Free Riss Series 3: The Riss Survival by C. R. Daems

is not possible long term. Can I be a SAS officer and station commander, and the leader of the Riss? Or must I be one or the other? And if so, which? That is why the RNN Mnemosyne is so important. It'll separate the Riss Nation from the SAS and allow us to be allies. Then we can address the issue of how allies work together to our mutual advantage. In the end, it's a SAS decision not the Riss."
    We lapsed into silence, each lost in our own thoughts.
     I felt her understanding flow through me.
     They had named me Leader; therefore, personal wants and likes would have to be second.
    
    Da'Maass was there as I exited the shuttle. My cheeks felt warm when he smiled but I put it down to the brisk walk from the ship.
    "Good morning, dybbuk,” he said. Everyone is here waiting on whatever surprises you have today."
    "I have ideas, Da'Maass, but I'll need you and your team to bring them to reality. It's my hope that what we accomplish today will benefit the Riss, SAS, and the clans."
    "I believe you. And I will do everything I can to realize that dream. The men and women here are the people who will work on the Bridge."
    The room was crowded and every chair around the table filled except for two. I counted twelve people.
    Taking a deep breath, I said, "Good morning. You're going to be working on something new and hopefully exciting. The Riss are a small nation but I believe eventually we will need five to six cruisers. Hopefully that will keep everyone busy for several years." Pausing, I tried to gauge their reaction.
    
    
     An image of me with tattoos on both cheeks, forehead, and running down both arms.
    
     I agreed.
    "I want seven panels, maybe six feet wide, to span a curved wall. Each panel will contains a full set of controls: radar, weapons, ECM—"
    "Why?" a woman in the middle asked. She was wearing old fashion eyeglasses.
    "That's a waste and costly," a short pudgy man said, frowning at me. At the same time, several conversations broke out. I waited for the room to quiet.
    "First you are building a Bridge for Riss. They have longer arms and can reach higher and wider. Secondly, I want the operators to be able to switch functions. If, for example, radar goes out on one panel, I want to be able to switch it to another and have that function switched to the panel that lost the radar function. In addition, I want one station to be able to work two functions simultaneously. In other words, the Bridge of the Mnemosyne will have ultimate flexibility. The seventh panel is a spare or may in the future support another function. A large monitor should be mounted over each station to display the individual station's activity or other information."
    I sat back and waited. After several minutes, the questions began, coming too fast to answer.
    "What do the panels look like?"
    "What controls does each function have?"
    "Do the Riss need special controls?"
    "Ladies and gentlemen, I leave the design in your hands. I'll have Riss available for you to determine control shapes, height consideration, etc., and a human to tell you the controls for each function. I leave the design details to you." That seemed to excite everyone. Da'Maass rose.
    "Captain Reese, is providing us with an opportunity to help design the cruiser of tomorrow. I believe many of the Mnemosyne's ideas will eventually find their way into the cruisers of the other empires. And, maybe, we'll be one of the industrial complexes that specialize in building those cruisers. For now, it's not only work but exciting work that will allow you to use your creativity."
    The room emptied, people walking with others in excited conversations. Twenty minutes later, another group entered. Da'Maass again began the meeting.
    "For those who don't know her, this is Captain Reese.