[TAZ]Ambassador's.Ark

[Doc Holliday]

The new yacht was nearing completion at Shasta Orbital Skyhook in the Baffin system. The ship itself delivered with it's armament package, the interior was being completed to the satisfaction of the Ambassador himself, Dr. John Henry Holliday. He was present for the several days at Shasta with his bride-to-be overseeing the final phases. He had also hand picked a command crew and wait staff from literally thousands of applications, a process that took him weeks.

"It's looking very good," the Ambassador said with a nod of approval, "just as we had discussed."
"Well, Sir," said the foreman of the team, "with the clients and dignitaries we suspect you will have along with their significant others and their staff, we wanted to be sure things were right."
"So what is left?" inquired the Ambassador.
"The lounge deck is still being worked," the foreman began, "we have a couple of more hot tubs to install, fill and treat the pool and some work still needs to be done in the conference and ball rooms."
With a smiling look to Midori, the Ambassador asked, "and the galley? Not that she will be cooking much herself but she was specific about it as she was the dining areas."
The foreman nodded to a smiling Midori, "We did things to the letter, Miss."

The foreman, Ambassador and Midori all began their internal inspection of the ship and after a long day they left very satisfied. "Once those areas are finished, we will conduct our final inspection. For now, I have to meet with the bridge crew."

He met the bridge crew in his Shasta Office after a brief dinner break with Midori who then went to for a workout. The crew, a member from each house of Sirius and one from Gallia, reported on time as ordered. Each wore their new uniform, all of which were Zoner. They had accepted the Zoner way as their new life but their past would always be the basis of who they were. John Holliday, not one for military protocol, looked at the 5 officers lined before him standing at attention with a degree of confusion. It was the first time they had met face to face.

"Relax," he said with a confused look, "this isn't the military." All 5 relaxed but stayed in line as the Ambassador stood before each one to meet them. The 3 men and two woman found the relaxed state refreshing.

"You would be Mr. Stephen Cook, retired Liberty Navy officer. Am I correct?" asked the Ambassador.
"Yes, Sir," he answered as the two shook hands, "It's an honor to meet you finally."
"And it is an honor for me too, Mr. Cook. Welcome aboard."

He then shook the hand of a tall blond woman. "And you would be Miss Nichole Schmidt, former Rheinland police officer, correct?"
"Yes, Sir. Guten Tag," she responded with a smile.
"I look forward to working with you," replied the Ambassador.
"And I with you," she answered.

Next, he shook the hand of a Kusari man. He was fairly short but had a strong build.
"Mr. Ichiro Tenaka, retired Kusari cruiser commander, correct?" asked the Ambassador.
"Hai!" he answered sharply with a bow, "I am honored to serve you."
"Konnichiwa, Mr. Tenaka. I too am honored."

He then shook hands with an average sized blond woman.
"You would be Miss Elizabeth Cook, former aide to the crown of Bretonia and accomplished pilot I hear, correct?" again he asked.
"You would be correct, Ambassador," she responded with her accent and a smile.
"Welcome aboard the Ark, Miss," he said.
"Thank you," she replied.

And the final crew member was the most unusual, a man from Gallia. He had fled shortly after the civil war broke out and sought asylum. As he wrote in his application, "he wasn't afraid to fight but he wasn't going to fight his own family members who were on both sides of the conflict."
"Bonjour, Monsieur," greeted the Ambassador.
"Bonjour, Monsieur," replied the Gallian man.
"You are Monsieur Claude Bonally, a former freighter captain for EFL, correct?" asked the Ambassador.
"Yes, Monsieur," he responded.
"It is a pleasure to have you here, Monsieur, welcome aboard," stated the Ambassador.

The Ambassador then stood back a bit to lay some basic rules out. He paced back and forth as he did.
"I want you to take a good look at one another and take some time to get to know each other," he began, "you will be working together, living as a crew and quite possibly, dying together as a crew." He paused briefly and added, "But let's hope it doesn't come to that."
"You each represent a House that is at war with another, itself or even was with another House in the past. If you can't look past that then you need to leave now!"

He stood silently, watching them all as they stood. Not one left. Instead, Mr. Tenaka and Miss Cook approached each other. He bowed to her as she extended her hand, "For friendship and forgiveness," she said, "too many have died already" she added.
"Hai," he answered, "too many. For friendship and forgiveness."

In the same way and wording, Mr. Cook and Miss Schmidt did the same. Also, Miss Schmidt and Mr. Tenaka honored one another as years ago, their Houses once fought. Regardless of conflict, all five formally greeted one another.

"A very good start, Ladies and gentlemen," the Ambassador said, "very good indeed. I will be counting on your leadership. Each of you was selected for your knowledge and abilities. I think you will all work well together."

He continued, "this is a ship of diplomacy, not of war so we need to keep this in mind. It will also not be out and about all of the time. As we are not a ship of war, the only weapons on board will be the turrets on the ship and your individual sidearms. No stored ship's arms will be kept here. Should I need to leave the ship at a destination, I will have my own security team. You are in charge of the ship and responsible for those on it, myself included. We will keep only enough credits for operating expenses." He again paused with his hands behind his back. He then bobbed his head slightly, "I am placing my trust in you. Don't make me regret that."

They all then snapped to attention and shouted, "Sir, Yes, Sir."

The Ambassador cringed and put his hands up, "Ach! Stop it with the military stuff," he insisted, "it's just not me." With that, he dismissed them and went to meet the wait staff that had also been hired, making sure their crew quarters were acceptable and other small items of protocol. Finally, after a long day, he retired to his own quarters for the evening.

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