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Sam flicked her drink with the tip of her fingernail. Even though it was a fairly quick trip to Freeport 8, she felt like had been ages since she had connected Eliza for this outing.

Well, at least Eliza had agreed, and they would be able to have a nice relaxing stroll through the varied markets and malls of Sirius. Maybe not all of them for this outing, but as many as they could hit. The Luxury shuttle was fast, comfortable and packed with all the little things needed to impress, as well an amazing view of the stars, thanks to its viewing lounge.

In truth, she hadn't expected Eliza to say yes, but she had heard from Nick that Eliza was a lot more relaxed than she seemed, so the chance had been taken. Which is why she was concentrating so hard on the brochures spread out on the table in front of her. Supermalls on Eerie and Manhattan, traditional markets in Kusari, an extremely high-class tourist stop on Planet Baden Baden and a delightful community market on Planet Cambridge. The planets Curacao, Gran Canaria and Freeport 10 were also prime locations to visit, thanks to their beauty.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she flopped back onto the couch. "Ugh. I'll have to wait for Eliza to help me decide where we'll go first. And after that."

The intercom in the cabin beeped on, and the pilots voice could be heard. "We're coming in to land now Miss Vincents. I've also received a location query from Haven Command. Do you want me to answer it?"

Her forehead crinkled slightly. Huh, Nick had noticed her absence faster than expected. "No, don't tell them where we are, but let them know we're safe. It wouldn't do to have a full wing of ships crashing our party now would it?"

"No ma'am, I'll redirect them"

The sound of docking gear gently touching down a few minutes later notified her of their arrival on Freeport 10. Now all that was needed for the fun to start was Eliza's arrival, and things could get underway.


The flight from Yaren to Freeport 8 was not a particularly long one and most of it was boring uneventful transit through Core's home system Rho and then a short sunbath between Sigma-15's twin stars. The lack of need to focus much on the surroundings gave Eliza another chance to think about what she was getting herself into. On one hand she was not known for meeting strangers in person but at the same time she felt she needed a distraction from recent events in Omicron Delta. She did make a promise not too long ago to take care of herself but what was the worst that could happen on a neutral station as a meeting point? Well there was Freeport 11 which was proof enough that neutrality sometimes meant nothing but wishful thinking.

Then there was also that story Loyola told her about Anna Heinrich killing 30 or so people with a "refurbished glock 34" at Freeport 9's bar. Quite the story that was but Eliza couldn't help but think her companion had over-exaggerated the details, if the whole thing was even true at all to begin with. Plus what was the chance of something like that happening? If Freeports were that unsafe they would've all turned into smoldering wrecks by now. And if anything Samantha looked a lot like a kindred soul from what little Eliza could figure out about her from the transmissions. It didn't matter much though as Freeport 8 was in visual already and she was bound to meet her new friend soon enough.

The landing was as uneventful as the rest of the trip. She wasn't too accustomed to Freeport 8's interior but a shiny luxury shuttle was hardly going to be hard to find at a mediocre place such as this. The roar from the engines soon turned into a purr before finally silencing to the ambient noise of the station. The hatch opened and the ship's ladder began extending from it's compartment. If anything the cockpit being closer to the lowest point of the ship could have been a better design direction, the Maltese thought as she began climbing down her ship. Just like most Zoner stations the insides of the hanger didn't look any impressive and quite quickly Eliza was able to locate the shuttle standing out as a sore thumb from all the other ships which showed clear sign neglect in the looks department.

A sigh followed by a deep inhale. The girl then began marching to the sound of her own boots onward towards the shuttle. "Come on, it's too late to back out now." she mumbled under her nose as the profile of the shuttle kept getting bigger and bigger.


The door of the shuttle swung open, as Sam stepped out. Seeing Eliza just a few meters away, she let out a squeal of delight and rushed down the ramp to her. Her voice was bubbly and full of life as she began to speak at high speed "Eliza!!! Oh I love your hair. Its so good to finally meet you. I've heard rumors about you and stories, and you were an outcast and now you're with the core, but you were also a freelancer of sorts and you know these scary people and do things like in those old crime novels." Pausing for a moment, she looks like she's frozen part way through a thought. "Wait right here, I have something for youuuuu" She calls out as she bounds back up the ships ramp into the cabin.

The sound of a person rummaging around and looking for something could easily be heard before a faint exclamation was made. "Oh, there you are!" Sticking her head out the door way, Sam calls down to Eliza. "Well, don't just stand there, come in, we still have quite the journey ahead of us."



Samantha's squeaky bombardment was met by Valdez with widened eyes gesturing something between shock and genuine awe. The Maltese girl could barely keep up with Sam's train of thoughts so all she could do was try and smile in response. It would at least be more polite than simply staring back in shock. And then as quickly as it had started the merciless bombardment stopped. Was it time for Eliza to speak? What was she supposed to say? But before she could even open her mouth the bubbly voice cut her through. Her new friend had something for her it seemed and disappeared into the shuttle as fast as she had came out.

All this gave a crucial moment for Eliza to regain composure and assess what had just happened. Had she finally met her own match when it came to pure excitement? And how did this girl she just met know so much about her? Was there a secret fan club Valdez was not aware about? Either way there was no point in standing out in the hangar anymore so she followed the enthusiastic girl into the shuttle. The inside of the ship was quite welcoming and spacious. The very well illuminated interior immediately caught the Maltese's attention as she was used to the more utilitarian approach of the Series Z model. This was a luxury ride indeed.

The bubbly voice snapped her out of her scheming on how to convince Loyola a luxury shuttle such as this was really needed. It seemed to Eliza that Samantha had the whole adventure already figured out and just needed a co-pilot for it. "Coming, Sam!" she answered enthusiastically as she rushed into the cabin to find out what her host had prepared for both of them.


As Eliza entered the shuttle, Sam stepped out from where she had been standing in the viewing lounge. While it's shutters were still closed, it was warmly lit, and displayed several comfortable looking couches to relax on. However, what drew the eye was the almost snow white kitten in Sam's arms. Stroking the kitten as she approached Eliza, Sam held him our gently for Eliza to take. "Oh isn't he just the cutest? I haven't named him because I thought you might want to do that, him being yours and all. He's a Bretonian shorthaired munchkin. Can you believe that name? Apparently he's from a pure bred line that can be traced all the way back to the cats on the Bretonian sleeper ship. I don't know if I believe that, but it certainly sounds impressive doesn't it?"

Still half-talking, Sam excitedly pushes the intercom systems button. "Alright, we're all on board. Planet Baden Baden first please!" She spoke into the receiver quickly, before turning back to Eliza, who she had left holding the kitten. "I hope you don't mind if we go to Baden Baden first, I heard they have this dress shop with absolutely stunning outfits. After that, we've got a million different options to visit next, so I'd love to hear where you want to go." Beaming at Eliza, Sam was already sitting on one of the couches as the shuttle began to gently lift off.



The white fur ball in Samantha's hands immediately caught Eliza's attention and won her heart with it's cute little eyes filled with innocence and confusion. "Awww, Sam, you shouldn't have! He's so gorgeous!" Eliza gently took the kitten in one hand and began playfully fighting it's paws with the other. The Maltese girl's attention turned back to her hostess for this adventure. Eliza never expected such a well prepared and warm welcome for herself and felt a bit bad for not having something to offer in return to her new friend. "Now I feel really guilty for not bringing a surprise present as well, Samantha. Perhaps I can get you something you like from one of the shops we'll visit?" she offered before dropping onto the coach besides Sam like a dive bomber.

"Easy there, I'll get you a nice bed on Durban to sleep in. Loyola can sleep on the coach. You'd like that, wouldn't you? Oh yes you would, oh yes you would!" she calmed the white fur ball that was now sitting in her lap with honeyed promises and gentle stroking. "I always wanted to visit Curacao!" Eliza turned her attention back to Sam and relaxed back in the fine sofa. "Cambridge is also a nice planet, I've been there a couple of times. People are quite welcoming there too. But Baden Baden sounds like a great destination as well!" In truth Eliza didn't really care much where exactly she'd go. Obviously anywhere with Sam would be a great time.


As Eliza collapsed into the couch next to her, Sam started to play with the controls on the viewing lounges shutters. Taking a few moments to apply the settings she liked, she opened up only the shutters on the side that both her and Eliza were facing, preventing excess light from the other side from bleeding in and distorting the view. Satisfied, she turned back to Eliza, and giving her a questioning look began to speak. "Enma on the couch? Does that mean you and her are... you know... ANYWAYS, forget I asked. Baden Baden is the closest, but from there we can go straight to Curacao! Its right near home as well for me, and I know all of its best places to visit."

Reaching over to stroke the kittens head, she smiled at Eliza. "Oh I'm so glad you like him, I was worried you might be allergic or something, and then it would have been absolutely dreadful. What are you going to name him? We'll have to get him a scratching post, and a little bed, and those small little jerseys for when its cold. Although I suppose Yaren never gets cold does it. Regulated temperature and all. Oh you must tell me what its like serving with the Core! No wait, tell me about when you were an outcast, on the run and out numbered all the time, with only your ship to keep you going. I wish I had lived an exciting life, you are so lucky."



Samantha's ability to speak without needing to take a breath or get interrupted was quite astonishing. It required her interlocutor to keep mental notes on all that had been said, hoping not to forget anything relevant. Eliza looked down at the kitten and playfully gave it a shy boop on the nose. She had not put much thought into how to name the little thing and didn't see much issue in calling it fur ball or kitten anyways. Still she didn't want to disappoint her hostess with lack of effort on picking a proper name for the little thing. "Perhaps Snowball?" When the little kitten curled up in her lap it reminded her of one at least. It sounded cute enough to earn a pass too.

"Also I think he'll need food first and foremost. I doubt little Snowball is going to like synth paste." Then again nobody Eliza had ever met had claimed to like synth paste in the first place. It almost made her wonder how the thing was getting sold in the first place as it wasn't even that cheap in the Omicrons either. "Also whoever was telling you all those wild stories about me had obviously exaggerated things!" Eliza was still quite unsure how this girl knew so much about her as she never considered herself that famous or rather infamous. "Most of my time flying under Maltese colors was just me enjoying the scenery of pretty systems really." The girl leaned her head back on the coach and closed her eyes for a moment. "I kind of miss those careless times to be honest with you, Sam. Core is all work and no fun. I'm only in it to take care of Enma." Eliza puffed in annoyance before looking back at her friend with newfound cheerfulness. "I'm really glad you called me to come with you on this trip! There's absolutely nothing fun to do back at Yaren and she is always so busy!"


"I can relate to that. Everyone back home is always busy running around, planning missions and preparing for "future" operations. But I'm just a civilian, so like half the things they're doing they can't tell me about, in case it compromises the mission." Sam let out a wistful smile. "To be honest, I didn't expect you to agree to come. I don't have a lot of friends, and most of those are usually too busy to do something like this. Nick trusts me enough to leave his files unlocked, and I saw your name and some notes, and decided to take the chance."

Looking out of the lounge window for a short while, Sam seemed to be content to relax in silence for a few minutes. Suddenly shooting upright and waltzing over to the intercom, she places an order, which, while definitely containing at least one alcholic drink, was said too quietly for Eliza to hear.

"Sorry about that, but it simply wouldn't do to have such a view go uncelebrated now would it? Also, Snowball is absolutely the cutest name ever!



Eliza didn't know much about the Forlorn Hope and Samantha's description of life back home was interesting to hear for the Maltese girl. What was even more interesting for her was the fact that no other but Nick Stenn actually kept a file on her humble self. Her mind immediately began plotting impossible scenarios for said file's acquisition that drowned her in silence and subtle self-amusement. Sam's sudden burst of energetic excitement that propelled her up from her seat startled the kitten out of Eliza's lap and into an instinctive run for it's life that Eliza could not react in time to stop. The girl burst into a hearty chuckle as the little beast cowered behind the couch on the opposite side of the room - it seemed that Valdez wasn't the only one still getting used to Samantha's volatile excitement, something which the young hostess payed absolutely no attention to.

Eliza answered Sam's question with a small nod and a cheerful smile. The view may not have been all that impressive to her but this was the first time she'd enjoy it from something less compact and rigid as the seat of her Series "Z". Perhaps those stuck up people from Interspace really knew how to live their life properly she thought to herself. This was definitely something she could get used to enjoying on a calm evening such as this one. "You seem to know so much about me, Sam! But Enma sadly has no file that I could spy on about you." Eliza joked playfully. "Tell me a bit more about yourself! How did you get in touch with the Forlorn? What's it like with them? How are things back at Glenda-something-something?" There was a slight hint of embarrassment in being unable to remember the ungodly name of that station in Coronado in her expression but it was subtly hidden under her enthusiasm to hear more about her new friend's life.
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