Yaren Republican Space Administration

[Morokth]

Grand Admiral (ret.) Salizar Thorin review the notes before him, then shifted his attention to the public news release. The date stamp marked it as being only two days old, which elicited a frown over his thick jawline. Bushy eyebrows lifted as he looked up to the only other person in his well furnished office, tucked off to the side of the Yaren Republican Space Administration's Urganaught Tracking Station.

"You know this means we have to do better, right?" Salizar grumbled to his guest. "We cannot allow the KSP to actually establish a foothold in space."

The other occupant, Fleet Admiral Jonas Freewhaler, simply shrugged. "The King will demand we respond in kind, of course," the senior naval officer in the YRN said flatly. "But I'm told you and your people have a new program getting ready to kick off. One that will not only outdo the KSP but take several strides pas their recent accomplishments."

Salizar frowned again. How the YRN kept finding out what he was up was beyond him, and it certainly didn't make him think any less of the growing sentiment that the military wasn't far away from taking over the space exploration program. Which was, of course, at least half the reason for his present melancholy. If the KSP continued to make their achievements as fast as the last few had been, they'd be in a wonderful position from which to assault the Republic, perhaps even finally finish them off in order to gain total control of the planet. That thought wasn't very pleasant, either, Salizar admitted to himself.

"Project Alarim will begin tomorrow. Project Director Kolbin assures me that this time the rocket will stay aloft and we'll finally achieve a stable or it." Salizar kept his personal thoughts on the project to himself, though. It was a wonder no one had been killed yet, what with all the recent disasters and exploding rockets - not to mention the wasted millions of marks sunk into the YRSA coffers. "Pilot Jebdah has personally reviewed the recent tests of the Mk 9 OLR and he has expressed his own confidence in Kolbin's team's work. No doubt he just wants to fly again, most likely, but whatever his motivations, they've gotten the go ahead from the Director of Science and Education. And once Sallace blesses off on something in MY administration, I can't refute her." His frown thickened into a full on glare at that notion.

Jonas sighed in a manner not quite befitting the senior naval official that he was. "You have a point on that one, ill grant you that. Director Whimball can be quite... ornery, shall we say?"

Salizar slumped back Into his chair and regarded the admiral on the other side of his desk. "At any rate, Pilot Jebdah will fly tomorrow afternoon. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"

Fleet Admiral Jonas Freewhaler nodded grimly. "Indeed."