Skyport Virgo 1 - Refuge by Lolita Lopez

Author:Lolita Lopez [Lopez, Lolita]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

* * * *

Laleh slumped into her desk chair and sighed with exhaustion. She'd been on her feet all day without a break. First she'd rushed to the observation deck to watch the docking of the Spica at Skyport Virgo. Finally seeing the floating space city had knocked the breath from her lungs. It was simply too colossal to comprehend. As a central hub to a fleet of fifteen docked starships, Virgo supported tens of thousands of Spacefleet personnel, Federation employees, and civilians. Her stomach had dropped at the realization she'd have to learn a whole new series of schematics.

Luckily, her fears had been proven unfounded. The second she stepped off the Spica and into the bustling world of the skyport, Laleh had spotted interactive wall maps and even a handful of Virgo employees whose sole purpose was to provide directions.

Finally, a place designed with the less navigationally blessed in mind!

The skyport was so vast Laleh had barely reached the diplomatic wing when she'd been summoned to the lushly landscaped and sumptuously decorated central atria for the handover ceremony. She made it to her seat in the front row just seconds before Pike marched onto the stage.

Who would have guessed a ceremonial handover of command between Pike and Admiral Bolanle would have been so involved and boring! Standing in the crowd, Laleh had easily read her husband's face. Others might have been fooled, thinking his demeanor professional and serious, but Laleh knew better. He was bored to tears and likely found the whole ceremony a waste of time.

As soon as the ceremony ended, Laleh had been shuffled over to a luncheon celebrating Admiral Bonlanle's retirement and Pike's promotion. Even though she sat at Pike's side, they hardly exchanged a handful of words. It seemed everyone at their table had a list of questions they were desperate to ask. Laleh's head still reeled from the crush of new faces. She hoped she'd have time to browse through Virgo's directory to acquaint herself with the names of people she'd likely cross paths with again.

The second lunch ended, Pike rushed off to take proper command. Ambassador Leroy had whisked Laleh back to the consulate and introduced her to the other ambassadors and staff. A total of nineteen ambassadors representing various planets and planetary systems were stationed at Virgo. They each had support staffs ranging from just a handful to a dozen members. Getting to know everyone would take weeks.

Since Ambassador Leroy occupied the senior position in the consulate, Laleh answered directly to him. Not having to adjust to a new superior lessened some of her anxiety. Judging by the dozens of messages blinking on the widescreen atop her desk, the ambassador had been talking her up to his colleagues. Already she had requests for consults. Her blood pressure skyrocketed just thinking about the backlog she already had to work through—and she'd been on the job less than a day!

Laleh cast a surveying glance around her office. It was a nice size, twice that of the personal office in their quarters.

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