relativeprompts #0
Contrary to popular belief, the part of politics which Romana disliked the most was not the arguing about policy with the more aged members of the High Council of Time Lords. Actually, while that activity was often frustrating, infuriating and taxing on all of Romana's diplomacy skills, she derived a great deal of pleasure from the activity when it resulted in persuading the Council to implement her plans or at least enact a close compromise. This kind of thing felt to Romana as if progress was being made, and she liked progress a great deal.
No, the thing she hated the most about the position of President of the High Council was the inordinate amount of paperwork that it generated. It offended her desire for simplicity and elegance, at least as far as government was concerned. Everything about the procedures seemed calculated to produce more and more of the stuff until one was utterly overwhelmed with it. And one couldn't even pawn the lot off onto others -- that would just generate more levels of the hierarchy flow. Romana actually suspected that the byzantine numbers of levels within the system were created over time simply because the key players wanted to get others to do their dirty work for them.
So the appearance of the unusual black transmitter on top of the pile of memorandi brought with it a mixture of concern and relief -- on one hand, Romana knew that an Emergency Protocol 12-7 would never have been issued for anything less than catastrophic...but whatever that catastrophe was, it had to be more interesting than signing off on coproposals for still other proposals of recommendations to the High Council. Like a swimmer drowning in a sea of ink and paper who sees a life preserver tossed her way, Romana reached to activate the enigmatic communicator.
No, the thing she hated the most about the position of President of the High Council was the inordinate amount of paperwork that it generated. It offended her desire for simplicity and elegance, at least as far as government was concerned. Everything about the procedures seemed calculated to produce more and more of the stuff until one was utterly overwhelmed with it. And one couldn't even pawn the lot off onto others -- that would just generate more levels of the hierarchy flow. Romana actually suspected that the byzantine numbers of levels within the system were created over time simply because the key players wanted to get others to do their dirty work for them.
So the appearance of the unusual black transmitter on top of the pile of memorandi brought with it a mixture of concern and relief -- on one hand, Romana knew that an Emergency Protocol 12-7 would never have been issued for anything less than catastrophic...but whatever that catastrophe was, it had to be more interesting than signing off on coproposals for still other proposals of recommendations to the High Council. Like a swimmer drowning in a sea of ink and paper who sees a life preserver tossed her way, Romana reached to activate the enigmatic communicator.