Edge of the Thornhedge Nebula
The Shuttle carrying Reshmar and his retinue slowly approached
Port Liberty. Reshmar looked over the station as the shuttle made a inspection loop around the massive hull. The eight kilometer Mandator had once been a truly massive war machine. Built for defending Kuat and its shipyards and able to take on a thousand ships. The hull now looked less like a mandator and more like a shipyard. The ventral hull was lined with slipways and dry docks. Along the dorsal edge docking collars and boarding umbilicus spread out to dock ships up to cruiser size. Hangers lined the edge of the ship for transports and other smaller ships. On large hanger had docking racks for Corvette sized vessels. The shuttle moved up over the lower hull and moved towards the city scape of the dorsal midship area. Set amidship was a Golan III battlestation which now acted as defensive command and control for Port Liberty. Few of the weapons remained on the Mandator itself. The Golan was now the primary weapon of the beast. Only its weapons and a few other emplacements along the hull of the star dreadnaught remained.
The shuttle moved into a landing pattern with the station hanger and slowly moved in and touched down. Reshmar turned and headed to the ramp which was now opening. The air tasted of fresh paint. It was dry, which was normal for starships. Reshmar and every other Calamari would always think of them as dry. The air onboard would never be wet enough.
A small group stood at the base of the ramp ready to great Reshmar. Among them Reshmar saw Raymond Mosses. The man stood out among the uniformed officers flanking him. There he stood looking like a prisoner awaiting transport to a cell. His unkept attire was nothing new. Reshmar had learned to deal with it. He had seen worse during the galactic civil war. Like every other Calamari HE had been raised to dislike and never trust men like Mosses. Pirates and smugglers, thieves and mercenaries. These were what the Alliance was built on. They managed to defeat the Empire at its height. Now they seem to manage taking money for half ass jobs. A different sort of scoundrel existed these days. One how did not seem to have any morals. Mosses seems to be one of these at first. Now Reshmar had learned the man was trustworthy. Or at least trustworthy enough to not to expect a knife in the belly if he got too close to him. He had no idea how the man worked. He assisted Rob Stellar and had even assisted Reshmar and did so with now complaint. Yet he makes no excuse for the facade he portrays. He was someone Reshmar would always watch, never fully trust, but respect. He had never given Reshmar a reason to question him or his acts. For now He was a friend. But Reshmar knew a man like Mosses could one day be a friend the next a foe. Depending on where the money or advantage was.
"Admiral, Welcome aboard
Port Liberty."
Mosses stretched out his arms and made a slight curtsy motion as Reshmar reached the ramps end. He knew Mosses did so as a show but he would just ignore the mans zeal and pomp.
"Mister Mosses, I see you have attired yourself in the normal vagabond far of the season. I believe your tailor should be commended for the impossible task you put to hum."
Mosses broke out in laughter and reached out to shake Reshmar's hand.
"Ah yes, I did so miss your humor fish. Welcome aboard. I trust you got a good show coming in?"
Reshmar shook the mans hand and let a short chuckle slip. One thing the two men shared was the ability to see humor in each other and not be offended. That part of the man Reshmar liked. His past as a pirate seemed less offensive when they joked at each others expense. Few dared to do so. Even fewer got away with it. His status as a civilian adviser left Reshmar little in the way of reprimanding him for such things. He seldom returned the jest but found when he did Mosses seemed warmer to him afterwards.
"Yes Mister Mosses, I did. Your pilot did a grand job of giving us a show. How was the trip here?"
Mosses motioned for Reshmar to walk beside him as the group turned and walked out of the hanger and into the belly of the Golan III battle station.
"Uneventful Admiral, We left Denon and made three jumps to get here. I slept half the trip, drank the other half. But i seem to be sober now, such a shame. Anyway I was told by Rob to inform you that my contract will be up once the station is in place and we can return to Denon. So lets get this show on the road."
Reshmar walked along side Mosses as he went on about his contract and his sobriety. They stood silently as the lift took them to the bridge. The door slide open and the bright lights of the command center filled the lift. Reshmar squinted a bit in reaction to the change in illumination level.
"Admiral on the Bridge"
a voice sounded someone from out of Reshmar's perihelial vison. He looked at the collection of men and women then walked to the center of the bridge.
"At ease, Please return to your duties."
Reshmar looked around as the crew went back to their tasks. A officer walked up to him and Mosses and handed him a data pad and introduced himself.
"Admiral, I am Captain Kir Nihtal. I am acting commander of
Port Liberty. I welcome you and your crew aboard. Sorry I could not join you when you arrived. I trust Mister Mosses was not too improper in his greeting."
Reshmar nodded and took the data pad.
"No worse than I have come to expect from him."
The captain nodded and smirked at mosses. He had made his dislike of the man known many times before to Rob. Yet the man still offended him and his command. Kir reached out and shook Reshmar's hand then pointed out a file on the pad.
"This is the final notarization of transfer. After you sign here
Port Liberty is all yours. I of course will stay on as interim commander while you chose a replacement. My contract is not up for six months. Until that time I am under your command."
Reshmar signed with a digi pen and handed the pad back.
"I thank you for your fine work captain. I will see to it you get a bonus for your service."
The man nodded then saluted.
"Thank you sir, Now if you excuse me I will begin the preparation to move the ship into the nebula."
Reshmar returned the salute.
"By all means captain you have the com."
Reshmar then nudged mosses in the side.
"See Mosses, that is how you are supposed to treat me."
Raymond laughed then smiled at Reshmar. He chose not to reply. He just smiled and walked back to the lift. The two then toured the massive vessel which ended in Reshmar's new Quarters. His home when aboard
Port Liberty. The chamber was larger than his on Hawkeye. The adjacent staff meeting room was however smaller. He looked over his new room and sat down behind the desk.
"Everything good here admiral?"
Mosses stood at the door as Reshmar walked around the room.
"Yes Mister Mosses. Thank you for your service. I will send for you once i have heard from Commander Hughe. Until then I will take some time to rest and get used to my new home."
Mosses nodded then let the door slide shut. Reshmar relaxed and closed his eyes. The walk along the corridors and access ways of the massive ship was a job for a much younger man. He was tired from the day and now wanted nothing more than to sleep. Tomorrow would be the day, the day
Port liberty would enter the nebula. He just hopped it all went as smoothly as Monti had said it would. The thought of losing Port Liberty to a nebula was not an option his mind was willing to entertain. But that was tomorrow Now he would sleep.