When they got out of the elevator, Nico led them past the crowd and out on to the flight deck where the next shuttle was still cooling down for boarding.
The guards greeted her with a fist bump and escorted the group through, much to the dismay of the crowd that was waiting in line to load.
“Shut it. Qualify as a Super Heavy Pilot and you can dodge the line yourself.” The staff responded to the complaints of favoritism, silencing the crowd.
That wasn’t a status that any of them would ever make, and the man who walked around the line almost certainly outranked them all. Even worse, they might end up his direct subordinates once they got to the ship, so antagonizing the Pilot or his two cute friends could make their deployment a nightmare.
Nico led them straight to their destination, a four-seat private room in the nose of the shuttle on the Port side. It was the last booth towards the bow of the ship, and the hull curved slightly, giving it an exterior wall with a panoramic view.
It was only a few minutes before the temperature was low enough that everyone else was cleared to enter the shuttle and Max could hear them all competing for the best seats.
The private rooms were usually for senior officers only, so Max thought thought they would be flying alone, but at the last minute a young man in parade uniform opened the door with a sheepish grin.
“Forgive my intrusion, it is a full flight.” He explained, taking the seat across from Max and buckling himself in next to Nico.
“Major Keres Max, good to meet you. That is Major Tarith Nico and Corporal Moonie.” Max introduced everyone.
“Lieutenant Coates, formerly lead technician of test bay seven. We did most of the weapons testing for the new heavy Mecha.” He responded with a smile, happy that the last available seat wasn’t next to some stuffy Command officers whose clique he wasn’t part of.
“So, are you going for the second seat in a command Mecha or a repair and redesign spot aboard the Abraham Kepler?” Nico asked, making the slender Lieutenant laugh.
“Despite having a physique like this, I have a Beta Ranked system with two separate System Functions for Mecha repair, plus a degree in Nuclear Physics. I am afraid I am condemned to live in a cubicle.” Lieutenant Coates sighed.
“There’s still a chance. I heard a rumor that the Super Heavy Pilots will be allowed to choose their own technician, so you might get to risk your life in glorious combat for the fatherland before you know it.” Nico joked.
“Well, I’ve got the connections now. I’m sure if everyone’s favorite killer Cyborg puts in the good word someone will take me in.” Coates agreed.
“All you need to do is act like a lost puppy, flutter those big green eyes, just begging to be picked,” Nico told him with a straight face while Moonie tried not to laugh.
They wouldn’t get their final assignments or even a unit that they would be attached to until after they arrived on board, and probably not even then. As far as Max knew, there weren’t even any Mecha on board now that the last three had been moved to a museum, so they would need both mecha and crew before those final decisions would be made.
Max knew that the General had earmarked him for Command, but what exactly Nico’s position was going to be was still unknown. Whether she would be his executive officer still, a Company Commander under him, or even moved to maintenance or logistics for a time. The variety of her System Functions made her future unclear, unlike his own combat-focused System.
Max thought at first that she might be his second seat, but she was highly overqualified for the position. From what Max had learned so far, the second seat was there purely as a technician, and they weren’t intended to be a full-fledged pilot for the X137 Super Heavy Mecha.
[Shuttle departure in 30 seconds] the automated announcement came over the shuttle’s intercom moments before the vessel began to shudder as the engines were powered up and the preflight checks were finished.
Once off the deck and out of the confines of the hab dome, the shuttle ride immediately turned glass smooth and the vessel banked gently, aligning itself with one of the planet’s approved exit routes. The mountains slowly passed in front of the windows as they got ready, giving the three of them time to fully appreciate the advice that led them to this room.
The smooth hover of anti-gravity flight shifted to the pressure of rapid acceleration as the shuttle’s dampeners did their best to mitigate the force of their planetary exit. A momentary floating sensation marked the transition into space before the artificial gravity adjusted and everyone let out a soft sigh.
There was no pretending they were still on a relaxed research assignment now.
The magnificent sight of Comor Station quickly grew in front of them less than twenty minutes later and the intercom warned them of the standard docking procedures.
[All personnel are to remain seated until the disembark lights turn green. Shuttle staff will guide you to exit in an orderly manner.]
They were in the civilian wing of the station, in a shuttle bay, so they would have to cross a large portion of the station to get to their destination, but that was just a good excuse to explore and relax.
They still had eighteen hours until they needed to report for duty, which meant they could relax for most of the day on the Station before they needed to get their rooms set up and sleep.
Most of the staff would only pull out, iron, and hang up one uniform tonight, for them to wear tomorrow, but Max preferred to have everything in place the first day.
Moonie’s wrist device dinged and she smiled happily at the message before turning to relay the message to Max. “Sister Lilith is nearby in the Cafe at the book store. She has proper coffee for us.”
Having to drink Mess Hall coffee was going to be one of the greatest losses taken by the staff that was transferring from the lab to Abraham Kepler, and soon every coffee shop and import store would be swarming with researchers looking for enough of the good stuff to get them by until their next station stop.
As they reached the Cafe, Max could see that Sister Lilith was among the horde of coffee aficionados, as she had no less than six packages of roasted beans in a plastic bag beside her seat and a large thermal insulated cup in front of her.
“Alright, let’s get some of the good stuff and watch the Chaos.” Nico cheered, looking back to the busy intersection outside the shop where the rest of the crew would soon appear.