At Last
27 Mar 2024Sagacious Panda
It was a difficult couple of weeks for Pan and Bella. First the Gen Ship, then revelations from ICE and lately a miscalculated jump resulting not only with a damaged Frame Shift Drive but also some heat damage to the hull of Manhattan put the mood in the gutters.They found a nameless rock in a G-class star system and landed on the edge of a crater for repairs. Bella was dealing with the FSD and Pan focused on the memory circuits of ICE. It took them four days to get some form of positive information from it.
There were data about Guardians, Tharg War, some commanders with great achievements in history…the things you could easily find in the archives of GalNet basically. But some of this common knowledge were encrypted, “unnecessary” was the fitting word for this encryption.
However, there was one moment which changed Pan’s perspective in all this.
Among all the data streams from GalNet, Legion and various acquaintances, one recent message shifted his focus quite quickly.
“Commander, it is vital that we meet at your earliest convenience. H.G. is not the place where you should be wandering around.” Message was from a R.L. Houston and origin was in Colonia…
Colonia is a group of settlements and stations around 22.000ly away from the bubble, in the opposite direction where they were now.
After reading the message he went to Bella to tell her about the message but instead he watched her work on the ship’s systems. She was wearing her daily overalls, deeply focused on the stubborn machinery and she was whistling a tune.
She could be anywhere else in the Galaxy surrounded with attention, nice people, good food and the life she deserves, but there she was. Right in front of him, thousands of light years away from everyone else she knows from everyone else caring about her, from everything else that mattered to her.
Pan approached her and joined in the tune. They whistled and laughed. There was a moment of silence after. Just the hums of life support. She saw the running thoughts and emotions in his eyes.
“I really appreciate that you are here Bell, you know that right?”
“Should I expect an And or but after that Pan? Bella asked with a smirk.
He just kissed her. And she kissed him back.
In the flickering lights of panels, and the reflection of a distant star pouring in from the canopy, they stood hugging in silence after.
It was when his mind felt peace. He wanted that moment to last for an eternity.
Next morning when they woke up, he said.
“Bell, let’s get out of this place. Let’s go where we are not surrounded by darkness.”
“What do you mean? We are close, are we not? ICE will guide...”
He interrupted her
“No Bell, no. Forget about my parents. Forget about the GenShip and all that. At least for now”
She looked at him. Concerned.
“What about now?”
“Now. That’s what’s on my mind. Now.” He stood up poured coffee for both of them and continued.
“We came here to learn about my past. It is pretty complicated clearly. ICE on the other hand, has some information within it and I am unable to dig into it. For that we need an Engineer or something. Maybe someone in the Legion can work it out.” He took a sip from the warm liquid and “Look, I don’t know. I just think that this thing I am after is bigger than me, you, my parents even.” He looked out to the shadows of rock formations towards the crater.
“I don’t want you, me…us spending our time hunting ghosts. You…we, deserve better.”
“So that’s it?” Bella asked with her hands high in the air and a really irritated face.
“We give up, and head back” it was also not a statement. That was a question.
“No, we don’t give up. And no, I don’t aim to head back” Pan said.
“Pan, it’s not the greatest feeling to know that you already made up your mind and not being told about it”
He hovered his hand over the switch to take ICE online. Tilted his head, closed his eyes, got ready for the fury to be unleashed on him and said: “Bell, I aim to go to Colonia….”
He only felt her arm hugging him…
She said in a soft voice almost like a whisper: “Did you mean WE aim to go to Colonia?”
He hugged her back and just nodded.
“Oh, Randt will be so jealous. He always talked about Colonia and how he took part in saving an expedition over there” Bell blurted through a chuckle.
Pan smiled and flicked the switch on for ICE.
They again stood there in…a silence?
Pan spoke first: “ICE, are you with us buddy?”
“I am online Pan”
“Why are you so formal ICE” Bella asked. It was uncharacteristic of ICE to even mention that he is “online”.
“It is due to uur initial protocol with Pan” ICE started and kept explaining “...whenever he is naked within premises and accompanied by….”
Pan didn’t let him finish and said “Ok buddy, we got it. You A/V sensor are %100, right?”
“Yes, Pan, I -see- that you two are naked.”
Bella laughed and “that is not how I imagined my threesome would be”
“ICE, get used to it buddy, we have a very long trip ahead of us and that means we will have a lot of free time” Pan wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss.
“And we mean to enjoy our Journey.”
ICE: “In that case, I am as happy as I can be for both of you. However, please limit your skins outside of the cockpit, I am unable to switch off my sensors in there.”
“No promises mister” Bella said.
ICE: “and destination?”
Pan: “Colonia. And calculate optimum Neutron Route for us. I aim to be there next week latest.”
ICE: “I assume this has something to do with Sergeant Houston’s message, copy Pan, calculating”
A few seconds later ICE responded: “Our optimal route will require fuel scooping 17 times and make 109 Neutron Jumps, 17 medium and 9 high risk ones. Our journey can be completed in 8 standard days with no strain of your metabolisms or in 5 days with extreme fatigue”
Bella: “So we have a week”
Pan: “At least”
Bella: “At last”