The older man sat down at the desk, removing the dark aviator stylesunglasses he wore revealing eyes black as coal with no whites in them tobe found. ...his one is very interesting, I can not remember everencountering one tied to the mortal realm as this one is. All the timesthis one has managed to continue when he should not have. I should findout more about this unusual link he has before I consider severing it. Hehas strong memories, he can reside within those for now."Mr. Kontos." The white. ‘This is her,’ she managed. ‘Ah, hello there. It’s Mr. Ashford. Well, we promised to call you to let you know our decision either way…’ he said, slowly. Lili’s heart sank, preparing for the worst. ‘And I have to say you are definitely not at our standards.’ She felt like crying! ‘Oh….ok. Well, I understand…’ ‘Good, I’m glad you do. Because you are exceedingly far above our standards and are more than qualified for this job,’ he said. She paused. ‘What?’ Was she hearing him right? ‘Welcome to. I told you about Isobel." Very well, Aunty Becca." Grrr!"They all helped clear away and wash up before taking their coffee through to the sitting room. Mary was feeling a lot better but the anxiety and pain were not far below the surface. The girls sat on the sofa once more."Now then, Bec ... Mary, my dear, your turn," said Steven.Mary looked down wondering how to begin. The other two waited patiently. She took a deep breath and looked up."I don't regret running away with Ray one bit," she. " In that case, reconfigure our sensors to detect stealthed objects, and make a log entry to the effect that this is now the default sensor configuration while in space." Aye, aye, sir."Suddenly, the battle plot, which already contained the green blip representing his battlecruiser, and the red one for the enemy's battleship, lit up like a christmas tree. Close in, the green, tightly packed formations that represented the human fighters, ranged ahead and maneuvered in precise, well disciplined.