By the time Smith went ashore, most of the civilians from the first ships were already off the pier.
The gangway was no longer a line of stretchers. A few Albian sailors stood at its foot while Golden Eagle Army medical personnel led the last of the walking wounded toward the reception area farther back.
Along the berth, Engineers worked on the hull with their drones and yellow cases, and the noise of cutting tools carried across the water.
Smith waited on purpose. Nobody needed an admiral in the way while people were still being carried down.
The pier didn't move under his boots. After days at sea, it took him a moment to notice.
He walked a few steps along the berth and looked at the first ship from the outside. The temporary plating along its side looked worse from here, and one section of the hull sat visibly lower than the rest.
Two of his officers followed a short distance behind.
