Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System

Max thought about it for a while and then decided to make a few reasonable restrictions part of the deal in case scientific morality was different between the two species.

"We will need to make a proper list, but it would certainly include no surgical experiments, and no destructive testing of the Nanotechnology, as it can have adverse effects on both the host who agreed to it and the one attempting to destroy the nanobots. We will want access to the results for our own scientific purposes, and all subjects must be of the age of majority or have parental permission to participate. For the sake of ethical integrity and verification, an unaffiliated observer must oversee the study process."

The man's eyes lit up in joy. "So you really will allow it?"

"For scientific research purposes. If you fail to procure willing volunteers or anger the System, the study will end immediately. Also, as we don't know how long the study will last, we are willing to hire additional staff for you and for the quality of life of your family while you are here." Max agreed.

"Excellent. I look forward to working with you. I will leave this proposal with you and have an amended agreement written up detailing more than the study itself."

"How many additional staff will Terminus be bringing aboard for the study?" The mother of the family asked, concerned about her kids growing up on an alien ship if their father's work took years to complete.

"We will need, at the very minimum, an observer that is not from the university and perhaps not from the Innu or the humans at all. We will need two research assistants for each of them to verify the results, in addition to the human staff we already have here aboard Terminus. We will also need childcare workers since such relocations typically move an entire family unit when humans are the ones doing them.

Finally, we will need educators, as Terminus lacks the staff to provide an Alliance quality education, and it is required by our customs to provide training for children that is at least up to the standard that they would have enjoyed at home.

It is considered a sign of being a quality employer to provide the necessary facilities for your workers. We simply didn't have many children aboard at the present, as we are making the transition from a military ship to a generational transport." Max explained.

"So, entire generations of humans will live aboard this ship? Not just the ones working actively?" She asked.

"That is correct. While some will choose to retire onto a planet or take work on one while they raise their children, most of the members of the Trading Company would spend their entire lives calling a single Colony Ship home."

The kids looked way more excited about those words than the mother did. Her mind said she enjoyed leisurely days doing nothing in their villa while the nannies and tutors took care of the children, and she supervised their work. A short time on Terminus was a vacation, but after too long, it would be more like she was a common housewife.

"You are free to hire your own staff if you wish to have them accompany you during your tenure here. We are not so exclusive that we forbid domestic workers for those who require them. In fact, there is a group of Giants on one of the upper floors that brought their own butlers and maids with them on vacation." Max explained after reading her thoughts.

"Oh, yes, the Planetary Governor's family. Their children are mostly grown, but I did see their butler picking up from one of the restaurants." The Professor laughed.

Terminus had more than sufficient staff to make food deliveries within minutes, but still, that group preferred to send their own staff to get anything that they needed when they weren't going themselves.

They were paying customers, and from what he could gather, the staff was paid very well, so he wasn't going to argue about the arrangement, even if it did seem redundant.

He had thought at first that they were worried about being poisoned by alien foods or political rivals, but the servants didn't sample any of the dishes they picked up, so that was out. The family simply had their own way of doing things and wasn't adventurous enough to bend those ways even while on vacation.

They did enjoy the facilities, though, and more than once, the matriarch of the family had fallen asleep in the sauna, claiming it was magic on old joints.

"So, we will have our old tutors back?" The Innu girls asked in sync with each other.

"Possibly. If Terminus hires sufficient quality teachers, I will consider allowing you to attend public lessons." The mother reluctantly replied.

"How about this? You are well-versed in educational standards. Perhaps you could help our staff with the job ad? If you find a quality group of teachers, we can add a learning abroad facility to the ship's amenities and take exchange students for a school year at a time."

The idea had just come to Max, but it sounded like a lot of fun, and after meeting the Tech Nomads, Max was absolutely certain that there would be a demand for the service. More than a few Innu youngsters wouldn't be willing to give everything up to explore but would still hold that desire to travel and see new things. A learning abroad program would allow them to do that without upsetting their parents or slacking on their classwork.

"Really? What sort of budget would we be working with?" She asked.

[Nico, how much are Innu private school teachers and tutors paid?]

[About eighty thousand credits annually, with the most prestigious of them making low six figures.]

"With a pair of administrators, plus two educators each for six classrooms, divided by age, not more than one point five million credits annually," Max replied. That would let them take all ages, and he could expand the numbers if the program really took off.

"Barely a hundred students?" She asked, curious about Max's math.

"Does that seem too small?" He replied, sensing only confused thoughts in her mind.

The professor laughed and filled him in. "You really underestimate the Innu desire to experience new things, don't you? If you allowed it, they would turn the entire ship into a floating Academy, with a hundred thousand students every year fighting for the right to come back for another year.

And it's not just the Innu. The Valkia love to travel for school, as well as the Illithid and the Myceloid. If you wander around the Galaxy doing science experiments like this, with some political interventions, you could be one of the Galaxy's most prestigious places of learning if you could find the right staff."

Technically, they had a lot of extra space in the ship still. The Academy could be placed behind the Cruise Ship facilities and cordoned off, so students weren't wandering without permission. The first few cargo bays were dedicated to visitor's vessels, but the next group was completely empty since they preferred to use the ones at the back of the ship, closest to the crew quarters, for materials storage and production purposes.

"Do you have time later this afternoon or tomorrow? I would like to put a proposal to you, Professor, as well as your very capable wife. I think the Academy might be a wonderful addition, and we could certainly free up five hundred meters of the ship's length for the purpose." Max asked them formally.