Botchup looked into Jennie’s eyes and murmured, “Why, Miss Higgins, I think we can work together after all. Now, just what did you need to know?”
“Tell us about yourself, Major,” she said, almost cooing. “What brought you to a military career? How did you end up as commanding officer of this company?”
Major Botchup took a deep breath, and a self-satisfied smile came onto his lips. Now, he would tell the story his way. And, for the first time, people all over the Galaxy would understand what made Elmer Botchup the man he was. A man of some importance, a man worthy of respect. He looked straight at the holocam. “It all began when I was a small boy,” he said. “That was when I first realized I had the gift of command…”
The holocam purred quietly, recording every word.
“A new CO,” said Phule, shaking his head after Sushi had brought him up to date on the situation back at their base. “That’s going to be trouble, all right. And you say there’s somebody who’s impersonating me, as well?”
“That’s right, Captain,” said Sushi. “He walked in from the desert one night; Garbo and Brick were on guard, then. They can tell you the story. But the main thing is, he was acting very strange, as if he didn’t quite know where he was. They all just thought you’d gotten heat stroke in the desert. Now that I think back on it, though, there were plenty of clues that it wasn’t you after all. Who do you think it could be? Do you think Headquarters sent somebody to replace you and play crazy so you could be discredited?”