The Starfield Farming Sovereign (Elizabeth Schofield) novel Chapter 361

Chapter 361 I’ll Take Them Too

“I’m in! I used to design robotics!” A soft-spoken older man with glasses pushed forward, urgency break through his composure.

“I can farm. I learned on a working farm years ago.” A broad-handed man with weathered skin called ou from somewhere in the middle.

One voice, then another, then another. The hold, which had been so quiet, came alive.

These were people who had followed their injured family members out of the kingdom’s core systems because they couldn’t bear to leave them to face a dead-end planet alone. They’d given up everything to stay close to someone who couldn’t move without help. They’d made their peace, or tried to, with a life built around stipends and official arrangements and the quiet wasting of their years on a planet that had no use for them.

And now someone was telling them they could work. That they were wanted. That their hands and their legs and their minds were still worth something.

Even the children felt the shift.

The little girl pulled free of her mother’s hand and ran to Elizabeth, tipping her face up, still shy but working hard to hold herself straight. Her voice came out small and earnest and certain. “Miss, I can work too. I wash my daddy’s face for him. I help Mommy around the house. I don’t eat very much. I can help take care of Daddy.”

A child’s words, unpolished and exact, landing harder than anything an adult could have said.

Elizabeth crouched down and rested her hand gently on the girl’s head. She smiled at her, and at all the faces looking back at her from around the room, and it was the kind of smile that didn’t need anything added to it.

She stood and looked at Elmer, who had gone through stunned, then understanding, then something he was clearly working to keep contained. She kept her voice light.

“Looks like I’m taking your second ship too, Lieutenant.

“Go ahead and get a new count. Everyone who wants to stay.” She let her gaze move over the men lying in the berths and pods, some of them unable to speak, but something returning to their eyes that hadn’t been there before. “Anyone who wants to be here and build something with their own hands is welcome at my farm.

She looked at the tangle of medical equipment filling the hold. “As for all of this, name a price and I’ll buy it

The farm had no high-grade medical equipment to speak of. Walking out of here with a full set of military-grade hardware that you couldn’t find on the open market at any price was a genuine score, and

she knew it.

Elmer took a slow breath. Then he raised his hand and gave her the most sincere salute he’d managed all day. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll put in the request right now.

9:09 am P PPP.

Chapter 361 I’ll Take Them Too

+5 Pearls

He was fairly certain the equipment would end up being transferred at no cost, given that the patients it had been purchased for were now staying. He turned and began organizing the re-registration process without delay, moving through the hold with the quiet efficiency of someone who knows what they’re doing and trusts it.

Then he stepped aside and opened an encrypted channel to First Military logistics and personnel placement.

“This is Elmer reporting in from the Planet A001 placement site. Unexpected development. Requesting emergency guidance.”

The voice that came back was steady and middle-aged. “Go ahead, Elmer.”

“Regarding the third group, the severely injured personnel were originally scheduled for transfer to Blueshield Planet. Ms. Elizabeth Schofield, the farm’s owner here at A001, has independently offered to take in this group and their families, with employment provided to family members who are able to work.”

A pause on the other end. Then, carefully: “Say that again. Ms. Schofield made this offer herself? There was no gressure on your end? No suggestion?”

“Sir, on my honor as a soldier, this was entirely Ms. Schofield’s initiative. She made the offer with full knowledge of the group’s condition and their inability to perform conventional work. There was no pressure or suggestion from anyone on our side. Her decision was completely voluntary.”

A longer silence this time. When the voice came back it was measured and deliberate.

“Elmer, this isn’t a small matter. Long-term medical support and living arrangements for this group require serious consideration. Ms. Schofield is family to Commander Hewitt, but the farm is a private operation. We can’t allow personal relationships or any other factor to saddle her with a burden she shouldn’t be carrying. Are you certain she understands what she’s committing to? That this isn’t a spur-of- the-moment decision?”

“Sir, her position was clear and firm. She’s already begun organizing family registration and transition logistics. She also offered to purchase the medical equipment currently in use.” Elmer paused. “My personal read is that she’s not acting on impulse. She has her own reasons, and she has the standing to back them up.”

“Understood.” The voice turned brisk. “I need to escalate this immediately, up to Commander Hewitt himself. Until I have a clear directive, hold the Blueshield transfer. Keep everyone settled and comfortable. Stand by for my response.”

10.8K

9:09 am Pppp.

The Farming Saint in the Starry Wasteland