USF Progenitor & Crew: Adventures in Cosmos 01

[#73] Grinning

"Hey, I need to know if we can get a lift back to our ship and fly it in a little closer than we left it. That a possibility?" Ka'eo requested commandingly.
Abjit replied, "Uhhh, yes, we can provide you with a land roving vehicle. Do you want someone to drive you there?"
"I would appreciate that," Ka'eo said. "Otherwise, we can drive ourselves there."
"You are taking how many of your crew with you?" Abjit asked. "I ask because we have limited accommodations."
"You have a four-seater?" Ka'eo asked with a smirk.
Abjit said, "Why yes, we do."
"Very good, we can use that," Ka'eo affirmed. He pressured as lightly as possible, "Now. Who is going to drive us there?"
"We have. So. Our work here comes first, however, if you want to be driven there, we have someone, but we try not to leave the facility," Abjit explained in almost a run-on way, sounding anxious.
Ka'eo said, "That isn't the name of a person."
Abjit paused and looked Ka'eo in the eyes, waiting and wondering. Abjit was met with a smile and smiling eyes, helping him feel better about Ka'eo. He told Ka'eo, "So. His name is Kalil, and... he is also Indian. His accent is heavier than mine, so I hope you can't... I hope you understand what he is saying, because he is very hard at English."
"Well, no worries," Ka'eo said. "I'm gonna saddle up with my guys and then we'll grab the ship. Ah, next thing I needed to know... where is a good place to park our ship? I noticed there might be a good place near the silos. We can use that area—."
"Yes, yes, there is that, but... it is better if you don't do that and then land your ship away from our outpost," Abjit explained. "Because we do not need... we do not want our research projects to be at all affected. We... think it is better you leave your ship where it is or maybe just—."
"Away from the facility," Ka'eo completed. "I can do that for you, but... well, how does a mile away sound for you? We got it parked around two miles from here."
"Two... miles, okay. That is fine," Abjit continued, sighing frustratedly. "Look, we want for you to sit, and to think for a little while, what you want to do with your ship. Because, we usually have researchers come down in landing crafts, so we do not have much the proper protocol for your... ship."
"Okay, well, I'm saying that I'm not comfortable with the ship being landed so far away from where we'll be staying," Ka'eo debated. "There's no real problem here—."
"No, you see," Abjit stubbed, resuming, "It is not fair for us to have to manage here and then have a ship, too, somewhere that we have to worry about it being. We want to... make sure that we can properly handle the... logistics, and proceed with what was expected for us. Do you agree?"
Ka'eo was becoming increasingly annoyed. He tried to gain control, replying, "I agree. Listen. I'm not trying to force you to do anything."
"No, no, we know that, listen, I know. What I am telling you now is that I do not think that your ship is okay near here. It is good where it is," Abjit said as though wanting to conclude the subject. His facial expression showed that he wanted to continue testing Ka'eo in an argument.
Max walked around the corner from the corridor intersection with Tiffany and Christina. Max grinned, showing excitement to see Ka'eo. He greeted them, "Hey! Kay'eo! Homie!"
Christina giggled at Max then told Ka'eo, "Hey you, we were looking all over for you. Where did you go?"
Tiffany said, "Yeah, your crew mates... Mana and... Peter were looking for you, too."
"Ah, they were?" Ka'eo asked. "Well—."
"So, are you okay with leaving your ship there or do you need to move your ship somewhere?" Abjit asked, expecting the answer to be in his favor.
Ka'eo glanced at Max who was still grinning at him, then looked at Abjit. He said, "Listen, Abjit, we want to make sure the ship is nearby."
"Okay, so... I don't know what you want to do," Abjit tried.
"No. So, what I'm going to do is get that vehicle that you're offering me and then I'm going to go and move the ship closer," Ka'eo explained more concentrated.
Abjit blew out a sigh then nodded in a reluctant yet accepted compromise. He looked at Max and smirked then told him, "Hello! You are doing well, my friend?"
Max laughed and said, "Hells yes!" He got some giggles from the ladies and a sustained smile from Abjit. Max asked, "What are we talking about here?" He glanced at Ka'eo and asked him, "Everything going okay, homie?"
Abjit glanced behind him, side-eyeing Ka'eo, then told Max with his hands pushing toward him, "Everything is okay, my friend! You are good with me. Your crew man told me he wants to move the ship closer to the research outpost, and I think it is wise to keep it distance, but it is up to your crew."
"Oh, man, why not?" Max replied dramatically, laughing and looking at the ladies, getting them to giggle.
Christina whispered to Max, "Do you want to meet us back at the common area, and I'll just talk to Ka'eo about this, see where his head is at?"
Max sighed and said aloud, pretending to be reluctant, "Okaaaay! Ka'eo, I'll see you in a bit. Your lady wants to have a word with you."
Ka'eo thought to himself, my lady? If you insist. He wanted to chuckle, but was still observing Christina and how she would behave after their intimate meeting.
Christina whispered with a big smile, "Thank you, Max!" She placed her hands gently on his chest and said, "You're so good!"
Max responded in a facetiously low tone of voice with a look of slight surprise, "Woah! Thank you, honey! I appreciate that." He laughed.
Christina crept up to Ka'eo and placed her hands on his chest, bypassing his stoic reticence to her friendly behavior. She couldn't see that Ka'eo felt less than thrilled to be alone with her once Max, Tiffany, and Abjit left. She said in a heart melting tone, "Hiii, baby!"
Ka'eo sighed, feeling his heart throb, but not wanting to give in. He greeted her, "Hi, Christina."
"You don't want to call me 'baby' anymore?" Christina questioned with a false pretense of innocence and a barely noticeable smirk. She moved her bangs out of her eyeline and asked, "What did Abjit have to say?"
"I don't know, he didn't want me going out there and moving the ship. Safety precautions," Ka'eo dried.
"Well, why don't you come back to the commons with me and see what's going on with everyone there?" Christina asked, brushing off some pieces of lint from his black, long-sleeved shirt.
Ka'eo didn't quite pick up that Christina was still feeling insecure herself, realizing that his calculations were correct, but her tactics would be subtle. Ka'eo replied with a question, asking, "What is everyone doing in there?"
Christina felt bitten by his question, though she did her best to ignore it, seeing it as Ka'eo's own unacknowledged insecurity. She answered, "Well, no, not everyone is in there." She smiled on the inside, feeling she had Ka'eo wrapped around her finger without him knowing it, giving her comfort in attaining her goal. Her goal was to get into Ka'eo's brain and find out what he himself did at H&G Diamond Drilling Corp. when he was there, paid in support and credits by the Police Covenant themselves. She continued, "Kanoa is with Alec, I think, Veno is with Stavros with one of the researchers, Matt is... alone, somewhere, I think on his PCD with someone."
"Alright, you don't have to give me details," Ka'eo shrugged off, sighing again as though wanting to leave.
Christina responded to Ka'eo thinking he was frustrated at her, still sounding piously innocent and suggestive. She replied, "Well, I'm not! Anyways, Maaax and Tiffany obviously went back to commons together, which is where I think Alec went, and that's also where Peter and Mana last were when I'd seen them. Sarah is with a researcher—."