A Girl Only Dreams Make UpChapter 43
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An ClochánChapter 80 free porn video
Early on the 46th day of the Secmonth the crew on Iarracht were busy preparing to depart from their position over Ananu. An unusual aspect of their departure was that it would take place while they were in the shadow of Ananu. As they prepared to leave Dóchas began shifting its position so it could quickly take Iarracht’s place. The selected departure time was in part due to the distance they needed to travel before joining the Atewa Task Group commanded by Captain Reyonte.
“Celia System Control,” said Oriel of Keriann’s Clan, “Iarracht requests departure along route AB91.”
“Iarracht, you are cleared to depart. There isn’t any other traffic near that vector. We at System Control wish you a relaxing voyage. We are looking forward to your return. May the Gods and Goddesses bless you with a safe journey.”
“Aye,” replied Keriann from Iarracht’s bridge as they began moving away from Ananu. “Thank you for the blessing.”
“If she only knew,” said Brigit standing with Cabd and Fidelma at the back of the bridge.
Smiling Chester added, “Even if she did know, or suspect, she wouldn’t say anything about it over the air. Besides, we are blessed by having you all join us on this excursion.”
Cabd said, “I’ve heard many of you say something similar quite a few times, but I am not sure that I understand the meaning behind it. At first I thought you meant that you were expecting Us to monitor you and keep you safe. However, I’ve been around you all long enough that I am not sure my understanding is correct.”
“It is a variation of a phrase that has been around since ... well for a long time in the world that we came from,” responded Kelly. “You are correct as to the original meaning. Many centuries ago, at a time when mortals thought their Deity was omniscient and would hopefully protect them from harm, your initial thought was what they meant. To us, however, it is an affirmation of our belief in You which will give us the guidance, strength, wisdom, and patience needed as we travel. We see the strength of our belief in You as helping us make the right choices as events unfold during our journey. If that is not enough then we hope You hear our frantic prayers when a situation has unraveled and that You can provide us with guidance, if not more.”
“I see that you are having difficulty putting its’ meaning into words,” observed Cabd. “Even so, and sensing your intent, your explanation gives me a better understanding of its purpose. I can assure you that We will do the best We can for you all. Based on the thoughts you’ve expressed, I believe all of you realize that. Destiny and the fabric of time can confound the best of intentions, even for Us.”
“Aoife has commented on the complexity of the fabric.”
“I believe that her perspective of it is different than Ours. I also had the impression that she doesn’t look very often.”
“I believe you are correct. She has said that when she does her focus is just for general trends or future possibilities.”
“That is a good approach, ‘cause it is in a constant state of flux and the lines are only probabilities. How about a tutorial on what I am seeing?”
“Certainly,” beamed Kelly with a smile.
Seven members of the Councilor Clans waited in the Tara Space Port operations building for the arrival of the Atewa representatives. Waiting with them was Cathan’s Security team. The Councilors had greeted Secretary Sagnoite via video link shortly after the Atewa ships had1 settled into an orbital position over Ananu.
Molly said, “System Control Center was contacted by a group of Monque ships who’ve just exited FTL. So it is likely the delegation we were expecting.”
“A reasonable assumption,” responded Kathryn of Kathryn’s Clan. “There are significantly more ships in that group than were in Sagnoite’s group.”
“True. SCC is indicating that the Monque’s first destination is the cluster of their ships near their base.”
“Interesting,” replied Jackie. “Kathryn, when will your ship return?”
“We are expecting it back early tomorrow morning. Currently, their exercises are essentially complete. Today they are conducting a debriefing for the exercise. Once that is complete they will begin their return. I think our alternate Command Staff decided to have the debriefing first to be sure that all the objectives were covered as they got a bit side-tracked.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“Well they spotted a group of ships traveling near their operational area and opted to stalk them as an exercise. Apparently it went well. It will be interesting to see how the Command Staff responded to the various issues.”
“That is something we need to do as well.”
Siobhan added, “I think that is true for all of us.”
It wasn’t long after that that the Atewa ship arrived in front of the operations building. As soon as the ship’s cabin door opened the Órarduine went out to greet the delegation.
“Good afternoon,” said Sarah to Sagnoite as they grasped hands.
“Good afternoon, it is a pleasure to be here again,” Sagnoite replied as they shifted to a hug. “My apologies for the delay. Commander Laonize intended to come with us but she had to return to their base due to an accident.”
“We heard that it was significant. We sent medical and rescue teams although we don’t have any details of the incident, or know whether they will be needed.”
“Even so, I am certain your response is appreciated.”
Sarah said, “It looks like there are quite a few new people in your group. Why don’t we hold the introductions until we reach the conference room?”
After looking around Sagnoite replied, “Good idea.” She then said to her group, “We will move to their conference room for introductions, so follow us.” Sarah and Sagnoite linked arms to lead the group to the waiting transporters that would carry them to Central Square.
Merraize arrived as they were boarding the transporters. With a smile she said, “Hello Sagnoite. It is good to see you.”
“Good to see you as well. You look great.”
“Thank you. This is a great place to live and work, although I do miss the interaction with you and your staff. Good afternoon Gathconte, long time.”
“Yes, it has been,” he replied as they hugged. “Good to see you as well. You look great. I was surprised when I heard you had opted to live and work here. Won’t being here hurt your career objectives?”
“From my perspective, not likely. It looks like life has been good to you.”
Smiling, he nodded in response.
Sagnoite said, “We are headed to the Central Square conference room. We are waiting to do introductions there.”
Once they were on board and the transporters began moving Sagnoite said, “I understand that Keriann’s Clan is on their way to 5th Fleet Headquarters.”
“Yes,” replied Sarah. “They should be about half way there by now.”
“What did you think of that station?”
“It was very interesting as it was the first space station we’ve visited. While we didn’t see all aspects of it, we did see enough to come back with some new ideas and possible solutions to issues we haven’t had yet.”
Maureen said, “Sagnoite, you all seem to use the term ‘space station’ and ‘base’ interchangeably. Is my understanding correct?”
“Essentially. Another term is ‘habitat’. A habitat is a very large space station and has all the characteristics of a large city on a planet. A fleet base can be either on a planet, free floating in space, or attached to an asteroid. The 5th Fleet Headquarters is of the latter type, which is similar to the one we are constructing near the 7th planet. While our base in this system will be fairly large, it will be less than half the size of the base Sarah’s Clan visited. As to the term ‘space station’, we usually use that term to refer to space facilities that are primarily used for transfer and resupply.”
“Thanks.”
Gathconte said, “Sarah, my name is Gathconte. Did the arrival of the dependents cause any issues?”
“None at all. They all seem to be very pleased with their accommodations even though they are temporary structures. We’ve had several compliments on the community dining arrangement and recreation areas. On learning that members of your Fleet were assisting in the dining area quite a few of the dependents volunteered to assist. As to accommodations, some claim that their temporary quarters here are better than many dependent quarters they’ve lived in, especially their last quarters.”
“I wasn’t aware of the Fleet assisting here. Does their presence cause any difficulties?”
“Nope. None at all. I have heard that there have been problems at locations on other planets due to differences in cultures and etc. I gather that you aren’t aware of how we welcome visitors and new residents.”
“He isn’t,” interjected Sagnoite.
“When, or shortly after, visitors or new residents arrive we show them a video that gives them some insight into us and our culture. Today, once introductions are complete, we intend to show this group a video that describes our culture and provides an overview of our history. Included in it will be a few do’s and don’ts while here, which we see as common sense issues. All the same we think it is wise to note them. While you may have already watched the video we gave Sagnoite many have indicated they learnt more each time they viewed it.”
“Which one were you going to show?” asked Merraize.
“Well we presumed that the delegation would have already seen the one Sagnoite has, so we planned to show just the highlights from it plus the new information.”
“So it is about an hour?”
“Yes. The full length introductory videos are available by request. We also need to give Sagnoite updated copies.”
Looking at Gathconte Merraize said softly, “I suggest you watch it closely. They are not a PR piece and they contain so ... much information that even you will have difficulty keeping up.”
“Ah ... a challenge,” he replied with a smile. “I was impressed by the one Sagnoite has but still have difficulty accepting some aspects, in particular that telepathy is real.”
“You are not alone in being reluctant in accepting that it is a real capability. In hindsight many of us see some aspects of telepathy as being similar to intuition or situational perception; however, it is much, much more.”
“Your analogy is interesting, and it almost sounds like a comparison a Spec Ops person would make. So should I interpret that as meaning that you are telepathic?”
“Sort of,” she replied with a smile. “While I can hear some people when they direct thoughts to me, I haven’t tried to determine whether I can expand that ability. I am pretty sure that I can strengthen it, but haven’t decided whether to do so or not.”
“Gathconte, there are quite a few among us who have worked in that trade,” mentioned Sarah.
“Trade? Oh, you mean Spec Ops. I’ve never thought of it quite that way, but I don’t disagree. Will we be free to move around?”
“Yes, with some exceptions. Some areas are restricted but they are clearly marked by signs and on the site map. We will cover those in the do’s and don’ts we mentioned. If you want to explore beyond this plateau, then we need to discuss the issues. It is not that you can’t but the area beyond our settlements is really untamed country, so before you go exploring we think it is wise to acquaint you with the hazards we’ve identified, and not all have been identified. Contrary to your likely perception, the wildlife here has no fear of us and the predators are very good at finding food. The difficulty is that because we haven’t identified all of the hazards exploration is dangerous.”
“So this was a wild planet with no indigenous people before you arrived?”
“That is correct. However, there are subtle indications that there were people here in the distant past. The lack of solid evidence indicates to us that there was a lot of surface reforming between then and now. Apparently the time span has been long enough for an abundant variety of wildlife to take hold.”
At the entrance to Central Square Sarah, Siobhan, Maureen, Kathryn, Molly, Jackie, and Amy said in unison to their guests, “This building is known as Central Square as it is in the center of Tara Ardchlár. This building is where the Councilors of Ananu meet and have their offices. We will be using the conference room here and for today we’ve set it up with assigned seating. This was done so you will be seated near to, or next to, those of us who have interests that parallels the relevant members in your group. We thought this was the most efficient way to bring you into contact with those you came to meet. Let us find our seats so we can begin.”
The seven Councilors stood by the entrance and greeted each guest as they entered and then followed them inside. Once they were all in the conference room the seven said, “As soon as everyone is seated, we will begin introductions. When it is your turn to introduce yourself please include your speciality or interest in visiting us. Before we begin, please note that there is a selection of refreshments at the back of the room. Once the introductions are complete please help yourself at any time as we don’t intend to break until shortly before our official reception is scheduled to begin. This is to give everyone an opportunity to freshen up and perhaps review this afternoon’s meeting.
“While you are here, we have set aside an office in this building for your use during your visit; its location is noted in your welcoming packet. Also, your welcoming packet contains a map of this building and Tara Ardchlár. Considering the size of your group your office may be a bit too small to accommodate all of you at one time, so if you need more meeting space please let us know.”
Sagnoite said, “Is this the office space that we used before?”
“It is in the same location, but it is somewhat larger.”
“I suspect that it will be fine, but I will let you know.”
Sarah said, “So let us begin, my name is Sarah and I am a member of Sarah’s Clan. Sarah’s Clan is the Command Staff for Dóchas and is one of the eight Ananu Councilor Clans. Now my spouses will introduce themselves.” Rusty responded to her prompt starting the rest of the introductions.
When the introductions of the Órarduine and Atewa were complete the seven Councilors again spoke in unison. “You will likely hear us refer to Keriann’s Clan while you are here. You will not have the opportunity to meet them as they are currently on their way to your 5th Fleet Headquarters.
“Next we will show you a video that reviews information in the video that the Atewa have received about us that I believe you have seen. There will be an opportunity for questions afterward, so if you think of something that wasn’t covered, please ask. Your questions give us guidance for items to include when updating the video. We also have a more detailed version of the video, so if you would like to see it let us know.
“Following the video, we plan on reviewing the objectives for your visit. This will be followed by a break during which you can check out the office space. There is an area near your office where you can freshen up before the reception.
“So let us begin.”
During the break Merraize joined Sagnoite’s group in checking out the office area. After settling into the office the delegation shared their impressions and observations of the afternoon’s meeting. During this Sagnoite guided the discussion to ensure that each member had the opportunity to express their observations. Many times either Sagnoite or Merraize offered a different perspective to the expressed impressions and suggested ways to approach the Órarduine with any concerns. Several of the delegation expressed concerns with the direct approach but each time Merraize suggested that the delegate review the files describing previous interactions with the Órarduine. At the end of their discussion Merraize said, “Sagnoite and I understand your reluctance to being direct as it is a style of interchange we’ve been trained to avoid. Remember, we were in the same position you are in not too long ago, that is why Sagnoite and I have been offering an alternative perspective to your observations. I’ve been here for several months and everyone I’ve been in contact with has been very clear when expressing themselves. Some call it ‘direct’ or ‘plain spoken’ but I would never characterize it as rude. As a result you will likely find that I am a bit more direct than I believe I was before coming here. In addition, most, if not all, of them are very good at reading body language which is often a tip-off to someone hedging.”
Her comments prompted a discussion that lasted until it was time to leave for the reception being held in the foyer of the conference room. As the Atewa entered the reception area they were greeted by several Órarduine and directed toward the light refreshments.
Merraize smiled, remembering her first visit to Tara, as she listened and watched the people mingle.
Gathconte joined her and said, “I don’t think I have ever seen you so relaxed. That was an interesting discussion earlier.”
“It was. I think it went rather well.”
“May I ask what you are smiling about?”
“You may ... I was just thinking of the first reception I attended here. So did you learn anything from the video?”
“Yes. As usual, you made an excellent point. I think I will ask to see the more detailed video. I learnt quite a bit during the discussion among our delegates. Sagnoite did a masterful job of guiding it.”
“She is very good at that. So what is the question?”
“Am I that transparent?” he responded causing Sagnoite, who just joined them, to almost burst out laughing.
“To me, yes. Based on Sagnoite’s reaction perhaps that is true for her as well. That is likely due to how well we know you and your interests.”
“Well I am curious as to whether the incident at Fleet Headquarters will affect our relationship with the Órarduine.”
“From my perspective, probably not. However, if it happens again then we should expect some changes in our relations, perhaps a chilling of them. There would likely be a decrease in their openness with us and a shift to more formal communications. It would also likely have an immediate impact on Fleet operations in this System. Actually it would be best if you sat down with Sarah’s Clan and discussed what happened with them. I suspect you can provide them with background information that they are unaware of. Now, the best place to do that is on their ship. Remember that they will share your information with the other Councilors but, if requested, it will go no further.”
“You really are a bit more direct than I remember you being. Why them?”
“It was their ship that made the visit to Fleet Headquarters. Besides, this afternoon you’ve likely spotted those among the Órarduine that were Spec Ops.” He nodded. “If you can spot them, then they’ve spotted you so don’t hide it. I don’t know whether you’ve heard or not but their teams have an excellent reputation with ours and there is a lot of mutual respect.”
“I have. Based on the rumors it sounds as though some think they walk on water.”
While he was speaking Rusty, Sally, and Sarah had moved until they were only a short distance away. His comment prompted them to laugh, startling him. When he saw them he turned red and Merraize snickered.
When they quieted down Merraize said to Gathconte, “I’ve mentioned it in the past, your voice carries.”
Rusty said, “He wasn’t speaking that loud, it is just that our hearing is fairly sensitive. Thanks for the compliment; our teams will appreciate it although walking on water is a bit over-the-top.”
Sarah then said, “What is your perception of this afternoon?”
“We think you did a masterful job of arranging for the appropriate people to meet each other,” responded Sagnoite.
“Well this is the first time we’ve done something like this. We presume you know that a Monque delegation will be here in a few days for a purpose similar to yours. The Iridien’s will arrive in a little less than two weeks after the Monque delegation departs.”
“I don’t see us being here much more than 7 or 8 days this time, although if there is an unexpected need we could extend that. We think it would benefit you, us, and the Monque to have at least one joint session.”
“We considered that but hadn’t placed it on our tentative agenda as we weren’t sure of yours, or their thoughts on the possibility.”
“To us the benefit would be in terms of three way trade. That is an item that goes to one group where it is modified before being sent on to another.”
“Would you all be interested in joining us for breakfast on Dóchas tomorrow morning?” queried Sarah.
“Well...” responded Sagnoite slowly as the group monitored Gathconte’s body language, “I think I would definitely enjoy that.” Hearing the singular Gathconte’s body language showed his disappointment at not being included. “Would you like to join us, Gathconte?”
It took Gathconte a moment to recognize the question. “Yes,” he replied. “Definitely, well provided my presence will not interfere with your discussions.”
“I don’t see that as being an issue. Merraize, from our standpoint you are also welcome to join us,” said Sagnoite.
“Ours as well,” said Sarah. “It seems I should have been clearer with how I worded my invitation.”
“Your invitation was clear,” Sagnoite replied with a smile. “I confused things with how I phrased my answer for reasons I’ll share another time.”
Gathconte snickered, “I believe she was toying with me.” His comment prompted the group to smile.
Rusty said to Gathconte, “If you would like to see more of the island or planet we can arrange for a Security team to go with you.”
“Thanks. That is an interesting idea, but I would like to sleep on it.”
Hearing the dinner chime Terry said, “It looks like dinner is ready.”
Taking this as their cue Sarah, Siobhan, Maureen, Kathryn, Molly, Jackie, and Amy said in unison, “Dinner is ready for us so follow Sagnoite and Sarah to the dining room and as soon as everyone has found their seat we can begin.” They paused a moment then added, “As some of you likely remember, our meals are served buffet style. Tonight you are asked to go through the buffet line as your table is called. We are doing this to avoid long lines which can make it difficult to refill the buffet selections.”
Once everyone was seated Aoife stood and said, “Let us take a moment to express our appreciation to our Deities by saying, ‘For food, for raiment, for life, for opportunity, for friendship and fellowship, we thank the family of Goddess Canu and God Laghdha for the blessings They have provided us.’”
After the blessing Sarah said, “Secretary Sagnoite, shall we select our food choices together.”
“It will be an honour to accompany you,” Sagnoite replied with a smile.
As Sarah and Sagnoite walked to the serving line, with the rest of those at their table following, they both scanned those sitting at the other tables. They were pleased to see that the Órarduine and Atewa had mingled.
Sarah said softly, “It looks like everyone is enjoying themselves as they become better acquainted.”
“Yes. Based on the gestures and expressions, it seems to be going well. Actually, I am quite pleased with what I see.”
“While I haven’t compared the list of those in your delegation with those accompanying you the last time, my impression is that this is the first visit for quite a few.”
“It is. Since this the first time we’ve brought a trade delegation here we took the opportunity to include some who have great potential but are light on experience. If we had permitted everyone who wanted to come we would have needed another ship, at least, to accommodate them. While having more people in the delegation would have given us more depth in the discussion of some issues and opportunities, it is often not as productive. The other issue is that it is more expensive, thus draws more attention, and thus instils a greater desire for instant results.”
“Why do you feel a larger delegation is less productive?”
With a smile Sagnoite said, “If I could quantify the cause, I could make a fortune. There are as many reasons given as there are psychology studies. My suspicion is that it relates to how an individual views the importance or significance of their contribution to the objective, along with the support they give and receive from each other. There is also the issue of politics and associated ‘kingdoms’.”
Sagnoite’s and Sarah’s discussion of group dynamics continued after they sat down, the others near them joining in the discussion. It flowed around the table as people spoke of their observations on the subject. Their stories covered a wide range of situations.
When people began clearing the tables Sagnoite said, “This has been a very interesting discussion. I think it has given me some insight into Task Group dynamics that will be helpful in the future.”
From the riser at the front of the dining room Sorcha announced, “Good evening all! This evening we are joined by visitors from the Atewa World. To welcome them the Beyond the Stars Choir will give a brief performance. Hopefully hearing our choir will encourage them to visit our entertainment area during their stay to hear a larger variety of our music. In addition to music some venues offer dancing, and games. Also near the entertainment area is a sports recreation and exercise area.”
Her announcement prompted quite a few of those present to applaud as many of the Órarduine cleared the tables. Once the Atewa realized what their hosts were doing many of them assisted with the task.
Gathconte said softly to Merraize, “This is definitely different to any other welcoming reception and dinner I’ve been to.”
“That it is. Of all the Worlds I’ve visited, I don’t believe any of those gatherings had as much class as we find here.”
“Pomp and circumstance do not make class. In many respects this feels like I am attending a large family gathering as a respected friend.”
“You are. They see us as special friends and will continue to do so as long as we reciprocate in kind.”
“That is a difficult concept for some at home to understand or even consider. Already a few are advocating annexing them simply to gain their technology and knowledge. There are some groups in the Monque World with the same idea and they have some significant political clout pushing it.”
“The consequences of doing that scare me. I gather you intend to share that with them.”
“If the opportunity presents itself, and breakfast with Sarah’s Clan seems like a possible opportunity.”
“Likely,” she responded as the choir gathered to sing.
Sarah’s Clan had just finished freshening up after their morning exercises when Dóchas FOC said to them, “Secretary Sagnoite and her party will arrive in 15 minutes.”
“Thank you,” responded Maeve. “Would you inform Operations that we will be there to meet them?”
“Certainly,” responded Sabrina.
Once the Atewa shuttle had settled onto the deck Sarah’s Clan entered the hanger. As the Atewa exited their ship Sarah’s Clan welcomed them. Once greetings were finished Sarah said, “Breakfast is being served, so let us go see what the offerings are today.”
“I am looking forward to it,” responded Sagnoite. “I’ve heard a lot of stories about the selections you all have at each meal. The food last night was delicious.”
Aoife asked Merraize, “What did you think of yesterday’s activities?”
“From my perspective, they were perfect. Sagnoite feels the same way. Even though they were warned, many of the delegation seem surprised that you all weren’t pushing specific trade items. I don’t believe they’ve ever encountered a situation like the one we have here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Normally, the people we visit have specific trade items they are pushing to export. In a similar fashion, we have a list of items to offer. To me the situation here is unusual in that you have the knowledge to produce and export many items that we could use, but you aren’t ready to do that yet. Probably the most significant accomplishment we can achieve is to establish an exchange of raw materials and basic manufacturing materials. By raw materials, I am referring to metal ores and similar types of basic materials. By basic manufacturing materials, I am referring to refined raw materials such as metal ingots, etc.”
“I am a bit surprised that you are seeking, or need, mineral ores.”
“Why is that?”
“Because you have more resources to find them and bring them to where you need them than we do.”
“We do pretty well looking for things we currently use. In doing so it is easy to overlook new materials that at first glance don’t seem to be useful as they don’t match current expectations. From what I’ve seen since arriving here your material knowledge appears to be quite different than ours. With some collaboration, it will hopefully improve and expand each other’s list of useful resources.”
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