While the large group of senior staff accompanied Max and Nico into the elevator to head for the eateries on the fifth floor, the crew on the bridge of Terminus moved the mighty Cruise Ship into position for a transfer to their first stop, a collapsing Nebula that was forming a new star.
The itinerary had them staying there for the evening and leaving the next morning for the resort world, where they would have some guests departing and others coming on board for the extended trip.
This next leg wouldn't have many chances for anyone to get on or off the vessel, so the remainder of this week would see plenty of transfers as the guests who did not have an entire month to sight see transferred off the ship.
"Commander, it's so good to see you again. Will you be staying a while?" One of the guests asked the moment that the elevator doors opened to reveal a crowded corridor with a clear path down the middle for them to walk.
"Indeed I will. I have returned to help lead the teams that will be doing the explorations for ancient ruins on the planets that we will be visiting. Will you be staying with us for the duration?" Max asked the pale green alien woman.
"I will. My husband is on a year - long diplomatic mission and our kids are in the Academy, so I have decided to stay with the ship for the moment." She answered with a smile.
Max could sense the frustration of both her children and some of the Academy's administrative staff at that answer, but she was a senior Alliance bureaucrat's wife, so it wasn't easy to shoo her away. She simply had too much money to be easily persuaded to end her vacation and stop sending daily letters and care packages to her children.
"Try not to give the Academy too hard of a time, they'll be quite busy with their studies and can't afford distractions with all these big projects coming up before exams." Max replied in a playful tone that made her laugh, but subtly worry that she was decreasing her children's grades by distracting them from their routine.
"I do hope you enjoy your time with us." Max finished and shook her hand before moving on to greet more of their guests.
They made it a few more guests down before Max recognized another, a Cygnus politician who had come here to step out of the limelight and relax after losing a nomination race to a rising star within his party.
"Former Senator Khrushchev, it is good to see you again. I believe we met at the negotiations on Belmont. You have my sympathy for your Campaign troubles." Max greeted him.
The former senator looked shocked that Max remembered him, as they had only spoken a few words during the entire three days of the meetings after the battle of Belmont, and he was just there as an observer.
"It is an honour to be remembered for such a small contribution. Thank you, Commander, this is a lovely ship that you have here." He replied.
"All the credit goes to the outstanding ship's crew of Terminus, I just manage the place." Max joked, spreading soft laughter through the crowd.
It was a slow procession toward their dinner destination, Ruth's Steakhouse, but all the senior staff had people to greet, and Nico was nearly swarmed with Innu who had endless questions about the research and new products that had been released lately.
The Terminus Tech Nomad Livestream, as the research staff called their weekly online updates, was over a billion weekly viewers even on a slow week, and Nico often appeared with them on an audio feed when she couldn't be there in person.
The steakhouse was designed to emulate the most upscale of Nobles Only eateries on the Cygnus home world, and the kitchen staff was all Cygnus descended Reavers from their staff, giving it a feeling of authenticity, even with the various alien species dressed in butler outfits working as waiters.
They had booked the private room for the evening, but guests often struggled to get a seat here once in a week-long cruise, despite the large seating area.
Max knew from experience that such a place would normally only seat about thirty people in the main room, with one or two private rooms, as their invitation list was so exclusive, but this was an all-inclusive cruise ship, and even the fine dining restaurants needed to have room for hundreds at a time.
He had to do his very best not to laugh when he realized that the Innu waitress had modified the adaptive liner of the augmentic armour's helmet and turned it into a fashionable hat. This one was black, and made the server's head tentacles look like dreadlocks, which were pulled back with a large hair tie.
Like this, she could almost be mistaken for an oddly pink human, and Max wondered if Ranarth had been right about the species genetically altering themselves as they spread across the far reaches of the universe in their bid to hide from the "Gods" of the energy beings who had shattered their civilization before retreating.
Even her accent was practised to mimic that of the Comor Butlers, who were essentially a class of Nobility themselves, as the actual Nobles viewed them as being above the common masses, and worthy of a very well-defined level of respect and trust.
She even seated them in the proper Comor fashion, by their ranks, and Max though that maybe this sort of restaurant would catch on with the Koleska as well. The styles were compatible enough that they would understand the procedures, and just exotic enough that they would find them exotic, and not an alien mockery of their own traditions.
Once the drinks started coming around, the crowd began to relax a little, knowing that they were out of the spotlight and that the private room was soundproofed, so nobody would be listening in on them from the outside now that dinner service had started.
"Commanders, I know that this mission is on the request of the Reaver Council, but are you sure that it is wise to take a cruise ship so far outside of known and patrolled space without a heavy escort?" One of the Alliance businessmen asked.
"That's where you're mistaken, good sir. We are not without an escort, it is just not plainly visible. There is an entire Regiment of Mecha on board, and we have two Titan Class Mecha on board.
That level of firepower is enough to take on a small nation, much less any band of wandering pirates, and the shields of Terminus will be specially upgraded over the next week while we are at our cruise destination to increase the safety of our guests.
Rest assured, short of a planetary invasion fleet, there isn't much that could threaten Terminus, and even at that, it would have to be a highly capable species, or we would still win without casualties." Nico assured him.
"Without Casualties, you say? Is that even possible?"
Max and a few of the military officers laughed at the incredulous businessman.
"It certainly is. A single Titan Class Mecha is capable of challenging most planetary defence fleets, and on its own is an even match for a Destroyer Class warship. With two and a full Regiment backing them up, Terminus is an impressive military threat that just happens to be travelling the universe for the entertainment of her guests." Nico agreed.
"When you put it that way, I must say that my mind is much more at ease. Thank you, Commander Nico. Or do you prefer Commander Tarith?"
Nico just shrugged. "Both are fine. I am proud of my Family name, but there are a lot of us, so Commander Nico does make it much more clear who you are referring to."
Appetizers arrived while they chatted, and the stress of battle, and of research missions that led to extended periods in a lab, refining technologies, just faded away.
It was all waiting for them, but it was no longer the major factor in their days, and they could take a proper vacation again tomorrow, once the ship reached her destination.
"Will we be upgrading the defence fleet Mecha again?" One of the Company Commanders asked as he cut into his steak.
"Possibly. It's not strictly necessary, as this isn't a frontline combat unit, but we have considered making something stylized for the ship. How about some tropical themed Mecha, to go with the Gravity slides and the pools?" Nico suggested with a smirk.
"The enemy would never live it down, being defeated by a bunch of armoured surf bums." The Company Commander laughed.
Max could see it now, shorts and tropical shirts on the Comor pattern Corvette Class Mecha, which were close to human in proportions already, and quite agile in space with their recent upgrades.
It would be completely ridiculous, and they would look like nothing more than a token unit intended for making a show during safety operations at remote destinations.
That might not be the worst idea he had heard today.
Max shook his head at the Company Commander. "We will let you know if we're going to change anything, but for now, I think we're just going to relax and test out our credentials as archaeologists. The passengers will be more impressed by a rare and ancient relic than a Mecha in a floral shirt."
"To the smooth recovery of ancient relics." The Pilot toasted, raising his wine glass in salute.
"To relics."
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