Free Goddess of the Moon (Young Ancients: Tiera) by P. S. Power Page B

ship."
    Then
Judith turned around and held her hands behind her back in a military looking
manner.
    "Thank
you all for coming. For those of you new to the crew, we'll have someone along
in a few moments to see to your assignments. I'll personally meet with you in
the next day, barring emergency. The ship layout is fairly standard and should
be like the practice cruises that you've taken. As for those of you that have
been here before, welcome back. You don't need me talking your ears off yet,
but this won't take too long. We have with us a very special group of people,
and we should all seek to make them feel welcome here." Then she bowed.
    Very
clearly to the Lairdgren Group.
    It
was cute, really, because Sam and Guide looked ready to pass out over it. The
rest of them just bowed back, which got Terry to do it and the rest trying to
copy him, which meant everyone in the room from Noram did it too, just in case
they missed who was doing what. The crew from other places all seemed baffled
for a bit, except the Vagus man, who did it as well. Judy was tall after all,
and in charge, very clearly.
    They
only had to do it once, and she didn't crack a smile at all.
    "We'll
set up for that test as soon as possible. Do you have the needed shields for
your people?" This was directed at Kolb, who simply nodded. They knew each
other after all, since he was Judy's old teacher and everything.
    Then
she looked at Sam.
    "Do
you have your communications devices ready?"
    He
started to stammer a bit.
    "Um,
yeah, but..."
    Then
she went on as if not hearing him at all. He blushed and looked at Tiera, but
honestly, she didn't care if she got credit for it or not. It absolutely didn't
matter to her, at all . For once. She felt kind of proud of that too.
    "Any
questions?"
    Tiera
actually had one. Or, more honestly, several, but the Captain couldn't answer
them, she didn't think.
    "Would
it be possible to get an appointment with Timon Baker?" She waited,
expecting that he'd be working and that no one would want to bother him, but
instead the tall and thin woman in front of their rather hodgepodge group
nodded.
    "I
can't promise anything, but he's supposed to be taking a rest day. Actually
several in a row, right now. I'll have someone take you to him. Is Terry going
too?"
    That
was... Actually a very normal kind of thing, wasn't it? Plus, she wasn't trying
to hide anything from him, not in particular.
    "That
would be good, if it's no trouble?"
    It
turned out that it wasn't since the woman that had sat next to Terry on the way
up knew the way herself and volunteered to take them. She didn't look any older
than Tiera did either and kept smiling at Terry, as if she might just want to
eat him for lunch.

Chapter
three
     
     
     
     
     
     
    "I'm
Wistra, Ma'am." The common looking woman said, bowing at her, even if they
weren't on the ground and were about as far away from someplace where anything
about Tiera counted at all. Tiera bowed back, just as deeply, which got Terry
to go wide eyed and do the same. He, unlike Tiera, actually knew that kind of
thing, having had real lessons in protocol.
    "I'm
Tiera, and you met Terry already?"
    "Oh,
yes... Tiera." It was clear she wasn't all that comfortable using her name
like that, without a title at all, but that was just her genetics hitting her
without the smaller woman knowing about it. She recoiled a little after saying
the name and looked almost like she expected to be hit.
    "What
do you do on the ship?" It seemed like a natural enough question, but the
woman held her head high and smiled.
    "I
started out as a Cook Instructor, but I'm the Building Instructor, structures
not magic, for the High Servants now. The ones doing the work on the Moon
Colony? I've done some of that work myself." She looked down, but Terry
gasped.
    "That's
really... I wish I could go and do that too. What would I have to do to
get in on that?"
    The
small woman shrugged.
    "Well,
like I said, most that work on it are High Servants.