<div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/f/fa/Mars_test.jpg)</div><table class="bbc_table"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Character name:</strong></td><td>Wing Commander Louise Cotter</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Location:</strong> </td><td>Outside the base</td></tr><tr><td><strong>With:</strong> </td><td> Laura Hicks</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Doing:</strong> </td><td>Taking Charge, and looking for a nukee.</td></tr></tbody></table><br/><hr/><br/>I looked up as I heard the familiar voice in my ears. I couldn't wipe the tears from my eyes through the face plate. "Thanks lo - er Laura. You're smuggling whisky already? Talk about a bad example!" I grinned at her. The cute elven face so similar to my own thirty years ago. So similar to<em>her</em>too... "I'm kidding you. Shure that will go down nicely. Oh and Lieutenant Commander? I have some paperwork for you to sign..." I faxed her the document direct from my implant to hers, that confirmed her field promotion to OF-3. No one was going to tell me I couldn't promote her. This wasn't just my command, it was my<em>WORLD</em>.<br/><br/>A sudden surge of megalomania washed through me. "DAMN! I swore, after switching channels, "Allie, I rule the whole damn WORLD!" I grinned back at her, and let out a maniacal laugh. "MWUUUUHAHAHAAAAA!" Then giggled normally. But we both had work to do. "I'll see you in my quarters, naked, at twenty hundred, Commander, that's an order!" I grinned and blushed and looked around. There... the one orange suite that wasn't acting like the wearer was in charge.<br/><br/>I switched to the Military Command channel and ordered, "Will Lt Lena Holtzman please report to the Base commander by the shuttle cargo ramp at once?"<br/><br/>I made my way back to the shuttle where the only ground vehicle with any power in it sat on the ramp, a two-man quad-bike.