Furthermore, the House of Vorlash was related to the Lœbeghéc Elcacr (House of Elcash), and both were connected to the Emyoor Clan, which was one of the Founding Families.
The Emyoor Clan’s crests had a common motif in the symbol of the asüith (dragonfly). Naturally, the crest of the House of Vorlash was adorned with a dragonfly as well. The Asüith lo Daitemh (Dragonfly and Lightning) were the crest of the Count’s House and of the Countdom itself, and there they were above the gate that was the main entrance of the Count’s Mansion. The Baucbiruch was just a hundred dagh away, more than close enough to make out that crest with the naked eye.
“That took quite some skill,” said Lafier, impressed.
“Yeah,” nodded Jint.
Not one of the servant vassals of the House of Hyde were currently on the Baucbiruch, so the ship wasn’t being run by vassals, but rather by employees of the Empire’s Merchant Ship Company.
Wish I could just hire them, thought Jint. But that was not to be. The saucec Rüé Casobérlacr (Imperial Merchant Ship Company crewmembers) enjoyed higher status than the vassals of the House of Hyde could. Besides, they were all reserve lodaïrh Laburer (Star Forces starpilots) anyway. If the war got more dire, they would get conscripted.
A bridge extended from below the gate, and attached itself to the Baucbiruch. When prodded to say something, Jint activated the intra-ship comms.
“This is Count Hyde speaking,” he stated, albeit not without feeling awkward about it. “I’m sure you’re already aware why, but I’ll be parting ways with you all for a time. Until we meet again, I’m leaving command of the ship to Investigator Yestesh.” Jint wondered how to close off, before settling on: “The situation is fluid, but I ask you bear with me.”
He could feel Lafier’s critical gaze. “Did I mess up somehow?” he asked fretfully.
“No, it’s fine,” she said coldly. “I think everyone is too busy to have been listening anyway.”
Chapter 3: Flaigec Laiblacharr (Banquet of Departure)
The Flicaubh had entered final deceleration, but no fine tuning was needed. The course forward was beautiful, elegant, and undistorted by fiddly alterations as the raid ship, now come of age, approached its temporary dwelling.
The Empire had set up factories to mass-produce ship docks in its capital, sending out their manufactured wares to bases of operations scattered all over space. But not all were dispatched; about ten percent remained in the Abliar Countdom, where the capital was located. Special Construction Site 7022 had bound fourteen of the remaining docks together and added on affiliated facilities. But fourteen was just the current number. There was room for expansion.
The Flicaubh flew into Special Site Dock 5. Coincidentally, Special Site 7022 was near Behtoor Construction Site. The Flicaubh and its sisters were all carefully prototyped one at a time in a dock not very different from Dock 5, with mass-production slated for Behtoor. Of course, “near” being relative, they were still several saidagh away, but even so, some of Behtoor’s production pipelines were visible from 7022, shining in the light of Abliar’s sun. If the Caubh-class was deemed serviceable, then a number of those production tubes would be used for the construction of raid ships. The siblings of the Flicaubh would march down the tubes’ interiors as they were given shape, to be shot into the void between the stars.
While Sobash had not been informed of the construction plans, he was sure that preparations for mass-production had already commenced. It had yet to be tested in battle, but he could tell Caubh-class raid ships were keepers. At this very moment, Sobash could sense, with his frocragh spatiosensory perception, that five of the production pipes were straightening out from their coiled states. And in the vicinity, some hundreds of structures were floating, waiting to be connected to the pipes. If that wasn’t a sign mass-production was in the works, nothing was.
The floating structures in question included factories that mass-produced ship components, as well as residential facilities for employees. Once the production pipes were fully straightened, and the mini-factories and employee residences established in the appropriate positions, mass production would begin in earnest. Granted, there was no evidence they would be creating the Flicaubh’s brethren, but Sobash didn’t know what else it could be.
After the Flicaubh and the other ships were examined, minor modifications would be made to the positioning of the manufacturing equipment and production process at Warship Management Headquarters’ inner vault. Then Caubh-class raid ships would be born in rapid succession.
During his years as a trader, Sobash had only boarded inexpensive used supply ships, but he was deeply humbled by the fact that he’d lent a hand to the birth of a new class of vessel. After finishing the administrative procedures concerning the inspection and maintenance, Sobash transferred the crew to a smallcraft. They were three hours away (at a velocity of two daimon G-levels) from The Stylet. Ecryua was piloting on his orders.
“This is my first time
