inside. After they strapped into seats, the door clanged shut.
The car raced through the tunnel like a projectile hurtling down the bore of a gun. Soz thought maybe she had spent too much time studying, if she saw even magcars in terms of artillery.
They traveled the length of the ship, ten kilometers, to the hemisphere that capped the end of the cylinder. She and Tapperhaven disembarked and cycled through another airlock. They floated into the hemisphere, an area more than half a kilometer acrossthe bridge of Roca's Pride.
Robot arms crusted with mechanical paraphernalia shifted aside as they squeezed through the jungle of equipment surrounding the airlock. As per regulations, Soz went first, which meant she would hit any obstructions, nuisances, or dangers ahead of her CO. It was great policy for higher-ranked officers, but annoying or even deadly for the minions.
No matter what her civilian titles, when it came to ISC, she was at the bottom of the hierarchy.
The bridge was essentially a hollow shell. Its rotation could provide pseudo-gravity, if desired. Unlike habitats designed for beauty rather than efficiency, here they used all available space. Robot arms and independent units moved within the hemisphere in every direction. The center was more open, but the inner hull bristled with equipment, glinting silver and black. The officers' stations looked as small as metal studs from here, half a kilometer away, but they had to be full-sized consoles. Sparks of light flickered everywhere from screens, holos, and panels.
Holding a grip by the airlock, Soz peered at the command chair in the center of the bridge, curious to see her new CO. The chair formed the terminus of a mobile robot arm. Right now it faced forward, giving a sense of the captain looking in the direction of the cruiser's travel. It also meant Soz couldn't see who sat there. She wasn't the only one sent here to learn; Kurj expected all his top commanders to be familiar with more than one branch of ISC. During this training run, an officer from the Pharaoh's Army would be in command, coming up to speed on naval procedures. Although spacecraft differed in the various branches of ISC, the Imperial Fleet and Pharaoh's Army both utilized Firestorm battle cruisers, which meant an officer who had commanded one for the army could in theory do so for the navy as well.
Kurj hadn't yet chosen who to send when Soz left Diesha. The chair rotated to the side, revealing her new CO
Ah, hell. It was Devon Majda.
Soz knew she shouldn't have been surprised it was a Majda. Their House had long supplied top officers to ISC. Jazida Majda, Devon's aunt, commanded the Pharaoh's Army and served as Kurj's second-in-command at ISC. Jazida wasn't the Matriarch of the House of Majda; that tide had gone to her niece, Corey Majda, who commanded the orbital defense system at Lyshriol. However, Corey had an older sister.
Devon.
Brigadier General Devon Majda had once been the Matriarch of her House, a queen in her own right. The Assembly
had betrothed her to Soz's brother, Vyrl, when he was fourteen. Or almost betrothed. Vyrl had run off and married his childhood sweetheart. It caused an interstellar crisis, given the grave insult done by the Ruby Dynasty to the most powerful noble House. Soz had been twelve at the time, a wayward adolescent. She could have told them the betrothal was a bad idea, if anyone had asked her. Vyrl would have been miserable married to a Majda warrior queen; he just wanted to farm and dance and have babies with his sweet-natured wife.
Then Devon had shocked everyone by abdicating her throne so she could marry the man she really loved, a commoner her own age, a clerk in the Assembly. Personally, Soz found it delightful that they had all broken so many rules. Given how upset everyone else had been, though, she kept her amusement to herself.
Unfortunately, Devon Majda now commanded Roca's Pride.
Just her luck to serve under the brigadier general her
The car raced through the tunnel like a projectile hurtling down the bore of a gun. Soz thought maybe she had spent too much time studying, if she saw even magcars in terms of artillery.
They traveled the length of the ship, ten kilometers, to the hemisphere that capped the end of the cylinder. She and Tapperhaven disembarked and cycled through another airlock. They floated into the hemisphere, an area more than half a kilometer acrossthe bridge of Roca's Pride.
Robot arms crusted with mechanical paraphernalia shifted aside as they squeezed through the jungle of equipment surrounding the airlock. As per regulations, Soz went first, which meant she would hit any obstructions, nuisances, or dangers ahead of her CO. It was great policy for higher-ranked officers, but annoying or even deadly for the minions.
No matter what her civilian titles, when it came to ISC, she was at the bottom of the hierarchy.
The bridge was essentially a hollow shell. Its rotation could provide pseudo-gravity, if desired. Unlike habitats designed for beauty rather than efficiency, here they used all available space. Robot arms and independent units moved within the hemisphere in every direction. The center was more open, but the inner hull bristled with equipment, glinting silver and black. The officers' stations looked as small as metal studs from here, half a kilometer away, but they had to be full-sized consoles. Sparks of light flickered everywhere from screens, holos, and panels.
Holding a grip by the airlock, Soz peered at the command chair in the center of the bridge, curious to see her new CO. The chair formed the terminus of a mobile robot arm. Right now it faced forward, giving a sense of the captain looking in the direction of the cruiser's travel. It also meant Soz couldn't see who sat there. She wasn't the only one sent here to learn; Kurj expected all his top commanders to be familiar with more than one branch of ISC. During this training run, an officer from the Pharaoh's Army would be in command, coming up to speed on naval procedures. Although spacecraft differed in the various branches of ISC, the Imperial Fleet and Pharaoh's Army both utilized Firestorm battle cruisers, which meant an officer who had commanded one for the army could in theory do so for the navy as well.
Kurj hadn't yet chosen who to send when Soz left Diesha. The chair rotated to the side, revealing her new CO
Ah, hell. It was Devon Majda.
Soz knew she shouldn't have been surprised it was a Majda. Their House had long supplied top officers to ISC. Jazida Majda, Devon's aunt, commanded the Pharaoh's Army and served as Kurj's second-in-command at ISC. Jazida wasn't the Matriarch of the House of Majda; that tide had gone to her niece, Corey Majda, who commanded the orbital defense system at Lyshriol. However, Corey had an older sister.
Devon.
Brigadier General Devon Majda had once been the Matriarch of her House, a queen in her own right. The Assembly
had betrothed her to Soz's brother, Vyrl, when he was fourteen. Or almost betrothed. Vyrl had run off and married his childhood sweetheart. It caused an interstellar crisis, given the grave insult done by the Ruby Dynasty to the most powerful noble House. Soz had been twelve at the time, a wayward adolescent. She could have told them the betrothal was a bad idea, if anyone had asked her. Vyrl would have been miserable married to a Majda warrior queen; he just wanted to farm and dance and have babies with his sweet-natured wife.
Then Devon had shocked everyone by abdicating her throne so she could marry the man she really loved, a commoner her own age, a clerk in the Assembly. Personally, Soz found it delightful that they had all broken so many rules. Given how upset everyone else had been, though, she kept her amusement to herself.
Unfortunately, Devon Majda now commanded Roca's Pride.
Just her luck to serve under the brigadier general her
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