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 Oliver just led the way in, smiling a bit. He said. “I see a few more made it in, good. I trust you all found rooms that will work?”
The lady nodded. “Yes, thank you for all I feel odd invading your home like this. It was a bit startling to be brought here. We were not expecting anything but a hotel. It can’t be easy to be taking in so many people. To be letting strangers in your home.”
Jade said. “We had a lot of empty house that were still in livable shape, so most are getting one of them. A few are in hotels, but we are doing our best to get them in a place. This is the Family home, and is always open to any. You are family, for all this is not the way to meet, everyone is glad to have the chance to get to know you. We will of course help you find a place of your own should it be needed. We are still all hoping this is just a unnecessary evacuation. I can bet it was startling and am sorry for it, but I wanted to see that all family came here. That way you could be together as this plays out. I am glad to see you are here Beth, I was going to ask Jasper if he had found Alan as I need to talk to you, but haven’t had a chance to even look at the sights they have set up.”
Beth said. “I am not sure just what Alan said but we found ourselves being moved this morning. It was a bit startling. The house we were in was a bit cramped, but it was just temporary and we were making it work. This is better but starling. I am not sure just how it came about.”
Grainet said. “We have room enough there was no point in you staying in a place that you could even fit in. It was a small matter to get a van there and bring you here, so I did so once I head. We told them all that friends were welcome, and as Will told you it is not only your family that we have moved. Good to see you back Gale, and wearing the tags that means no running away this time. Right?”
Gale said. “No, we are both ready now, so I will not be leaving again.”
Jade said. “Both Oaths need to happen, it isn’t possible for only one to be open and the other closed. Glade is my Second, as well as Med Commander for my Ship.”
Beth said. “Your ship? What? So you are a pilot? Wow. You never said. Just let me run on and show you. Like ours are anything.”
Fred said. “I wasn’t expecting you to bring him. And he isn’t in service he can’t be. Just what are you trying? That is not.”
Jade said. “I am a Military officer, I prefer flying fighters to the ships, but am a Captain, so I have a ship. Right now the one we are on is Metal, but we will be transfer her to a different crew soon. Yes your ships are a bit behind and you will need to learn a bit, but you will pick it up fast. I saw your skill and can use you if you are willing. It will be a lot of grunt work as you learn but I am sure that you will soon be one of the best drive tecs. So will you come with me in the morning and see what you think? We are running patrols and will be in an area that might see some hostile ships Metal is one of our top line so there is little chance of damage, but she is a war ship. You will see fighting if you do take the place.” She turned to Fred, who was clearly outraged. “Why wouldn’t my Mate come home with me? It is where he should be. Just as your wife is next to you.” Fred coughed. “It is my ship, I control who is in my crew. I am in the service but my crew doesn’t have to be and a lot won’t be. Gale is my Second, always has been. Al did a good job of filling in, but he is not fit for the role and it is time he was able to stop trying to fill it.”
Fred said, looking at her tags. “I do think they will have a good deal to say. It is not fit given the rank. They are not going to let this go. You can’t take that and then have those unfit as officers! It isn’t safe. Then, yes the girl is skilled, but her education is all on tec years out of date. To put her on the crew of a line ship! Just what are you thinking?”
Jade said. “The Commanders know how I run my ship. I told them all that Glade was my Second and would have full access to everything I did. They told me to put the tags on and stop trying to get out of it. Likely they feel the Oath makes it safe, but they will soon understand that he is not the only officer I will have that was found unfit. If that leads to a down grade then so be it. I don’t want this rank anyway. As to Beth I saw what she was working on and the skill she has. I need it, need her. Not all about the earth ships is as unused as you think it is. There are parts of that are the same, and what she knows can even lead to some improvements.” More so if I get the ship I want, it truly does line up with what they were developing, just goes further than they have. She will do well. “In truth I do think that they had some Agilen help with the new engines they were working on, that will serve her well.” Fred coughed, Jade said. “It is know that they were talking, so it isn’t unthinkable and nothing that breaks the trade code. After all they are not in the Alliance, so are not forbidden from helping them improve their ships. Remember we once had that same help.”
Beth said. “What? No way? Yes I want on but. I was just hoping to get a look at one! You will let me work on one? And in flight? Really?”
Al said. “Just be here around seven thirty and I will walk you over so you can get a flight suit. Sis said we would have our first run at nine in the morning so that will be enough time to get the suit and learn how to get into it. Now don’t mind Fred, he is going to yell about it, but Sis is free to have who she wants on her ship. Yes you will get a few odd looks, and there will be whispers, but it will be settled once they see that you know engines. None of us know just what you were using on your ships, just know they were slower, but that is not surprising given you were just making your first flights out of your universe.” She looked at him. “Yes I mean it, you are most welcome. If the Agilen were helping you with improvements you are not going to be as behind as you think you are. Metal has elements of their tec and our ship will be even more close related to it.”
Beth said. “I didn’t have a lot to do with the development side, just the maintenance on the main engines. Once one of the tecs let me look at a broken slip drive, and talked me through change the values. That was as close to working on one as I have been.”
Al looked at her then at Jade. “You replaced values on a slip drive? That is. Yes by all means we need you! No matter how different are drives are, that they would let you touch one. It is a big deal. They seldom let any see their drives out of the ships, little own let a person work on one.”
Jade said. “It was a second year drive of theirs, but still it shows they see her talent. No I wasn’t there, but she sketched out some of it well enough that I could tell the make.”
Al nodded. “I knew you would ask her if she wasn’t skilled. Just it took me two years to be shown a control panel. So I am amazed. Truly Beth you will be most welcome. Now there are a few non-humans in the crew and there will be more so do you want to come see some pictures? I know that you haven’t had a lot of contact with the other races yet, as they know it is a lot to get used to. None are going to be upset that they frighten you at first.”
Beth said. “I’m not worried about that. Jade saw to it that we saw pictures of all the races when we on the ship. I truly don’t think it will bother me what the person looks like. I have spent an hour talking over intake vales with a Plexton, and never noticed their stocks until a friend asked why one was blue.”
Al and Oliver looked at Jade, she shrugged. “Not my doing, it was at an air base on Earth. They were getting a few more visitor over the last two years.”
Oliver said. “Come on, we had best go see if the young ones left us any food.”