Space Dust (Peregrine Falcon)

"Nervous is normal," Aeva replied, not looking surprised or bothered by his admission. "Don't worry. There will be plenty of time to adjust yourself during the flight, and we'll take it slow when we get there."

Even with the potent boosts that dust could provide to space travel, it would still require a day and a half's travel for them to reach orbit around Novon. They would have to get further away from Khepri before they could start burning massive quantities of dust, and would need to slow down once they approached Novon's solar system to locate their target. They'd be picking a landing site on the planet late in the evening, before spending a night on the ship and landing after a full sleep. Novon also rotated notably faster than Khepri and many other of the UPA's most habitable planets, with it only requiring 17 hours to complete a full day. It would likely be the last time they'd get a proper sleep until their mission was finished.

As frequently as she came and went, Aeva hadn't even bothered unpacking most of the belongings she took with her on expeditions, preferring instead to have a set each for home and travel. Double checking that her journal was safely sequestered in a side pocket, she hoisted the bag onto her shoulders, before leading Asher out of her apartment.

Despite being the headquarters for Planetary Expeditions, there were no space ships at HQ. Instead, Aeva led Asher out of the building to an open platform. There, a expeditions service car appeared along with the shimmering of yellow dust. It drove them to the outskirts of Morecambe, where the tall, tightly packed buildings rather abruptly gave way to open concrete. There, numerous spaceships of a variety of sizes were grounded near individual hangars, some surrounded by people, others completely dark.

The car took them to a mid-sized ship, clearly suitable for long-distance space travel. While it wouldn't be as spacious as true passenger ships, it was clearly outfitted with basic living requirements for the two of them, including a room and a kitchen. The engines had already started to spin, traces of blue dust occasionally sparking in their depths.

Aeva got out of the vehicle, slowly walking her way over to the ship. There, a Expeditions Analyst was standing near the boarding ramp, a digital screen held in his hands as he surveyed the plane.

Aeva mostly ignored the man, instead turning to look at Asher. "I guess this is the ship we'll be on this time. Are you familiar with the model?"
 
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Asher's eyes went wide as he took in their soon-to-be vehicle. He'd heard of things like this but never been fortunate enough to travel on one. Usually cargo vessels or crew ships, once a freighter when their original transport malfunctioned. A couple times on artillery ships, and of course he was trained to fly solo-fighters if necessary. The military may be willing to spend money on dust, but they definitely gave up luxury in other places, and the colony he'd grown up on had very much been a "if you want it to run, better fix it yourself" type of situation.

Asher took a deep breath as he surveyed the sleek lines of the ship in front of him, watching the smooth spin of the dust engines and noting the deployment hatches for the back-up solarsail system that probably would never need to be used.

"Just from reading, but I've always wanted to fly one. Pathfinder Class, Delta Model, Sunrunner." He managed after a moment, drifting into a bit of a tangent as he tried to recall the details. "Omega style Dust conversion engine, very light artillery, best speeds last four seasons running. Deltas were upgraded last term with the highest shield configuration possible. Designated as scout vehicles. Usually contain the latest scanning equipment from Quadrix unless the contracts have changed...."

His eyes briefly closed as he tried to recall the last floor layouts he'd seen. "Should also contain a small kitchen and lounge, and two small cabins. Some Sunrunner models can host a crew up up to six, but I'd be willing to bet they've got this one set up with single occupancy cabins, meaning we'll probably each have a small work desk? One head though, unless I misremember."

Asher couldn't help but look around for any of the maintenance staff who might be able to correct any misinformation or add pertaining details.

"Does she have a name? Your ship?"
 
Aeva laughed silently when she spotted Asher's stunned reaction as he caught sight of the Sunrunner. Aeva may be a skilled Support, but space travel had never really been in her wheelhouse. She had always been perfectly content to let HQ handle her transportation after she was no longer under Emeryx's mentorship, and they'd never let her down. That standard had only continued to improve as she'd rapidly ranked up from the brass badge she'd graduated with, and certainly hadn't changed now. Even with a layman's eye, Aeva knew the Sunrunner was a good model, and she'd always found it comfortable during the time they spent in space.

"Not my ship, I'm afraid; it's part of the Expeditions Fleet. A business vehicle, if you will. I was never really disappointed with the ships that HQ assigned to me, so I never bothered to purchase one of my own. But you should be correct about the cabin layout. We won't be traveling with another team, since this isn't a cooperative mission, so there's no way they'd leave a room empty and force us to share a space."

Since it was a space scouting ship, the Sunrunner didn't have the streamlined wings of in-atmosphere planes. It was just aerodynamic enough to break through the atmosphere, and otherwise focused on compactness to conserve dust. It was also the reason they wouldn't be using the ship to explore Novon, since they would need to escape the planet's atmosphere in order to accurately land the ship somewhere else.

A long staircase dropped down from the entrance, just behind the ship's nose. Aeva repositioned her bag over her back, before setting out again. "Come on. Make sure you've got everything loaded on-board, and then you can take a look around the interior. The techs should be running final evaluation to make sure that everything is good to go. Then we'll be on our way."
 
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The ship was everything Asher Expected it to be. Clean Streamlined, and top-of-the-line as far as what they needed for the mission. He followed Aeva eagerly up the steps and couldn't help but poke his head into every open space he could before finally taking his bag in the the leftover cabin.

Asher was more than happy to make conversation with the techs as they finished up their checks, as well. Taking the time to make sure he knew where different systems controls were located and what operating procedures they were designed to use. True, almost everything was preprogrammed, but he felt batter having a general idea just in case something went wring.

It was small compared to Aeva's guest room, sporting only enough from for a bed and a desk, with build-ins for drawer and cabinet storage space, But it was more than comfortable. In fact it even had a little corner with a chair and desk full of medical supplies if they should ever be necessary.

Eventually it was time to go through the final checklist for take off. That meant securing all belongings, strapping into one of the cockpit flight chairs, and following the flight dispatcher's instructions over the com....

It was disappointing to say the least. Asher had expected something akin to watching a manual test flight. Instead it was simply a matter of waiting for the all clear from the ground crew chief and them pushing all of four buttons at the given signal. Even the ride itself was not as exciting as he thought. This ship was a newer model and it was streamlined, meaning none of the atmospheric turbulence he had come to expect from military transports. Oh he could feel the acceleration, but none of the hull shake that usually got his adrenaline going.

Soon enough they were free of the atmosphere, and in free float above the planet as the preprogrammed flight path was selected and engaged. The view from the window was astonishing.
 
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Despite the fact that the familiar process of verification and preparation was almost identical to every other time Aeva had prepared to leave the planet, Asher's inclusion in the proceedings seemed to change the entire atmosphere. Perhaps it had something to do with his enthusiasm, which ran unabated even after he'd finished chatting with the techs and stored his belongings in one of the two sleeping rooms. Or perhaps it had more to do with Aeva herself, and the mentality shift his presence required from her.

After all, she wasn't heading out with Luka this time, or any of the numerous other frontliners she'd worked with in her career. This time, she wasn't heading out just with a partner, but with someone she was supposed to mentor. The mixture of pressure and excitement had the white-haired woman constantly double checking herself, as though she was back to being a rookie and wasn't intimately familiar with every step of this process.

For several seconds after she seated herself into the flight chair, Aeva found herself lost in thought, remembering the first time she'd strapped into a chair with Emeryx. She'd been almost shaking with nerves, a strong contrast to Asher's steadiness. After all, other than the trip that had brought her from her own home planet to the First Co-ed Academy for training as an explorer, she'd never been in space.

How much things had changed, Aeva mused as she easily walked through the take-off instructions, following the prompts given by the dispatcher at the other end of the radio. She could easily visualize the way the engine's glow would be increasing, the faint hints of blue beginning to glow brighter as the dust engines burned more and more of their special fuel. They took off in one smooth motion, arcing through the air before easily breaking free of the atmosphere. As the engines automatically lined the Sunrunner up with her destination, bright orange flashes of light began to burst in the engine, propelling the ship to faster and faster speeds. The world outside the window transformed into a nondescript, dark blur, filled with flickering blue, orange, and yellow lights.

Once the Sunrunner had fully stabilized in hyper-travel, Aeva casually unbuckled herself from the flight chair. "You are now free to move about the cabin," she quipped playfully in Asher's direction, before offering him a small smile. "It'll take us about a day and a half to get in range of Novon's solar system. We've still got access to good food right now, so I'll start making us something tasty for lunch in an hour or two. In the meantime, you're free to do whatever you'd like."
 
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"Do you want any Help?" Asher offered immediately. Perhaps it was manners, or perhaps it was the chance to get to know Aeva a little better, but he didn't really want to sit in a corner somewhere when he could be of use. "I'm not nearly as good a cook as you, but I do know how to peal, chop, and wash dishes... Or just follow what ever instructions you give me."

At the very least if she let him hang around he'd gat a chance to see her cooking system. Asher wasn't much of a cook himself, well he could make basic fair that was decently tasting, but he didn't really have the skills or knowledge to do anything too fancy, but he could appreciate the people who did. Besides, he was wondering if Aeva was a systematic one-thing-at-a-time cook, or if she was more the every-pot-in-the-kitchen style. It'd be interesting to see for sure.

"Or if you don't want help, maybe I could brainstorm some names for the ship? Every ship should have a name. It's good luck. I asked the Techs, they said they just use the serial number right now...."
 
"Sure," Aeva agreed casually. "Prep help is always welcome. I'll probably start cooking in about an hour and a half, so I'll call you once it's time to get started."

She stood up from her chair, stretching her arms backwards for a moment before tucking her hair behind her ear. A moment later, and she yawned widely, only covering her mouth half a second later. "I'm going to take a shot nap. You're more than welcome to do whatever you'd like, including thinking of a name for the ship if you'd like to. I always just called it the Sunrunner, but if you want to pick another name, I'll use it."

Waving a casual farewell, Aeva left the cockpit, passing through the open area to head into the room closer to the back of the ship. It was also the one that was closer to the kitchen, which was why she'd chosen it. The space was small and perfectly neat except for Aeva's one bag, which was still zipped closed. Not bothering to do little more than kick off her shoes, she laid out on the bed.

Aeva's nap only lasted for about 20 minutes, but she opened up her bag and began to write in her journal after that. Only about an hour later did she leave the room, and head to the kitchen. Only once she'd investigated the supplies that HQ had stocked did she go knock on Asher's door to invite him to help with lunch. "Looks like there's some rice noodles. How does something like pho sound for lunch?"
 
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Asher didn't waste much time after Aeva went to get her nap. Instead he went to his own little cabin, pulled out a tablet and began doing just what she had suggested. Brainstorming ship names.

He had quite a list put together by the time she came to get him, some struck out, others bolded, and was quite absorbed in the task, although he had left to door open to show he was perfectly willing to be disturbed.

"Pho sounds good!" He said by way of answer as he looked up and around at her. "Although it's been so long since I had any that I'm not sure I remember what it's supposed to taste like. You could probably feed me ramen, tell me it's pho, and I'd believe you."

He carried the tablet with him into the little living space and set it aside where it would be easy to access and share once the food prep was finished.

The screen stayed lit for a moment in which the words, Firebird, Phoenix, Starlight, name after someone important to Aeva, silver light, silver sun, alpha sol, and sunlit pathfinder.
 
"Well, I can't guarantee how authentic it is," Aeva replied with a laugh. "But it tastes good, and I make it with lots of beef. So it's good enough for me!"

She led Asher into the kitchen, too focused on the process of food prep to pay any particular attention to the tablet. By the time he made it into the kitchen, she'd stacked an onion, ginger, scallions, mint, bean sprouts, and chilies on the counter, and put a pot on the stove. "Peel the ginger, and slice it into little cubes. Or really thin slices, whichever you find easier. I'll get started on the onion while the pan is heating."

Aeva was clearly quite skilled at balancing the different times needed for the cooking process. By the time the onions and garlic had gotten seared in the pan, a pot of water was at a rolling boil to cook the noodles. When she sent Asher to season the soup base she began to slice up the steak into thin, delicate pieces, finishing up just as the noodles were fully cooked and the stock began to boil. When she brought the meat to cook in the base, she sent Asher to put noodles and the various other garnishes into two bowls. Finally, she ladled the steaming hot broth and boil-cooked steak into the bowls.

It was clear that Aeva could have easily handled the entire process herself, but she still moved comfortably enough with Asher's assistance. However, as was clear from Luca's intrusion into their dinner a few days ago, Aeva was used to having to integrate other people into her cooking process. She kept Asher moderately busy, not to the point that any step was waiting on his effort, but enough that he didn't have to just stand around and watch her at any point.

It wasn't until they moved back to the table that Aeva caught sight of the tablet. As she sat down at the table with a pair of plastic chopsticks and a spoon, she carefully set the little piece of technology to the side near Asher, making sure it wouldn't get any broth on it when they started eating. Only after she'd cheerfully taken a bite and slurped up some of the noodles did she glance at Asher. "What kind of names did you come up with?"
 
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Asher did his best not to disappoint with his knife skills. He was by no means the best cook, but he liked to think he was passable, so it was with a sigh of relief that she accepted his work on the ginger and other veggies without sending it back for a redo. Truth be told his cuts were fairly precise and neat, although he watched carefully to see how she balanced her flavors. Not out of worry, but as one trying to learn a new skill might.

Aeva was an efficient cook, Asher learned to his delight. She had the timing down to the details, and that told him she was probably like that in other areas as well. He didn't have much experience aside from what he had learned in school about planetary survey, so it helped him feel even more secure in the fact that Aeva had chosen him for a partner. That and the Pho smelled delicious. He was beginning to wonder what it was he had liked about the rations after eating food like this for several meals in a row.

It took Asher a moment to swallow his own bite, making a please face in the process, before he was able to answer. "I tried to stay with the theme of the Sunrunner," he explained as he opened the screen and turned the tablet so she could read the list. "But it's also common to name ships after people who were important to you, or who you admire, so I tried to put notes in for that as well. It is your ship though, so if you don't want to name it, I understand."
 
Asher's satisfied expression in response to the food caused a small, cheerful smile to cross Aeva's face. She knew she was a good cook, spices and timing came quite easy to her, but there was no better proof of a successful meal than someone enjoying the food.

She took a mouthful of noodles herself as she listened to his explanation, a completive expression on her face. Naming ships after people that were important to her, huh? Somer wasn't a bad name for a ship. However, she almost immediately shook her head. "I know it might not seem like an important distinction, but I'll remind you this isn't actually my ship. It's just on loan from Headquarters."

It would be a disrespect to her mentor to just name some random ship after him, unless she intended to name every ship she traveled with the same. Somehow, that vague thought seemed even more insulting.

"The significance of that is we might be in a completely different ship on our next trip. We're only using it for the journey, and then it'll be returned, and HQ generally doesn't sell the ships unless they're getting retired from the line."

Of course, it was almost certain they'd make an exception for her, but even if the Sunrunner was a well-built ship, it was only sturdy enough to cross stable space. It likely wouldn't be good enough for Gold or Platinum ranked missions, which meant it would be useless to Aeva in the long run.

"Probably better to stick to some of the more generic names, since we'll be going through a few of them before the year is up." Her finger gestured towards the first three highlighted options: 'Firebird', 'Phoenix', and 'Starlight'.
 
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"All the more reason to name the ship," Asher grinned. "Next person to ride in it knows that it was once part of one of our missions." he couldn't help but smile at the thought. true he would probably never achieve a famous status himself, but everyone knew who Aeva was. Asher could only imagine the excitement he might have felt to know he was riding in the same ship one of his heroes had once used.

"Phoenix is a good name for a ship that might sustain a lot of damage," he started deciding to explain some of his naming concepts. "I always though Firebird would work for one that was going from adventure to adventure. And Starlight feels like a tranquil name. a name you go back to after a long day."
 
Aeva hummed slightly as she listened to Asher's descriptions of the name. As she'd said earlier, she was entirely apathetic about naming the ship. Now that her mentee had gone to so much effort to create a list of names, there was no way she'd ignore or disregard it.

Fortunately, with his added descriptions, it didn't take Aeva more than a moment's consideration to pick one of the three options. "Starlight," she replied. "It's the one that fits the best with the purpose of this ship. After all, once we land on Novon, the next time we see it will be when it's time to go home. What is that if not 'going back after a long day'?"
 
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"Starlight it is!" Asher confirmed flashing her a grin. He was quick to offer to take care of any cleanup needed too once the meal was over. After all Aeva had handled most of the cooking. That didn't mean he was done asking questions though.

"So, if I can ask, aside from going over the mission briefings, what do you normally spend your time on the ship doing? I know once we land we'll have plenty of work ahead of us, but I think right now might be considered down time?"

He was prepared to be asked to leave her alone to study, or to be given more information to memorize, but just in case Aeva might be feeling social, Asher knew where the deck of cards had been stashed.
 
Despite greatly enjoying good food, Aeva habitually ate quickly. Most explorers did, a habit formed from never knowing when your meal was going to be interrupted. She was not a particularly graceful eater either, happily slurping up the slightly rubbery rice noodles, before gulping down all the remaining scraps that floated in the broth.

As this was far from the first time she'd cooked a meal for Asher, Aeva wasn't surprised when he grabbed the dirty dishes after they were done eating. However, she didn't just sit back. Even though she much preferred cooking to cleaning, her basic work eithic make it essentially impossible for her to ignore this follow-up task. Aeva followed Asher to the kitchen, leaving him to handle the bowls as she began to gather the pots and utensils they'd used.

"Definitely down-time," Aeva agreed. "We'll go over the map tomorrow midday to pick where we're landing, but the next twenty-four hours are yours to do with as you please."

She paused for a few moments to scrape some food scraps into the composter, considering the question he'd asked before. "What I do varies depending on my mood, but my goal is definitely to enjoy the rest of the relaxation time before things get serious. The ship should have a projector with some movies loaded on it; I'll probably watch something this evening if you don't mind the noise. And there's anything good, of course."
 
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Asher nodded as she explained, and relaxed a little more. "If there is anything good, I hope you won't mind if I join you? I like a good movie as much as the next guy." He couldn't help but flash her a smile. "I also found a few games while I was poking around earlier, actually the ship mechanic clued me in, nice guy. It's not much, and I expect we'd have to leave it behind, but there was a back of cards... if you like card games that is."

Asher knew a number of games that could be played with a single pack, and while he knew Aeva might not enjoy the game, or want to be social, and he was fine with that possibility, He did at least want to put the offer on the table. After all he knew they were in for a lot of work.

The last of the dishes were cleaned and put away, and Asher took the steps needed to clean the prep area as well. he wasn't a neat freak exactly, but order definitely made a space more relaxing as far as he was concerned. He'd learned early on that with his chores done his brain wouldn't be going through a to do list, and had carried that trait into his adult life.
 
“Of course,” Aeva agreed without hesitation at Asher’s request. “You’re more than welcome to join. Are there any particular types of movies you like? Or, more importantly, dislike? I lean mostly towards psychological and dramas, occasionally romance, but I’m happy to be flexible when there’s company.”

Despite her statement to the contrary, Aeva’s preferences in movies were actually quite narrow. Considering her occupation, she found most of the action and adventure movies that people normally enjoyed both inaccurate and overly familiar. Instead, political intrigue was the thing she found the most fascinating, watching the way people could plot and scheme as soon as they were given the opportunity. It wasn’t something she could ever imagine herself participating in, which perhaps explained her interest.

“As for card games… I must confess I’ve never played much. Not so much because I have any particular dislike, but simply because I’m not familiar with them.” She chuckled slightly to herself, shaking her head. “My knowledge ends at about the rules of Go Fish.”
 
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"I'm alright with drama," Asher answered, "And romance doesn't hurt anything. But I love a good mystery. As for dislikes... believe it or not I not a huge fan of action flicks. I find I always end up analyzing them which takes the fun out. So unless it's obviously supposed to be fantasy or something I tend to steer clear of those. If it's not too much trouble of course." He would never discourage anyone else from watching them either. But Asher found he preferred movies and shows that let him use his brain.

"As for cards... Well I'm happy to leach anything you might feel up for learning. We used to play a lot of cards on down days. helps pass the time when you're waiting for orders. I know a few games that will work well with just two players."

He studied her for a moment glad to see things seemed to be more relaxed, or at least felt like it, not that they were on the ship with some down time. Asher found that he really wanted them to be a good team.
"What else do you like to do, if I may ask?"
 
Aeva couldn't help but laugh slightly as Asher explained his movie preferences to her. "I know exactly what you mean," she agreed with continued subdued humor. "You have no idea how much most films get wrong when it comes to an explorer mission. Drives me bonkers, but that's such a popular genre." She shook her head somewhat ruefully, causing her platinum blonde hair to flutter slightly about her face.

Tucking one strand of hair behind her ear, she nodded slightly. "So long as you don't mind taking the time to teach me, I'd be more than happy to learn."

Finally tucking the last of the newly-cleaned dishes back where she'd gotten them, Aeva nodded in satisfaction. She briefly rinsed off her hands in the sink, dried them on a towel, and then made her way over to the little lounge area. It wasn't enough to be called a full room, not when it was practically merged into the eating area and kitchen, but it did have a separate couch and a small coffee table. It also held the little storage nooks hidden in the wall panels that held most of the ship's maintenance and emergency supplies.

"Where did you say the cards were?" Aeva asked, beginning to search through the cupboards. Tools. Rope. Emergency dust supply. She'd have to pay for that one if they used it, but it was reassuring to have on hand. No games yet.

Despite the search, she didn't intend to disregard Asher's previous question. "Hmm... I'm afraid I'm a pretty simple person. I do a little bit of casual gaming. Things like puzzle games or animal care—since there's no way I'd ever be able to own a pet. I'd probably even kill a plant if I didn't pay for some sort of expensive auto-watering system. Lots and lots of television. It's my common fallback because there are so many interesting programs out there. Some writing. Nothing particularly interesting, I'm afraid. I tried to dabble in a few forms of crafting in my teens, but nothing ever stuck with me."
 
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"Over here," Asher answered as he popped open a little storage hatch that contained mostly spare spare components all neatly organized in little tool cased. Bins of wires, tape, chips, bolts, and sealant tubes all clearly labeled. "There's probably a better spot for it but I wasn't sure where and didn't want to presume." from between a little pocket between a box of wire caps and the hatch door lip he pulled a pack of cards. They were still in their protective sleeve, but that sleeve had clearly seen better days as evidenced by the geese marks and a torn corner.

"I had a blue ridge hound once," Asher offered by way of consolation. "But I had to give her up when I joined the military. Too much travel and not enough time in any one location. It wouldn't be fair to an animal to have them spend more time with a pet sitter than the owner. I was fortunate enough that my dad wanted to adopt her when I told him I wanted to enlist. I've never even tried gardening though."

He brought the cards out and settled in one one side of the coffee table, sorting out the cards into suits first to ensure that the whole deck was there before shuffling them altogether again with an audible crack. The cards flew between his fingers sliding into place in one direction and then the other as he reversed the shuffle. They were slid into place as he consolidated the deck before cutting it again and restarting the process, three, four, five times until he was satisfied they were suitably mixed up.

"Are there any games you've wanted to learn?" he asked as he worked.