‘But you’re a sexy, mature lady, Laura, how is it the guys aren’t falling all over you?’ he asked sincerely. ‘Good question, young man, gues... I’m just not looking in the right places, or don’t go out enough,’ I countered. ‘This is true, you’re not going to be dating the students, and they are the ones you are around all the time,’ he said. ‘Very true, well you get into a comfortable routine, and time slips away, weeks become months, months become years, years become decades,’ I said trailing. He invited me to sit and he poured me a cup of coffee and got right to the point.“well Dominic you are in a pickle”“ I know Sir”“your in my home call me Rod” he began. “you have to score at least a B on the mid terms or your out, are we clear on that?”“I understand, and will do whatever I have to, to pass this class Rod”“good, that is what I like to hear” he sat next to me and smiled. “ I think there is a simple way to help you score a big grade Dom”“oh please tell me Rod, I am desperate. .”“I only needed your permission; I am already searching the data. I suggest you take the opportunity to rest. I suspect that at least a portion of this data will be... secured and not readily available. Consequently, I will have to ... improvise before it will be released. This may take time to compile enough preliminary data even to begin to approach your desired outcome.”After a few hours, the First Officer tried scanning over some of the names on the multi-page documents the Alliance. The captain moved his mouth silently, staring from me, to Zander, and then to the onlookers. I followed his gaze. All along the perimeter of guards, the beasts of Ardeni Dreus were kneeling. Orcs, goblins, ogres and trolls; all prostrated with eyes cast upward, reverence shining from their lenses. I saw tears in some of their eyes. The human citizenry of Ardeni looked upon me with something akin to fear and awe, and even some of them knelt. Power. Such power I wielded for simply being who I.