Sabbat Worlds Crusade, Second Front Imperial Commissariat
"At ease soldier, I won't shoot you today apparently, the Emperor still has need of you." Lord Commissar-General Simone Thanh jibed, the gallows humor having permeated even her mood lately.
"Aye-aye Sir!"
Just then the imperial navy commissar walked past the distracted trooper and saluted.
"Lord-Rear-Admiral-Commissar Reikspitz!"
"Lord-General Commissar Thanh honors me, I just landed."
"Please come, we will need your assistance in organizing and vetting all those embarcations."
"Captain-Commissar Flutie, arriving."
"Captain-Commissar Vartra, arriving."
"Commissar-Colonel Petit, arriving."
"Commissar-Captain Goldenrod, arriving."
"I've named Petit here, with the Van Doos Royal Canadic Regiment my second-in-command. Our task is to wrangle the effective fighting forces the Emperor has lent us, your collective regiments, into a cohesive fighting force. In the same vein, Lord-Admiral Reikspitz will be my chief of staff, and Commissar-Captain Goldenrod will be collecting intelligence for sharing amongst this bureau, as well as serving as our liaison to Imperial Tacticus."
"Commissar-General, a word?"
"Yes, Michael?" She gave him a bright, sincere but startling smile. If he didn't know better, he'd have thought she was flirting with him, but she was of an age to Commissar-General Oktar!
"You didn't need to point out I was going to be the liaison, everyone knows the youngest, least senior commissar is saddled with those duties, and me and Carmine are among the rare few who aren't a Lord-Commissar in there."
"And she outranks you, at present."
"She has to give it back?"
"Yes, when her regiment is completely raised, with a proper commissioned officer, she will fall back to Captain-Commissar, and you have a day of service over her, as I recall?"
"But she'll stay your executive officer?"
"Ask yourself that question again..."
"You're trying her out for that XO position, it's hers to earn, but it's not really tied to her rank or seniority, so she can keep it if she reverts?"
"Got it in one, I knew you were a smart boy. By the same token, I want my liaison to tacticus to be stable, when I'm not there to talk to Lord-Militant-General Van Voytz, you speak for me to them, and to him if necessary, although I hope he'll consider the Vox from time to time. You and her are my longest serving direct reports, all these others are new, and I assigned the old crow from the Navy since he is senior to and outranks everyone else."
"Why me?"
"Simple, and allow me to be blunt."
"Please."
"That post goes to the more junior commissar in this bureau by habit of wanting them subservient to the bureau leader... But also because you're the least suspicious commissar we have to send to those senior Guard officers..."
"Least suspicious, or more expendable?"
"I can't afford to 'expend' any commissars, if I lose just one more, I'll have to re-activate Lady Commissar-General Viktoria Balshin, even though she outranks me..."
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