he considered the eight generals. Or, rather, the eight old men. Even the youngest, General Franis of MD-3, had to be close to sixty years old. Set in their ways, quarrelsome, and unpleasant, they all needed to retire. Ixia was stagnating under their leadership. The younger generation was restless and bored. Even this meeting’s agenda could be from any of the brandy meetings in the last six years. The same issues with no creative solutions. The same old, same old.