Lunar Conspiracy

Redirection

"So?  What can you tell me about Kit's friend?"

Yggdrasil grinned a bemused expression as Tava regarded the black and white horned alien with curiosity.  Li'Coby beamed back at the two of them, seeming quite at ease despite being stared at.

"Our newest crew mate is in perfect health, as far as I can tell.  Herbivore.  Generally non-agressive unless threatened, at which point the horns and plating are put to quite effective use.  Li'Coby appears to understand more common than can be spoken.  I imagine time among the crew will result in a broadening of the vocabulary, however."

Tava nodded, glancing the black and white creature over. She got a smile of blunt teeth back at her coupled with a pleased trilling sound. She smirked before turning back to Yggdrasil as he moved into the corner to sit at the medical computer. Following him, Tava lowered her voice a bit.   "I feel bad for asking but, male or female?"

Yggdrasil shook his head as he tapped more information into the computer as Li'Coby's blood sample, a milky white color, finished processing. "Neither. Li'Coby's species is androgynous. Which makes the way they reproduce fascinating. You see, they-"

Tava held up her hands. "I really don't need to know Doc."

Yggdrasil smiled and shrugged. "I suppose you could simply assign a gender to make the pronoun issue easier. Or else use Li'Coby's name every time you want to talk about them. I think if I were going to assign a gender I would make it female, since the species typically comes in two body types. Big and brawny, or slender and fast. Li'Coby falls into the second category."

Tava frowned. "We could just ask-" She stopped when she turned back to find Li'Coby gone. Yggdrasil didn't seem concerned. Tava sighed and went to hunt down the newest alien addition to the ship.

She finally found Li'Coby in the engine room. Jornea was seated on the floor, listening to Kit talk from underneath a huge piece of machinery. Li'Coby was head and shoulders under the equipment, and once Tava got a little closer, it sounded like Kit was explaining how to fix something under there.

She stopped in the door and cocked her head when Jornea noticed her and grinned. "Lose somebody?"

Tava shook her head. "Just curious where they had disappeared to so suddenly."

Li'Coby suddenly backed out, making room for Kit to wriggle out of the cramped space. Hopping up onto hooves, Li'Coby fixed Kit with an intense look. "You teach me?"

Kit blinked in surprise. "What, teach you mechanicking?"

Li'Coby stumbled over the big word, then repeated. "You. Teach me. I be better than you. Soon!" Then Li'Coby snorted and trotted away, hooves clopping on the deck plating as the creature bypassed Tava without a glance.

All three watched the alien go, then turned to look at each other. Jornea suddenly grinned. "Notice me Senpai!"

Kit grumbled at her, but Tava thought he looked pleased anyways. Jornea just laughed hysterically.  Deciding Li'Coby would fit in just fine and could be left to their own devices, she turned to head back up to the bridge.  Quick shuffling steps behind her drew her attention and she glanced over her shoulder.

The hopeful grin on Jornea's face made Tava stiffen, but she slowed her steps to accommodate the pilot's limp.  Jornea took a light tone as she started off.  "So Cap'n-"

"No."

"But I-!"

"No Jornea."  The grin immediately faded into a pout, but Tava wasn't about to change her position.  Jornea had been healing much faster than anyone had anticipated, but she was still bruised and bandaged, in addition to the bad limp.  Yggdrasil had ordered her to stay off her feet as much as possible, rest, and not set one foot on the bridge.  Jornea had been ignoring all of those orders, insisting that she was fine.  Tava had been adamantly refusing to allow her to resume her piloting duties.

Jornea sulked as she followed Tava up to the bridge and slumped into the co-pilot seat.  Tava could only sigh and shake her head fondly at the woman as she resumed control of Athena.  Her eyes scanned the Nav computer as she absently spoke across the bridge.

"Any leads Quorra?"

The winged reptile swung his head back and forth in a negative, furiously tapping away at his system.  "Sorry Tava.  They got into the more frequented starpaths and I lost the trail."

Tava frowned.  The number of planets mapped on the Nav computer were too numerous to even begin narrowing it down.  And as much as she hated giving up, her string of luck so far had discouraged her from attempting to go with gut feelings or random picks.  She glanced over to where Jornea was still pouting, elbows propped on the console and chin in her hands.  Swiping her fingers across the Nav computer, she sent the map over to the co-pilot panel.

"Any ideas?"

Jornea immediately perked up and seized on the offered chance to help.  She quickly went flicking through.

"Just pick a planet where we might be able to add to the revolution ranks.  We can look for information on my husband as we go.  Like you said, as long as he's leverage over me, I doubt they'll do anything too drastic."

Jornea nodded and finally settled on a planet.  She flicked the map back to Tava with a satisfied smile.  "Let's try this one.  It's kind of a merchant hub, so you can find all sorts there.  Probably most interesting is the mercenary guild and the assassin school.  If you can get a pledge of warriors from either of those two you'll be a big leap forward.  Not to mention, they're so widespread they can get the word out even faster than we can on our own."

Tava raised a brow, impressed.  "Alright.  Sounds good."

They all glanced at the com when Kartk called over it.  "Either someone get down to the galley and make food or I'm cooking."

Jornea made a sound of horror and lunged for the com.  "I'm coming!  Don't burn anything before I get there!"  She hefted herself back to her feet and went limping for the galley as quickly as she could, muttering.  "No way in the nine layered black hole are you cooking."

Tava could only chuckle as she put in the coordinates for the planet Jornea had chosen and picked up speed.

Quorra's wings rustled as he slowed his tapping and sat back a little in his chair.  "How is our new friend fitting in?"

"Li'Coby?  Just fine I think.  Looks like Kit will have some help in the engine room too."

Quorra's mouth parted, showing his fangs in a frightening smile.  "How fortuitous."

Tava chuckled.  "I suppose now all we need is a little help for Doc and a co-pilot.  Then we'll have a full shift."  Quorra hissed a laugh of his own.

"And if we could get a full time cook so Kartk never attempts to turn edibles radioactive again..."  They shared a laugh, able to find humor in the incident now that they weren't facing down a plate of toxic sludge for dinner.  Quorra's tongue flickered out of his mouth as he shot a sly look at Tava across the bridge.  "Is it just me, or does he and our pilot seem to be getting close recently?"

Tava could only shrug.  "Well, judging by the way he was venting to me about her the other day..."

Quorra grinned.  "He just isn't good at expressing it.  Give it a little more time."

"I don't believe I'll bet you on that one.  If anyone can break that man out of his prickly shell, I'd expect it to be Jornea."