The next day Commander Aslog stepped inside my office and stood motionless in the doorway for several seconds. She always seemed to appear out of nowhere, creating a constant state of tension in the office. She paused, walked closer, & placed a gloved right index finger on her metallic chin as she neared. I detected a nervous hesitation in her voice as she spoke.

“Is your speech ready? I want to hear it before you deliver it this afternoon.”

“Almost, Commander,” I said.

“Wo drückt der Schuh?” she asked, cutting me off. “What’s the trouble? Let me see what you’ve got!”

“Here,” I said, handing over my writing tablet and dropping the stylus to the floor.

She fiddled with her gloves and adjusted the screen. “Ach! Nein! Nein! This will never do,” she said. “Folgen Sie mir. Down the hall. Sofort!”

I followed behind until we reached the auditorium. She placed a gloved hand against my chin and said, “I will not let you make me look bad. Your speech will be heard by my superiors. Verstehen Sie?”