It All Started With Magnets

.32.

Holliste

Vice-Admiral Lewis Hollister leaned back in his chair, rubbing at his face. He had a headache that never seemed to go away and things were just getting worse and worse. "Can you please fetch Captain Matthews and Colonel Hudson for me please?" He looked over at the corporal that standing by the door and the soldier saluted him and left his office quickly. He looked at the other solider, internally wincing for the man. "I hate to do this to you but can you find Ms Hathaway for me and request she come here?"

"Yes, sir." There was a sharp salute and he was gone as well.

Lewis wished he had something to drink. He hadn't been able to drink anything since Matthews had come back from her deep space trip. He had been on duty pretty much twenty-four seven since then. He had received so many reports he was sick and fucking tired of paperwork. Reports about the US Navy mobilizing to float just outside of Canadian waters, their military mobilizing along the southern border. Which was accompanied by thinly veiled threats of retaliation if compliance wasn't afforded.

Then there were the messages being passed to him from the Admiral and the Minister of Defense and Minister of Foreign Affairs about all the other countries that wanted a report that PM Lawrence was seeming to refuse to put out. Which was fucking great. He had given him and Lavoie their report and statement but he wasn't sure if they were waiting for the Accords to be looked over. Which was another thing in itself that was stressing him out.

The aliens had a lot of deadly tech. It made him antsy because they were asking for so little and they were offering so much. It felt too unbalanced. He knew what Matthews had to say on the subject but it didn't make any logical sense for it to be about community and friendship. There had to be something they wanted outside of Matthews' tech.

He wanted to slump in his chair, either that or run off into the mountains and try his best to become a hermit for several years. This shit was driving him fucking insane. He wasn't really equipped to be in the position he was currently in. He was better off on a ship, out at sea, away from all of this other bullshit that he was currently dealing with. It hurt his head to think about so he ended up just rubbing his temples to try and get rid of the ache.

"Take two of these." At the lawyer's voice Hollsiter glanced at the door and she casually tossed a pill bottle at him.

He caught it and frowned. "Aleve? Really? I have a headache, not arthritis." He set the pill bottle on his desk.

"They're naproxin. A very great anti-inflammatory and if you take enough they will beat the shit out of any headache you might have." She came over and sat in one of the two chairs in front of his desk before gesturing at him. "I know a thing or two about stress headaches and paper work headaches. Trust me when I say take two. You can thank me later."

At that recommendation he picked it up and took the lid off, dropping two in his hand and dry swallowing before he reached over and set it on the far side of his desk so she could grab it. "Thanks."

"Why am I here?" She grabbed the bottle, tucking it into the pocket of her plaid button up.

"I might need to give your client shit." He let out a heavy sigh and glanced at her. He did not want to piss her off and being yelled at by her once was more than enough. He had felt like he had been an OS being dressed down by his superior officer. Not a great feeling.

"Oh?" One perfectly crafted eyebrow rose up as if in challenge. "Did she crank call the fucker?" The words were a bit mocking and he shook his head.

"No. I think she went to India nearly a week ago and I want to know why." If the formal reports was to be believed, there had been sightings of a ship matching Void Breaker's description that had been spotted by some farmers in rural India. Which of course had the Indian government reaching out asking what the fuck that was about so now it was on his desk with the Admiral wanting an exact reason why Matthews had been in India.