The Suggestion Box (Volume 1)

Part 5: The Vega Effect (3)

Based on the following Suggestions:

Names: Scander, Latisha, Ashuria, Scarlet
Times: afternoon/early evening
Places: USO outpost on Vega 12, Unigivla
Objects: Numbers

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Inside the room, Ashuria sank gratefully onto the hanging sofa on one side of the room and pulled off her many baubles. She undid the clasp around her brow and let her long, dark hair fall loose about her face. She removed the chunky bracelets and slipped the tall shoes off her feet.

"Ahh," she sighed, "that's better!"

Scander was staring out the wall-sized window that displayed what Vega would look like once it was completely colonized. The holographic images of buildings, vehicles, and people shivered at his touch.

"What do you think?" he asked aloud.

"About what?" Ashuria didn't even bother to pick up her head from where it rested on the back of the sofa.

Scander sighed and walked back to the sofa bed directly across from hers. This one was already reclined in the flat position. He stretched out on it and kicked his boots off. Throwing an arm across his face, he said, "About this whole mess with Unigivla. About the Council just wanting the 'all-clear' to start colonizing again. About the little scientist who just wants to go out and see a ghost town—" He lifted his arm and peeked out toward her.

Ashuria found the knob that released the shape of her sofa into its bed so she could lie down too. "I really don't know, Corporal. Part of me wonders if this was such a good idea after all."

Scander snorted. "It's not like we had much choice, did we?"

Ashuria didn't answer.

Scander decided that now would be a good time to bring up the question that had piqued his curiosity for a long while now. "So," he began slowly, "tell me about the Knightwing." He figured a good story like that would at least give him insight into his strange traveling companion, if not lull him into the sleep he so badly needed.

Ashuria rolled to face him and propped herself on one elbow. "What is there to tell?" she snorted.

"Where did the name come from? Isn't there already a Knight class of spacecraft?"

The dark-haired woman picked at some embroidery on the cushion, "Ah yes, the Knights that were built to vanquish the Dragons. No—I admit, it's actually a bit of fangirl indulgence. Have you ever heard of Dr. Theodore Knight?"

Scander frowned, "The name sounds familiar... Some historical figure?"

Ashuria nodded. "He's actually the one who made the probe that discovered Taurus and this whole system. He pioneered the terraforming movement."

Scander felt the drowsiness weighing down on his eyelids. His plan was working. "That's nice," he murmured. In the comfort of the bed, and the silence that hung around them, Scander Hawke fell fast asleep quickly and easily. He did not wake till Ashuria accidentally dropped the fork she'd been eating breakfast with the next morning.

"Oops, sorry, Corporal," she said when he sat up quickly and looked at her as if the clang had been an explosion. "Good morning."

Scander shook his head and rubbed his face wearily. "Let's get going," he mumbled groggily. The sooner they could get out to Unigivla and back, the sooner they could leave Vega and the whole Taurean system behind.

The skimmer that would take them out to the abandoned, doomed settlement was a low-slung, sleek, grey vehicle. Scander noted that both sides had steering mechanisms; if Ashuria was still anxious about keeping her piloting skills a secret, he could handle the distance it would take them to be out of sight of everyone, then she could take over.