Remember, Liana is a Voklavian from my fertile imagination.
The Voklavians being a space faring race.

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........ Pompeyas First Captains

Liana was only ten. She was classed as 'House-less', meaning she did not belong to any house. Just over two years ago a Lady Vish-Trillia had hired her to help care for her infant son. About two months ago she had brought the baby, Mac, and Liana to Gunne House where the Gunne GrandFathers had a contract to raise the boy and Liana's contract had been extended a third year to ease the transition and see that Mac was not abused by the Gunnes. The contract also stated that the Gunnes were to try and teach the girl to read and write.

Liana now had her own room and was part of a squad of eight Gunne boys, one of the eight being MacHale Tril. They had been told the night before that they had a work detail today, and they should eat a light breakfast. The GrandFather reminded them of that before marching them off to breakfast where they had a half ration of what they normally ate. Liana was going to be very hungry by lunch time.

After breakfast they were issued back packs and ordered to put a complete change of clothes into them. Then the GrandFather issued them safety glasses and dust masks. After which they were lined up for inspection, then Fleet Captain Bear-Gunne arrived. The Captain looked them over, sighed, then called them to attention and marched them off. The oldest boys in the lead, Liana bringing up the rear.

Bear marched them around the corner, then down a corridor, up a staircase then down another corridor to the station where they boarded a small train waiting for them. The train carried them around to the shuttle pads where there was a shuttle waiting for them. The shuttle had three empty drums and a small tool cart already shackled down and the Captain saw them to their seats and properly strapped in. Bear sat up next to the pilot, strapped in and they proceeded to launch the shuttle into space.

Once the shuttle was ballistic the pilot turned off the compensators and the gravity decking. Bear began administering zero gravity training to the children. After watching the boys flounder around it was finally Liana's turn. As directed, she unbuckled then gently pushed up out of her seat. Once centered she pushed off the seat back and tucked into a forward somersault. She smiled at the Captain as she spun with her hair flying out behind her.

“Very good Missy�, began Bear, “now try pushing off the first aid box then go forward and catch the grab bar behind the pilot.�

Liana reached up to the ceiling, caught the webbing and tugged just enough to send her flying back to the first aid box. She stopped herself with her hands, then did a half somersault and pushed off with her feet sailing the length of the shuttle and stopping at the designated grab rail. “You have been well trained,� said the Captain. Liana beamed. “Now, back to your seat and strap yourself in. Jared is starting to look a little green and we are almost at our destination.�

This time Liana tried orienting herself properly, then pushed off so that she would glide down the passage upside right without moving her feet. She glided about a meter and a half then she started to rotate. Mac stuck his foot out and Liana grabbed it, straightened up, then pivoted around into her seat. Nelo had a barf bag out and was holding it in front of Jared's face. As Liana strapped herself in the pilot started to bring the gravity back up. Jared recovered and did not puke.

“Very good,� said the Captain then he turned to study the view-screen. In it the children could see they were approaching a space ship. Liana had seen many a space ship on the screens in the last two years and this one did not look good.

The outer hull had scratches and dents all over it. There were numerous holes in it where various items of equipment had been removed and there were none of the usual things like antennas or sensors on it. Liana heard the Captain tell the Pilot to 'make a standard spiral survey' of the hull as they approached. The ship looked like it had been there a very long time and many things had bumped into it over the decades.

There was a scow docked starboard so the Pilot flew the shuttle around and docked port side. Once the pressure was stable the hatches were opened and the Captain and the Pilot moved the barrels and the tool cart onto the ship. Then the children were instructed to unstrap and they were marched into the ship. The pilot remained in the shuttle.

Bear marched them to the center of the ship, then aft along a passage to where he told them to line up along one side of the passage and remain there. Then he began beating on doors and bellowing “Captain On DECK!�. Eleven adult males came out and the Captain ordered them to fall in on the opposite side of the passage.

Once everyone was standing at attention Bear began pacing up and down between the children and the yard workers. Glaring at everyone as he walked past. No one was saying anything.

Finally, Bear stopped at the head of the two lines, just past where Liana was standing.

“This has got to be the motliest, scurviest, most un-disciplined, ill trained,� he paused “This has got to be the sorriest crew it has ever been my misfortune to command.� he finished. Then he glared at everyone again as if daring any of them to contradict him. No one said anything.

Finally, the Captain drew himself up to full attention. He took one step forward then made a left face and looked down at Liana. Liana looked back up at him. He was huge.

“Miss Liana,� began Bear, “Do you think you have what it takes to captain this,� and the Captain paused, “this,� he tried a second time, paused, then finally ground it out like he was spitting out broken glass “Do you think you have what it takes to captain this fine warship?� he asked.

Liana immediately yipped out “Aye Sir�. Then she realized she had no idea why she said it, she knew the ship was a wreck.

Bear looked down at her as if he could not believe she had said it. Then he said, softly, “If I don't eat you first.� He smiled down at Liana, showing his teeth. Liana smiled back up at him showing her own teeth. Then he nodded his head once, and straightened back up to attention. He did a right face, took one step forward, and another left face. This time looking down at Mac.

“MacHale Tril, do you think you have what it takes to captain this mighty fine warship?� Bear asked the two year old boy.

“Aye Sir.� Yipped out Mac. Liana decided he did it because she had done it. She almost giggled, but she stifled it.

Bear nodded at Mac, with mock seriousness. Then he went on to the next boy. All seven of the other boys yipped, barked, then bellowed out the same answer to the same question. The two oldest boys were twelve and thirteen.

After getting Toro' response Bear did a second left face then marched back to the head of the column. He did an about face then looked towards the yard workers.

“Gentlemen,� he started, “it seems we have our orders. Yours are to restore this refugee from the scrap yard and mine are to ensure you have the funds and materials to do so.� He stopped.

“Aye Sir!� bellowed out the yard workers in unison.

The Captain resumed speaking “No one in their right mind would spend what it will take to restore this ship. Fortunately for you, I am not in my right mind. I also have Vesuvious maintenance endowment to fund the endeavor, Vesuvious has no further need of it and the fleet bean counters have told me I may spend the money as I see fit. Officially you will be restoring Pompeya as a museum ship, dedicated to the memory of the legendary Vesuvious. You will tell anyone who asks that Fleet Captain Bear-Gunne, retired, would like to walk familiar decks to write his memoirs. Un-officially, and this is top secret, you will be not just restoring this ship, you will be implementing every upgrade Vesuvious ever would or could have had. You will be implementing the latest technologies while keeping as much of the original operational aspects of Vesuvious as you can. In short, you will be restoring and turning this ship into the finest destroyer any captain could ever wish to have.�

Then Bear smiled a large, predatory grin, “And you will have plenty of time to do so. One of these aspiring wanna be captains will grow up and take command. If I don't eat them first. Until the day one of them takes command no one who does not need to know is to know anything other than that this ship is supposed to be a museum ship. Is that clear?�

Both the children and the yard workers bellowed out “Aye Sir!�.

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As always, comments welcome.
Zim.