91 Chapter 91 The Send Off

An hour later the Abraham Kepler was resoundingly empty, with only the final fading Echoes of boots in metal decking to remember the old crew by. 

The barracks had been painted, the equipment transferred and the entire crew had been moved to the parade grounds to send off the departing troops. 

Two groups stood facing each other, one of them young and hopeful, the order battle-worn, with the hard stares of seasoned veterans that have only begun to fade after a month in transit. Adapting to civilian life will not be easy for most of these men and women, but the faint smiles on their weathered and scarred faces say they are eager to try. 

The size imbalance between the two forces is enormous, with the new crew outnumbering the old by ten to one, and the eyes of the recruits are darting between the faces of the veterans and the Mecha that have been assembled outside the ship to see them off.