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It was night shift with red team one after more than a week of celebrations, up beat, and hope that traveled through the academy into star command and flipped a switch. Everything a little more routine and a sense of normal without the sense of dread that the current century would be even more nasty as it had been in the last star year. The Commander was on a marathon of shifts stacked on top of another similar to a deck of cards with the night mode for the academy on causing the lighting from every section of the planetoid being dimmed and a gentle light blue.
"Commander, you have a message." A cadet announced.
Gampu turned toward the cadet.
"Thank you, Trish." Gampu thanked then dismissed. "Return to your task."
"Oraco."
Gampu turned away from the cadet then paused with a lump in his throat; By the order of the federation planet's president, you are hereby discharged immediately from the role of the Space Academy-His face turned white as his jaw fell and his eyes became bigger. He leaned against the console for support regaining composure over himself. He read a list of names that were part of the order with dates that they had to be given and replaced by names that he didn't recognize.
The academy was going to be gutted and dismembered and a shadow of itself. The order was high. It made the well recalled moment in political history, Saturday Night Massacre, appear quite tame and harmless compared to gutting investigators. Fortunately for him, as his heart leap ache faded, there was something else that Gampu were very aware of. The commander relaxed as he stared at it quite dully. He slipped out a pen from his breast pocket then jotted down back on it.
That's beyond your pay grade, Mr President.
"Cadet Sampson . . ."
Sampson turned toward Gampu.
"Yes, sir?"
Gampu handed the cadet the slip of paper.
"Set this in for emergency beam out."
The cadet smiled back then nodded.
"Oraco."
Inwardly, Gampu laughed. Only the United Nations of Earth, the people who collectively decided the best to teach young intelligent minds in space within the most expensive and well kept headquarters that doubled as a educative body, had the power to fire a educator. The commander recalled vaguely that the president had done a executive order to allow a president to fire anyone but he wasn't quite sure it were real or something made up as part of a joke that a cadet had retold in a desperate bid to end the awkward silence in a room with him.
Gampu had a small smile as well respected, honored, and dignified names crossed his mind that would be returning to the fold in well meaning high positions that were purchased by inexperienced individuals who struggled, became ridiculed, and shamed. Those positions would be filled by the more warmly recalled people. A fact comforted the commander was that even if the academy educative replacements were well on their way, they were going to be amused with a program coming to fruition and find themselves failing in their duties as he suspected.
The hysterical playing image of incompetent deputy commanders and a failure commander was too comical to pass up as a reputation was ruined, a legacy sealed, and a profound distrust and dislike of the one individual providing harm. Jail time, lawsuits, long term rehabilitation, and a loss of finances were in the cards. Gampu gave the farce professors a week to come out and search for the many genuine professors if they were intelligent enough to know what they couldn't do.
Peepo, however, couldn't leave with him as navigator. That was perhaps the most bitter part of it all having to leave a old friend behind. Couldn't even tell him of the program that he had in mind in which the deputy commanders would go along with. The next two months were going to be very entertaining for Peepo and frantic for the cadets. Gampu had faith in Peepo and the cadets in sticking through it all.
The Academy program was; Space Academy, the parody, scientific comedy.
It was only going to be a two month shore leave.