Co-post between Moonlit (white), Alura (pink) and Az (blue)
Pedro hauled down the final lever, engaging the jump drive capacitors with a satisfying thunk. The counter began to tick down unobtrusively at the corner of his vision.
“Course set, cap.” he reported, leaning towards the microphone stalk. “Jump in thirty. I’ve set a five minute alarm so we can all hang onto something.”
He climbed down from the pilot’s chair, craned his neck one way then the other, and began the long walk back down the spinal corridor to the crew quarters and the galley. A pleasant, nutty aroma drifted out to meet him as he neared the kitchen, letting him know that Ayo had made good on her promise of coffee. Pedants would argue that because one brewed the Tenser Vine leaves that technically made it a tea, but anyone Pedro had ever spoken to had sworn that the flavour was closest to old Earth arabica, and so damn it, it was coffee.
The airtight door to the mess hall was standing open, and inside the small space Ayo was already busy passing mugs and leaf-packets between her hands and her scalp tendrils.
“Medic!” Pedro called out as he entered, stretching up a hand for the much taller Zalmade to pass him the cup.
"Unless we want deadbolts or doors welded shut, need some eyes on these." Tink’s voice echoed from the speakers. After a moment's pause, a slightly quieter tone followed: "Everyone... good?"
"Yes I am fine. Excited to run some tests. How are you? If you need emotional support join Pedro and me for a cup of coffee in the mess hall."
Pedro almost laughed, and had to purse his lips to keep it in. Cheerfully blunt was Ayo’s default setting. The tension let go of his face as he realised that no, he was not good. He had just crawled around a ship full of alien corpses, and brought back both a victim and a perpetrator, and he hadn’t had time to sit and process any of it.
The homely smell of coffee was helping a bit, though.
It did not take long at all for Tink to take the Zalmade up on her offer. She wasn’t sure that emotional support is what she would call it, but declining any nourishment Ayo was inclined to share felt almost criminal. She peered into the mess with the last of her nutritional tube dangling from her lips and stepped back into the corridor long enough to comb her fingers through her hair - not that it made all that much difference.
Sauntering in as if she had not sprinted there as soon as the invitation was leaving Ayo’s mouth, she sidled up to the pair and folded her arms behind her as she waited patiently for her own cup. She did hope this did not mean there would be no proper supper.
After delicately pouring the coffee, Ayo brought them over to the table and slid then skillfully to her two crewmates like a bartender would a shot.
Pedro caught his, wrapped his hands round it gratefully and sipped at the earthy drink. “Thanks.”
When a cup was passed to her, Tink removed the crumpled packet from her mouth and inhaled with a happy sigh, “Thanks, Ayo, you’re a diamond.” She slanted her eyes to Pedro. “You’re okay, too.”
“What do you want?” Pedro volleyed back, squinting at her with feigned suspicion. Jokes - they helped a bit too.
Grinning, Tink shifted some papers off a nearby bench and perched herself.
Ayo put cream and sugar upon the table, if they wanted it. She preferred her coffee black. The Zalmade sat across from the two as she inhaled the stream from her cup. It's warmth lighting her slimy skin with heat. Heat was important to her species as she could not produce it herself. She took a small sip and her tendrils danced with happiness. Sometimes they moved of their own free will. Just like a dog's tail, her tendrils could give away her emotional state
She peered up at the two with her large bulbous amphibious eyes. "I do not mean to sound cold, but that did not bother me seeing the dead bodies or the wrecked ship. My planet has had its own share of violence." Ayo nodded to Pedro. "It is tough but you will get used to it."
“So’s mine,” the dwarf answered, looking up from his coffee. “But I’d rather not get used to it, if that’s an option. We’re a cargo runner, not a warship.”
He paused for a moment.
“Is that why you always carry those around?” he asked, gesturing at the gun holsters on the Zalmade’s hips. “You got used to it?”
Ayo nodded her head, one of her free hands instinctively going to the gun at her side. "As a prey species others take advantage of us easily. You learn to fight back. Death becomes numb when one has seen so much carnage." Her tendrils drooped sadly as flashes from her home planet crossed her mind. "You have a good heart Pedro. Don't get used to it." She gave him a sad smile.
Sniffing uncomfortably, Tink snagged a loose leaf of paper that looked like something the Captain might miss from the pile of things she had moved to take her seat, flipped it, and began doodling on it with a charcoal stub that must have had a home somewhere in her rolled-down coveralls. Dog Rock was cutthroat with food shortages and too little livable resource for the population. The ones who were lucky or tough enough to survive had even odds on dying deep in the mines if they were born outside of the wealthy faction families. Her free hand cradled Ayo’s concoction below her lips so she could breathe in the exotic scent also, though she lacked the basis for comparison to anything else.
Ayo then asked the two. "What do you think of our stow away? I prepared a meal for her of nutritious plants. I may not like that she killed others, but we are responsible for her care now until we drop her off at the next post."
“Better taking her to the nearest civ settlement.” The woman replied, shrugging one shoulder. “Taking her to Feds, might as well have let her take her chances.”
“Captain Zya’s already made the call.” Pedro said, knowing that the argument was already settled and lost. “I can live with it, as long as the Tek doesn’t start picking up old hobbies. We should definitely keep her away from that other survivor we found.” He exhaled, massaging the dull pain out of his forehead with the heel of one hand. “Speaking of…”
He clicked the rim of his wristwatch a few times, and a holo schematic of the Falcor mushroomed above it, unfurling like digital origami. He poked the hologram to zoom in on the cargo module, where the various cables and coolant lines showed through the walls in a tracery of glowing golden veins.
The grimy fingers that held her cup settled the half-empty container on the table as Tink chewed the rumpled end of the nutrition packet noisily, smirking around it as the pilot pulled up the holo schematic. She grinned to Ayo and winked with a little nod to draw her attention towards their crewmate. Ayo was impressed by the holo that appeared before them. Enjoying seeing the Falcor on display. Then she locked eyes with Tink and noticed the wink and gesture to Pedro. She was unsure as to why but her normal purple skin flashed a bright red. She was not one to know how to respond to social cues and her body responded on its own. She cleared her throat and casually tried to take a sip of her coffee. The rough-mannered mechanic was perpetually entertained by how fond Pedro was of his gadgets. Not to say she wasn’t the pot to his kettle, but where she was grease and cogs and minor explosions, he was more flash and sophistication when it came to his toys.
“Love the model, those ten steps to see the real thing were really holding things up… Heh.”
“Yeah, well your steps are a lot longer than mine.” the pilot rejoined without missing a beat. He traced one of the holographic lines with a fingertip. “It breaks about ten safety rules, but if we isolate and remove the wires to the internal door control then we can make sure it only locks and unlocks from the outside. Should be quicker than welding on a deadbolt.”
“You had me at ‘It breaks’.”
Ayo's mood was brightened again with the presence of Tink and their conversation with Pedro. It was nice for once to feel like she belonged. She decided she should spend less time in her lab and maybe more time socializing. It seemed all three of them had their love if tech.
Ayo chimed in. "I could also lend some equipment so we can keep an eye on oxygen levels and keep an eye on her vitals. I'm sure she will be fine once Sirc is done with her, but we need to make sure she doesn't die on our ship or someone that cares for her might come looking and seek revenge."
“Unrelated: where are those garden sheers you had the other day, Ayo? Any chance of a loan?” Tink did her best impression of a lash flutter. It was not attractive.
There was Tink again getting a rise out of her. The tendrils on her head circled quickly and uncontrollably. "Um, yes they are in the back of my lab where I have my green house set up. I was going to cut some flowers and re plant the ones that have died around the ship. But you can use them first."
Pedro tipped his cup and drained the rest of his coffee with a sigh. “Back to work we go, then.”