"Double checked with Personnel's own midgit-idgit," she replied. "The machine says if anybody is left out, it's not its fault, that it would only be because we stupid humans forgot to inform it in the first place."
"Sometimes I think that machine complains more than people do," he answered. "Certainly it is a lot more insolent."
"Gets more work done, though," she said comfortably. "You want anything more?"
"Not right now."
"Buzz if you do. The idgit is working out the supply list for that new exploration ship, and it wants service, too," she reminded him. "It's worse than you are," she added.
He looked up at her familiarity with a twinkle.
"It can't fire you," he said softly.
"Oh?" she asked. "You think not? Just let me feed it a few wrong data and watch what happens to your li'l ol' lovin' secretary." She winked at him, laughed, and went back to her office.
Sector Chief Hayes sighed, and pulled the stack of cards toward him. First he must sort them out according to protocol because his diplomacy wouldn't be worth the breath used in it if he called the wrong man first. At a glance he saw that the idgit had already sorted them correctly according to status.
"If you're so smart," he muttered to the absent machine, "why didn't you call them too?"