Once they were free of the hospitality of the researchers, Nico took Dahlia into the VIP areas to set her up with a room somewhat near their own so that she wouldn't feel lost and alone among strangers.
Not that she knew Nico and Max all that well, but they did bring her here, so Nico felt obligated to at least look after her for the first few days until she got settled and had time to research and pick a home of her own.
Two hours later, they were both refreshed and dressed in new clothing, likely from the room's replicator, which Max had sensed completely shocked Dahlia to the core.
The concept that she could just press a button and ask for anything she wanted was so strange that her mind had a problem processing it. Even dinner was a culture shock to her, but when Nico showed her that it could make new clothes and shoes, as well as all sorts of personal items, including the specialized eyewash that her local kinfolk preferred, she simply had no words to describe her response.
Max arrived first so that he could see the response of the Gray politicians when Dahlia walked in, dressed up as a Reaver Princess since she let Nico dress her.
She had no idea what the local fashion was like, and the Gray politicians all wore the same boring silver jumpsuits with their nametags on them as a political uniform.
There were some businessmen in their delegation who were dressed more normally, but Nico's version of high fashion was very different than most people's.
When Dahlia came in wearing Cargo pants with combat boots and a pink tank top under a leather jacket, all of the Gray present in the room were shocked into silence.
"Oh, I think you picked well. They're speechless. Thank you, Miss Nico." She whispered as she smiled at the assembled politicians and business leaders.
"I think we should have sent someone to help. I'm not sure that the reavers know about our fashion sensibilities. Look, she's even got her neck exposed." One of the politicians whispered, but not so quietly that Dahlia couldn't hear him.
"Wait, was that what the silly scarf that came with the gold jumpsuit was all about? We don't do that on my planet." She explained.
The gold-coloured jumpsuit with scarf was the uniform worn by an Envoy of their species in a formal setting, but Dahlia had thought it was a joke when presented with it by Nico.
"I can make you a scarf." Max offered.
"Thank you, Commander Max. I think it will put everyone at ease." She agreed, and the rest of the Gray all sighed in relief at the concession.
Max went to the replicator and picked one for a local sports team, the Growlers, whose pink and white colour scheme vaguely matched her outfit. Unfortunately, it was human-sized, and when Dahlia wrapped it around her neck, it hung down her back to her knees like a cape.
She looked like a superhero from a kids' cartoon.
Max turned to address the room. "Welcome, everyone. It is good to see you all enjoying your time aboard Absolution. I know some of you had a rather long journey to get here for dinner, so I won't hold up the process anymore other than to introduce you to Dahlia, the elected Envoy for her species to the Terminus Trading Company and the Hunters."
The Hunters present thumped the table in their traditional welcome, and the Gray representatives made a folded hands gesture and nodded.
"Welcome Envoy. We look forward to getting to know you." The leader of the political group greeted her as Dahlia took her seat between Max and Nico at the large, round table.
"What did he mean by a long journey? Aren't we on a spaceship?" She asked the man across from her.
The small alien laughed but nodded his head in agreement.
"Yes, Absolution is a spaceship, but it's nine hundred kilometres long, and this location is near the very rear of the ship, while we have been staying at a resort in the forests near the bow. The transit pod took over an hour to reach here, but that is an uncommon occurrence, as the majority of the population lives in the cities near the center of the ship."
Khan smiled at the little alien, who waved back. "We are in a private retreat not far from here, so we only had a five-minute trip. Some of my Hunters have gone to the second level to the beachfront cities, though, and they will see you tonight.
I am told that the Innu want to show you the joys of the waterparks."
The Gray aliens looked a bit terrified a the prospect, and it was making Dahlia nervous.
"They get motion sick in the gravity slides, but I am told that they really enjoy the sand of the beaches," Max explained.
The politicians nodded, and the conversation fell to idle chatter about the various features of the ship that everyone liked, ending with a holographic display being brought up over the table as they ate so that Dahlia could learn all about the options available.
"So, you're saying that there are two major levels to the ship, and there is a whole city here on the main level, with the second level a thousand metres above their head? I saw the outdoors when we were flying over, though, and it looked so real." She explained.
"Yes, and it only gets more surreal when you are actually in it. Because the ship is larger than most countries in our world, it is very easy to forget that you're inside a World Ship with artificial ceilings.
The Alliance usually uses spheres. They're more energy efficient for construction, but the curvature makes it more obvious that you are in an artificial environment."
When dinner finished, Max prepared himself for the business meetings with the Regimental leaders, who were about to learn about all the Mecha and Mobile Suit advancements that had been made. They were already in another private room of the restaurant, and the Innu were waiting for Dahlia and anyone else who would accompany them to play.
The Hunters were up for it and had promised Dahlia that they would take good care of her and make sure that she made it to a proper bed if she wore herself out playing.
They were going to be at a resort anyhow, so Khan had booked a number of rooms for them, knowing that nobody would want to stop until they could barely walk anymore.
The Gray mostly ran away at the mention of going to play with the Innu and the Hunters, but a few of them stayed out of a sense of Duty. Their culture was very hierarchical, and the thought of possibly insulting the Envoy by leaving her alone with only other species made them too nervous to leave.
So, they were going to be dragged along to the beach, and likely through the slides, because the Innu were very persuasive, even though the small aliens were terrified of the fast-moving tunnels.
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