So he kept going without complaint.
Piece by piece, the line settled, each step following the last without pause, the process becoming clearer as it moved forward.
The first keel frame for an engineering vessel was lowered into place under the guidance of cranes, its support brackets locking in one after another until the skeleton held firm beneath the dock lights.
Once that stage was complete, the rest of the work became more repetitive, and the machines handled it well once they had been put on the correct path, following instructions without drift.
Aurelian stood with his hands resting lightly on the control rail, watching the initial assembly sequence begin, not moving away yet.
As he watched, he felt as if he could see the progress that they were making, even though it was not much.
But compared to others his age, it is pretty far ahead, as he decided to do something out of the ordinary in his first year as a commander.
