The kith of old, the kith of our noble father, would have balked at the quiet and humble work - we welcome it gladly, not least because it helps the new members settle in and practice their trade.
The forging of the raw bounty of stars and their assembly, the long barterings to afford their just price, the navigation across fields and clouds, and yet more. There is much to do, much to know, and we too are learning as we direct.
So far, we have overseen minor contracts and what Guilders refer to as 'freelance work', as in to work for none but ourselves and our own terms.
This is most agreeable to us, though less directly profitable, as the bulk of the goods ends up being stockpiled within the Aldebaran's hold, awaiting employ in the construction of new vessels.
A few more Manaslu have already joined the ranks, and a third Annapurna; we yet lack the numbers to see them all crewed, but we will in time.
The amsaiira moves, leaving the shimmering nebulae of the Tau region behind and edging the House of Bretonia.
One of our first surveyors hails from there, a young girl; spirited, bright, hopeful, eager to see the wonders of the heavens... and perhaps leave the dismal sights of home behind, we surmise.
It is a much distressed region, that of the Kingdom, though it regardless holds itself as the mightiest of empires.
We shall see what can be gleaned from its outskirts.
Light would be shed sooner than anticipated.
The site of the infamous accident, as it turns out, lay squarely on the path out of Bretonia and at its very beginning, down tradelanes leading through Omega-3: Aland Shipyard.
Perusing the Neural Net, earlier reports from our surveyors and talks with the locals and native crew alike proved illuminating, and at times disheartening. Once a hard-won IMG industrial nexus, misfortune after misfortune struck it: at first it was the winds of war blowing from Gallia, threatening to engulf the whole of Bretonia and beyond, and then was Bretonia's impatient cupidity trampling the Guild's independence by seizing it via force.
And when the deed was done and other entities moved to supply both thieves and their unjust bounty, the Guild struck back against those, with Liberty's corporations bearing the brunt; for this the House would punish them, by denying them leave to act at all within their soil.
A sobering tale, to be sure, of the risks inherent in dealing with nations as well as those of stationary settlements.
To the Guild goes our sympathy. There is little to be done about this now, unfortunately, save for diplomatic work in order to mend ties with Liberty; understandable though the IMG's reprisal was, it nevertheless imperils our own agency.
The sooner it is done, the better, for Sabah's appetite is never sated.
Speaking of the Crayterian holding, we are given cause to rejoice: its owners are most pleaded with our handiwork and have kept their word, with rewards timely and ample.
The shipyard operates at febrile paces and so does the Aldebaran, its refineries fashioning batches of alloys to the clients' exacting demands around the meridian.
As we travel and the work continues, a thought occurs to us: rather than commission vessels of our own, would we not be better served by refurbishing an older model like we did with the current Sabik?
The operations would be completed much faster, undoubtedly, and would allow us to return this Sagarmatha to the IMG, both as a token of gratitude for their patronage and tangible support from ours.
We will speak with them anon. In the meantime, we reach Rheinland.
The industrial capital of Sirius, Rheinland looks much the part to our eyes; and similarly to Bretonia, and despite the recently acquired Engineering Officer's casual protestations, it is hard to tell whether its dismal state is of their own making over the centuries or it was a recent turn.
Our national contingent is split between a sort of rough patriotism and a certain hopelessness - a moral obligation to take their bruised House's side in spite of their doubts about its future.
To an extent, we understand it and sympathise. To another, we fail to see how one may feel attachment to such a vast and vague entity as a House, with so many identities within vying for for primacy.
The IMG finds within the Rheinlander periphery much greater presence, with numerous and prosperous bases hailing our approach. Spirits are high, and this pleases us all; they have to be, if one is to stand working in such dense and unappealing scenery.
We deploy a few mining freighters to prepare for future work, but lacking a vessel that may hold them, they will take shelter at Freiburg.
That and a few meetings with our ALG contacts aside, the voyage is fairly uneventful - a peculiar quiet seems to surround this region of space, in which the clangor of machinery and the belching of factories fills the void with merry production, until they leave our sight and all falls silent again, as if shrouded by the dense clouds.
The eerie calm touches on the nerves, at times, and the brother appears unusually restless.
The unease will be dispelled soon. The Sigmas await, and Kusari with them.