Chapter 48 - The Grand Traveler

When the thousand ships were created in the Pacific Ocean foundries, this eventually exhausted some limited resource and the factories ceased to function.  The now arcane knowledge was foreign to mankind's descendants and while scientists continued to study and learn about their past ancestors greatness, none could determine what was that missing component needed to restart the foundries and resume mankind's push towards the stars.

As a result, each and every star ship is precious and the Grand Traveler being one of the newest ships at over 300 years of age.  Many of the oldest ships have been scrapped and spare parts passed sparingly to other ships in a desperate effort to maintain and continue the growth of colonies.

One of the first of these drifts near Io station, nothing more than a skeletal husk of metal, with nearly every valuable part scavenged.  Captain Gregor used it as a training grounds for new recruits and Kallos and I were strapped into harnesses maneuvering between the ribs of the hull and following old markings to reach various positions based on Gregor's directions over the comms.  To everyone's delight, we found a small alcove near the aft of the old ship that had been seemingly missed and undisturbed, containing a small cache of spare parts.  Of these, it contained a plasma power regulator.

Gregor was elated and hugged us both.  He quickly placed the regulator in the hands of the ships engineer Yuna who tested and confirmed it was functional.  They decided on installing it on the main forward gun batteries that had been disabled for decades.  To Gregor's glee, the massive guns sprung to life and he tested it by blasting the old ship in two.

Yuna shared that of the 385 remaining starships only a dozen have operational weapons systems.  The Grand Traveler's weapons were disabled in a fight decades ago before their time.  The loss relegated the ship to becoming a merchant runner, but with functional weapons they could return to their old life as a military ship.

We soon docked back with Io Station and a delegation of sisters arrived on board to convene with Gregor.  Yuna was present and they began planning the retrofit of the Grand Traveler and assigning a new complement of crew along with soldiers and a small contingent of sister marines.

I looked towards Naoka who smiled at me.  We embraced and she had her talk with Marina shortly after I had left that fateful day.  They agreed to allow me to remain with Kallos, but had planned all along to continue my training in the sisters and having a dozen of her best students onboard the Grand Traveler, my training had only begun.

She shared Kallos is very fond of me.  Unbeknownst to me, they share a friendship and meet regularly.  He made it clear that he would not accept anyone else and to ensure I remained happy.  Naoka was very pleased by this and clasped her hands with mine, she then introduced me to her daughter Pei who would be one of the sister marines.

Pei was a few years older and very beautiful.  Her dark blond hair flowing to her shoulders with perfectly shaped grey eyes.  She fit her slender space suit perfectly in matching knee high black boots.  The men of the Grand Traveler couldn't stop stealing a glance and she always returned them a smile.  Her positive demeanor contrasted with her somewhat dour mother.

She would become my teacher and Naoka personally trained Pei herself.  Unlike most other sisters and madams, their line is of no blood significance.  Their's was of more recent stock and she earned it by becoming true the myth of the sisters and their airlock assassinations, Pei being even more adept than her mother.

Seemingly careless, I asked pointedly why she never considered Pei.  Naoka brightened and truly complimented my ability to discern things.  Kallos seemed at unease when he entered the hallway and locked eyes with Pei and saw me next to her and Naoka.  Pei's face brightened and recognized him and I realized then they must have known each other before.