Space Dust (Peregrine Falcon)

[Peregrine]

Unconcerned as to whether or not Asher would be able to get himself properly settled in the room, Aeva quickly moved towards the stairs that led to the second floor of her apartment. If the section of the house where Asher now resided was pretty much left untouched from the default, and the living room was intended to entertain a variety of visitors and guests, then the upper floor was undeniably Aeva's personal quarters.

The stairs led up to a large landing, which overlooked a portion of the living room. Close to the stairs was an open door that led into what was clearly an office. Even at a glance it contained a simple metal desk, and countless bookshelves that were unexpectedly filled with paper journals.

Beyond the office was an open sitting room, which functioned as a much smaller and more personal living room. It contained a loveseat and a giant bean bag, facing a wall that was entirely covered by a near-invisible screen. A few corner tables lay scattered around, one of them holding an empty mug that still had a long-dried teabag clinging to the rim.

Finally, on the other side of the living room was a closed door, which led to the master bedroom suite. The first thing Aeva did when she walked upstairs was close that door, hiding the view of a messy room with clothes scattered across the floor. Only once that was done did she head to the office.

Not expecting it to take Asher very long to get settled, she immediately waved her hands over the desk. A holographic screen projected itself a moment later, and with a few flicks of her fingers, Aeva brought up the six dossiers she'd prepared for Asher. Reading over them herself, she quickly refreshed her evaluation of each of the perspective planets.

Only when the sound of footsteps on her stairs echoed through the door did Aeva glance past them. With another flick of her fingers, Aeva caused the holo-screens to turn around, displaying their information to the rest of the room. "I'm in here," she called out, directing Asher even though he should be able to find her without too much problem. "Come in, have a seat."

 

[Falcon]

Asher perked up a bit as she called him. Aeva's voice giving him clear direction as to where he was supposed to go. With a deep breath he squared his shoulders and strolled into the office, sparing only a brief moment to look around at what the office contained before settling onto the edge of the indicated chair.

It was a comfortable enough seat. Not a place he would want to sit forever, but then a guest wasn't supposed to linger overly long in an employer's office, still. if they were going over exploration plans it could take a while and they might as well both be comfortable while they talked. Sure enough a moment Later Aeva had given the command for the projection to rotate so he could read it.

There were six files there. Each was formatted the same to make comparison easy. Name, planetary image, and pertinent information. It wasn't a lot on information, but to the trained eye it would be enough to make an informed decision about the best prospects for exploration and possible dust resources. Of course Asher's eye was trained in theory only. Classwork equations where there as a professor to walk them through any miscalculations and reasoning. Here, a miscalculation could have disastrous consequences.

"These are the files you were telling me about?" He asked, trying to maintain his calm as he looked them over.

 

[Peregrine]

Aeva watched Asher's reaction closely as his gaze began to scan over the provided information. Internally, she nodded at his reaction. It was clear that he was taking her assignment seriously, even when she'd already made it clear that a failed guess wouldn't have any impact on their future mission. He was dedicated, responsible, and eager to learn. It was a good combination.

"These are the files," Aeva agreed, fingers unconsciously tapping at her desk. "They are superficial compared to a full planet briefing, but to save us both time I consolidated the relevant information. You'll get the full briefing of the correct planet at the end."

Half hidden behind text, she waved at the information on the screen. "Read it over. Take your time, but be prepared to explain your reasoning for either elimination or selection on all six planets."

Planet 1

Planet Name: Arkon
Short Geography: Covered in dark mud and small rivulets of water. The ground is frequently covered in thick light blue slime.
Dominant Plant life: The plants are tall, light blue stalks covered in tiny, hooked, light blue barbs. Each plant has a single circular leaf at the top.
Dominant Animal Life: Small, spongy burrowers make giant nests. They can produce powerful electric shocks to defend themselves, which can conduct through the slime.
Survivability: The slime on the planet's surface may be possibly toxic. Atmosphere should be breathable with mild irritants.
Known Dangers/other info: The stone of the planetary crust is unusually dense and hard.

Planet 2

Planet Name: Dalgorath
Short Geography: The land is a maze of steep valleys and cliffs. The entire planet has radical elevation change, and minimal water.
Dominant Plant life: There are scattered forests of squat grey barrels covered with veined grey leaves.
Dominant Animal Life: Packs of bipedal persistence hunters roam. They have many eyes on stalks, which frequently drop off and regrow.
Survivability: Atmosphere believed to be capable of supporting human life. May experience frequent dust storms.
Known Dangers/other info: Host to several other predator species beyond the dominant animal life.

Planet 3

Planet Name: Tertia, the third Moon of Kordak
Short Geography: A rocky desert lit by a wan yellow sun. Tall mountains rise towards the sky out of flat terrain.
Dominant Plant life: There are clusters of smooth multicolored tubules everywhere. They swell with the rain and hold moisture, before withdrawing during the dry spells.
Dominant Animal Life: Moving objects that are almost indistinguishable from native plantlife. The lifeforms on this planet appear to be part of a kind of superorganism.
Survivability: The atmosphere is breathable. The planet turns slowly, and is therefore subject to extreme heat during long days, and sub-zero temperatures at night.
Known Dangers/other info: Full of countless dormant volcanoes. Many famous photos of the vibrantly colored moon have been taken and publicized.

Planet 4

Planet Name: Picor
Short Geography: A rocky wasteland lit by a bright blue sun. A vast network of tunnels extends under much of the surface.
Dominant Plant life: Clustered pink fronds grow around the mouths of tunnels. Subterranean plant life is unobserved.
Dominant Animal Life: Giant, leathery worms capable of burrowing through stone. They appear to have created the network of subterranean tunnels.
Survivability: Due to the extreme heat of the sun, survivability is highly limited on the surface.
Known Dangers/other info: Although much of the surface lacks a breathable atmosphere, the subterranean tunnels contain large quantities of breathable gasses.

Planet 5

Planet Name: Torleuth
Short Geography: Entirely frozen, pockets of geothermal gasses heat up certain locations to create shallow lakes and swamps.
Dominant Plant life: Clumps of dark orange, yellow, and red grasses grow around areas with geothermal activity.
Dominant Animal Life: Great flocks of scaly, striped fliers migrate in massive groups from hotspring to hotspring. Their eyes are clustered at the end of long tentacles.
Survivability: Atmosphere is breathable, albeit smelling of sulphur. Temperature fluctuations can create extreme cold climates away from geothermal activity.
Known Dangers/other info: Sudden cold snaps can create thin crusts over hotsprings. Beware of the ground breaking out from underfoot.

Planet 6

Planet Name: Novon
Short Geography: A few islands are dotted around an ocean that is constantly steaming. Vast tidal plains surround each island, causing the available land to change drastically over time.
Dominant Plant life: Giant, tower-like trees with green leaves, which are capable of growing in saltwater. They grow across the tidal plains.
Dominant Animal Life: Ancient, four-legged, many-colored giants move across the land. They can survive for thousands of years in a state of hibernation.
Survivability: Suitable for human habitation, but beware tsunamis and typhoons.
Known Dangers/other info: Large energy readings are present deep underwater

 

[Falcon]

Asher's eyes scanned the files, taking the time to read them over twice before making a third pass. On the last read through he worked out of order, thinking out loud as he tried to narrow down the choices.

"I think I might eliminate Picor from the running first. It may have valuable resources, but the probable necessity of having the venture underground to obtain recourses, coupled with possibility of the worms destroying our operations mean the risks out way the possible profits for now.

"I would also have to rule out Dalgorath. We know it's got several main predator species and no idea how they might react to a human presence. While I think the geography might contain a decent supply of areas to set up dust converters, it's probably better that we wait on that particular planet until I have more experience." He frowned in thought for a moment and he examined the other four files.

"The instability of the ground in Torleuth could be problematic for harvesting.... likewise the chance of the lifeforms on Arkon interrupting operations with electric shock would make me consider that as a back up plan. Depending on how powerful those are, there's a chance that one frightened animal could shut us down..... not to mention the possible toxins. That leaves Novon and the Moon Tertia..."

He hesitated a moment but then moved his hand in a way to instruct the computer to display those two files side by side.

"Both are habitable if not exactly comfortable, and both have the unknown elements of their current inhabitants. However the composition of their planetary formation, geography, and ecosystem seems promising for dust catalysts if set up locations can be safely located. Novon's drastic land changes could be problematic for long term operations, but once surveyed the tidal plains do seem promising. But the stability of Tertia's climate and desert mean that with appropriate resources an operation could be fairly successful if the coverters can be set up.... However something bothers me about the moon. People have been photographing it for years, but I've never herd stories of actual exploration. Only fictionalized hypothesis. That means that there's something I don't know. That coupled with the possibility of a super organism."

He took a deep breath thinking the whole matter through thoroughly for a moment.

"I think I'd be inclined to choose Novon based on this information alone." Asher stated finally. He watched for her reaction, for any indication that he'd been right or wrong.

 

[Peregrine]

Aeva waited patiently for Asher to read the documents and begin his analysis. The whole time, she was careful to keep her expression neutrally blank, like she was standing at a press conference. At the moment, there was no more important factor than seeing how Asher's training had impacted his thought process and planet evaluations. It would also shape Aeva's own training plans as they headed planet-side.

However, it was impossible for her to prevent the gleam of satisfaction that formed in her eyes as Asher continued, and she finally nodded her head as he finished. "Very good," she said, and, with a wave of her hand, the block for Novon expanded to fill the whole screen. However, this time it was the full briefing, a 30 page document that contained more in-depth analysis on the climate, weather patterns, the analyzed islands, and plant and animal life that had been photographed by long-range telescopes, and speculated details about their behavior and potential dangers by the Planetary Expeditions Research Department.

"Novon is a very promising new find. So promising, as a matter of fact, that I would not have been able to claim a slot for us if I didn't get priority picking. Every qualifying team hoped to get a shot at it. Under normal circumstances, the danger of the giants means it would need to be a bronze ranked team at a minimum, but my support is considered more than sufficient to make up for the single rank you're lacking."

Aeva scrolled through the briefing with familiarity, before coming to a stop on the energy readings. "Almost everything on Novon, plants, animals, and landmasses, contains very unique energy readings. Otherwise, there's no way that the plants could consistently grow so large, the giants could have millennium long lifespans, and the ocean could remain warm enough to steam without also super-heating the atmosphere. It's a veritable treasure trove of potential dust catalysts, and HQ has high hopes for what a competent team could discover. The most major risk factor is that a full expedition requires taking down a giant, which is why the job is limited to bronze badge holders and above. However, the fight is advantageous for a frontliner because it is a one-on-one fight, which gives a support full freedom to act while the target is occupied with fighting you. It will be a bit of a challenge, but I have complete confidence that I'll be able to get you out of any hairy situations that might develop, since I won't have to be looking after myself like I might if we were fighting multiple enemies. That also makes it a particularly fine learning experience, which is why I bothered to compete with bronze and copper teams."

Aeva cast aside the full briefing. She'd give it in-full to Asher once their meeting was over. However, now it was time to review the other files. Instead, she brought up the brief bio for Torleuth, covering the full screen.

"The main place where your evaluation was lacking is Torleuth. You are correct that it should be eliminated, but not primarily for the reason you indicated. While unstable terrain is always a factor worth considering, it won't be that hard to evaluate as we travel. Ultimately, the ground isn't going to suddenly change. Stable places will always be stable, and unstable ones will always be unstable. The biggest danger is the interaction between the climate and the dominant animal life. In order to remain in a habitable environmental zone, we would have to be near a geothermal point. However, if that location suddenly became host to the flyers, we would have to either confront tens of thousands of potentially antagonistic creatures, or be forced out into the tundra. Considering your current skills as a frontliner, fleeing would be our only option, which would both drastically increase our dust usage to deal with the change in temperature, and limit our access to the most promising potential catalysts. At your level, it's not worth investigating."

Aeva flicked away the information on Torleuth, before bringing up Picor. "You are very correct on your evaluation of Picor. We'd inevitably have to search underground, and have minimal information to guide us on. Picor is the kind of place where a good support can really shine, since more of the dangers are likely to come from unexpected environmental interruptions created by the worms, and any other unknown underground life. But, quite frankly, I don't need the training, and there will be little benefit for you. This is a planet that we'll be leaving to someone else. I'm sure a frontline mentor somewhere will be quite interested in claiming it."

Next up her swishing fingers brought up Dalgorath. "Your evaluation here was also spot on. As opposed to Picor, Dalgorath is a place for frontliners to shine. However, the fact that the dominant lifeform is a persistence hunter means that our entire time on Dalgorath is going to be a battle of endurance, and the other predatory animals only make it more risky. I have no intention of throwing you headfirst into deep water. If someone else hasn't already explored it at that point, we may revisit it some time in the future."

Aeva continued to circle through the documents in the order Asher had brought them up. Next up came Arkon. "Arkon is one of those annoying planets that's likely going to end up proving a graveyard for unranked explorers hoping to earn their iron badge. The toxicity of the location, and the compatibility between the native creatures and the slime, means that taking damage is almost inevitable. Add that to the fact that it has no promising potential catalyst sources, and anyone who can get other assignments will do so. I considered it the largest gimme for elimination. The fact that you didn't hone in on it first is actually quite promising, because it means you look past the superficial elements in your evaluation. Well done."

Aeva's fingers flicked again. However, rather than it's small briefing, this time she'd brought up the full briefing for Tertia. Emblazoned at the top of the document was a large dual gold stamp, which boldly declared that the planet was reserved exclusively for paired teams of gold explorers and above. "Moon Tertia was my largest trap for you, and I'm pleased you didn't fall for it. In truth, the dominant organism is not only the dominant organism on the planet, but also the only organism. Despite the fact that it has great promise for catalyst, I cannot sufficiently stress how dangerous cognizant, hostile superorganisms are. Especially superorganisms that can camouflage with the surrounding environment. Moon Tertia is actually one of those cooperative missions we coincidentally discussed earlier, and, what's more, it's a gold ranked cooperative planet. The reason for this is simply because two people are not sufficient to deal with an entire planet's worth of organisms that are always aware of where you are, you can't see coming, and could gather together and launch an attack at any moment. A single team would be quickly driven to exhaustion, even at the gold rank."

Aeva dismissed the briefing, not bothering to show any of the content further down, and the screen between them vanished. Her face, previously partially hidden by the briefings on the screen, was once more fully visible. She folded her fingers together, tucking them under her chin with her elbows resting on the desk. "Do you have any questions?"

 

[Falcon]

Asher couldn't help but whistle as he got a glance at the full files, even as he tried not to beam too much at her praise. It was a relief to know his judgement had aligned with hers, even if he had missed some of the details. That was a relief to him. He'd half feared he might have forgotten something.

"Taking down a giant huh..." He started, zeroing in on the first thing she said about Novon that stuck in his mind. "As far as we know they're just animals right? Not sentient?" There was a slight frown on his face as he asked. "In a place where things can live a melinium.... My other concern is if we will need to take any protective measures against the heat and humidity. Conditions like that can lead to potential tack problems if we're not carefully.... How much time will we be given to plan?"

A dozen other questions about practical logistics swirled around in his brain, but Asher tried his best to keep it to only a few at a time. One step followed by a solution at a time. That way nothing would get missed.

However, there was no hiding the excitement in his eyes. He had always been an action lover, but not until now when he had a chance to be busy again had he realized how much he had missed it while staying put during school. He was cautious, yes, but this was also a chance to see a brand new world.

 

[Peregrine]

"Headquarters has found no evidence that they are sentient," Aeva agreed. "Of course, as I said before, Novon is almost a brand new find, and we have no way of knowing the exact details. However, considering that we've never found a lifeform we could communicate with in the universe, I'd be shocked if these suddenly broke the pattern."

In response to Aeva's tap, the briefing reappeared. However, rather than hanging in front of her, this time it was on top of the table. Aeva quickly scrolled through the document, refreshing her memory of a few of the specific details. "What our analysts can say with confidence is that they are entirely solitary creatures, with only one giant per floodplain. Considering their lifespan, we have no way to find out about their reproductive habits, or how they might interact should they happen to meet, unless we observed them for a long time. HQ isn't willing to wait that long. We'll be flying in mostly blind on their behavior, other than what's in the briefing."

The information in the briefing was surprisingly limited. It gave basic physiological structures for the two giants that had been clearly photographed, and brief summaries of all the others. Despite the fact that they were relatively similar in structure, four legged behemoths with sloping backs, massive heads, and sturdy legs, they had surprisingly diverse variation in terms of horns, colors, fur growth, and even additional appendages like tails. Each giant was clearly wildly unique.

"As for time to plan, I am certain we have less than you would like. We will be leaving in the morning, three days from now. However, don't forget. While we may be operating solo planet-side, you have the entire support of the Planetary Expeditions organization at your back, and it contains far more than just explorers. There are researchers and analysts designed to interpret the information the long-range scopes gather. Our exosuits will be modified before we leave to match the exterior conditions. You aren't a soldier, you aren't a support, and it isn't your responsibility to worry about logistics. It's all in the briefing."

Aeva flicked her fingers across the table at him, and, a moment later, his watch beeped in response. "Make sure to read the whole file. Of course, if you still have any logistics questions after reading everything in there, you can ask me, or send a message to the researchers assigned to Novon. They'll be able to address any last-minute concerns."

Of course, as a support, Aeva was familiar with the details of logistics. It was, after all, her responsibility to deal with much of that. However, she also had no intentions of walking Asher through it point by point when most of the information was in their briefing.

"Any other questions?"

 

[Falcon]

Asher nodded his head along as he listened to what he had largely expected to hear. Still, the lifespan of these things gave him pause, not to mention how different each was from the others. It was going to be a very interesting trip. He was also realizing that there were going to be a couple habits he was going to have to relearn. Letting others plan the logistics for one thing. that was going to take some getting used to.

"I won't be bothering anyone by asking questions will I?" The question slipped out before he could stop it. Hopefully he wouldn't end up annoying too many people with his questions. Asher knew he was a question asker. It came from wanting to understand what he was getting into before he got too deep. Of course being a frontliner wasn't the best trait for that personality trait. He just preferred not to be reckless. Of course he had other attributes that did fit well with the job as he understood it. He just hoped he had understood correctly.

His watch screen flickered blue with the alert as Aeva send him the briefing, though Asher barely looked at it. He would, of course, be spending quite a bit of time reading over it over the next few days. If it was anything like reading a military briefing he expected it would be concise and to the point, with the information sectioned appropriately. Hopefully that would let his figure out what questions he did have with enough time to ask.

"If I have further questions about the mission I'll prepare a list as I read through." He answered after a moment, "As for other questions, I don't suppose there's a gym somewhere downstairs? Do I need a pass or something to move around?"

 

[Peregrine]

Aeva simply shrugged in response to Asher's question. It didn't take much complicated guesswork for her to understand what Asher was worried about, but she wasn't particularly inclined to console him on this matter. After all, Aeva trusted the Planetary Expedition's analysts. They were the best of the best in their field, and they'd never let her down. Whether or not Asher ended up asking questions was completely irrelevant to her.

"It's literally a part of their job," she replied instead. "If they're bothered by simple logistics questions, I doubt they would have been able to land the job in the first place." Aeva once again began to tap on her desk, before sending another data packet to Asher's watch. Although it wouldn't be all that hard for him to get general information about the headquarters building, this one contained some of the more specific information, including the personal contact numbers of some of the analysts that Aeva had worked closeset with.

Incidentally, it also contained the answer to Asher's next question, in a form of a simple map of the building.

"Floors 40-60 are reserved for residential use. 45 and 55 contain most basic living requirements, including dining halls and entertainment centers. Additionally, 60 serves as a social meeting ground for any explorers in the building. I'm sure you'll be able to find everything you need on those floors. The specifics are in the map. As for access badge, you've already got the only one you'll ever need." Aeva gestured casually with one finger towards the brass badge that had been placed on Asher's lapels during his graduation ceremony. "That will get you anywhere you're allowed to go, including back into my quarters.

"Any other questions? If not, dinner will be ready at 18:30. You're free to move about until then. I'll also want to hear your first evaluation of Novon, so make sure at least some of that time is used to memorize the briefing."

Despite the fact that Aeva seemed in a hurry to rush Asher out at this point, it wasn't as though she had anything in particular to do at this point. She'd finished her own preparations long before Asher's graduation ceremony, and it wasn't as though she considered this to be a particularly dangerous expedition, where she'd have to devote all her effort and energy to creating countermeasures for countermeasures. Of course, that didn't mean she was taking the expedition lightly, simply that she was confident. For her, the next two and a half days would be her last chance to relax.

 

[Falcon]

Asher glanced down as his watch dinged and he registered the information she was sending him would contain the answers to the majority of his questions. Well that was one way to save time. It looked like he was going to have quite a bit of reading to look forward to over the next couple days, and maybe some exploring of the building as well. That was all right. He could entertain himself. He knew Aeva probably had quite a bit of work to do that didn't necessarily involve him.

He offered a full salute and he stepped back out of her office. "I'll see you at dinner then," was the one acknowledgement he made.

The next couple hours were spent in his room going over the briefing, trying to take in as much information as he could before he just couldn't stand it anymore. He poured over the known and the anticipated dangers, what materials seemed promising from the analysis of the basic survey probe, everything known about the giants and possible battle plans... now that was looking to be one hell of a fight... but eventually he grew restless.

The map of the complex included a gym and pool facility located on the 51st floor, and it was there, after throwing a few things in a duffle bag, that Asher set out to find. He would never admit it out loud, but the map in his watch was a godsend, and things continued to look much the same as the rest of the building's décor. But he did eventually find what he was looking for, checked into a locker, changed, and hit the gym.

Asher liked to keep his workouts well rounded. Usually he rotated different activities through the various days of the week, but this time he was mostly looking to see what this facility offered. So far he was very impressed with the layout and the space as it seeped to have a little of everything. He also seemed to have chosen a good time of day so show up as there were very few other people present.

Eventually he settled on a stationary bike, and followed it up with some free climbing in the spelunking cave, and a few laps in the pool. Fortunately the exercise had the desired effect of stretching out his body and working off his nerves. Asher had to admit he felt much calmer as he took advantage of the men's locker room's shower facilities. He had gotten through the work of it for now, this was not a trick, and stressing over a mission that would not occur for a few more days would help no one.

By the time he arrived back at Aeva's rooms he was walking around shirtless, in swim trunks and sandals, with a towel over his head as he finished drying off his hair. Everything else had been stuffed back in the duffle bag to be sorted and washed later (he assumed their were laundry facilities with everything else somewhere). By the time he changed into more appropriate clothing he would be right on time for dinner.

For once there was a slight smile on his face.

 

[Peregrine]

Aeva waved away Asher with a lazy sway of her hand, before relaxing back into her chair when he left her office. She closed her eyes for a moment, replaying their conversation and silently judging herself. Aeva unquestionably placed great value on this mentoring process, and she held herself to high standards. Had she provided him with enough information? Had she provided him with too much? Had she left him confident with their upcoming journey? Had she sufficiently emphasized the level of danger that could arise from picking an inappropriate mission?

Only if she reviewed herself and her actions would she be able to improve, and only then could she strive to be the best mentor she could be. And she knew she wasn't there yet. She was flying blind when it came to what made for good guidance, working off of pre-made plans, a few tricks, and half-remembered pieces of her own time as a mentee. Aeva doubted—and, quite frankly, hoped—that Asher had no idea that she'd felt just as pressured by their first encounter as he had.

At the very least, Aeva was more than satisfied with her first pick for a mentee. He seemed calm, stable, and well-reasoned, all excellent traits for a competent frontliner. Of course, he was still a bit inexperienced, but that was exactly what Aeva was here for. She'd allow him to safely build experience before he struck out on his own.

Finally opening her eyes, Aeva stood up and moved over to the bookshelf, grabbing a book from the end of an entire row of identical journals. Book firmly in hand, Aeva sat back down at her desk. She pulled a fineliner pen out from a drawer, opened the journal, and began to write.

Every page was completely filled with miniscule handwriting, which fit three rows of text between each line. Despite that fact, each letter was neatly shaped, and the words didn't blur together. Considering how delicate the whole thing seemed, Aeva wrote with unexpected speed, the little words quickly spilling out from the tip of the pen. Occasionally, she would pause, furrow her brows, organize her thoughts, and then continue writing.

An hour later, Aeva had filled a page. She closed the journal with a sigh, returned it to its shelf, and left her office. She settled on the bean-bag in the space next to the office, grabbed a pair of earbuds from the nearby table, and turned on the tv.

Somewhere in there, she heard the sound of the door opening and then swinging closed and knew that Asher must have left. However, she didn't bother about it, and continued on with her show.

It wasn't until several hours later that her program was forcibly paused as the sound of a doorbell rang throughout the house. Aeva frowned. Asher's badge should have granted him access to her apartment without him having to disturb her. Had something gone wrong with his registration. Sighing to herself, Aeva stood up from her comfortable position on the bean bag and tromped her way downstairs.

"We'll have to get that..." the woman began as she swung the door open, only for her words to abruptly come to a halt when she realized that the person waiting on the other side of the door wasn't her new mentee. Instead, it was a muscular man with short-cropped, copper hair. He offered Aeva a stunning smile as soon as he saw her. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Aeva replied shortly, a small frown on her face. "What are you doing here, Luka?"

"What, you're about to fly who-knows-how-many lightyears away with some freshie meatshield, and I'm not allowed to come see you off?" He asked, striding forward confidently as though intending to press his way into the apartment. With a sigh, Aeva stepped back and allowed him access.

Luka took his shoes off with clear familiarity, leaving them neatly lined up next to Aeva's own as the door swung closed. Only then did he lift his head and glance around, a trace of exaggeration in his gesture. "Where is the rookie wonder anyways?"

Aeva simply leveled a glare at him for a moment, arms folded, her head shaking slightly from side to side. Luka stared at her for a moment, eyes widening innocently, before he folded under her pressure a moment later. "I know. Rude. Sorry. I still just can't believe you're wasting your time on this."

"We're not rehashing this conversation. Especially not now."

Whether he accepted her comment, or was simply ignoring the matter, Luka continued on. "But, seriously, where is he?"

Aeva shrugged, her arms uncrossing as she moved further into her rooms. "Dunno. He left. He'll be back in time for dinner, and that's good enough for me."

"Perfect!" Luka smiled again, following behind Aeva and leaning casually against the kitchen counter. "What are you cooking? I'll help."

 

[Falcon]

Asher was not expecting company when he came back into the apartment with about twenty minutes to spare before dinner. In fact it was a couple seconds before he looked up to even notice there was a guest, as he had come through the door with the towel mostly over his head. Not that he could see into the kitchen area immediately, but he heard voices... wait, why did both seem familiar?

It was as he poked his head into the room for a peek that it hit him. That was the Luka. Asher had had more than a few classes where they had watched interviews or documentaries about the man and the teams he had worked with. His was one of the examples many of the teachers felt the recruits should attempt to emulate.

Well so much for getting over his nerves.

Carefully he tried to back away, arranging the towel to hang over his shoulders so it covered his chest, suddenly very aware that his swim trunks were still slightly damp. Yet he knew they were probably well aware he'd already come back.

The situation want only made worse when his gym bag caught the edge of the wall and rattled loudly.

Great, he was about to meet his second legend of the day and this was how he was about to present himself.

 

[Peregrine]

Aeva had always loved to cook. Although the automation process for cooking had grown alongside all of human technology, and the advent of dust even allowed for complex meals to be cooked quickly and delivered fresh, Aeva had never given up on the tradition of cooking, especially roasting, grilling, and frying.

Of course, there was no denying that Aeva's job as an explorer had a large influence on her preferences. She couldn't stand the traditional preserved rations that were sent along with explorers, since they didn't have the necessary dust to maintain more complex preservation techniques. Out in the wilderness, if you didn't want to eat the prepared food, the only option was to identify and prepare the ingredients yourself. And, since they had traveled so much together out planetside, Luka was well aware of Aeva's tendencies, and had grown used to being her cooking assistant.

Together, they prepared a marinated beef, so thinly sliced that the meat almost seemed transparent. Aeva boiled rice, and the two set about processing a pile of vegetables, which was eventually stir-fried. While Luka tended to the pan, keeping the vegetables from burning, Aeva set about preparing side dishes, including steamed spinach and a cucumber and tomato salad.

As soon as she finished with the side dishes, Aeva nudged Luka out of the way, bringing out a collection of spices as she began to work on combining the rice, beef, and vegetables into a single dish. Luka moved back, leaning against the counter and watching her work.

Despite the fact that they'd been cooking together for nearly an hour now, the two hadn't conversed much. Luka's few attempts at conversation had been almost completely rebuffed by Aeva's stubborn silence. If the man was going to intrude upon her apartment, it was his job to keep himself occupied. However, the sound of the door unlocking caused the two to momentarily glance at each other.

"Looks like he's back," Luka stated, one brow raised. Aeva turned away again, maintaining her silence, and continuing to work as though she couldn't hear the commotion that was taking place in the front entry hall. Luka, however, stared eagerly at the gap in the wall that led to the front entry. It wasn't until she heard a faint, throaty laugh from the man that she finally looked up from her pan, only to catch sight of Asher in swim trunks and a towel.

"Dinner will be on the table in 15 minutes," Aeva said blandly, shooting a dirty look at Luka, who was clearly hardly bothering to restrain his continued laughter.

"Seriously?" Luka's laughter vanished just as quickly as it had started, and Aeva's eyes narrowed further. She didn't appreciate him intentionally laughing at her mentee. Luka, however, ignored her dangerous expression, continuing to study Asher up and down. "You picked this guy? Out of everyone out there in the whole wide universe?"

"You can leave now. Goodbye."

"Hey! I helped cook. I'm sticking around to eat, too."

"I only cooked enough for two. Goodbye."

"Oh come on now. That's a bald-faced lie."

"Good. Bye."

"Alright, alright. Sorry. Geeze." Luka rubbed the side of his face, before offering Asher a winsome smile. "Luka Novoselec. You can come out and help with the last of dinner prep once you're... changed."

 

[Falcon]

((Collab Part 1))

"Asher Tallart-Moore" Asher reposed with a respectful nod trying to keep his face impassive as he was given an obvious appraising once over. The results were unclear as of yet. If he was lucky he might find out after dinner.
"I'll be quick." He gave a half salute as he stepped back and then about faced to head to his rooms.

It didn't take long to find something far more casual than his graduation uniform, while still being nice enough to entertain company. Granted he only had about five things to choose from so it was hardly difficult. Good pants and a dark grey long sleeved t-shirt worked for a lot of different situations, especially if one through a ,ilitary jacked on too, but given the circumstances he left his jacket in the closet.

Less than five minutes later he was back in the kitchen.
"How can I help?" the question was very obviously directed at Aeva since it seemed she had done the majority of the cooking… it seemed like forever since he'd had a home cooked meal.

Aeva's attention was still turned to the stove, where she was occasionally stirring the vegetables in the pan. She waved over her shoulder without looking at Asher. "Keep Luka out of my way," she replied.

Luka offered Asher another smile. "That's code for 'talk to me so I don't talk to her'," he advised.

"I-Uh- well I'll try my best to be entertaining," Asher offered, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "What's cooking anyway? It's been a while since I've had anything other than cafeteria food, and I have to say that smells amazing." He took a few steps back out of the kitchen not waiting to crowd the space any further than it already was.

"Grilled beef stir-fry," Luka replied, unconsciously nodding in agreement. "Aeva is really skilled at frying… just about anything. A pleasure, you'll soon get the chance to realize. Assuming you can manage to actually hunt her anything edible, that is."

"Anyone who's run out of MREs in the field learns how to hunt very quickly… fishing too if the water's safe." Asher managed with a straight face. "Care to swap stories? I'm sure you've got more than your fair share." There were probably other things he could say, but something told him it was better to try to be polite at the moment.

"MREs? Oh. Right, I forgot you were raised military." Luka replied, a trace of derision in his tone that made it clear he hadn't forgotten that tidbit at all. "Powered by the full force of the UPA's military dust reserves."

A sharp click briefly sounded through the kitchen from the stove. Aeva had set her turner down on the counter, causing the metal to ring out against the stone. Luka, who looked as though he had been preparing to continue to speak, abruptly shut his mouth, and a sudden silence filled the kitchen, interrupted only by the sound of the food crackling in the frying pan.

There was a moment where Asher's face went dark, his jaw tensing as he bit back the words he wanted to say. But the sound of the kitchen utensils settling on the counter gave him an excuse not to respond. A reason to pretend he had heard nothing, because his pride wouldn't let him obviously back down.

"Is there something I can do to be useful?" He asked Aeva instead. "Careless chatter won't help set the table, but if you'll point me in the direction of the plates I'd be happy to lend a hand."

"You can punch him instead if you want," Aeva replied casually, turning around with her turner pointed towards a cabinet. "I'll back you up."

"Naah," Asher answered, poking around a little until he found the plates and eating utensils, "There's no sport in fist fights unless you're in a boxing ring, and I already got my workout in today."

 

[Peregrine]

((Collab Part 2))

Luka looked back and forth between Aeva and Asher, his mouth slightly agape, before he finally reacted. "Hey now!" he cried, turning to face Aeva with a confused expression on his face. "What was that?"

Aeva's eyes narrowed. "I let you in here so you could talk to him, like a proper, mature Platinum ranked explorer, not to let you verbally dick slap him like an over-emotional middle schooler! If you're going to behave like a child, I'm going to treat you like one."

"You hit children?"

"Jesus christ, Luka, do you think this is a game? Do you think I'm playing around here? I take my duties seriously, and that includes mentoring. So you can either give him some proper advice and answer any questions he may have, or you may leave."

The playful smile that had been dancing on Luka's lips since the moment he arrived finally faded away, leaving the man looking much fiercer than he had only moments ago. "If you take your duties so seriously, why didn't you listen to the director, the sub-director, the head of analysis, and every other platinum adventurer you've spoken to when they told you that taking on mentoring is a monumental Waste. Of. Your. Talents?"

"You really think the mentoring program is a waste of time? All the people it trains and helps? We all came out of that same…"

"Your talents! Your talents, goddammit, Aeva. We could be on a platinum ranked mission right now, finding materials that could power our condensers for decades to come. Instead, you're about to head off to some random bronze ranked planet that countless other people could handle, with some man who's already wasted a decade in the military and couldn't even manage to graduate at the top of his class!"

Aeva froze in place, her eyes abruptly going cold and distant. "You disappoint me, Luka."

She didn't know how many times she'd had to repeat this argument with Luka, since the moment he'd heard that she intended to enter the mentoring program. She'd always understood his argument, even if it was always a repeat of the exact same things everyone else said. Platinum explorers were strategic resources, which should only be applied in the right places.

But Aeva had no way of knowing where she'd be right now if it wasn't for the mentoring she'd gotten right after graduating. And the knowledge that her own mentor had likely gone through these same objections and had managed to overcome them to come teach her had only hardened her resolve. Emeryx had been a strong, reliable man, and Aeva could only hope she'd be able to leave behind a mark half as bright as he had.

But it was one thing for the people around her to question her choices, and quite another for them to start taking it out on her mentee. No one, absolutely no one, knew how much care and consideration she'd put into the choice she'd finally made. The Director himself had curated the portfolios of some of the best and brightest graduates, the people who were almost certain to become the future backbone of the Planetary Expeditions, hoping that Aeva would be willing to guide one of them. Yet, Aeva had ignored them all in favor of a brass badge graduate, someone whose background might bury their talents if someone else didn't give them the space to shine.

Just like Aeva herself.

All of the hot air seemed to have flowed out of Luka at her words, like a balloon pierced with a needle. "Aeva…"

"We get on the ship sixty hours from now, and there's nothing you can do about it. Are you staying or leaving?"

Luka shrugged. "It seems I'm not really welcome or wanted here."

Asher couldn't help but look from one to the other as they shot back and forth at each other.

"Uh, hey, look," he started hesitantly when Luka stated he felt unwanted, "I'm not really up for a sparring session at the moment, but I was serious when I said I wanted to swap stories… the offer's still on the table… and you did help with the food right? It'd be a shame not to eat any…" the last of the silverware were placed at the third table setting with a little clink as he tried to catch the man's eye.

Somehow Asher was getting the feeling that this was not going to be the last time someone objected to Aeva choosing him over others.

 

[Falcon]

((Colab Part 3))

The second unexpected silence of the night greeted Asher's words, as the two platinum explorers turned to stare at him. Aeva's harsh expression softened somewhat, and she offered Asher a warm smile. However, her words were directed to the man standing on the other side of the kitchen from her. "What do you say, Luka? Are you going to behave yourself now?"

"Uhh… yeah, sure." The red-haired man unexpectedly looked slightly flustered, but he moved his way over to the table obediently, while Aeva began to carry the dishes to the table.

Asher was quick to help where he could. It was the least he could offer since he hadn't done anything to contribute to the meal, sitting only once everything was to the table.
"So uh- What doesn't the academy teach? I mean not everything can be learned from a lecture or book, so is there any specific lesson I should be aware of before I learn it the hard way? I know that's probably not the clearest way to phrase that question…"

Luka had been staring absentmindedly at his plate, but looked up when Aeva spooned a pile of rice and beef onto his plate. "Thanks," he muttered, before turning to Asher. "They don't teach…?" he repeated, sounding more contemplative than confused.

"I mean, no class is going to prepare you for the reality of facing a monster ten times as big as you are, with nothing but a simple weapon. But hearing about that won't really change anything for you. You'll have to experience it yourself."

Luka mulled over it for a couple of seconds, taking a bite of the beef stir fry and letting out a hum of contentment. "I guess it comes back to dust usage. The Academy always stresses dust conservation, but you will have small quantities of dust. It's always a balancing act, but the dust is there to be used. It's better to use red dust to kill a monster faster than get injured. It's better to access a saved material than waste time trying to find it in the wilderness if it isn't readily available. Rather than dust conservation, exploring is a matter of dust efficiency."

Asher listened intently taking mental notes. Things sounded simple enough, but then he knew the practical application would not be that way. He ate slowly as he listened, too. Savoring each bite with a smile. It had been a very long time since he had food this good.

"If I may ask, what was the source of dust you found that surprised you the most. I know that it's not always the things we might expect to find?"

"Excrement," Luka replied, without hesitation. "The monster was a poor catalyst, as was the plant it was eating, but some part of the reaction during the digestion process…"

Luka made a face, which was unexpectedly mirrored by Aeva at the exact same moment.

"Talk about a different story," she replied with a frown. "I'm eating."

Asher held up his hands in submission. "See, that's more what I was asking. I might not have thought to check something like that. It just further emphasizes testing everything." He took another bite or two as he thought of his next question. "Is there anything you all recommend bringing that isn't included in the standard gear?"

Luka, midway through another bite, paused and nodded. However, he had to chew for a few moments before he was able to speak clearly. "A pocket flute…" he mumbled, before swallowing. "They always tell you to only pack the essentials, but that doesn't take into account you're going to have long, empty nights in the middle of nowhere, with no trace of humanity in sight but your partner. It's worth bringing along something small and beautiful to keep your morale up and relax your mind."

"In case you didn't gather," Aeva picked up when Luka stopped talking. "It doesn't have to be a flute. That's just Luka's thing. I bring along a journal and pen. I know someone who always has a small carving knife. But all the platinum explorers have their... item, that one little thing that keeps them stable and grounded when they're alone in the universe with nothing but monsters to keep them company."

Asher nodded thinking for a long moment as he sipped on his water. "It's a lot of sitting and staring at each other once daylight is gone otherwise, isn't it..I think I can come up with something to keep myself occupied…"

It continued on like this for most of the rest of the meal. Asher asked questions as he thought of them, trying his best to make each one count and think of things he might not have gotten from classroom lessons. But eventually the food was gone and the questions fizzled out. He was sure he'd have more later, but it had been a long day full of new things, and Asher knew he still had a lot of reading to do. He raised his glass to his lips in thought falling into a silent pause trying to decide if there was anything he had missed.

Nothing coming to mind he set the cup down with a slight thunk. "Thank you. I have to say that's the best meal I've had in some time."

Aeva appeared to have finished eating some time ago, her plate scraped so clean that there was hardly even any streaks of the marinade left on the plate, let alone leftover grains of rice. Luka, too, had gone through a massive amount of food, leaving the countless dishes Aeva had prepared all but empty. She began to gather the plates as soon as Asher made it clear he was done eating.

"I'm glad you liked it," she replied softly, before heading back towards the kitchen.

Luka shook his head slightly. "I should be on my way as well," he said, pushing his way to his feet. He glanced towards the kitchen, letting out a big sigh. "It's going to be a long year without you, Aeva."

He glanced towards Asher as well, but ultimately didn't say anything, instead heading for the exit with another shake of his head.

"It wasn't hard for Asher to get the hint that his presence wasn't well liked by Luka, although he wished he could figure out if he'd done something wrong, But at the same time without knowing specifics there wasn't really anything he could do. However he could be helpful.

"Let me take care of the dishes?" He offered immediately moving to lend a hand clearing the table. "If there's anything you need scrubbed by hand I can do that too. You did all the cooking after all."

Aeva shook her head briefly. "You've still got a lot of reading to do this evening. I'll want to hear your thoughts on the briefing tomorrow morning." With all of the dishes stacked by the sink, she turned on the tap and began to quickly rinse them off. "They all go in the dishwasher, so it's not like there's going to be much scrubbing involved."

"Still," Asher offered, "If I help you a little now it's that much extra time we both get to spend on other things." he reached for a damp rag from the sink. "At least let me wipe off the table… it's that or let me cook breakfast…"

Aeva tisked her tongue slightly, but she was able to see the stubbornness that practically radiated off Asher like a visible cloud. All the same, she waved Asher in the general direction of the table. "Have at."

Asher wanted to help, but he also felt as though some of the negativity that evening had somehow been his fault. He knew he wasn't the best choice and so wanted to be useful however he could. He was quick and thorough about helping with the cleanup, even if he was relatively quiet, not quite knowing what to say.

When the chores were completed only a few minutes later, he rinsed out his rag, set it to drain dry, and turned to head back to his room where the rest of those files waited to be read.

 

[Peregrine]

As she heard the sound of Asher beginning to leave the kitchen, Aeva paused. Her lips pressed tightly together for a moment, before she let out a short, sharp sigh. "Asher, hold on a moment."

She quickly put the rinsed plate into the dishwasher, before turning around to stare at Asher. For a second, her fingers drummed on the counter as she tried to organize her words. Then she began to speak, the words crisp and clear. "I know that encounter with Luka couldn't have been the most pleasant experience for you, but I do want you to know it didn't have anything to do with you. Luka was acting like a bully, taking out his feelings on the lowest ranked target because its easier than taking them out on me."

It would be hard to guess from her tone that she was talking about one of the most famous men in the industry, someone whose name had spread across countless planets. Aeva had matched with Luka in the system, and they'd worked well enough together, which is why she'd been willing to pair with him full-time. She treated his childish behavior the way she'd treat a puppy slobbering on her shirt; obnoxious, but, well, that's just something that happens sometimes.

She'd never expected him to take her announcement that he'd need to go find another partner so hard.

"He found things to pick at you for, but he would have done exactly the same for any other mentee I could have chosen. That way he doesn't have to move on with his life, and can blame someone else for 'taking me away'."

Aeva paused, realizing she was rambling, and let out a sigh. "What I'm trying to say is you did nothing wrong, and there's probably nothing you could do or say to change his attitude. Or anyone else's, for that matter. You don't need to worry about proving yourself to anyone. So take this mentorship for what it is, okay? A learning experience. Nothing more."

 

[Falcon]

Asher couldn't help but blink at her in astonishment. How had she know that he had been thinking about that exact thing off an on all day? Regardless of anyone else's opinion of him he still wanted to prove himself, if only to her. She had chosen him out of his whole class after all.

He wasn't sure what to say though so he just nodded deeply and offered up a mumbled, "thank you."

He hesitated another long moment to see if she needed any more help. Determining that the kitchen was in fact clean, and that he might just get in her way otherwise, Asher slowly headed back to his room where he collect his tablet and pulled up the files he needed to read.

After a moment he paused, and instead of settling into his desk chose to relocate to the living room area. He wanted to be accusable if there was something else he could do to help, or If questions needed to be asked or answered. Asher wasn't big on small talk, but neither was he going to hide from a conversation.

 

[Peregrine]

Time passed quickly and easily, and soon it was almost time for Aeva and Asher to depart.

Luka did not visit again after his unannounced visit that first morning. Perhaps he no longer wished to expose himself to Aeva's barbed tongue, or maybe meeting Asher had finally caused him to accept reality. Either way, Aeva didn't concern herself with him.

Instead, she devoted her remaining time to a mixture of making sure Asher was up-to-date on all the pre-travel practices, and enjoying the last of her free time. True to her promise, she quizzed him on the briefing mid-morning the day after the graduation ceremony. An explorer's briefing not only contained all the information that the observation equipment had gathered from the planet, but theories and speculations created by the analysts from the gathered data. While an explorer's best bet is to memorize everything, it simply wasn't realistic, especially as the number of expeditions started growing. That was why Aeva took several hours that morning to go through the report, helping Asher identify the critical, potentially relevant, and non-essential information contained in the mass of documentation.

That evening, as though to make up for the effort she expended, she binged an entire season of a TV show she hadn't watched in several months, only stopping long enough to make a simple dinner of garlic bread mini-pizzas.

The next morning she checked in with Asher again, making sure that all of his questions had been answered by either the support team or the briefing itself, at least those that could be answered. She then set him free for the entirety of the day, only meeting up again that evening to go through the belongings he was preparing to bring. They would be leaving early the next morning, and wouldn't have time to double check things then.

Aeva turned in early that night, and was awake well before dawn. She took a quick shower before dressing in the explorer's standard jumpsuit, a comfortable, skin-tight outfit designed to be comfortably worn inside the exosuit. As she walked down the stairs, she spotted Asher waiting in the living room.

She offered him a small smile as soon as they made eye contact. "How are you feeling?"

 

[Falcon]

"Nervous," He admitted honestly. "This is going to be very different from anything I've done before. I'm used to a team, and no amount of learning about it in a classroom or supervised field trips is going to actually prepare a person for what's out there."

Still, he held his head high and squared his shoulders. He was determined to do well regardless of what happened. More than that he was also prepared by the advice he had been given at dinner the other night, no matter how begrudging Luka had been. Especially the bit about taking along a little entertainment. That was why his bag also contained a thick sketchbook and some drawing supplies, along with a hardback copy of the book he's just started reading. Asher wasn't sure if he'd be allowed both, but he figured he'd try. It didn't take up much space, hardly weighed anything, and certainly didn't require any power to maintain. He figured it was better to try than not.

The rest of his belongings contained only the basics, and those items that would be required to fulfill the mission. Clothing, toiletries, and his watch which contained all the files he had been going over. He was dressed an a similar outfit to hers, although it wasn't quite as tight and his colors were different, his own hair combed and his face shaved.

Despite his nervousness there was a glimmer of excitement in his eyes.

He took one last look around to make sure the place was good (Asher had gotten up extra early to do what cleaning he could for Aeva, thinking it'd make her place more comfortable to come home to), shouldered his bag, and followed her out the door.