There were only about six of them but it seemed like so many more. 

She weaved amongst them all toward the general who finished off the conversation he was having before turning to her. 

"Ah, yes, good, you're here. I need these reports cross referenced against this data." He dumped a bunch of papers on the table in front of her. "You know my preference for paper...make sure to keep the admiral updated, he's all over this." 

"Oh, yes, of course..." she said, slightly stunned at his abruptness. But she soon took to her task, setting herself up amongst the chaos of the room. 

It was strange to be at he centre of it whilst also completely estranged, just sitting on the outskirts as galaxy-changing conversations were made around her.