Ancient Astronauts

Trouble in Paradise

Alyonna had taken a short day at work. At this point it was mostly just looking over lab reports and sifting through data from soil samples taken by the techs. The data was collected every few days and she wasn't due for another set until Sol 4. 

No one was quite sure how to categorize days, weeks or months on a planet that orbited its Sun once every 288 hours. Luckily, the exoplanet was fairly close to its sun, and the northerly latitude where the Astral Ark landed oscillated between a little warm and a little cool throughout the year. Sol 4 was literally just the fourth day of the twelve day year.

Hans had sat through what he called "the most boring meeting of his life," in which the administrative officials argued about whether to turn the year into a week and how many of those weeks should pass on Proxima-B before considering everyone to have "ticked up" a point in age. One even argued to just use the standard year system.

"I bet they'd love that," Alyonna mumbled under her breath, pushing the conversation with Dr. Halberd from her mind in preparation for the homecoming ish party ahead, "yaaay, birthday every twelve days!"

"It would be funny," Hans whispered, swooping in behind her for a kiss, and surprising her out of her musings.

Alyonna broke off the kiss after a second and handed Hans a tray with some carefully arranged standard issue K rations on it, "Food is still going to be tight for another 25 years," she stopped to giggle at that, and Hans joined her. She literally meant 300 Earth days. She collected herself, "But I managed to wrangle a jin hen from Cooper down the street in exchange for a favor."

"What kind of favor?" Hans asked sharply.

Alyonna let out a little huff, "Not THAT kind of favor."

"No, no," Hans waved his hand dismissively, "Not THAT kind of favor. I know you wouldn't do that. You're throwing my influence around like money?"

"Hans," Alyonna shifted her weight to her left hip, setting down the knife she was using to cut up the hen and gave him a look, "That's the ONLY kind of currency there is here, remember? Everything else, like these little CC things," she flustered, tapping her wrist, "is fucking communism!" she threw up her hands.

Hans sighed. He knew she was right...still, "It's a limited supply. Who knows what Cooper will ask of me now? And I'll have to do it, or the 'influence' you put so much faith in won't be worth a damn thing!"

"I know!" Alyonna retorted, and turned away with a hurt look on her face, "Don't treat me like I'm stupid." She slid a hand over her belly, "We managed well enough while you were out." Alyonna knew instantly she'd messed up, but it was too late now.

Hans brow darkened, his frustration boiling over, "Maybe I should just go back in the coma!" He shouted, his voice seemed to rattle the walls of the hastily built house, "Would you like that? If I was out, burned, dying in a coma. With you out here desperately trying to make food grow in strange soil so you could maybe possibly make a case that OUR baby or you don't have to die!?"

Alyonna put the jin hen and knife back down and leaned on the counter. Hans almost never raised his voice to her. To smug judge bitches, sure, but when it was her it was always frightening. He'd never laid a hand on her that she didn't want there. Still, some primal part of her reacted to the very real fact that Hans was three-times her size...and pissed. She released a heavy breath as tears began to decorate the wood countertop. "No," she gasped through the tears, "no, of course I don't want that." Her shoulders began to shake and her whole body shuddered.

Hans looked away and took a few deep breaths. Turning back he massaged her shoulders gently, "Babe, I'm sorry."

"We've been through worse," Alyonna sniffled, "Cut this chicken for me while I go clean up."

"Aly," Hans said, stopping her with a gentle hand on her arm. She turned back around and faced him with red eyes. He leaned down and forward a little so he could look in her eyes at an even level, "Baby, I'm sorry I scared you."

Alyonna knew he was sincere. Still sniffling and with her hands folded on her chest she turned back around, took one step and stopped. Unfolding her arms, she whirled around and stepped into him with her hands on his chest, laying her head against his heart. It beat strongly and steadily. The tension in her shoulders eased. Still sniffling slightly she looked up at him, "I know, Hans. Like I said, we've been through worse. I-I shouldn't have used your influence without asking. It's just that, well, we haven't had dinner with Tyrone and Sheila since Earth, and I wanted to be able to serve something better than...K rations."

Hans reached out a hand and brushed the tears and a stray hair away from her eyes, "I know, Aly, and you've been through a lot.You're extremely considerate and always think of everything. It's one of the reasons I love you so much. And I need to trust you more. It's a strange place. Hell it's a new country, and you're doing an amazing job...with all our assets. Just, maybe if it's not an urgent thing, let's discuss it together before deciding who and when to offer or accept favors, yeah?"

Alyonna smiled up at him, "Ok. You got it, team captain." She leaned up on her toes and kissed him before disappearing into her vanity to wash up.

Hans turned back to the jin hen, "Alright you monster, prepare to meet Gareth Ramsden."

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Hans had finished cutting up the hen and preparing a few other things when Alyonna came back out. She had swapped her pants and apron for a long black evening dress. It was a little tight around the waste. Having come from Earth it was fitted for a different figure, and Aly was four months pregnant now. It was among her very limited personal luggage. She was firmly of the belief that a lady needed a nice evening dress for any occasion and no color did that like black. A web of black lacing covered her shoulders and cleavage. Otherwise, the dress had no straps or sleeves. The heater had just started up and it was still chilly so Alyonna pulled on a red shawl.

She'd also put on some makeup from a limited supply and supplemented with a little of the rouge one of the civilians had managed to make from wildflowers in the valley. Her curls were cleaned up so they flowed longer ending in loose ringlets.

She smiled to herself as she crossed the room, noting that Hans hadn't taken his eyes off her the whole time. It had been many years since he'd seen her dress up.

"Here's the deal, home skillet," she said in her best Kansas accent, which was pretty good, "I ain't cooking in this thing, so I'm gonna tell you what to do and you do it. Got that soldier?"

This time Hans did snap to attention, and threw in a very smart salute for good measure. Alyonna giggled.