Theo rummaged around on his desk, procuring the spreadsheets Rita had dropped off earlier. "Rita finished her assessment and dropped off the spreadsheets just this afternoon," he said, handing over the stack. "I've yet to give it a detailed look, but I'll have a copy made and sent to your office; we're going to have to find a few departments to make cuts."

He scrubbed a hand over his cheek. "What with the catastrophes already this year, they've hit the budget a tad harder than we realized." Not that he'd have made any decision differently--the welfare of his people came first, always--but it was time to go over things a bit more closely and make more contingency plans.