[snip]

When M’Mera had left for the Bridge, Guy asked Richard, “You know we will miss her when she gets her promotion to Chief Engineer? It’s been hundreds of days since the last redshirt died. And the next COS will be unlikely to let you organise those Security and Boarding Drills that you seem to excel at. I wonder what he will be like? Have you heard anything yet?”

’’ Miss her? Really? ‘’ he asked , Sharp still held the grudge about M’Mera pulling him with her tail that landed him with a thud on his back ‘’I hope the new D’H ain’t too strict or worse like the one before M’Mera who was more into cooking and getting me in trouble along with him ‘’ the security replied .

“That’s partly my meaning, yeah!” Guy added. “She wasn’t very strict. We might get some real disciplinarian!”

‘’Shall we get on with her orders ?’’ he asked Guy.

“Coordinating teams and conducting boarding exercises for you to beat everyone else?” Guy asked Sharp.

Sharp sat down on the floor shaking his head ‘’ No ,actually I prefer to hid in the shadows . I did check the weapons everything is in order . As for the drill that’s not my job but for the new COS ‘’ he replied staring at an imaginary spot ‘’ I do hope he/she would be a level headed human ‘’.

Sharp sec.

“Yeah! I guess that level-headedness is wonderful leadership quality in a human when the kind of chaos we are used to descends, ” replied Guy, “but I think I’d settle for someone with soul but not a soldier!”

Guy decided to sit down too. “I suppose that we can have a really good think about possible teams and boarding exercises here until someone gives us something else to do instead?”

They sat for a while in quiet contemplation before Guy said, “I wonder if we will get any new security officers as well as this new COS? We’ve lost more than a few. Do you remember Gilbert and his phaser coolant accident? There was also William, killed by the thorns fired from those poisonous walking plants? Or Norman, the new Cadet who actually volunteered for the landing party, you know, like a real hero?”

• Guy, Sec