END of LINE: Humanities Last Stand - part 3 by John Short Page A

out among the stars?”
    “Yes, Warrior Connell. I'd like almost nothing more than another ship to call my home.”
    “I would like to offer you the position of Flight Engineer on this ship. Interested?” Jon asked.
    “Oh yes sir. I am very interested. How will you accomplish hiring me with my guild standing at such a low level?”
    “You let me worry about the Guild Chief.” Captain Claudi told her. “How long before you can close up your shop, bring any parts that you think we can use
    onboard along with whatever other tools and personal gear you need and move over to the ship?”
    “I can be ready to go in ten hours. Lets say first thing in the morning we can schedule our departure.” Phillmma said with a look of pure joy on her face.
    “Thank you from the bottom of my heart Warrior Lieutenant Jon Connell. You don't know how much I've dreamed of having a ship of my own to live and work on
    again. This ship will be the best ship in the entire fleet.”
    “Now, here is my next question.” Jon continued. “Do you know of two more qualified Engineers who might like a position on one of my ships? They would need
    to be people who you trust and who you know to be your equal. Apparently I own two more ships exactly like this one that both need Flight Engineers
    onboard.”
    “Well sir, there are no FTL Engineers with my qualifications, but I might know of a couple of beings I'd trust. One of them isn't exactly like the rest of
    us, but it is great with slip drives.” Phillmma told them.
    “What is IT?” Jon asked.
    “It’s a cyborg, part living flesh, part machine. He was once part of a failed experiment to enhance infantry soldiers. You almost can't even tell what he
    is until he gets into a fight, then the machine takes over and he just starts killing things. I once saw him grab a sand snake and tear its head off with
    his bare hands. He’s a great Engineer though and usually very gentle.”
    “OK, find out who is available and how soon they can be ready to leave. They will each pick a ship, either the Venus or the Mars and I'll have the ships
    swing through here to pick them up.” Captain Claudi told her. “Meanwhile, I'll have you assigned to quarters back near the engines. You'll have plenty of
    privacy back there. The males don't like the smell of the engines enough to spend much time there. Maybe you can figure out why she always smells of
    burning flesh whenever we hit the slipways.”
    “That should be fine Captain.” Phillmma told her new CO. “I'll make some calls and try to find two more Engineers. How much are you paying?” she finally
    asked.
    “Phillie, I need good people I can trust.” Jon said. “Remember that I have sworn to a three year contract with the Peacekeepers. So I won't be running
    things first hand until I receive my discharge. Then my own dream involves commanding one of the FTL Cargo ships myself. I'll never be good at sitting
    behind a desk. So, you tell me what a fair rank is for yourself and make anyone else who you hire one rank lower. That puts you in place as the head of my
    Flight Engineers. You'll not only be taking care of this ship, but also checking to make sure the others are up to standard. When my contract is up and I
    buy my own ship, I'll want you onboard as my Flight Engineer. So that means you'll be hiring someone to replace you here when I call for you to come over
    to my boat.”
    “I guess that means I should be a Master Chief with an additional 15% pay increase. I've got the qualifications, especially on these older ships.” Phillmma
    told Jon. “Everyone below me should be made a Chief with a 10% raise in pay just to sweeten the deal and maybe pull the really good ones away from bigger
    companies.”
    “Done.” Jon noted. “Now go do whatever you need to do to get ready to hit the slip tomorrow no later than 1200 hours. I'll be down to check on you after
    we've pulled away from the station and entered the slipway. I'll want an update on our