Narrator:Aboard the mercenary warship Touch And Go.
Ennesby:Good morning, sir.
Captain Tagon:You're cheerful.
Ennesby:No sir, I'm not. I'm just pretending to be. I know how much morning cheer annoys life-forms that require sleep.
Captain Tagon:Is that how your job goes? I've never been clear on what "adjut" means, so "adjutant" is a complete mystery.
Ennesby:It's from ancient Earch languages. "Ad" means "towards" and "jut" means "stick out."
Ennesby:Idiomatically, it means that your adjutant is the person who sticks it to you.
Captain Tagon:Right. Stick me with the news extracts I asked for last night.
Ennesby:GalMedia reports that Kehlmer's pirate ring was broken up by special forces from House Est'll. Nobody mentioned us.
Ennesby:UNS mid-term electioneering is in full mud-sling. Two sex scandals, four jerrymanders, and more pork than you can eat in a hundred human lifetimes.
Captain Tagon:What about Yoming? Xinchub was crowned yesterday morning. What's he up to today?
Ennesby:You're obsessing over him, sir.
Captain Tagon:I'm not obsessing. He's the enemy, and I want to know what he's doing.
Ennesby:You're obsessing and it's not healthy.
Captain Tagon:Just tell me what's happening on Yoming, Ennesby. Don't make me go read the news for myself.
Ennesby:Fine. GalMedia reports that Xinchub was assassinated in his chambers late last night. YPS confirms, but has no more details.
