A Place to Call Home, Part 2 (CONTENT)
Posted on Mon Jan 13th, 2025 @ 1:38pm by Teevs Dosivi
Mission:
MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Niea IV - Jekasp
Timeline: Federation Year 2382, after Part 1
1876 words - 3.8 OF Standard Post Measure
A few hours later, they were standing outside of the ships again. Teevs was holding her hand, their fingers laced together, and he gave hers a gentle squeeze. "So which one do we like?" He asked her.
"Hmm..." As Saphse thought, she squeezed his hand back, enjoying the familiar feel of his calloused fingers intertwined with hers. Her green eyes looked thoughtfully between the ships they toured. "There's pros and cons to each one, but the first one we saw," she pointed to it with her free hand, "... that one, seemed more comfortable. Homely."
Teevs nodded in agreement, looking at the worn paint job of the ship in question. It definitely had work to be done on it, but he was confident he could make it theirs. "It has a few things to touch up, but it felt comfortable to me as well."
"It's definitely seen better days aesthetics-wise, but I think it's got potential. And that's what you do best, isn't it?" she added with a small smirk, looking up at him.
Meeting her gaze, Teevs gave a smile and a nod. "Hey, I wasn't chosen to build that landing pad in Tafavera for nothing," he playfully boasted. "I think it will be a fun project."
Saphse chuckled softly, her smirk widening into a grin at his boastful comment. "Oh, so modest," she teased, gently nudging his side with her elbow. "And here I thought you did it purely out of the goodness of your heart, not to impress me."
Teevs bobbed his head in a joking 'well...' expression, his lips pursed in mock thoughtfulness.
A small laugh escaped her as she rolled her eyes. "You're insufferable, you know that?" she said, her tone light.
"Mmm, but you can't resist it," he purred. He looked at the ship they decided on, a sense of contentment coming over him. "It sounds like this is the one then?"
Saphse felt a shiver run down her spine at his low tone, a small blush creeping over her cheeks in response. She took a moment to regain her composure before looking over the ship again. A small sense of excitement, laced with a hint of nervousness, stirred in her stomach. This was a big decision. Slowly, a smile spread across her face and she looked back up at him. "Yeah... I think this is it."
"Great, let's get the ownership transferred then," Teevs said, eagerness in his tone.
The discussion with the shipmaster was long, with Saphse negotiating for a good price and the long process of signing about thirty times. Eventually, the shipmaster gave them the access codes to fully control the ship. Teevs looked at the datapad for a few seconds before letting Saphse take a look at the codes.
"Is it ready to fly?" Teevs asked, eager to get behind the controls.
"Yeah, it just might be a little bumpy if you go to warp," said the shipmaster.
Teevs nodded in understanding. "I was thinking of a simple test flight," he told Saphse. "Once we figure out what's causing the bumpy ride at warp, we can repair it and give it a second run." The last thing he wanted to do was cause an accident that could hurt them.
Saphse was visibly relieved when the process of transferring ownership was finally finished, a slightly dazed expression on her face from all the paperwork they had just signed. When Teevs turned to her asking about the ship's readiness to fly, she nodded in agreement, pushing aside the last remnants of her paperwork-induced fatigue. "A test flight sounds like a good idea," she agreed with a small smirk. "Might discover a few other quirks while we're at it too."
There was a hint of suggestion that Teevs could pick up from behind her words. Maybe he was imagining it. Thanking the shipmaster, he and Saphse returned to the ship and its command center. "It will be good to make sure it actually runs, then we can take the time to fully explore the ship and its quirks," he proposed, turning one of the chairs at the helm toward her in a gesture to sit.
Stepping back into the command center, Saphse couldn't help but let a small, curious smile creep over her features as she heard his suggestion. Accepting his invitation, she took a seat in the chair he offered, smoothing down the front of her dress. "Sounds like a good plan," she agreed, her excitement saturating her voice.
Gently brushing her hair aside, Teevs leaned in and kissed her cheek before taking the chair next to her. On the display between them, he pulled up the startup sequence so they could both get the ship running.
Saphse felt her breath catch in her throat as he leaned in and kissed her cheek, a soft blush spreading across her face at the gesture. She swallowed softly, trying to keep her composure as his attention turned to the display in front of them. As he began the startup sequence, her eyes scanned the screens, taking in the information as it came up. "Do you think this is a hands-on type of ship or will it fly itself?"
A hum and very faint vibration signaled the ship coming to life. Teevs glanced at the dark sphere sticking out of the console before responding. "It looks like it has manual and automatic control. That sphere is a common navigation tool. It has to be calibrated to the pilot's hand."
The tremor of the ship coming to life was thrilling. Saphse felt herself only grow more excited to start this part of their lives. As she listened to Teevs, her gaze was drawn to the dark sphere sticking out of the console, a small frown tugging at her lips. "Calibrated to the pilot's hand?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "How does that work, exactly?"
"The sphere detects the pilot's muscle contractions as long as their hand remains on it, and translates those signals into movement. We can set it up later, but controlling the ship will be a little sensitive until we calibrate it." Feeling like he needed to clarify how he knew of such information, he added, "the ships we used during the Bedia War had these."
The mention of his experience during the Bedia War made a momentary discomfort settle between them. Saphse knew that Teevs served in the war, but they never really talked about it, so each time something from his training came up, it was brief and usually relevant to the moment. "So you're saying you're good with your hands?" she asked, the corner of her mouth twitching into a small smirk in an attempt to keep the awkward silence at bay.
Glancing to her, Teevs picked up on the smirk and gave one of his own. There was no objection to steering clear of wartime discussion, it was one of the few topics they were uncomfortable with, for their respective reasons. "Oh, sure. It's all in the technique," he answered, his words intentionally suggestive as he focused on the ship departing. He put his hand on the sphere and slowly maneuvered the ship out of the dock. "You have to know how to handle it just right to get the response you want."
Saphse let out a soft, amused huff, her smirk widening in response to his suggestive tone. He was certainly good at making things sound more than what they seemed. In an equal tone of faux innocence, she replied, "Is that so? You're going to have to teach me sometime." She leaned back in the chair, a smirk still playing at the corners of her mouth, watching him work in silence.
Teevs' own grin widened as he focused on maneuvering the ship through the atmosphere, and soon enough they were in space, their homeworld visible through the windows. "Ok, let's test run to Niea VII," he said, putting in a course for the gas giant in the star system.
The planet became a sphere, the single large continent shrinking into the water around it. The shadow of night loomed just beyond the east coast of the continent. It was... breathtaking to see their homeworld from space. "Wow..." Saphse breathed. At his statement, she turned her gaze back to him, a little surprised. "Niea VII? That's a bit of a distance for a test run, isn't it?"
Once he configured to autopilot, he turned to Saphse and gave her a knowing little smirk. "Gives us time to explore the ship," he said, standing from his chair.
Saphse caught the glint of mischief in his smirk and mirrored it with a smirk of her own. "Explore the ship, huh?" she echoed, a hint of playfulness in her voice. Standing from her own chair, she stretched her arms above her head, enjoying the faint crack in her shoulders. "Lead the way, then."
Teevs did so, leading her just a little ways to the communal space. Turning around, he suddenly caressed her cheeks and kissed her passionately, the result of hours of newlywed flirting while they explored the options in the shipyard.
When he turned and pulled her into his arms and kissed her, Saphse let out a soft gasp of surprise before melting into the kiss. All the hours spent exploring the ship had been filled with playful banter, glances, and light touches, and it was going to escalate sooner or later.
He carefully guided her to the wall, his lips locked with hers. After a moment, he pulled back slightly, out of breath but craving her. Needing her.
Saphse felt her back press against the cold wall, the sudden contact making her shiver slightly. As he pulled away just enough to catch his breath, she couldn't help but smile up at him, her own breathing a little ragged. "Someone's impatient," she teased quietly, not wanting to break the quiet hum of the ship.
Teevs swooped in for another kiss, his hands exploring her body. He only pulled back just enough to respond, the kiss still very in progress. "Someone was teasing all day," he countered, his mumbled words vibrating against her lips.
A gentle gasp escaped Saphse as his hands roamed across her body. She chuckled at his response. "I was just enjoying your company. Can you blame me?" she murmured into the kiss. Her own hands found their way under the edge of his shirt, seeking the warmth of his skin.
The response was merely a quiet, rumbling sound from Teevs. He couldn't think, his love for Saphse was driving the kiss, the tingle of her fingers against his skin, the urge to pick a bedroom and call it theirs. Very briefly pulling away from her kiss, he navigated to the nearest door and opened it. Inside was a simple mattress and some standard furniture. It would do. Turning his attention back to his wife, he peppered her with kisses, trailing down her neck as he guided her toward the open door. Once inside, Teevs fumbled with the controls to give them a little extra privacy.
Eventually, he hit the right button, and the door slid shut behind them.
