Sam laughed. It was only the second biggest decision parliament had ever made to that point and had gone down in history as one of its worst. "I remember those of us who knew what was coming threw the biggest party the Navy had ever seen. most of us<i>despised</i>the CNO with a passion. As I understand it, it was really a feud between MiniCom and MiniDef that led to this mess. Commerce wanted the protection, Defense wanted more forts and automated defenses and less manpower, so here we are," he said with an emphatic hand gesture, "and I never would have these three," he said, gesturing to the younger group. "It took me a while to get used to running my own ship, but it's turned out to be quite profitable for all concerned," he said.<br/><br/>A steward arrived with salad plates and set them down. Thick green leaves of lettuce and several stalks of celery all drenched in a creamy dressing, "It's not much," he said, "just three courses, all Chef could manage on short notice. The greens are real, the meat," he wrinkled his nose, "best not to think too hard about where it came from. We're due to pick up a fresh set of supplies when we get back to Grissom."