The Drak'honai

The Man Who Counts, VI.

On Diomedes, the Drak'honai live on large sea rafts which are more like ships. One such raft, the Gerunis:

"...held about a hundred Diomedeans plus wives and children." (p. 175)

That is one way of putting it. Another way is to recognize that the wives and children are also Diomedeans, thus that the raft holds maybe between three and four hundred Diomedeans, depending on family sizes.

Ten aristocratic couples have apartments in the poop;

twenty skilled, ranking sailors each have a single cabin on the main deck;

deck-hands are barracked in the forecastle.

The squadron comprises:

dwelling units, as above;

cargo carriers;

fish and seaweed processors;

temporarily linked rafts;

outrigger canoes;

aerial detachments on guard. (Diomedeans, like Ythrians, fly.)

 

Many squadrons form the Fleet.

This is one culture on one planet in known space.