Family Law 2: The Long Voyage of the Little Fleet Read Online Free PDF

it, and Gordon certainly didn't want anyone with them for who knows how long who didn't want to be there. The cook would find out nobody on Derfhome would give him credit, or take his contract, with the squandered debt hanging over his head. The consensus aboard the Retribution was that the sudden relationship would come to an abrupt end when the rest of his money ran out.
    This last minute emergency would have required a rush recruitment, but the Mothers  decided on the last day that there should be one of their number in the expedition to watch their interests and provide a voice of Derf law to counter balance the Fargone spox being taken along. The duty of course fell to the third and youngest Mother. She called herself Madonna for Humans and was young, fit, strong, and too inexperienced to be afraid. Best of all she'd come up through the kitchen. Madonna didn't think herself too special to cook and they could easily teach her to sort and load missiles under way. The Mothers hoped she'd serve on their own Sharp Claws , but Gordon dashed those hopes citing necessity, his fleet authority prevailing, and sent her to the cruiser Retribution .
    The Retribution kept quite a few of the crew who had served on her during the recent war, there not being room for many to follow Gordon and Thor to the High Hopes . Fred Pierson and Bob Colburn were all of the old crew who moved over. The other explorer The Champion William was crewed mostly by recruits from Fargone and a few war vets. All solid people, but not well known yet by Gordon.
    When the two refitted explorers joined them in Derfhome orbit, they had everything needed stowed aboard. The entire fleet was all assembled now in the same orbit well above Derfhome station. Notice was given to all crew and last minute suppliers that departure would be the next day, several shuttle lifts being needed to lift everyone to the new fleet. That night there was much serious last chance partying and tearful sayings of goodbye. Particularly there was heartfelt weeping by a number of bar owners and restaurantuers seeing the end of the signing bonus money.
    Clare came to Lee before supper and dragged her away for a private talk. Lee knew something was wrong. It was written all over her face and in her tense stance.
    "I've tried to find some department or supervisor in the fleet who really needs me. People were passing me around trying to find something for me to do just to please you. I'm ashamed to say my Earth education is really lacking. The more people interviewed me the more I realized I don't know how to do anything . They took me in the galley and I had no idea what the cook was talking about when he asked me do a couple things. The maintenance guy gave me a screwdriver and asked me to remove a filter and bag it. I had no idea what lock tags were or which way to turn them. They would have to train me to do the simplest things and none of them felt I was safe to turn loose in a ship unescorted. There isn't a department that has people with free time to train someone.
    "I thought I'd found a home when one department head said I was the perfect supernumerary, but then I found out what it meant. But he was right. Not only that but the more I think on it, if I go, I will still be as useless when we return. I'll spend the whole voyage changing filters or being a prep cook and not getting better schooling. I've figured out it's going to take more than a little private study in my off hours to catch up."
    "I honestly didn't realize there was a problem. Nobody came to me and said anything. They wouldn't would they?" Lee suddenly realized. "I haven't looked at your résumé myself. What can we do?" Lee asked. There wasn't any time left to fix this.
    "There will be other voyages," Clare said, pleading in her voice. "I propose I stay behind on Derfhome for now. There are several small schools for humans in the capitol. I'd like to stay here and study if you will let me, maybe spend some time at Red