Arriving at Tafavera

Posted on Mon Sep 25th, 2023 @ 3:54am by Teevs Dosivi

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Niea IV, West Coast
Timeline: Federation Year 2377
826 words - 1.7 OF Standard Post Measure

Teevs spent most of the shuttle ride reading up on the northwestern part of the supercontinent. Tafavera was the northern of the two peninsulas in the west, and according to previous surveys, it was all deciduous forest bordered by expansive taiga on one end and surrounded by water on the other. The increase in space traffic to Niea IV led to the demand for another set of landing pads, and Tafavera seemed like the best place to do it. Its cliffs were more stable than the Lontune Peninsula, and there was frequent enough traffic to cities in the west that new traffic wouldn’t disrupt anything. Hearing the pilot announce their arrival, Teevs powered off his datapad and stuck it in his bag, which held about 10 devices in total, all containing different information relating to this project.

Looking out the window of the shuttle, he could see the coast in view. The two peninsulas stood out with a mossy green hue, the definition of trees beginning to stand out as they approached. It was early morning, the peninsulas casting shadows into the vast ocean as the land bathed in a warm glow.

It took a minute for the shuttle to power down, but eventually the group of engineers and surveyors were allowed to exit. His feet pressing into the grass, Teevs filled his lungs with that damp, woodsy scent as he looked around. The shuttle landed in a sort of clearing, and towering trees encircled them. The chatter of animals hidden in the trees gave the area life. The previous night’s rain left ghostly trails of fog that were in the process of receding as the orange sunlight warmed the morning air, the light sparkling off of lingering mist in the grass. On the other side of the clearing were the contractors for this project, and two of them approached the shuttle.

“Welcome to Tafavera,” one spoke, clearly in charge. He crossed his right arm over his left, his hands facing the group, and gave a slight bow. Once the greeting was returned, he continued, “I am Ruve Licanar, the lead contractor here. This will be your supervisor, Saphse Trunola.” He then gestured to the contractor who accompanied him, who was holding a stack of datapads.

Teevs looked to the second contractor. She was stunning. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a twisted bun, a couple of locks gently arching down the sides of her face. Her stunning green eyes looked over the group of engineers, studying them. Those green eyes eventually met his, and Teevs felt his heart flutter. Pelare. Realizing that he was staring, he quickly lowered his gaze before he would be called rude.

Saphse was content with the group Ruve had selected. From what she recalled in their work files, they all had a thorough background that made them ideal for the job. She looked over each one, connecting their faces to their work files, and paused on the last one. This was one of two who were new to the trade. He was skinny, a mess of dark brown hair, and looked like he was there because he needed a job. He was also staring directly at her, until he realized that she was staring back. She cracked the faintest of smiles when he seemed to get flustered and show his respect, and chose to ignore the incident.

“I’m pleased to meet you all,” Saphse said, her eyes lingering on the man for a moment longer. Turning her attention to the other workers, she began to pass out the datapads. “As you know, we are constructing a landing pad to meet trade demands. You will be put into groups with one of the assistant contractors to work on your tasks.” When she got back to the flustered one, she handed him his datapad.

Glancing up a little when he saw her feet stop in front of him, Teevs saw a datapad being offered to him. Maybe he would be lucky enough to work with her… no, she was beautiful. He didn’t want to risk being an idiot. Fighting the urge to physically shake his thoughts out of his head, Teevs accepted the datapad.

Saphse’s hand lingered on the datapad for a moment before she let go. “While the surveyors mark safe construction zones, the rest of you will start construction planning. Dismissed."

Teevs waited a moment before daring to glance up, seeing her walking away. "Wow..." he breathed.

"You!"

Teevs jumped a little at the gruff voice and turned around to see a short, squatty man approach him. "Yes, sir!"

The short man snorted. "Sir is how you refer to my father. Call me Srov. You're a surveryor, so you're with me, Twigs!"

Teevs was a little taken aback. "Uh, s-Srov, my name is Teevs-"

"Whatever, Twigs. A name is less important than the job you agreed to do, so let's get moving!"