A colorful display

[Soban]

Livadia, Dry-dock C, Assembly Observation Room

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Another day, another meetin’, Daniel muttered to himself. Phoenix’s rising influence had him knee-deep in newcomers, and what was meant to be a wee side job—something to clear his head after endless engineering projects—had turned into a mountain of applications and paperwork.

He lit his trusty pipe and drew a calming puff while he fixed his mind on the next task. For the first time ever, an entire colony ship had asked to join Phoenix. Such vessels usually kept well clear of civilization and were a rare sight indeed. To make matters more intriguing, its master—Captain Khalid—was, by all accounts, a flamboyant soul. Whatever conditions Khalid intended to lay on the table were wrapped in a radiant cloak of mystery.

Still, the sheer size of the vessel and her crew would be a boon to the community, especially with Headquarters clamouring for more exploration assets.

Daniel tucked his datapad under his arm, rose from his desk, and headed for the bar. Och, I’ll be needin’ a stiff drink afore this day is through, he thought, exhaling a thin ribbon of sweet-scented smoke.