The ships he ordered to arrive did so without any delay and while their captains were escorted to the conference module for a meeting, all the crews helped to carry all the materials from the most damaged ships to the new ones they were getting, leaving the refueling and minor repairs to the droids.
They also removed all the crates from the ships to make room for the module parts and drones.
-Welcome to my station, captains.
Andrew greeted them all the moment they took their seats.
-I called you here to explain the details of the operations we will be running simultaneously in these two systems.
Andrew activated the Holo projector and displayed the systems in question.
-If I'm being honest, I would love to have more time to accomplish this, but as it stands we have two weeks to a month at best, to get everything ready and we can expect the first refugee ships to arrive any day now.
Seeing as time is tight I'll jump straight to the point,
Your ships are being refueled at the moment and all the repairs that can be done right now are being done.
At the same time, the crates from your cargo bays are being removed to make more room for the module parts and drones you will be taking to your destinations.
Once there, you will drop the parts and drones, which will assemble the beginning modules for the two new stations, but you won't be returning here for a while.
Instead, I want all of you to find all the stations in the vicinity and bring them to the beginning modules to be connected and taken over.
This I hope will save us a lot of time in the process of building the stations.
While you all are busy with this, the rest of your fleet will be also refueled and repaired as much as possible and when they are ready, they will be flying in more module parts.
The idea is to build the two stations simultaneously to the level at which they would be able to at least defend themselves and produce their own modules.
With that in mind, these two systems have a bit of an advantage compared to this one as both of them have planets, some of which are gas giants, so you will be able to start with the hydrogen generators for power and you won't need to worry about lack of fuel.
Both systems also have asteroid belts and most planets have moons, so there should be no shortage of materials for a long time.
Are there any questions?
Andrew asked, after outlying the plan.
There were a few hands that went up and Andrew pointed at the nearest one.
The captain stood up, it was some kind of squid-like species, with its tentacles serving as both hands and legs.
-How many modules can we be expected to transport in the time frame you just described?
The alien asked.
-As many as possible, I'm detailing 25 component manufacturing modules for each station and all the resources at my disposal, to speed up the process as much as possible.
Hearing this answer the captain nodded and sat back, while Andrew pointed at the next captain with a question.
-What about repairs and resupply to our fleet, and I would also like to ask about the medical treatement.
This captain was a humanoid, and he resembled a Klingon from Startrek except for having 4 eyes and horns on his head as well as his skin color being orange and having three fingers on each hand.
-The resupply, is always available, at least as much as I can manage, as for repairs, it will depend on having the parts and soon this would not be a problem as we are going to build a module to produce them in the near future.
As for the medical treatment, we have the ability to heal most wounds and there is a regeneration tank available, so if you have injured or sick crew members, you not only can send them to be treated, but I directly order you to do so.
From the moment, I took you all in, you have become my people, and I intend to take care of my own.
Additionally, send me all the medical data you have about your crewmembers and that also means the captains, I have a doctor here and she might need these files to effectively treat your injuries.
-Thank you.
The captain said and took back his place.
While Andrew pointed at another captain with a question.
-Is there a limit to how advanced our new stations can be?
It was a female captain, from an aquatic species, or at least it seemed so judging from her scales and the gills on her neck.
-No there is not, every station can be as advanced as the research or the projects you create by yourself , but there is a requirement for all of us to share any advancements we might acquire.
This lasted for a few more minutes until all the questions the captains had were answered.
It surprised them that their new lord took his time to explain everything personally and even more so when he answered most of their questions while delegating only a few of them to the ladies who accompanied him if he didn't know the answer.
It showed that he not only respected them but also was not the know-it-all type of leader.
A moment later Andrew received information that all the ships were ready to go and the parts of the beginning modules were loaded as well as the drones that they would need to assemble them.
-The ships are ready to go, so let us begin this operation.
Andrew said and stood up from his spot, which was followed by all the captains also standing up as a sign of respect.
-If there are any trouble, you can't deal with on your own, you can contact us in real-time through the relay and if need be, we will send help as soon as possible.
Dismissed.
Andrew said and all the captains started to leave, except for the four-eyed Klingon.
-System Master, I have two people who could use medical treatment, one is ill and the other one lost one of his limbs, is it possible to treat them?
The captain said.
-Send them to the medical module immediately, the doctor is resting at the moment as she has overexerted herself, but medical droids should be able to deal with it, and if not then they will need to wait for a few hours for the doctor.
You can pick them up once they are treated.
-Thank you.
The captain said, with hope in his voice.
It was evident that he cared a lot for his crew.
-No thanks are necessary, they are also my people now and I want them to be healthy and at their best performance.
Andrew said.
With this, the captain left.
While the ships were preparing to leave, they were contacted by Runir, who Andrew introduced as the Fleet Commander during the meeting and each captain was informed about their target system.
Even though the captains were not happy that it was not their commodore who gave them their orders, they accepted Runir's instructions with a "Yes Ma'am" and carried them out.
They all understood that they were no longer pirates and were now again a military force and they acted like one.
The ten ships left taking with them Drevon and Rhuneek, the two new station masters and their beginning modules.
As soon as they left, Andrew asked, Arien to call in another ten ships for resupply and to take another batch of modules, that were being produced at the moment.
In the meanwhile, he told Aelita to implement the plans they had discussed weeks ago.
It was a contingency in case the guild was no longer capable of delivering everything they needed.
The engineer went to work and started to draw plans for the new substations, they would need, while at the same time, she also ordered the upgrade to all the component manufacturing modules and at the same.
Upgrading the whole station and all the substations to their best technology would take a few days, but these modules needed to be upgraded first so that they could start producing the new modules as soon as possible.
The main focus was on the hydroponics modules, to ensure they all had enough food and the production of parts for the shipyard they could now build.
It also didn't help that Andrew delegated half of their component manufacturing modules to build new stations, but there was a solution that more than compensated for it.
It was called the module fabricator and it could produce whole modules as long as it had the design and the materials to do so.
This device was quite big and required a lot of power to operate, but according to its specifications, it could make a new module in at most an hour, depending on its size.
While she was busy with that Andrew had guests while he was waiting for the next batch of the captains to arrive.
-I just spoke with the guild again.
Terelen said, while his sister remained silent next to him, but their expressions were sad.
-I take it that they don't want to revoke my blacklisting?
Andrew asked.
-Correct, and they ordered us both to leave immediately, now that the pirate problem is resolved.
Tanera said, clearly not happy with this situation.
-Since that's the case, then there is nothing we can do about it, is there?
Andrew replied while shaking his head.
He was hoping that the guild would change its stance on this situation, but unfortunately, it was not to be.
-Then what about my pilot?
Andrew asked, remembering that the pilot he had captured was still in the guild's hands.
-She will remain in Tanera's custody for now, you will be able to get her back once you can establish a jump gate with the empire.
The merchant explained.
-I'm sorry, I know it's not fair to you, but under these circumstances it was the best I could do.
The elf apologized.
He didn't like this situation any more than his sister or Andrew, but it was what it was, and they were in no position to change it.
After some more talking the two elves left, just as the next batch of captains were brought in by Tarina, and a few minutes later they left the station.