(Picture by Regina Carey)

THE RIN CAADIAN BRANCH OFFICE
AND ROUG HEADQUARTERS

Excerpt

 "Shall I show them to their rooms, sir?"  A tall, heavy-set young Roug with a mop of strawberry blonde hair and a smiling, pink face appeared in the doorway in the wall opposite the troop.

 "Private Dansen!"  Lansing waved the young man closer, firmly clamping a hand on his shoulder as he approached.  "Private Dansen, meet General Pados's special op team."

 Dansen blushed and raised a hand shyly.  "Hello.  We have your quarters all ready for you in the guest barracks - we just finished cleaning them from top to bottom so they should be fairly sparkling."

 Pados nodded. "You all can go ahead and check them out.  Lance and I still have some catching up to do.  The rest of the night is yours.  I'll see you all tomorrow morning at three and five in the conference room."

 "That's right over there."  The Captain pointed to the door on the right. "We'll share some hot pancakes and talk about your travels.  Then we can see about getting you all some supplies."

 "Shall we go then?" Private Dansen already had his hand on the knob of the door to the left. He pulled it open and allowed his charges to filter through before closing it firmly behind them.  The group now stood at one end of a long hallway which stretched to the north and east, joining at right angles in front of the door.  Done in creams and the same dark greens of the captain's cloak, the hallway's dark oaken doors were adorned with proud gold numbers: 1-10 to the north and 31-40 to the east.  Dansen continued down the north hallway, passing a double lavatory (ladies' and gents') and finally stopping at the far end of the hall.  To his left rose a polished oak stairwall which wound to the left again before disappearing onto the next floor.  To the right the hallway again branched to the east, the doors on both sides numbere 11-20. Apparently the hallway configuration continued in a square-like fashion all the way around.

 Private Dansen ascended the staircase, crossed the hallway of another floor just like the one below (with rooms numbered 41-80), climbed one more flight of stairs and finally stopped there on the third floor, crossing his arms as he waited for the others to finish climbing the staircase. "This is your hallway."  He said as Tani completed the last step.  Pick any room, there's ten here - all clean, bed's made, etcetera, etcetera." He smiled. "They're all doubles, but all of you won't have to double up, I don't think, but please stay between room numbers 81 and 90.  This entire floor is a guest floor right now, but these other halls are reserved for other guests we will have joining us shortly.  Oh,"  he grinned, "And no wild parties after ten o'clock.  Most of us downstairs have to work tomorrow. Do you have any questions?  Let me know if you need anything.  I'll be right downstairs in room 47."

The conference room is just like the one at the Academy - medium sized with a large table in the center, practically filling the entire room; spartan except for a few charts and maps here and there.