They shall be the finest warriors, these martial people who descend from us. In great armour shall we clad them and with the mightiest guns will they be ard. They will have tactics, strategies and machines such that no foe can best them in battle. They will be our bulwark against the Malevolent Universe. They will be the Wrath of Humanity. They will be the Ringbreakers... and they shall teach our foes the true aning of Terror.- The Founder's Codex, Patron of the Second Founding Cathal Casey, 14 P2PW, 19 PTXE - Patron of the Second Founding Cathal Casey, 14 P2PW, 19 PTXE
Strechen moved around the quarters slowly, looking it over.
She had been on plenty of Imperial vessels. They were always cramped, the corridors narrow and twisting, the rooms barely enough to take three paces. The cabin she had been issued once she reached Field Captain had been a little larger.
But nothing like this.
The 'nutriforge' assured her, in flawless Dra.Falten, that it could create raw ingredients or a fully cooked al to her precise specifications. The nu had foods she was far too impoverished and low ranking to even sll, much less eat. The drinks were esoteric and things she had only heard of from higher ranking Dra.Falten, many of them imperial nobility.
She could make her own food. The 'virtual intelligence' in the kitchen would help her make whatever she wanted. When it manifested, its appearance was a subservient Dra.Falten with correct body language and the fur patterns of a lower caste servant.
To be honest, before she had escorted Tawtchee, she would have been happy with the VI.
Now? It bothered her. She had asked it to change its fur pattern to sothing, anything, else.
The kitchen was bigger than her front room back on NarRek, where she grew up. The front room was larger then her entire apartnt.
The bedroom had a bed, anti-gravity sleeping plates, dressers, a closet, mirrors, and other luxuries.
All of it aboard a warship.
You should be afraid, Tawtchee's voice sounded out in her mind.
She was moving around the frontroom, looking at everything from the 2.5D entertainnt viewscreen, the holo-emitter built into the table, the comfortable couch and chairs, when the door pinged.
When she looked at it a hologram appeared, showing SP9 Caoimhe standing outside with a data-slate/clipboard.
Strechen moved over and answered the door.
"Apologies for delaying the briefing," she said, smiling again. "However, the briefing has been prepared if you are now refreshed and ready."
Strechen just nodded.
"Excellent, if you'll just wait right here in the hallway," the Terran said, smiling again.
Strechen watched as Hrekkel, Leeu, and Commander "Nave" moved into the corridor.
Caoimhe pressed the chi four tis for Tawtchee, but there was no answer. Each ti the chi hologram was tapped it flashed "DO NOT DISTURB" in red and silver.
"I will get him," Strechen said.
The door opened at her touch and she went inside. The room was dark, light sources all off. She listened for a mont and heard slow breathing.
"Lights," she said.
The room lit up slowly, and Strechen saw Tawtchee asleep on the couch, curled up, with the blanket taken from the bed wrapped around him.
"Tawtchee," Strechen said, tapping his foot.
Tawtchee opened one eye, flicking an ear. After a second he got up and stretched.
"Briefing ti," Strechen said.
"Oh, joy. More nightmare fuel," he said. He put his feet in his boots and strapped them tightly, then stood up and stomped his feet to set his boots. "Let's get this horror show on the road."
Strechen just shook her head and left, Tawtchee following.
During the trip to the briefing room, Caoimhe kept up a running monologue.
The ship was just over six thousand years old, although it had undergone extensive repair and refit, then sothing called 'service life extension' as recently as two hundred years and twenty years respectively.
Strechen looked around, wondering what in the universe could put out enough damage to force a ship this size in 'drydock' for repairs and refit for nearly four years.
The Tabula Systems were ntioned several tis. Apparently entirely xenocided, it had been refounded by a single family, who had managed to recover the genetic repository banks and not only reseed the planet with foliage and fauna, but with 'family bloodlines' of the people who had been xenocided.
Strechen paid close attention. From the highlights the Terran talked about, the ship was often deployed to hand the "Eternal Vigilance
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