Description
Name: Saein Vernig (âsa-ine verneekâ)
Age: 32 years
Gender: Female
Species: Firni (âfeerneeâ)
Height: 5'7"
Weight: âYou did not just ask that!â
Rank: Mechanic
Image by ThomasR95
Refer to text description if you want to be absolutely sure about colors.
Saein has curly
reddish purple hair that doesn't reach her shoulders, and dark blue eyes. She has freckles all over her white skin, that seem to change and blink with her thoughts. Firni can sense these spots when touching each other, which makes touching other species feel very weird. Saein is not exactly skinny, but in too good shape to be called fat.
All her clothes have many pockets, even the two dresses. Most of her clothes are dark blue, matching her eyes. When working, she usually wears pants and a sweater. She sometimes wears a
faded orange jacket with the nametag "MECHANIC Saein V", and the RMEE logo on the back.
She has a remarkable tolerance for alcohol.
Her species is able to distinguish scents about as well as dogs are. Unlike dogs, that makes them a bit picky about food. They are humanoids that before they developed modern technology filled (oddly enough) a pollinator/predator niche combination in the ecosystem of one of the continents of their home planet Wen. Firni may look pretty harmless at first sight, but they have been at the top of the food chain since before they had any technology...
There are some hidden differences between Firni and humans.
The most obvious are in their mouths: a long thin and hollow extra tongue, and venom fangs that fold away when theyâre not needed (which is pretty much always now they donât kill their food that way anymore for hundreds of years already). Evolution has shrunk those fangs a bit.
Less obvious (and unknown to Saein at the beginning of this story) is that their reproductive systems are different. Basically they are like marsupials: what under clothes looks like a human chest is actually a pair of pouches, and they have a much tinier interpretation of the word âbigâ. The reason most Firni have no idea of this of course is that they wouldnât touch other species, getting even closer is out of the question. Saein is a bit weird and perhaps naive, taking anti-racism so seriously she wants to learn to treat similar looking species the same in ALL aspects of life.
Personality
Saein is someone you can rely on, but if you're going to tell her a secret, you'd better do that in a soundproof room, because she's often quite loud. Recently she has been paying attention to behaving correctly (which includes being less loud and thinking more before she speaks), this is caused by her increased self-consciousness around members of other species.
Socially, she is warm, usually confident, and often rash.
Professionally, she's professional enough, and expects others to be the same. She still follows the three rules she was taught at RMEE:
- Fix even the smallest problems ASAP.
- Don't do anything that could interfere with anyones work.
- Take good care of your crewmates.
She doesn't seem to care much for money or appearances, but couldn't live in a place without a mirror.
She doesnât feel about weight the way humans do, and would even like to gain more, but be careful when talking about it anyway, because she will be offended when she thinks you said she is too heavy to do her job. Itâs not a body image but a professional pride thing.
Equipment
Tools, tools, and more tools. Many more than she needs. She's a collector. Most of her tools may be useful but not necessary on a spaceship, but those she is most proud of are for things like opening a rare species of nut from an obscure planet.
She owns a small multifunctional ion gun that is easily hidden in one of her pockets. Functions are selected by turning a ring (concentric with the barrel), there is a small fingerprint reader on the side that needs to be touched by the owner to get the ring out of the âoffâ position. The gun is a few years older than her, but as precise and powerful as anything similar you could buy in places known to humans. It was a gift from a guy when she was 20. Others gave her a lot of less useful things to compete with him, but she didnât keep any of that.
She also owns a datapad (which includes wireless communication, a camera, her medical files, the RMEE handbook, an encyclopedia, etc etc), and a small black cylindrical device used to inhale a relaxant equivalent to tea.
History
Saein was born on the continent Wen on her home planet Wen, which is located in the solar system called Wen. âWenâ means âhomeâ.
After two years of mandatory military service* in which she became a mechanic, she found a job with RMEE (Rare Materials Exploration & Exploitation, often called "Roaming Miners Exploding & Expiring" by employees) at age 20. Staying with the same company, she worked on a number of different types of ships on missions with increasing odds of serious damage to the ships. RMEE is known for its informal culture, high pay and high risks. During her time at this company she has suffered burns, broken bones and radiation poisoning, all of that has healed and her life has not been shortened by it. Saein has saved a lot of money in her ten years at RMEE, but it's not enough to retire just yet.
At 30, she found a safer job on a large state-owned ship, but it turned out to be boring, and the guy directly above her in the chain of command was a jerk.
She quit and somehow managed to walk straight into the one hotel where someone was in need of a mechanic. This is her first mission with a mixed species crew.
*) The government of Wen has not signed any significant treaties beyond the typical "let's all not attack each other". There haven't been any wars for a long time, but the weirdness caused by touching members of other species had made diplomacy difficult because it led many Firni to be slightly racist. In the last ~30 years there have been more enthusiastic attempts at diplomacy than before, but it still hasn't gone very far. Most Firni under the age of 50 hate racism.
So begins...
Saein grew more and more confused, and it showed. Her spots now resembled a swarm of angry bees. A moment after Eddie mentioned it being a joke, she finally figured out what was going on. "Eddie," she said, "normally I love jokes, but that one was hurtful." More for the benefit of others than for Eddie, who already seemed to know, she explained: "These little spots all over my skin don't just show my emotions, we Firni can sense them on each other when we touch. The moment between sensing that someone doesn't seem to have emotions and sensing they are warm and alive after all is really weird. It doesn't help that I really like to touch my friends." To help everyone relax, she made a face and added "That last bit sounded dirty, didn't it?"
Putting on her serious face again, she turned to Inqueta. "I know I could avoid that feeling by avoiding mixed crews, but it would be kind of racist if I did, don't you agree? I've been told the feeling can go away with practice, and if it doesn't, well, I'm a mechanic, not a masseuse. And please don't say 'Firni' if you want to get my attention, I don't think I'll recognize that as referring to me. You can call me Saein, or mechanic Vernig. And you are...?" She held out her hand for a handshake. She had no intention of stopping shaking hands with those she introduced herself to.
That is, if those people did appear to want handshakes. She smiled right back at Arc. "It's great to meet you too. Like I've been telling everyone all day, my name is Saein." She was back in her relaxed and happy mood,
A part of her had been paying attention to Minn all that time. She placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. Luckily at least that body part was covered, so she could touch without hesitation. "Listen, hon, you'll probably see many worse confrontations on a ship. There are two people who can always end them. One is the captain, who can tell everyone to stop it. The other is the cook, who can distract everyone with food. Okay?" A gentle squeeze, an encouraging smile, and she let go. The cook was her favorite crew member so far. Saein would suck up to any cook, but she genuinely liked Minn.
Minn
Saein's words helped Minn relax and she smiled brightly again, but the spoon was still gripped in her hands tightly. "I'm good with food," she agreed quietly. Peering around, she hoped they would be leaving soon. Waiting was not working out for her very well. She was trying to be friendly, but internally she was freaking out.
It's better than where you were before, right? Stop complaining. Stop worrying.
Before she had had to sleep in a tiny closet sized space with three other girls, colorful blankets strewn on the hard floor and door always closed since Betna liked privacy. Hot and horribly cramped, the girls had basically worn no clothing unless going out and Minn had had to sneak off to the club's kitchen to make food for all the employees in the back. It was a trade. If she made good food for all the girls, then they would make sure she wouldn't ever have to be alone with one of the customers. They could be brutal, especially so someone as tiny and curved as Minn.
Glancing down herself, she cursed her heritage for the millionth time in her life. Sure, she was "nice on the eyes" as Dawn had always said, but with the lifestyle she was thrown into because of her ashamed father, the beauty came at a price.
This was her chance. Her only chance. She had promised the girls she would find an actual life outside of bars and clubs. And now that it was here, she needed to get it over with. Her stomach was going to explode from tense nerves.
Excusing herself from the bar, Minn went to sit alone in a booth for a moment, steadying her breathing and trying to only think good thoughts. She played with the beads on her pants. Dawn had made her clothes for her. She was so talented. Why was she still stuck with that awful man?
Minn pushed the thought away and glanced to the crew. She sensed there would be some issues between mates but overall, a good vibe rolled off of them. Placing her hands on the table and rest her head on them gently, she forced a smile. Just relax. You'll be fine.
Bond
Tossing back some water, Bond allowed his sight to travel over the gathered "troops." Two red/pink hair ladies. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. Curly hair wasn't really his style, likening to long flowing locks on his gals, but he smiled to the new recruit. She was cute enough, seemed direct, had a nice smile. Bond felt he could like this girl, hoping she would return the sentiment since they would be working together.
Stepping over, he introduced himself. "Name's Bond. Engineer Bond." He didn't hold out his hand just to see what she would say in response to him. He noticed the tools on her person, lips curving up a bit.
"Didn't catch your name."
"Yes, it should be," Saein agreed, "but I'm afraid it won't be until all species in the universe have met each other. That's still going to take a while. But instead of being sad about it we should be happy about this mixed crew here adding to the solution, right? So, double pleasure to meet you! Name's Saein." She shook Cassy's hand.
Saein had spent more than enough time working with men like Bond to know when she was being checked out, and as long as she didn't work too closely with them and they acted chivalrous, she didn't mind at all. In fact, she'd had a lot of "fun" when she still had her first job that she should never have quit. Of course, trying to get the new girls before the guys did was even more fun, in a way. Those had been good times, but after the better part of ten years she felt she should find a safer job, and then someone to settle down with. She had changed her mind about the safe job, not about the safe relationship. Saein hoped she could get rid of the touch problem, because it looked like she wasn't going to meet other Firni for a long time.
The handsome man introduced himself as "engineer Bond". Oh. Oh well then. "Nice to meet you, Bondengineerbond, I'm Saeinmechanicsaein. Do you want my beer? Things got a bit weird a moment ago so I decided to stay sober, but it would be a shame to waste it. Nobody touched it, I swear." A mild mocking joke, followed by a peace offering, that had always been a good way to handle this kind of situation. "I guess we'll be working together a lot. I'd better tell all the other girls about my professional standards, before they start plotting against me." She downed the beer she had just picked up. "Oh drat. Sorry. Was getting stale anyway. How about I buy you a drink and we talk about work a bit?"
Bond
"Drink? Can't say no to that."
Bond gestured to two open seats a little ways down the bar and he sat down beside her. "Saein, interesting name you got. So I have to ask. That screwdriver...regular metal or magnetic? I've always wondered how the magnetic ones work, but I could never replace Old Yeller." He held up his screwdriver he kept on him at all times, the handle a faded yellow.
"Do you know what the ship make is yet? 'Cause I don't. Wondering what shape our engine's in...And I'm talking way too much. Get me that drink and you can take over."
He smiled and then faced the bartender, smile drooping a bit. "Uh...got any...I guess Vodka sounds good. Strongest you got. With juice in it."
He then realized it was hardly eight in the morning. "Never mind actually. I'd rather be alert for take-off."
Saein told the barkeep "A juice without vodka for the gentleman, then. Oh, and if someone could bring my luggage back downstairs, that would be dandy." The barkeep almost groaned - the bellboy had not been happy about the weight of Saein's luggage (a large suitcase full of metal tools and a large bag containing clothing and the tools that couldn't be added to the suitcase anymore). He loathed having to tell the boy to drag all that around again already on the same morning.
Saein pulled two otherwise identical screwdrivers with differently colored handles from two of her pockets. "Regular AND magnetic. I usually use the regular, some screws insist on sticking to the magnetics sideways and that just gets annoying. I know nothing about the ship except that it's called the Nightwing, I was hoping you'd know more. I also thought we could talk about dividing the first inspection work between us, but without knowing anything about the ship it will be difficult to tell if there is any overlap in the things we want to look at. Oh well. Wanna talk about girls instead? Or we could talk about your other hobbies. I'd show you my tool collection but I'd rather leave it packed right now."
Bond
Bond laughed. She suggested talking about girls and hobbies as if they were the same thing. Well, he considered, to some maybe.
"You want to talk girls, let's talk girls," he chuckled, taking a sip of his drink and facing Saein full on. "So you swing to that team or what? I'm a little confused, so if you could explain." Leaning forward, he wiggled his eyebrows a bit. "I'd love to hear some details."
Bond had had two lesbian friends in the past and hanging out with them had been actually fun, since they had open personalities and talked about sex as casually as he did. it was an interesting dynamic he found, analyzing girl/girl relationships. It amused him and interested him. He wanted to understand the motivation behind it, because he certainly would never be attracted to another guy.
Inqueta was startled by Reggie storming down the stairs. She listened to what she said to the barkeep. Apparently, things were not going her way. the alien girl stepped aside to let her captain out the door. She was fuming, and Inque didn't want to get in her way. As Colin made his way towards Reggie, Inque returned to her previous group. she had left with intentions of finding the captain, and getting fresh air, but neither of those seemed desirable anymore.
"You want to talk girls, let's talk girls," The dark headed man said, taking a sip of his drink. "So you swing to that team or what? I'm a little confused, so if you could explain." He raised his eyebrows at Saein. "I'd love to hear some details." Inqueta pondered on this statement for a moment. She wondered if the women was indeed a lesbian, or if she was just messing with the handsome man.
Inque realized that she hadn't introduced herself to the mechanic. "Mechanic Vernig, sorry to interrupt, I am Inqueta To'avuor. Sorry if I came across as rude to you before. It was not my intention." She stuck out her hand to Saein, who in turn took it with both of hers and shook it. She then turned her head to look at Bond. "I don't believe we have met. Like I just said, I'm Inqueta To'avuor. I am a scout for this crew." She put out her hand for him to shake, if he so chose. She blinked a few times, and her white eyes began dulling to a light grey. She was becoming bored, and was itching to get the trip started.
"I don't think of it as a team sport" Saein chuckled. "If I like someone enough, it doesn't matter what they are. As long as I don't work directly with them or am in the same chain of command, of course. As for details, there are reasons I can't say much about them right now." She counted them on her fingers. "One, I decided to stop playing around a few years ago, and haven't found someone to be serious with yet. Two, I'm having an issue with skin contact, I'll explain it another time. Three, someone seems to want to join our conversation."
She shook Inque's hand. "That's quite alright, scout To'avuor. You're not the only one who is... distracted. I think finding a mechanic wasn't the only thing our captain needs to fix at the last minute. She looks stressed. Ah well, that's exactly why I never wanted a higher rank. Never a chance to relax." She turned her head away a bit from Inque and winked at Bond with the eye Inque now couldn't see. The moving patterns on her skin could give away that she was being cheeky, but she assumed Inque couldn't read them, and couldn't read her mind any other way either.
Switching to a safe subject everyone would feel comfortable about, she asked "So, how did both of you end up in this crew?"
Bond
"My looks," he said, as if it was obvious, then laughed. "Nah, I happened by, Regina and I went to school together, engineer was needed. End of that boring tale."
Bond shrugged his shoulders a bit, watching Regina and her second in command leave on whatever mission needed completing. It was morning and he was still a bit drowsy from sleep so he decided against drinking anymore. He needed to be 'tip-top' as they say, for when take-off would happened. Whenever that was...
Inqueta's eyes deepened to a darker grey, but presently returned to the slightly off-white grey color. The man in the conversation had ignored her, and she didn't know why.
"So, how did both of you end up in this crew?" Saein asked the two of them. The good looking man spoke up first.
"My looks," he said, then laughed. "Nah, I happened by, Regina and I went to school together, engineer was needed. End of that boring tale."
Inqueta listened to him. So he had no real reason to be on this ship. He just happened by. He was the engineer, that was nice to know. She turned her gaze back to Saein. "If you hadn't already noticed, I'm a Schael. If you know anything of my kind, you would know that we rarely venture out of our own village, and even more uncommonly, off of our home planet. I'll save you the details of my life story, but I am different than the other Schaelans. I left, and visited a few exotic places. Earth has always spiked my interest though. I found out about Captain Oris' ship, and thought it a good idea to join. I'm a scout." Inqueta finished and pushed her hair back again.
"Earth? We're looking for EARTH?" Saein laughed out loud. "That's crazy. I mean, you don't lose a planet like a datapad dropped into a toilet. There may be some dangerous things involved. At least all of the crewmembers I met seem like people who know what they're doing and how to get themselves out of trouble." Only a species that could literally grin from ear to ear could smile a bigger smile than Saein's. "Just like the good old days. Good crew, looking for something improbable, some danger... Today must be my lucky day. This, after I quit my job this morning, checked in in a random hotel, noticed the scent of a great cook, and she turns out to work for someone who offers me a job out of the blue!"
Saein appeared to suddenly remember something very bad. "Oh dear. Catch-22. I think I've just given myself a headache. Please excuse me."
She found herself a booth, a reasonably quiet place to try and figure out the problem she had just noticed. One of her crewmates didn't seem like she knew what kind of mission she had gotten herself into. Her ethics required her to warn crewmates about danger, but if she did give that warning, the girl might quit, and that very same girl happened to be the only truly convincing reason to want the job at all. If Saein's actions cost the captain her cook and her mechanic, the captain as well as the others wouldn't be pleased and that couldn't be good for her chances to find some other job. She didn't mind risking her career for a crewmate, but if the cook got scared away she wouldn't be a crewmate, just some stranger. Saein could decide not to say anything, but that would make her feel responsible for watching Minn's back. But if they were going to spend a lot of time on the same ship, she wanted to be friends with her, and imagined responsibility would prevent that.
It was all much too complicated. "Okay, Saein, think outside of the box" she said to herself. "Try thinking with your heart instead of your head."
What did her intuition tell her Minn would do if warned that the mission could be more dangerous than she might think? The girl seemed nervous, not just new-job-nervous, or big-adventure-nervous like Saein had been twelve years ago, but must-not-fail-nervous. As if she was coming from a situation much worse than whatever she thought the job might bring.
If that intuitive guess was right, that meant there was no problem, but it made Saein feel sad. At least it was something she could ask Minn about without getting in trouble, and if she turned out to be wrong, maybe she could think of another way out later. Now where was that girl? Saein got up to look around. No Minn...? Oh, there she was, in the booth right behind her.
"Minn, can I ask you a quick question? Is this job much better than your previous one?"
Minn
The voice startled her and she straightened up right away. "What?" she inquired at first, not fully processing the question. Minn shook her head, grabbing onto a lock of pink hair, before answering, "I can't really say yet since we haven't really started." She tried a smile. "But the company seems nice. Not that my co-workers weren't nice before. They were more like family really...but the management was...well, not good."
Her thoughts started to get away from her, but she forced herself to focus on Saein and her similar colored hair.
"I hope its better. All I've really wanted to do was cook and bake and...here I am." Her shoulders lifted to her ears almost as she grinned.
"What about you?"
Narration
After a long and tiring morning, Reggie finally had all her crew members. She officially welcomed Dr. Alexander Greenhaven to the crew, who happily accepted.
With the final pieces in place, Captain Oris gladly led everyone outside to the land cruiser.
Reggie
Finally, they finally had everyone. Reggie could feel her adrenaline kicking in. Her mind so focused on getting everyone up to the ship. She wanted to begin this journey. The thought of discovering Earth, after so many years! No words could describe her excitement.
"Alright, everyone!" She called as they neared the cruiser. "It's going to be a tight fit, but I promise the Nightwing is a lot larger." She popped open the door of the cruiser and climbed in, immediately taking the pilot's position.
"Make sure you're strapped in." She called behind her as everyone else piled in. She was so excited to see her ship again, to sleep in the bed she had grown accustomed to, she was half tempted to start flying while everyone was still trying to strap in.
Colin took his place in the seat next to her, strapping himself in. She beamed at him. He knew how excited for this she was. She had been trying to get funding for this expedition for years after discovering the possibilities. It was finally happening.
"Everybody ready?" She called back, it was hard to turn and see everyone while being strapped in. She got a resounding "yes" or "all good" from her newly hired crew. Not wanting to waste anymore time, she turned on the cruiser and slammed it into full throttle.
Just like last night, when she had shown Eddie the Nightwing for the first time, she gave out a hoot of excitement. She loved flying. The land cruiser was a bit more exciting because you could physically feel the small ship gain the speed. A large ship like the Nightwing was built to handle the high speeds. It was meant to move smoothly even at drastic speeds.
Blasting out of the atmosphere and into the vastness of space, Reggie instantly spot her ship sitting at the docks. "MAK, open the hanger," She spoke pressing a button to communicate with the on board AI.
"Welcome home, Captain Oris." Was the AI's reply as it lowered the hanger door.
"Welcome to the Nightwing, everyone."
(rewind)
The words of the answer didn't really solve the problem, but perhaps the way Minn acted did. Or perhaps not. Maybe she should stop worrying, the girl was an adult so she was responsible for her own decisions.
"What about you?"
"Oh, this is MUCH better. More dangerous too. I'm not sure I'll find the same sense of family with the whole crew as in the job before the last one, but I guess I'll have you...?" Saein smiled at Minn. "You can rely on me if you want to."
She saw the captain had returned. The woman looked much less stressed than before. Saein pointed at her. "I think we may be leaving soon. I'd better get changed. Never ever wear a dress when there's the slightest chance of zero gravity, trust me on that one."
(fast forward)
Apart from changing into her work clothing, Saein had put on her old RMEE jacket. It had been quite a while since she last felt worthy of wearing it. "Not bad at all" she commented when they approached the Nightwing. Soon she would be walking around the ship, sniffing the air and listening for any hidden problems, while comparing everything to the technical logs and documentation. If she hadn't been strapped in, she would have jumped with joy. "Getting to know a ship always is exciting, isn't it?" she said to nobody in particular.
Cassandra looked up from the table she was digging a knife into to see Regina. She smiled slightly, before putting the knife down flat. The barkeeper was going to hate her, saying she had carved many symbols and such into the table. Still, she stood and crossed the room to go follow the captain, like many. She heard Regina shout something about how it was going to be a tight fit, but she simply shrugged. She didn't mind, if it was for a short period of time. Which, it supposedly would be. She climbed in and took a seat right behind the pilot's, and strapped herself in.
"All good, Nauar." She announced, along with all the others saying similar things to announce they were ready. However, the Xylamar's voice was drowned out by the engine of the engine starting to life. She sighed and leaned back in the chair, ignoring all signs of somebody trying to start the conversation with her. Soon enough, the cruiser stopped, and the engine was cut off. She undid the buckle that held her in and stood. Even though the cruiser was too small for her to stand fully, she craned her neck a bit and stretched her limbs before heading off and into the hangar. She was the first one off, so she simply stood there and stared at the Nightwing. Soon somebody approached behind her, but she wasn't sure who. But she had to say something to them. So she did.
"It's beautiful, The Nightwing. I can't wait..."
Before Arc even got the chance to respond, they were called to the ship. Finally! His excitement was uncontained! It was leaking out of him! It was... well, he wasn't anymore 'visibly' excited then the rest. However, inside, he was cheering. They were finally getting ready to go! He followed Regina as they were led to the shuttle and then flown to the actual ship.
After the cramped shuttle ride up to the Nightwing, Eddie found himself giving second-glances to all the features of the ship he had already seen before. He wasn't as curious as the others, given the fact he knew what all this was and had seen the ship the day before, but he did admire the actual beauty of the ship as he walked.
As Reggie informed them of the AI, Eddie found himself not taking advantage of the thing, obviously because he wasn't completely comfortable with it. Then again, he didn't really need it, he did actually pay attention during the tour. Eddie caught himself before he got too far away from the others and smiled. "I would suggest nobody leaves without knowing where they are going, unless you want to wander around for a while," he warned jokingly.
Before Arc could respond to Eddie, The Captain had returned from wherever she had gone and soon they were all leaving for the Nightwing. Everyone seemed excited to see the new ship. Arc didnât get that, she didnât really see anything to be excited about, werenât all ships really the same. After being one of the last to get out of the cramped cruiser she found herself finally on the Nightwing.
"Getting to know a ship always is exciting, isn't it?" Saein said causing Arc to make a slightly baffled face. âI donât know, arenât they kind of all the sameâ Arc said in a daze without thinking about what she was saying. When she realized what she had said she flashed an apologetic smile at the other girl hoping she hadnât heard what she had said. She didnât want to come off as rude or offensive. She wandered on to large ship, surprised with itâs impressive size, it defiantly was not always a ship meant for adventure, fighting and all that.
"I would suggest nobody leaves without knowing where they are going, unless you want to wander around for a while." Eddie said speaking up from a little way away from the group. So Eddie had seen this ship before Arc mused to herself. âI think Iâll take you up on that,â Arc said to Eddie lightly before wandering past him and further away from the group. She always liked to discover things herself, like how you would expect a child to go âexploring.â It was a childhood habit she couldnât quite kick. Not that she made much attempt at it, but she found it was easier to find her way around like this. Besides if she got too lost there was always that AI to help her out. This ship couldnât be that big and it's not like she didn't mind wandering around alone, it gave her time to think daydream.
âI donât know, arenât they kind of all the sameâ Arc replied to her remark, then looked a bit embarrassed. Saein smiled. âYes, theyâre all designed to keep air inside and have some sort of engine to move them around. Kind of like how all weapons are meant for pointing at things you feel threatened by.â She made the âpew pewâ gesture at Arc, laughed, and added âJust teasing.â
As she got out of the land cruiser, it became obvious to Saein that the Nightwing had once been a passenger ship. She wasn't happy about that. Passenger ships were full of unneeded space, making them both less sturdy and more likely to hit something. Worse, they were designed to be silent, making beginning problems more difficult to hear. Worst, they weren't designed to be easily repaired when a pilot took them beyond their specs, instead everything was built to defend such ships against kids with screwdrivers and drunk passengers who might confuse a handle on a wall panel for a door. The last ship she had worked on had been an example of these problems, those were the only reason it needed more than one or two mechanics. At least the Nightwing had been improved both on the outside and the inside.
She walked a short distance away from the rest. âHello, MAK. My name is Saein, Iâm the new mechanic.â Her datapad buzzed, she ignored that for now. âI'm going to need the technical data and the spare parts inventory list.â
âWelcome, Saein. You already have it.â
Saein looked through the information. âIs that all?â
âI left out the things that arenât relevant to your job.â
âI'm a proactive mechanic, MAK. Everything is relevant to my job.â She sighed. Who had ever come up with the bright idea of making computers worse by letting them make assumptions? At least MAK did give her the remaining data without complaining about insufficient access rights. âNow guide me along the shortest route visiting all of the ship except the private areas.â
âUnderstood. Keep walking in that direction, then turn leftâ the AI replied.
Saein turned to face the rest of the crew first. âHey Bond, MAK is showing me all of the ship, do you want to join the tour? It will be a long one.â Turning back to follow the directions of the AI, her eyes landed on Minn for a moment. She hoped things would work out well for that rookie. Saein brought her thoughts back to ships and work. âOkay MAK, here we go.â
Bond
He sauntered onto the ship with everyone else, impressed with Reggie's work on the thing, nodding here and there. Saein dove right in of course and he decided it was best to follow along, especially since she seemed to be taking lead with their jobs. He didn't mind working under someone, as long as he was able to do what he did with his skills, which were overly impressive and documented in several places, he would be fine.
Taking his spot at Saein's side and glancing at the data she was collecting, he smiled. "Noticed the same issues," he commented. "This'll be one fun ride, eh?"
Minn
Overwhelmed from the air conditioning, Minn wrapped her arms around herself, staring around in amazement. Her first time on an actual ship in actual space. Her smile was hard to hide.
Everyone seemed to be splitting off into their own little groups or wandering off on their own, so Minn decided to do the same. She wouldn't be much help technical-wise, or with moving the ship, or with weapons planning. She just needed the kitchen. Following her nose, she took step after step, exploring it all.
She found the bed chambers and entertainment rooms quite interesting, each bedroom a single slim mattress with drawers in the bottom and a ladder leading back up to the main areas of the ship. Several screens lined the entertainment room and Minn was tempted to press buttons, but knew she better work on food first. Eddie was first after all and he seemed a hungry type of human.
It took nearly twenty minutes more until she stepped down three stairs into the dining and kitchen room. Oval, open and walls painted a burnt orange, Minn fell in love.
She dashed to the pantry seeing ingredients stacked and lined on ten different shelves. The cooling cupboards filled her mind with delicious possibilities. Even the pots gleamed in such a way that begged her to use them.
Spinning around once, she laughed out loud then covered her mouth. It was even a bit warmer in here. It was perfect!
"This'll be one fun ride, eh?" Bond asked.
âIf we make it fun, I'm sure it will beâ Saein replied with a smile. âI try to fix things before anyone tells me to, but Iâm happy the engineer who will tell me what to do when I donât notice a problem myself isnât someone who is stuck up or something.â They took a left, like MAK had told Saein to. âHey, whatâs this, MAK? I told you I wasnât interested in the private areas.â
âThese arenât bedrooms, theyâve been repurposed.â
âI see. So where will we sleep?â
âThere still are two rooms you could claim, if you donât, youâll sleep in the barracks.â
Saein glanced at Bond, then told the AI âI claim one of those and I guess Bond claims the other? Weâll figure out who claims which later.â To Bond she explained âIâm used to barracks, but itâs good to have something to give away. Can you believe the captain didnât assign those rooms? If we hadnât found out about them by coincidence, they would have been claimed by someone selfish or lazy. I really donât like it when not-working is rewarded.â She shook her head. âOh well. So what will we see next, and why werenât those barracks converted instead?â
MAK explained that the first repurposed passenger room was the armory, and that it was more cost effective to sell furniture and reuse right-sized rooms than it was to build new walls.
âSuddenly I feel like a spoiled rich brat. Right, the armory. Do you care about weapons, Bond, or shall we trust Arc will take good care of them and hurry up to see the engines sooner?â She really could use a look at some big machinery to improve her mood, the smile that had seemed to be part of her face until now was gone.
