Outsider

[Laowai]

The small shuttle maneuvered around Tripoli’s main ship assembly pylon, attached to it, were the various frames and superstructures of the various projects that were constantly being undertaken on this the corsair’s main ship building station.
Like Crete, and indeed any Corsair outpost, Tripoli never slept.
Which is why at 3am when Ben Laowai had arrived to inspect his newest addition to his captaincy, there was someone on hand to meet him.

As the shuttle thrusted gently around a metal pylon, another larger metal structure came into view.
“That’s her” the pilot said. Ben peered over his shoulder at the vast, skeleton like frame floating above them. In its current state it resemble a great land stricken, age worn whale, whose flesh had long since withered away leaving only its frame like ribs for all to see.
“She doesn’t look like much right now” the pilot said, “you send us down some more ship panels on top of what you already have and it’s look like more.”
Ben nodded silently, happy with what he was seeing so far.
“What we still need is engine parts” the shuttle pilot said has he positioned the shuttle behind what looked like a giant tunnel, but was actually an engine cowling. “Don’t worry” Laowai answered him “I have been stockpiling those for months, I’ve been taking the Nuren out to Yanagi”
“Ah yeah” the pilot said, who was also the Tripoli foreman for this assigned project. “Some of the boys said they saw a stock pile of something or rather near your hangar on Crete”
Glancing above him now at the engine cowling passing them by, Ben patted the man on the shoulder; “Don’t worry, this little idea of mine has been in the works for a long time, most of the parts are ready, weapons, panels, engines, H Fuel, I have been stockpiling for months now; a few of the other parts you need are still missing, but matters are in hand in that area”
The pilot nodded in acknowledgment “Well that’s good, because we don’t run a charity up here, your credits are good, but as you know our parts are sometimes limited, and resources are marked for the wings of the main houses, this much material isn’t just laying around.”
Ben smiled “Don’t you worry about logistics, you just get her built”

The shuttle drifted back around over what was the central spinal bulkhead, Laowai smiled, when this project was finished, he would be in a much better position to take a firm role in the increased defensive needs of Crete, and given the current moves in Sirius, it would not be a moment too soon, while the Xibanya Nuren was a much better asset for force protection and mobility, she lacked real clout in the recent incursions that had happened in Gamma and Omicron Delta. He had been planning this project for a long time, now, with his increased wealth and connections, his status as an Elder, and more to the point, the fact that he had been consistently making a fortune for his crew, which guaranteed him new recruits, it was time to speed things up.
“You’ll get another shipment at the end of the week” he said, “You can recommence work then”.

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