Looking at her watch, Lauren continued her one woman mission to get approval for her leave. It probably would have been easier to hit up Rinker first however it was 0400 hours when she started this. After meeting with the XO and the unnecessarily long comm call with Lt. Allison Scott on the Saracen, Lauren had one loose end to tie up. She needed an alibi of sorts if things went south so it was always better to set it up before than after. As she walked to her impromptu meeting with Rinker, Lauren let her mind wander about this Commander Balfor Kolar. Bringing up his medical records, she looked at the image on the file. Kolar looked like an easy going enough guy from his picture. Lauren could not figure out why Ally was so hesitant about asking for leave from him. Scanning further down in the file, Lauren made a mental note about the facts in the man’s file. The Saracen was not Kolar’s first rodeo as an XO. He was previously on the Olinski. A ship full of hot shot fighter pilots was always a positive for her. Maybe one day his connections to that ship might benefit her. Tucking these facts away, Lauren stepped out of the turbo and continued on her path. Closing the PaDD, Lauren mused about how if Lieutenant Scott wasn’t so good at her job and fit the role in the operation so perfectly, Lauren would have replaced her by now; however, Ally was two days closer than Lauren to the target was so time was of the essence.

She had a fifty-fifty shot of locating Rinker in either his quarters or the mess hall so she picked the closest one. Entering the mess hall, she scored. Off in the corner her boss was sitting and eating alone. This was another boon for her. Moving with the pace of someone on a mission, Lauren approached Rinker. Sitting down across from him, Lauren did not waste time or words.

“Morning Heathcliff I need a favor. I need you to sign off on my leave,” she handed the PaDD across the table. Unlike most women, Lauren found the less words you used at times got you exactly what you needed. Her request was out of the blue but that was not an uncommon pattern. One thing that was common was her inability to take a no in a situation like this.

Lauren Shan