another stir, "so keep 'em coming."
Cheung nodded. "Well, following on from the above, we also don't know what kind of predators are here. I recommend at least some marines stay on security for the main camp, and armaments for anyone travelling outside. The marines can work as de facto law enforcement, too. There'll have to be night watches, at least for the first week or so, which will be hard to staff because of the number of people we'll have working labour during that time. They're going to sleep like the dead by the evening, and that means those who aren't have to pick up the slack. We'll need at least fifty people to cover the corners and edges of the landing site. Essentially, this is our whole marine complement."
"That sounds simple." Liao tried to remember as much of this as she could as the last of the diesel burned away. "You've got this written down, right?"
"Yes, Captain," said Cheung. "So. Food, water, shelter, safety, sanitation. Last thing. We have exactly 101 crewmembers who are reporting serious injuries, including eleven criticals, and we just don't have the medical staff to deal with that. I know everyone's pitching in, but we just came out of a battle, Captain. We're going to have more casualties in the future, because we don't have the supplies and the skills to treat half a shipload of injuries."
"Agreed. Get someone to talk to Doctor Saeed and the medical staff, see what they can do. Maybe there are some civilians who have medical skills. We might have picked up a doctor for all we know." Liao blinked away a moment's fatigue, her brain overloaded. "Right, okay. Make it happen. We have a lot more people to take care of, and you seem to have a good handle on what's required. Deputise who you need."
Cheung stared at her for a moment. "Uh, Captain… all of that was just for the crew . Of our ship. Only. Not the civilians as well."
Liao had no answer.
"So, Captain, in order to take care of the civilians, too, we're going to have to—"
She held up her hands. "No, no, no. I get the picture. Okay. Look. Find some civilians to help out. Community leaders. People who'll be trusted. There's one I met already—Shepherd. Alistair Shepherd. Big heavy guy, tall, real strong. Brown hair, balding. He's a former police officer. Get him and give him some kind of title. Community organiser. Mayor. Whatever. Get him a bunch of assistants. Attach them to our logistics division and get them to work together. Get a bunch of our junior enlisted crew to find out any useful skills people have—outdoors type stuff, or mechanics. Engineers. Welders. Carpenters. Park rangers. Anything."
Cheung brought her heels together. "Aye aye, Captain."
Liao nodded to dismiss her, and then she was alone again.
The fuel burned away. Liao shoved the turret back under the cloth, removed the gloves, and wiped down her arms as best she could. Try as she might, her uniform was stained as she put it back on. Unwilling to see more people, Liao wandered into the tree line, away from the people. Away to think.
They were settling in to their new home. There would be troubles, of course, and things wouldn't go smoothly, but they had the best crew they could ask for. Cheung had brought up so many things Liao just wouldn't have thought of. She was confident they could handle it.
The only thing she didn't have confidence in was her ability to lead them.
She returned her gaze to the two moons above them, each covered in deep scars, the stars a strange lurid blue.
Humanity now lived under an alien sky. A borrowed world, one they had won through the most ancient method known to their kind; complete depopulation of those who lived here, followed by settlement.
It was accidental, of course. She had not intended to kill the Toralii who once lived here; quite the contrary, she had found herself making a fast friendship with the friendly, inquisitive, story-loving Telvan.
But European settlers to the United States had largely not intended the
Cheung nodded. "Well, following on from the above, we also don't know what kind of predators are here. I recommend at least some marines stay on security for the main camp, and armaments for anyone travelling outside. The marines can work as de facto law enforcement, too. There'll have to be night watches, at least for the first week or so, which will be hard to staff because of the number of people we'll have working labour during that time. They're going to sleep like the dead by the evening, and that means those who aren't have to pick up the slack. We'll need at least fifty people to cover the corners and edges of the landing site. Essentially, this is our whole marine complement."
"That sounds simple." Liao tried to remember as much of this as she could as the last of the diesel burned away. "You've got this written down, right?"
"Yes, Captain," said Cheung. "So. Food, water, shelter, safety, sanitation. Last thing. We have exactly 101 crewmembers who are reporting serious injuries, including eleven criticals, and we just don't have the medical staff to deal with that. I know everyone's pitching in, but we just came out of a battle, Captain. We're going to have more casualties in the future, because we don't have the supplies and the skills to treat half a shipload of injuries."
"Agreed. Get someone to talk to Doctor Saeed and the medical staff, see what they can do. Maybe there are some civilians who have medical skills. We might have picked up a doctor for all we know." Liao blinked away a moment's fatigue, her brain overloaded. "Right, okay. Make it happen. We have a lot more people to take care of, and you seem to have a good handle on what's required. Deputise who you need."
Cheung stared at her for a moment. "Uh, Captain… all of that was just for the crew . Of our ship. Only. Not the civilians as well."
Liao had no answer.
"So, Captain, in order to take care of the civilians, too, we're going to have to—"
She held up her hands. "No, no, no. I get the picture. Okay. Look. Find some civilians to help out. Community leaders. People who'll be trusted. There's one I met already—Shepherd. Alistair Shepherd. Big heavy guy, tall, real strong. Brown hair, balding. He's a former police officer. Get him and give him some kind of title. Community organiser. Mayor. Whatever. Get him a bunch of assistants. Attach them to our logistics division and get them to work together. Get a bunch of our junior enlisted crew to find out any useful skills people have—outdoors type stuff, or mechanics. Engineers. Welders. Carpenters. Park rangers. Anything."
Cheung brought her heels together. "Aye aye, Captain."
Liao nodded to dismiss her, and then she was alone again.
The fuel burned away. Liao shoved the turret back under the cloth, removed the gloves, and wiped down her arms as best she could. Try as she might, her uniform was stained as she put it back on. Unwilling to see more people, Liao wandered into the tree line, away from the people. Away to think.
They were settling in to their new home. There would be troubles, of course, and things wouldn't go smoothly, but they had the best crew they could ask for. Cheung had brought up so many things Liao just wouldn't have thought of. She was confident they could handle it.
The only thing she didn't have confidence in was her ability to lead them.
She returned her gaze to the two moons above them, each covered in deep scars, the stars a strange lurid blue.
Humanity now lived under an alien sky. A borrowed world, one they had won through the most ancient method known to their kind; complete depopulation of those who lived here, followed by settlement.
It was accidental, of course. She had not intended to kill the Toralii who once lived here; quite the contrary, she had found herself making a fast friendship with the friendly, inquisitive, story-loving Telvan.
But European settlers to the United States had largely not intended the
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