Xeno Core

Gelen's Tent will be taking up almost half of the available docking space for the next mawful of days. Modifications will be extensive. In order to supply much needed parts, the first support ship is being dismantled. Upon complete disassembly another of the massive sloping ships will be able to dock in its place.

Since the Tserri prefer communal sleeping arrangements for most groups, we're removing several of the Tent's interior walls. They're trading away a significant percentage of their mass, once weapons and related systems are considered. Careful accounting is being handled by an entire team of specialists. Much of the wiring can be left in place, supporting new drilling arms, net launchers or enhanced sensor equipment.

The mechanics, Glian included, will be busy for some time. Another of their projects is converting some of the small scout vessels into mining survey vehicles. Big mining ships and haulers are useless without knowing where to send them.

The Selber seem to be more inclined to settling worlds, mainly risking space as a means of travelling between their various colonies. Sane and reasonable behavior. Therefore, very little advantage has been taken of the resources off-planet. Sure, we used the largest parcels of rock and ice to build this station, but plenty remains available for the Tserri to harvest.

Without access to initial system surveys and follow up reports, I cannot say for certain that adequate care was taken to search for dangers or treasures left behind by doomed precursor races. If there is anything, the Tserri will be the ones to find it. We do have access to some of the local amateur recordings made of various minor astrological bodies.

Luckily, that's a Scout's job. Figuring out where to send the survey vessels, operating scanning equipment, taking detailed notes and filing proper reports. Unlucky for us, we don't actually have any Scouts. The closest that we have available would be the diminutive Eva Chel.

Much like Yosip, she had switched career tracks midway through. She originally had been trained as a Scout but transferred to the Operative branch. Probably for the better chances at promotion. Scouts are necessary for a good crew, so necessary that promoting one is seen as too great of a sacrifice.

We can't spare her, either. She spends half of her free time teaching in the Tserri quarters, gaining valuable experience working with the station residents. That leaves us with the option of training a team from the beginning.

We have several enlisted Tserri, at this point. After seeing their fellows from the first small enlistment succeeding, others had decided to join up as well. Most of them are on work crews, digging or building walls. The modular nature of the Selber technology makes construction an easier job than it would at first seem.

The next most popular career is farmer, or maybe rancher. Working with food in any capacity, in fact, is a fiercely competed for privilege. The area around Glian's garage is filling with dining halls, it's the perfect position for a convenient meal while you wait on your suit to be upgraded.

Mechanics like Glian, or medics such as Zra, are much rarer. Not because the Tserri are unsuited for such tasks, but because the time needed to become proficient at them is much longer. Zra is one of the few Tserri that says they enjoy the position the aptitude tests had dictated they take. He and Pale have started training a couple of nurses, but they won't be trusted on their own for seasons yet.

It's definitely good that the rest of the fleet aren't trying to stay here. If the documents we have from Gelen's people are accurate, they outnumber us more than three times over. There simply isn't space available for that many bodies, let alone the infrastructure to support them.

The station has more people in it that I have ever seen together. Traffic between the fleet, station, and planet constantly shifts bodies around between the three destinations. As the hub between the other two, Kalibern receives the greatest amount of people passing through.

We'll need to construct additional aquatic farms, regardless. The ones we have won't be enough for very much longer, even on reduced rations. Perhaps Yosip can get Matron Bell to send us some more seed stock. Some of the creatures living in streams or rivers on Honus would be a good additional source of protein for our hungry residents.

Perhaps Yosip would be able to negotiate with the Matron to approve a hunting expedition. Failing that, we'll need to import more meat. Despite their omnivorous nature, the Tserri require much higher percentages of protein than the Selber.

Alarms begin blaring along the sections of buried corridor connected to the food storage warehouses. Air quality filters are being overwhelmed. I check the camera feed from that area, but many are no longer transmitting any signal. From the few working cameras I can barely make anything out through the thick smoke. Angry furred figures smashing vital components is the predominate view.

My attempts to use the speaker system installed there fails miserably. The rioters must have taken out my communication systems in their unguided fury. The most I can immediately do is increase power to the filtration systems. All that smoke needs to be removed before it can clog up delicate electronics.

"Yosip, we have a problem." I fill in the Supply-Master with what few details I'm able to relay. "Orders?"

His scarred face contorts in a mixture of rage and disbelief. "After all we've done for the furballs. Fine. Get Wollen and his team down there, now!"

I'm quick to relay his commands. Dunc is currently halfway across the station, and the rest of security are spread out, dealing with minor security matters. It will take them too long to get to the rioting.

Another camera feed goes black. With few choices available to me, I decide to use one of my recently acquired tools. The mechanical stonefeather that Bucket had been working on so diligently.

It obviously isn't alive. Bucket hasn't yet disguised the device. Servos and wires hang from the exposed framework, but the thing functions. The lenses of its mechanical eyes transmit video footage directly to the station mainframe. I activate the ungainly drone and send it on its way. It should get there before any of the security team can arrive.

I'm not sure what use it will be, but at least I'll be able to continue monitoring the situation until help can get to the location. If the chemical synthesizer was operational I would have more options, but finding ways to feed the newly arrived refugee fleet had been occupying Bucket's time.

The atmosphere in the war room grows tense. Yosip clearly dislikes being unable to do anything other than give orders. I can't blame him, I feel useless myself.

My drone finally arrives, and its servos are already showing signs of strain. I make a quick note to Bucket, the thing needs more power. The raging mob doesn't notice the false creature's arrival, thankfully. They're too busy pulling panels off the wall. I can only assume they're trying to get into the storage rooms.

When I attempt to activate the speakers built into the artificial stonefeather, the damn things blow out. Just what I needed. Frustration fills my core and I take the only action I have left. Off go the lights in that sector. The rioters stop momentarily when the lights go out, but the reprieve is only temporary.