MARCH 5, 2015
AVALON SPACEPORT, MELBOURNE, EARTH
As the cargo hatch slid closed, Chris scribbled his signature on the paperwork, removed one of the carbon copies, and handed it over to the truck driver. “And that should do it,” he commented with a smile.
The driver, who had to be in his early twenties at best, nodded slightly, before looking back over the ship in front of him again with a slightly awed expression. “So, this is gonna fly all the way to Jupiter?” the boy asked, his voice an entertaining mix of wonder and disbelief at the concept.
“She makes that run at least two to three times a month,” the Void Eagles captain confirmed, resting a hand against a landing strut. He decided not to confuse the kid by trying to explain that the current relative positions of both planets meant that the trip was actually quicker and easier than it often was. Even a lot of people living in space had a hard time understanding how planetary orbits reshaped their maps, after all. “We could make the whole trip in one go, honestly, but I’ve got some other deliveries to make along the way, so...”
Considering that for a moment, the youth scratched at his neck. “Huh. That’s wild,” he said at last. “Um… good flight, I guess,” he added, before turning and walking back towards his truck, pausing for a moment to give a curious glance at the bulky astromech droid rolling down the ships boarding ramp. He paused, turning his head towards the human, the large blue optic that served as his ‘face’ regarding him blankly. At that, the man jumped slightly and sped up, nearly jogging towards his own vehicle.
Watching him leave, Chris frowned slightly. “Hmm. He’s a little jumpy, isn’t he?”
Rolling off the ramp, the droid made his way over to his captain, chirping cheerfully.
Shrugging, Chris conceded the point. “Okay Tee, I’ll pay that. Hell, If Jack keeps him on as a driver, I guess he’ll get that.” He gave T7-01 an affectionate pat on the head as he walked past him to check the seals on the cargo hatch. “You’ve never been one to shy away from making new friends, after all.”
the droid replied, before his optic glowed brighter, and a tiny holographic figure appeared in the air in front of it. A blue haired girl in what appeared to be her late teens, clad in worn spacers coveralls and an old leather jacket.
“Personally, I think you enjoy messing with the ‘Danes,” Kitbash mused. “I mean, it’s not exactly muggle-baiting, but still, you definitely like having them off-balance.”
Glancing over at her, Chris couldn't suppress a grin. "You might have a point there," he admitted. "There's just something oddly amusing about being the odd one." Considering that for a moment, he chuckled softly. "I gotta wonder, when did this become normal for me?" he asked, more to himself than his crew. Checking the seals one last time, he folded up the paperwork and put them in his pocket. "So,more importantly, how's the flight plan look?"
Pulling a notepad out of thin air, the Void Eagles AI pretended to study it. "All plotted and arranged," she confirmed, adjusting her glasses. "Even if we left tonight, we'd get to Jupiter with about twelve hours to spare. That said," she added, looking back up at him, "while you were loading, I got an email from the Roughriders. Gina wants to know if we have time for some courier work."
Her avatar vanished from view, replaced by the email in question. Chris leaned in for a closer look, considering locations and flight times, then nodded. “Yeah, we can do that. Send off the usual deal.”
Replacing the email, Kitbash gave a sketchy salute. “Aye-aye Captain.” Pausing, she glanced to her left, then raised one eyebrow. “By the by, incoming rabbit.”
Chris gave her a confused look, before turning to see a familiar bunnygirl approaching the Void Eagle. Brown hair, five and a half feet tall, a body that did impressive things to the Liberion Army Air Corps uniform jacket she was wearing, and a distinct lack of pants (Although it seemed she was showing some mercy on the delicate nature of Earthers and wearing a bikini bottom as opposed to showing off her underwear). “Well now, ain’t this a welcome sight!” she laughed. “Long time no see Skipper.”
Grinning, Chris stepped forward and shook the womans hand, suppressing the urge to wince as, as always, she made a challenge of it. “Shirley Yeager,” he said in a tone of profound satisfaction. “It’s been too damn long. Last I heard, you were up in Canberra. Something about helping to draft flight regulations?”
Releasing the handshake, Shirley nodded. “Yer federal government’s started working out the rules and regs to cover ‘single person experimental extra small air vehicles,’” she explained, making the classic quotation gesture with her hands. At her friends mildly confused look, she snickered. “Jetpacks, rocketboots, that dumbass that tried flying over the Harbor bridge in a homemade Iron Man suit back in January, ya get me?”
T7 noted.
Shirley shrugged apologetically. “Sorry Seven, still don’t got the ears for binary,” she admitted.
“He was complimenting you,” Kitbash assured her, although she looked somewhat skeptical. “Which I should point out, means everyone here knows each other except…” Her voice trailed off and she gave the two physical humanoids a significant look.
“Right. Sorry. Dumb. Kit, this is Shirley Yeager, formerly of Great Justice and the Space Patrol,” her captain said, gesturing towards the woman, who smirked and bowed slightly. “Teeseven and I worked with her a few times back during the Boskone War. Shirley, this is my daughter Arturia Wood, AI of the Void Eagle.”
“Call me Kitbash,” she offered. “Arturia’s just for the paperwork.”
Grinning, the bunnygirl nodded. “Pleasure to meet ya Kitbash.” Looking back at Chris, she smirked. “So, ya ended up a papa after all.”
“And as I always claimed would be the case, she’s just as bad as me,” he replied with a grin, ignoring the glare Kitbash gave him. Shirley snorted, reaching over and giving T7 a friendly pat on the head. “Anyway, yeah, last I heard you were in Canberra. Or is that all finished?”
“Gawd, I wish,” the girl moaned, shoulders and ears slumping dramatically. “Freaking REMFs. No idea how a plane works, let along anything ‘waved up. Nah, I’m down here on a side project,” she said, cheering back up instantly. “Little somethin’ me and a few buddies have been working on for, oh, year or so.” Her grin became a smirk as she leaned in closer, pressing against him. “And, knowing ya the way I do, I gotta say, I think you’d find it utterly fascinating,” she purred. “Care to follow me into a dark and mysterious hanger?”
Considering his friend for a long moment, and pretending to ignore the suddenly dubious glare his daughter was giving Shirley (Not that different from when some catgirls he knew got affectionate actually), Chris returned the bunnygirls smirk with one of his own. “Why Agent Cottontail, you remain as tempting as ever… lead the way.”
The old nickname got a laugh out of the woman, utterly ruining the mock-sultry stance she’d taken, and she backed up, spun on the spot, gesturing for them to follow. Human and droid glanced at each other, the human chuckled, and then the pair followed, Kitbashs avatar continuing to float in front of T7, still looking suspicious.
AVALON SPACEPORT, MELBOURNE, EARTH
As the cargo hatch slid closed, Chris scribbled his signature on the paperwork, removed one of the carbon copies, and handed it over to the truck driver. “And that should do it,” he commented with a smile.
The driver, who had to be in his early twenties at best, nodded slightly, before looking back over the ship in front of him again with a slightly awed expression. “So, this is gonna fly all the way to Jupiter?” the boy asked, his voice an entertaining mix of wonder and disbelief at the concept.
“She makes that run at least two to three times a month,” the Void Eagles captain confirmed, resting a hand against a landing strut. He decided not to confuse the kid by trying to explain that the current relative positions of both planets meant that the trip was actually quicker and easier than it often was. Even a lot of people living in space had a hard time understanding how planetary orbits reshaped their maps, after all. “We could make the whole trip in one go, honestly, but I’ve got some other deliveries to make along the way, so...”
Considering that for a moment, the youth scratched at his neck. “Huh. That’s wild,” he said at last. “Um… good flight, I guess,” he added, before turning and walking back towards his truck, pausing for a moment to give a curious glance at the bulky astromech droid rolling down the ships boarding ramp. He paused, turning his head towards the human, the large blue optic that served as his ‘face’ regarding him blankly. At that, the man jumped slightly and sped up, nearly jogging towards his own vehicle.
Watching him leave, Chris frowned slightly. “Hmm. He’s a little jumpy, isn’t he?”
Rolling off the ramp, the droid made his way over to his captain, chirping cheerfully.
Shrugging, Chris conceded the point. “Okay Tee, I’ll pay that. Hell, If Jack keeps him on as a driver, I guess he’ll get that.” He gave T7-01 an affectionate pat on the head as he walked past him to check the seals on the cargo hatch. “You’ve never been one to shy away from making new friends, after all.”
the droid replied, before his optic glowed brighter, and a tiny holographic figure appeared in the air in front of it. A blue haired girl in what appeared to be her late teens, clad in worn spacers coveralls and an old leather jacket.
“Personally, I think you enjoy messing with the ‘Danes,” Kitbash mused. “I mean, it’s not exactly muggle-baiting, but still, you definitely like having them off-balance.”
Glancing over at her, Chris couldn't suppress a grin. "You might have a point there," he admitted. "There's just something oddly amusing about being the odd one." Considering that for a moment, he chuckled softly. "I gotta wonder, when did this become normal for me?" he asked, more to himself than his crew. Checking the seals one last time, he folded up the paperwork and put them in his pocket. "So,more importantly, how's the flight plan look?"
Pulling a notepad out of thin air, the Void Eagles AI pretended to study it. "All plotted and arranged," she confirmed, adjusting her glasses. "Even if we left tonight, we'd get to Jupiter with about twelve hours to spare. That said," she added, looking back up at him, "while you were loading, I got an email from the Roughriders. Gina wants to know if we have time for some courier work."
Her avatar vanished from view, replaced by the email in question. Chris leaned in for a closer look, considering locations and flight times, then nodded. “Yeah, we can do that. Send off the usual deal.”
Replacing the email, Kitbash gave a sketchy salute. “Aye-aye Captain.” Pausing, she glanced to her left, then raised one eyebrow. “By the by, incoming rabbit.”
Chris gave her a confused look, before turning to see a familiar bunnygirl approaching the Void Eagle. Brown hair, five and a half feet tall, a body that did impressive things to the Liberion Army Air Corps uniform jacket she was wearing, and a distinct lack of pants (Although it seemed she was showing some mercy on the delicate nature of Earthers and wearing a bikini bottom as opposed to showing off her underwear). “Well now, ain’t this a welcome sight!” she laughed. “Long time no see Skipper.”
Grinning, Chris stepped forward and shook the womans hand, suppressing the urge to wince as, as always, she made a challenge of it. “Shirley Yeager,” he said in a tone of profound satisfaction. “It’s been too damn long. Last I heard, you were up in Canberra. Something about helping to draft flight regulations?”
Releasing the handshake, Shirley nodded. “Yer federal government’s started working out the rules and regs to cover ‘single person experimental extra small air vehicles,’” she explained, making the classic quotation gesture with her hands. At her friends mildly confused look, she snickered. “Jetpacks, rocketboots, that dumbass that tried flying over the Harbor bridge in a homemade Iron Man suit back in January, ya get me?”
T7 noted.
Shirley shrugged apologetically. “Sorry Seven, still don’t got the ears for binary,” she admitted.
“He was complimenting you,” Kitbash assured her, although she looked somewhat skeptical. “Which I should point out, means everyone here knows each other except…” Her voice trailed off and she gave the two physical humanoids a significant look.
“Right. Sorry. Dumb. Kit, this is Shirley Yeager, formerly of Great Justice and the Space Patrol,” her captain said, gesturing towards the woman, who smirked and bowed slightly. “Teeseven and I worked with her a few times back during the Boskone War. Shirley, this is my daughter Arturia Wood, AI of the Void Eagle.”
“Call me Kitbash,” she offered. “Arturia’s just for the paperwork.”
Grinning, the bunnygirl nodded. “Pleasure to meet ya Kitbash.” Looking back at Chris, she smirked. “So, ya ended up a papa after all.”
“And as I always claimed would be the case, she’s just as bad as me,” he replied with a grin, ignoring the glare Kitbash gave him. Shirley snorted, reaching over and giving T7 a friendly pat on the head. “Anyway, yeah, last I heard you were in Canberra. Or is that all finished?”
“Gawd, I wish,” the girl moaned, shoulders and ears slumping dramatically. “Freaking REMFs. No idea how a plane works, let along anything ‘waved up. Nah, I’m down here on a side project,” she said, cheering back up instantly. “Little somethin’ me and a few buddies have been working on for, oh, year or so.” Her grin became a smirk as she leaned in closer, pressing against him. “And, knowing ya the way I do, I gotta say, I think you’d find it utterly fascinating,” she purred. “Care to follow me into a dark and mysterious hanger?”
Considering his friend for a long moment, and pretending to ignore the suddenly dubious glare his daughter was giving Shirley (Not that different from when some catgirls he knew got affectionate actually), Chris returned the bunnygirls smirk with one of his own. “Why Agent Cottontail, you remain as tempting as ever… lead the way.”
The old nickname got a laugh out of the woman, utterly ruining the mock-sultry stance she’d taken, and she backed up, spun on the spot, gesturing for them to follow. Human and droid glanced at each other, the human chuckled, and then the pair followed, Kitbashs avatar continuing to float in front of T7, still looking suspicious.