Chapter 4 part 3

###Bore-alis Expedition Planning

###Yunikon’s Perspective  

“Haaah…”  

I really messed up. I didn’t realize Narwhal’s past was so complicated… 

He told me I didn’t need to share much about myself, and I took that as an excuse to avoid talking about my own life. But now, I’ve gone and stomped all over his situation without thinking.  

He said not to worry, and he didn’t seem upset afterward. Still, I can’t shake this feeling, like I’ve made an orbit I shouldn’t have.  

I’m on my way back to the Diana. Narwhal and I shared some nutrient packs and a few synthesized drinks. Aside from touching on his past, we had fun conversations and spent a decent chunk of time together before heading off our separate ways.  

It’s still early in the midday cycle, but I’ve already had more stimulant drinks than usual. I don’t even have a serious mission right now to use that energy for… Sorry, everyone in the Diana crew.  

“I’m back,” 

I called as I stepped aboard.  

The Diana is a massive starship, serving as a home base for most of the unmarried crew.  

It’s where I, a communications specialist, live and work. Of course, I cleared it with Lunar first when I came aboard. She said it was fine. I’m still grateful for that.  

“Oh, welcome back, Yunikon,” Lunar greeted me as I walked into the central hub.  

“Huh? You and the others are already back from the mission control center?”  

Inside, a group of crew members sat around the glowing holographic table, close to the hum of the plasma generator. 

Among them were Lunar and the rest of the team, who had been assigned to the Spacer Guild this morning.  

“We finished early. Come over, Yunikon—you’ll want to hear this,” Lunar said with a small smile.  

“Are you sure? Isn’t the briefing confidential?”  

“It’s fine. You’re in the clear for this one.”  

They were talking about a woman who’d recently appeared at the Guild—a mysterious spacer. Stella. I remembered hearing about her yesterday.  

She's most likely from a high-ranking stellar noble... and probably a huge headache for the Baldr sector headquarters right now.

“Turns out,” Lunar began, “the Guild sent an investigator to the core planetary systems and confirmed her identity. Her *real* identity.”  

“Who is she?” I asked.  

“She’s Stella La Samselia,” Moona said, leaning back in her chair. “An illegitimate daughter of the Samselia Stellar Dynasty. Apparently, she slipped out of the core systems.”  

“Wait. Not a fake ID signature?”  

“Nope. She broadcast her real credentials,” Moona explained. 

"I see...that's really sloppy."

“Probably to avoid suspicion. But she’s no amateur. The investigator couldn’t get much on her neural net connections, but in combat flight circles, she’s pretty famous. She’s an ace pilot. Better than most of the men in her field.”  

“Wow…” 

I muttered, impressed.  

“It’s rare for someone from a stellar dynasty—especially a woman—to focus on piloting like that,” Lunar said.  

“The Samselia family tolerates it,” Moona added. “She’s not interested in the usual political infighting. She just wants to fly, and that makes her easy to deal with—for them, at least.”  

"She probably would have just become a pilot serving some high-ranking official. But it seems recently, she started doubting that future for herself."

“Or it *was* easy,” Lunar said. 

And Moona had a wry smile, unusually. 

“Until recently, when she started questioning her role. Apparently, she told someone, ‘I don’t want to spend my life flying diplomatic transport routes. I want to see what I can really do.’ And then she ran off.”  

“She abandoned her entire career path and ran away from her assigned post? She actually did something that reckless?”  

“Looks like it,” Moona said, shaking her head. “What a strange heir for a stellar dynasty.”  

“It seems the Samselia Patriarch tried to reason with her,” Lunar added. “He told her that flying civilian routes and navigating combat zones were entirely different beasts. He even warned her that she wouldn’t last out there. But Stella didn’t care. She just said, *‘I have to test my skills to know,’* and left.”  

“So that’s why she turned up at the Spacer Guild,” I murmured.  

“Pretty bold,” someone muttered.  

“She seems dangerous,” another said.  

“That’s what the Guild’s investigation turned up,” Moona replied. “It wasn’t hard to uncover her story—it’s been circulating as gossip in the core systems for a while. Her credentials being a match only made it easier to connect the dots. And apparently, the request for her came directly from the Samselia Stellar Dynasty.”  

A request from a noble family that powerful… 

While it’s not uncommon for high-ranking families to send missions our way, this one didn’t sound like your average delivery of quantum crystals.  

“Their request?” Lunar continued. “They want us to take her on the most boring, soul-crushing patrols we can muster. The goal is to make her give up on being a spacer altogether. Can you believe that? It’s so condescending.”  

“Ha, that’s rough,” I said.  

“So, basically, they want us to waste time?” Moona clarified. “Spend days scanning barren planets and finding absolutely nothing? Sounds like a real blast.”  

I couldn’t help but frown. “I get what they’re trying to do, but it’s a little insulting, don’t you think? It makes our work seem pointless.”  

“Well,” Lunar said with a wry smile, 

“the pay is nothing to scoff at. And there’s no restriction on who we send to accompany her—male or female. The Samselia Patriarch is willing to go to great lengths to reel her back in.”  

“Parental love, maybe?” one of the crew joked.  

“Not a chance,” Lunar replied. “He just wants her back where he can use her. She’s far too talented to let her go to waste on freelance gigs. Her skills in starship and combat are exceptional—she’s got real potential as a strategic pilot.”  

“Figures,” I muttered. It wasn’t surprising. Stellar dynasty nobles always seemed to value their children based on how ‘useful’ they were. Still, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Stella. She must’ve known that this was her family’s plan, yet she still made the choice to run.  

But sympathy or not, the job was the job. And we couldn’t exactly pass up a well-paying contract.  

“I get the picture,” I said. “We’re taking the mission, right, Lunar?”  

She nodded. “I’ve already accepted the request. Yunikon, you’re welcome to join in. It’ll mean a good share of the success bonus for you too.”  

“When’s the mission?”  

“The day after tomorrow. We’ll be scanning the surface of Loki Dwarf Planet and looking for any stray xeno beast lifeforms. Typical cold-sector work.”  

I sighed. “Another rushed one. I’m free, so I’ll come along. What about Goressa? Is she good for that day?”  

Goressa nodded from her seat. “No plans. I’ll go.”  

Good. With Goressa as our point scout, we’d be prepared if any of the local alien wildlife decided to show up. 

They tended to be irritable in this part of the sector, so there was always a risk.  

“Hmm… Loki Dwarf Planet…” Moona trailed off, her expression thoughtful.  

“What’s wrong?” I asked.  

She leaned forward, her tone suddenly serious. 

“Lunar, for this mission, I’d like to bring in someone from outside the team. A skilled combat specialist.”  

“Outside?” I blinked. “Hiring someone? That’s unusual.”  

“If Moona is suggesting it, there must be a good reason,” Lunar said. “Who did you have in mind?”  

“Narwhal,” Moona said simply.  

I froze. “Narwhal? Why him?”  

“Did something happen with him?” Lunar asked, raising an eyebrow.  

I was a bit surprised to suddenly hear that name.

“Well, uh… I was just sharing nutrient packs with him earlier at the Starfarer’s Cantina,” I admitted.  

“Really?”  

I nodded quickly. “Yeah, we were just talking about mission logs and plans. That kind of thing…”  

It wasn’t the whole truth. We’d talked about heavier topics too, but most of it felt too personal to share right now.  

“That’s perfect,” Moona said. “If you know his schedule, Yunikon, could you contact him tomorrow?”  

“Um… I think I know which communication nodes he’ll be visiting. So, yeah, I could reach him.”  

“Good. Let’s extend the invitation then. It’s just a one-day mission with good pay—he shouldn’t turn it down.”  

I hesitated. Narwhal wasn’t exactly flush with  credits,  ...would he really come on a mission like this? 

but I also knew how much he avoided anything tied to nobles. Would he really accept?  

“I’ll come with you to help persuade him,” Moona added.  

“Oh! If that’s the case, can I join you too?” Lunar offered.  

“No need for a crowd,” she said. “Two of us will be enough. But convincing him might not be easy…”  

I had the same thought. In my mind, I could already picture Narwhal crossing his arms and refusing outright.