"Hard to port, two bells ahead."
"Hard to port! Two bells ahead!" Krell repeated loudly.
The Fuxi began to bank left, its colossal hull tilting as it did. Thrusters along the port side blazed with incandescent white light, pushing the ship into a turn to port and slightly forward with an agility that seemed at odds with its enormous frame. It then glided smoothly over the space station centered around Dock 4.
"Agile as a swift skimming across a river." Krell gave Yu Lian a thumbs-up.
Yu Lian couldn't be bothered to respond. He continued issuing orders. "Ahead three. Hold at 300."
"Ahead three, hold at 180!" Krell bellowed.
The Fuxi accelerated to third speed in just half a minute, yet Yu Lian couldn't feel the slightest vibration in the hull. It wasn't until the ship had surged ahead for five minutes and felt the gravitational pull of a nearby dwarf planet that he noticed the faintest shudder.
Still, even with his keen senses and intuition, he could feel only a slight tremor. To most ordinary people, it would be as steady as their own bedroom.
"Steady as a mammoth striding with its head held high." Krell gave Yu Lian another thumbs-up, this time grinning broadly enough to show his teeth.
Yu Lian still didn't react. He continued giving orders. "Hard to starboard, ahead four, heading 112 for Yala. Prepare the port-side No. 1 turbo-laser group."
"Hard to starboard! Ahead four! Heading 112 for Yala! Port-side No. 1 turbo-laser group, stand by!" Krell bellowed, full of vigor, chest out and head held high, continuing to do his best impression of a seasoned, meticulous first officer.
Even so, it was hard for him to hide the excitement in his voice.
This guy seemed to be having a great time.
The Commonwealth