Chapitre 29: Chapter 29: Admiral Brosoth
The Star Yacht "Chrysalis" jumped into the Jal System, and Admiral Rikard Brosoth stood up from the couch to stand in front of the view screen.
He'd been in constant contact with his children, who were currently guests of the Jal System Magistrate, making sure they remained in good health.
Velmeria had begun too whine that the constant interruption were preventing her from returning to the Venator.
Dylan was more reserved, but fatherhood had its perks, and Brosoth could tell his son was equally impatient with him.
He'd had to promise the two siblings that they could tag along when Brosoth met Commander Venata.
Brosoth's thought's turned at the Commander's name, and mentally instructed his optical implant to overlay the report he'd received from the Navy.
Captain Daniel Venata had been a Heavy Crusader Captain before his retirement. He'd had an excellent record of pirate kills and successful convoy escorts. Brosoth sighed at the man's record. Unfortunately, or Fortunately, depending on who you ask, Venata had been unable to truly distinguish himself in the absence of conflict with the Empire.
The lack of action had prevented the Commander from being promoted to flag-rank, which would have definitely extended his Navy Career a few decades. Technically, Venata was in the Reserves, but that was a mere formality. Federation Academy's and Shipyards turned out enough officers and ships to fill the Navy without ever drawing on the Reserves.
After retirement, Venata had signed on as a captain for a mining corp, working until he was able to lease a barge of his own. After that, very little was available, since without a warrant, Venata's civilian files were private.
Brosoth dismissed the report an continued to look at the view.
A few hours later, after a sudden stop at the System Defense Command Platform to lunch with the System Commander, the Chrysalis docked on the Trade Ring. As he stepped off the ramp of the yacht, he was greeted with two bodies colliding with him and knocking him on his ass.
A fed Ring Police stepped forward to assist, but were stopped by the loud laughter of the Admiral.
"Dylan, Velmeria! I'm so glad you're okay, but your father is only getting older, and I can't handle both of you jumping at me at once."
After a moment, the two children disentangled themselves from their father, both blushing furiously as the fact that their little display had drawn a crouch of dockworkers and ships' crew.
The Admiral slowly got to his feet, smoothing the creases in his uniform, and was greeted with the smiling face of Mariah Velcom.
"Welcome, Sector Commander. I hope the transition was smooth?"
Brosoth grinned at the FDII officer who had contacted him concerning his children. He was already planning to find a way to reward her, but her record suggested she wouldn't accept a promotion just based one call.
He shook the outstretched hand.
"Thank you, Ms. Velcom. The transition was smooth, and I can't wait to tour the Trade Ring. It's much livelier than the Military Ring."
Mariah smiled warmly at the Admiral's humor. She'd heard stories about what he'd done and went through, so to be able to smile like that was an impressive accomplishment.
"I'm sure we can manage that, Admiral. Unfortunately, we must move along, otherwise this crowd will keep us here until dinner."
A crowd had formed in response to the luxury yacht docking on the Trade Ring. Such vessels were rare in Systems like Jal, and the Brosoth sibling's display of affection had only down more attention. If someone managed to recognize the Sector Commander from the numerous photos on the Net, then they'd never leave the docks.
"Agreed, Ms. Velcom. Please lead the way."
The party made their way through the crowd.
None of them noticed a hooded figure recording them through his optical implant.
After a circuitous route through the various markets, restaurants, and clubs that populated the Trade Ring, they walked along the main avenue that ran along the entire ring.
Dylan and Velmeria were giving their father a personal guided tour of each of the notable buildings they passed.
"That's the Ring Police Headquarters. And that's the System Defense Relay building..."
Admiral Brosoth grinned, relieved that the endeavor his children went through hadn't outwardly affected them, while also silently praising the therapists they'd been assigned after their return.
Upon thinking of that, his thoughts turned back to Commander Venata.
"Ms. Velcom, may I ask where Commander Venata's ship is?"
Before the officer could answer, Velmeria interrupted.
"Oh my gosh, dad! You should see the Venator! It's the most beautiful ship you've ever seen. It's so much prettier than the other ships I've seen."
Dylan jumped in.
"You can't call a warship pretty, Velmeria. Although, I admit, it's much nicer to look at than the Federation's Ships."
Brosoth felt a little indignant at the comparison between the "Venator" and the Navy's ships. Although, if he was honest with himself, the Federations ships look a bit too curvy for aesthetics sake.
"Really? What else is different?"
Velmeria jumped back in.
"Well, you know how Navy ships are soooo cramped. The Venator had an entire level designated for rooms. Oh my gosh, dad, you should see these rooms. They're almost as nice as my rooms on the Chrysalis. It even has an A-"
Dylan's hand snapped out to cover his sister's mouth, before she could mention SAI. He knew that if his father found out about her, he'd be duty-bound to report the ship to the FDII. Commander Venata did't deserve to have his ship seized for inspection, stuck in the back log of ship inspections for months on end.
"Dad doesn't need to know about the bathrooms, Velmeria."
He shot his sister a look, willing her not to try to mention SAI again.
Admiral Brosoth didn't miss the exchange, and wondered what Velmeria had actually almost said.
He set that thought aside as they arrived in front of a tall building, clearly meant for the wealth citizens who liked to own residences in space. Velcom spoke as they entered the lobby.
"The Magistrate is waiting for you on the top floor. After you meet with him, I'll take you to the Venator to meet Commander Venata."
Admiral Brosoth nodded, leading his children into the elevator, selecting the top floor, and stood back as the door's closed and they were taken skyward.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone