Culmination
08 Jul 2023Ryuko Ntsikana
Culmination
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While Avery was in her charging cubicle, she was unexpectedly contacted by Xochitl. Even though Xochitl's physical body was fast asleep, she had instructed her neural processor to update Avery on her plans for the following day. Once the schedule had been finalized and orders had been sent to the department chiefs and clan elders, Xochitl shared her intentions with Avery.
The plan was ambitious. The majority of the ships in the fleet would transport non-essential members to an earth-like world, while the carrier itself would return to Colonia. Xochitl had scheduled her first meeting with Mel Brandon, the region's leading engineer. Although no ship purchases or engineering work had been planned, it was crucial to establish a positive relationship with Mel and build a good reputation.
His planetary facility was renowned for its advanced technologies and expertise in working on frame-shift hyperdrives and performing market-approved tuning modifications to thrusters. While Xochitl was a skilled mechanic herself, this particular trade secret was closely guarded, and only a select few were authorized to perform such modifications. Mel Brandon was widely recognized as the best in the universe.
In the event of any unforeseen circumstances or emergencies, the carrier would be just one jump away, requiring a short fifteen minutes to reach. This allowed ample time for triage and transport of casualties into orbit, at which point the carrier would have arrived and be fully prepared to provide assistance.
The larger ships in the fleet, such as the Imperial Cutters and Orca-class vessels that the clan members would be taking with them were equipped with fully functional medical facilities that rivaled those of the carrier itself. The carrier's capabilities surpassed those of the individual ships primarily in terms of mass and firepower. The combined fleet would possess enough firepower to give even a Thargoid hive ship a significant challenge. Except for another physical carrier, there were few threats they couldn't handle until their own carrier arrived.
Avery efficiently processed the information and accessed the data file on Mel Brandon, ensuring that everything was in proper order for Xochitl's meeting. Satisfied with her findings, she sent a message to the galley, requesting a well-balanced and nourishing meal to be prepared for Xochitl when she woke up. Avery understood the importance of the upcoming meeting and recognized that Xochitl's focus could sometimes cause her to neglect proper nutrition. It was her responsibility to ensure that all matters, including the captain's well-being, were taken care of.
Though not officially in the chain of command, Avery sent a message to Xochitl’s parents, outlining their daughter’s plan. A word of encouragement from them might further help set her captain up for success in such important matters.
After waking, Xochitl downloaded the latest information to her neural processor, reviewing it while showering. The carrier’s position was located in an empty system next to the Luchtaine system, where Mel Brandon’s The Brig planetary base was located. The majority of the clan reported they were at their destination, with hunters deployed to the surface, securing an area for the others to safely descend and set up camp.
Avery, fulfilling her role, had the galley deliver her breakfast to her quarters while she prepared and laid out a new grade 5 Artemis suit for Xochitl to wear. Knowing her preference for simplicity, the color was a simple ice white, with orange striping for easy identification at a distance.
Commander Rex was curious as to how a meeting with this engineer warranted such attention to detail compared to the countless others Xochitl had personal dealings with. Avery explained the difficulties in gaining an audience with Mel were due to his unique breadth of capabilities and that to be invited to speak with him required not only a direct reference from Elvira Martuuk, an engineer from the bubble but have an allied status with the Colonia Council; a cooperative minor faction created by the first settlers of the Colonia Region.
Xochitl had not been in the region even a complete standard week and had already established herself with all the other engineers, plus proving herself a reliable business asset to the Colonia Council faction, quickly earning her reputation through propelling their business interest. Couple this with her free time being spent mining to provide for the carriers fueling needs and performing lucrative minor exploration to fill the coffers of the ship's scientific departments, and the scope of everything became apparent to Rex.
He knew she had been driven since before leaving the bubble. She had been pushing herself to the point of exhaustion, relying more and more on her cybernetic enhancements to keep her going. All were leading up to this point. To get the clan to the boundaries of humanity, establish a region for them to have a new beginning, and foment alliances with all required to give them a glimmer of a chance to be successful.
As the full reality of her actions of the last few weeks formed to complete a picture in Rex’s mind, his facial expression changed. Now he understood Avery joining her on the last two mining ventures and why, more than usual, she had been staying closer to her. Like Avery, Rex began to worry about the care of his captain and the clan's Targitai.