A few moments later, Lukas, hastily dressed in a nondescript uniform and rushed through the corridors towards the Andromeda's bridge. He was struck, as he always did upon entering, by the level of human activity in the ship's center. It was electric.
For a ship of this size, the control room was staggering - rows upon rows of monitors and equipment dominated the space. It was busier than normal - Lukas was finding it increasingly difficult to avoid getting in anyone's way - as the crew prepared the ship for landing and docking.
Finally, he spotted his mother up near the front, back turned to face the bridge's massive window.
She wasn't alone. As Lukas approached, the man next to her looked over, noticing him.
"Hey there!" The man treated Lukas to a solid slap on the back, attracting the attention of Erin and the second man beside her.
"Hello, Viktor," Lukas said, smiling. "Sorry I'm late."
"So you've heard!" Vikor grinned. "Looks like you'll be joining us this time. Took you long enough, eh?"
Viktor Broaus was the head of the military's Research and Development department. He was a scattered-looking man, wild hair peppered with gray. Like much of the military's administrative force, he had followed in his family's footsteps, and had been born and raised on the same station-base where Lukas had grown up. Because of that, the man hadn't been born with a Factor. Lukas had always thought that it was part of what sparked his fascination and experimentation surrounding the phenomena.
"Lukas," his mother interrupted. "You should take a look."
She gestured towards the glass, and Lukas peered out at the view. Against the monotonous backdrop of pinprick stars, he squinted at a strange dark patch at the center of his vision.
"What is that...?" He murmured, his vision slowly adjusting. He could tell it was a large object, now, but one that was still some distance away. It had a dark, almost ebony-black coloration, but he could make it out using its silhouette against the backdrop of stars. As variations on its surface. It was scored with pits and craters, light glinting unevenly when it managed to strike its surface.
"It's an asteroid," Viktor said, noting his confusion with a touch of amusement. "One with an extremely dark mineral composition."
"It's not just an asteroid," the other man had finally spoken, his voice low and grating. "It's been hollowed out - retrofitted into a space station. You'll be able to see it when we get closer."
Lukas eyed him, realization sinking in. "This is Onyx, isn't it?"
Although his focus was in planateology, Lukas' military education included courses in politics and geography. He recalled some general facts he'd learned about the place at the University. Onyx station was part of the Purist theocracy, but he knew that the label was a loosely placed one. Regulations and Standard law were largely overlooked, he'd learned - but it meant that the place had a long history of being a refuge, asylum, and allegedly, the largest black market in the galaxy. It was ironic, Lukas considered, still watching the approaching asteroid, that the place was technically under the jurisdiction of one of the most bigoted, isolated groups he could think of. Picturing a Purist in the midst of all that chaos made no sense.
"We'll be making a stop there," the man spoke up again, and Lukas turned to him, surprised. Although he hadn't gotten a chance to speak to him personally until now, he recognized the man's signature long coat, a deep, bloody red. The owner - and captain of the Andromeda was often striding through his hallways, that coat snapping out behind him like a cape. His name was Levatti Aurrum, one of the wealthiest men on Ferrus.
"I hear you're heading out with them," the captain regarded him with a slight smile, tilting his head. "It's nice to finally meet you. If you're anything like your mother, you'll do just fine."
"Thank you," Lukas managed to say, a little cowed under the man's intensity. They'd been on the ship for about a Standard week so far, and his mother had so far limited his interactions with the other officials, despite his best attempts. Standing here now, speaking freely to the expedition's highest organizers all of a sudden - it was more than a little jarring.
"Do you see that, Lukas?" Vikor was pointing. Even in the short time since Lukas' arrival, they'd gotten much closer to Onyx. He could make out other ships now, buzzing about the asteroid like flies around carrion. Their movements focused around a hollow in the station he hadn't noticed before, as its artificial supports were the same dark color as the rest of the rock. It didn't take a genius to assume that Onyx's namesake was why it had been selected as the station's foundation. Thanks to its appearance, it was hard to find and easily overlooked unless you had the exact coordinates, presumably.
"Lukas, please pay attention," his mother's voice cut through his thoughts, voice tired. He nodded quickly, a little embarrassed.
"It's alright." The captain was quietly amused. "I was just asking if you were planning to work in planetelogy, like your mother."
"Yes," Lukas answered. "But since I'm still in university, I haven't done much field work, myself." He hesitated for a moment then, unsure if he wanted to admit this next part. "My mother can be a little protective... this is the first time she's let me join her." He tried to come off as nonchalant, but the captain smiled a little.
"I would imagine it's not easy work. Exploring unknown planets, collecting strange samples... most people go their whole lives without speaking directly to a Planatae, you know. It's a perilous calling."
"Are you a scientist as well?" Lukas asked. It would explain his position as the expedition's private investor.
"No." He said. "But I've always had an interest in knowledge. The chance to understand Factors, the way the Planatae interacts with humanity; information like that would be very useful in my line of business."
Vikor nudged Lukas, his voice low. "Captain Aurrum is a colony contractor, Lukas." He's helped orchestrate some very impressive colonies for the Ferrum Rete - and the birth of new Planatae."
"Oh." Was all Lukas could manage. The idea that a single man, armed with just the power of logistics and planning, had settled huge scores of humans and helped birth new Planatae... well, it was strange, to say the least.
"So... what are we going to be investigating in Onyx?" He asked, a little timid. He still wasn't sure how much Erin's newfound allowances would stretch.
"We're going to be meeting a scholar... one who specialized in the biological impact of the Planatae on humans." Viktor said, a little vauge. As though to make up for it, he added quickly, "did you know? Stations like Onyx are great population samples to study the difference in those born off-planet."
Lukas nodded, curiosity flaring up. Was a scholar? To be fair, Onyx didn't exactly strike him as a hub for academic study. The whole place felt like a lot to handle in general, and Lukas wondered what kind of person would leave a university to spend their days there. Their first, and previous stop on the expedition has been at a Ferrum colony in its infancy stages, which seemed like a much safer choice for his first field expidition. There was something going on here that he was missing.
But he shook the apprehension off, his excitement still strong. Sharing notes with some scholar was, admittedly, not the most exciting prospect, but he still thrilled at the chance to prove himself.
"I'll go get ready," Lukas blurted out, impatient now. His mother glanced at him, expression opaque.
"That's a good idea," she said. "I hope you're ready."
...
It had taken far longer than Lukas had expected to disembark from Andromeda. Onyx's spaceport was small, and there were many different ships vying for entrance. Fascinated, Lukas spotted a few familiar crafts with classic Ferrum design motifs; broad, rounded shapes and gleaming windows. But there were also a range of eclectic models that must be from the Independants. Most of his attention, however, had been on a thin, sharp looking cargo ship - characteristic of the Saiseki trading companies. He was certain the rest of the crew was probably eyeing the thing with just as much apprehension.
Later, as they expedition group huddled in the Andromeda's cargo hold, he pointed it out to Viktor, who shrugged, avoiding the question. "We're in neutral space," was all he said. "Saiseki should have no reason to be hostile." He turned away to speak to the others, leaving Lukas still unsettled.
Besides Viktor and his mother, the group also consisted of three lab assistants: Anya, Mila, and Aleksan, who were all recent graduates working directly under Erin, and a small squad of Ferrum soldiers in plainclothes. They had swapped their brazen, ultralight armor for unassuming trousers and heavy tunics. The presence of the military helped ease Lukas' worry, but he still startled a little when the Andromeda's massive cargo doors began to grind open.
"Look's like we've finally landed," someone said, and Lukas felt a hand clap down on his shoulder. He turned to see Aleksan grinning at him. "Glad you could finally join us." Lukas returned the smile, nodding in agreement. "Looks like Mommy finally relaxed a little." Aleksan laughed. Lukas rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop himself from smiling.
"Shove off, Alek!" Mila shouldered her way into their conversation. "Good for you, Lukas. When I was seventeen, I didn't even know I wanted to be a scientist!"
"It's 'cuz you wanted to be an alcoholic, apparently!" Mila scowled, swatting at Aleksan, but Lukas knew they were only messing around. Erin's mentees had been working with her for years now; they almost felt like family sometimes, to Lukas.
A sudden jolt brought his attention back to the ship's opening. The doors had fully retracted now, and the sensation he'd felt was the ship's automatic gangplank attaching itself securely to the spaceport. Already, small groups were disembarking; the Andromeda's general crew were taking the window of opportunity to enjoy themselves in Onyx. None of them had a mother breathing down their neck, Lukas thought ruefully. But then he let the thought go - after all, he finally had the chance to join them.
Then Erin gestured to the soldiers, and the expedition team followed the others off the ship.