Do they just save it up until I'm gone?

There's kind of a legend you'll hear if you're around the large construction yards at all. It's the story of an Engineering technician who worked on one of the big orbital shipyard projects. Which shipyard, or whether it was actually a transfer station, or maybe a cargo facility, or something else, seems to change. But the gist of it goes he was working the station and a few hours after he signed out for a vacation, the station underwent structural failure. So he goes back to the project for the second build and, when he goes on vacation, the station comes apart. Again. So, third try, he decides to stay until they complete the thing. This time, he's there through opening day. Figures it's finally safe for him to leave and, within 24 hours of his shipping out, the place is blown up by terrorists. Seems the builders were stubborn about it. They built a fourth one. And this one's still there. Only, that Engineering tech is still aboard. Seems he knows the second he leaves, all hell's going to break loose.

There's days I feel like that.

No sooner than I get off the cortex with Major Siamendes' commanding officer, talking about her serving the warrant on Cody, then I get a wave from Genni Foxtrot. Now, Genni's got a temper. Fiery one at that. And right about now she's ready to lose it on the Sheriff. Seems in my absence, the town elders are giving him a lot of slack in how he handles the cleanup after the fire and the impactor. Part of his solution seems to be imposing a curfew on folks because, well, no one's exactly sure why. Didn't bother running it by my office, though I've got to hope he at least talked to the Elders.

I can understand he's having some issues with some of the transients and newer colonists looting the wrecked store, but imposing a curfew on folk who've been living on that little slice of Heaven for years? Not going to earn him many points if they actually decide to elect the next Sheriff rather than appointing him.

Told the Elders that Genni speaks for my office while I'm gone, but that doesn't seem to be mattering much. They didn't talk to her, and since Gallagher's managed not to get face to face with her, she can't give him a piece of her mind. Or a bullet. Which may be why he's been avoiding her. Though if that's the level of respect they're showing, I might just tender my resignation when I get back. No sense holding a meaningless title.

Though, in truth, the Office gives me a decent cover for my Intel work. Not that I actually need it. If they don't need my services that's fine too. I've already got office space staked out on the platform. I'll just move the Frame and the enhanced feeds up to the Orbital and do business as usual. Which, I had to admit, I wasn't finding especially engrossing. The Director's chair has Bureaucrat painted across its back in large, friendly, letters. You coordinate and manage people who coordinate and manage field assets. Sure. There's still the high level analyst functions, but that's not the same as being a field asset.

I'd discuss all that with Taggart when I got to my final destination. On the way? On the way I planned to make a couple of stops. The only reason to go back to Hale's Moon at this point would be to get Genni out of trouble for shooting Gallagher. Which hadn't happened. Yet. Any other plot ended poorly for one or more people and I didn't feel like dealing with that sort of complication. No, I'd use this as an opportunity to catch up with some long missed friends and, Buddha willing, a bit of vacation time with my wife.

Because, right now, it seemed Hale's Moon either needed me desperately or didn't need me much at all or. They just hadn't decided which.