Olivia circled around the trail of traffic that led from the orbital docking ring down towards Los Angeles' surface, waiting to receive the coordinates for the meeting. Her Lich shook in the upper atmosphere, buffeted by strong winds. A chime sounded from the cockpit speakers and the communications screen lit up, revealing an incoming message from Prower.

The directions pointed the mercenary towards one of the planet's larger cities, on the coast of one of the major landmasses. Olivia typed the coordinates into the nav console and let the autopilot handle the descent through the turbulent atmosphere.

A few minutes passed, with the mercenary gazing out of the cockpit canopy over the rapidly approaching planet's surface, making out enormous crop fields amidst the plains and forests. Here and there, human settlements dotted the countryside, occasionally overshadowed by larger cities. Up ahead, her destination came into view, an impressive skyline highlighted against the bright blue of the ocean beyond. The autopilot steered the ship down towards the landing zone on the metropolis' periphery, settling on an empty gravity cushion.

As the canopy slid forward, Olivia glanced around the airfield, quickly finding Prower's shuttle nearby. She clambered down the extending access ladder to the cement ground below and hurried over as quickly as her recovering body allowed.

Olivia leaned back in the passenger cabin's plush seat. She appreciated Nicole's concern for her health, but felt it was unnecessary. A steady diet and exercises combined with the medication she had been prescribed on Denver had helped her regain much of her weight and muscle mass. She still looked thinner and less fit than her usual self, but in a few weeks time, she was sure, she'd be back to normal.

The mercenary gave the two sisters a pleasant smile.

"Good to meet you in person," she said, nodding to Satsumi. She was curious to know what exactly Nicole had told her sister about her - they didn't know each other particularly well, and Olivia felt that her behavior prior to her disappearance had been less than endearing.

She turned to face the older sister.

"I hope the locals have more to offer than just food paste." She chuckled. "I'm not picky, you choose."

The mention of their destination made Olivia shudder inwardly. The last family restaurant she had dined at had met a rather unpleasant end not too long after - at the behest of someone she knew only too well, at that. But those times were over. This would be a harmless visit to a harmless establishment with harmless company.

The restaurant turned out to be nice enough - certainly a step up from the dives she had become accustomed to over the years. A cozy interior was matched by the polite service of the wait staff. Olivia couldn't help but smirk at the younger Prower sister's excitement about Nicole's invitation.

"I've never actually had ribs," the mercenary admitted with a chuckle. "But if they're on you, I guess there's no harm in trying."

Olivia glanced across the table at Nicole, raising a curious eyebrow.

"Did she say that?" She couldn't help but chuckle. She was grateful that Prower had clearly not mentioned her recent circumstances to her sister - circumstances that had taken a serious toll on her abilities as a pilot. "Well, I grew up on a freeport out in the Taus. Hung around a lot of skilled pilots as a kid, listened in on their stories. Soon as I was old enough, I got a permit myself and headed out into the void, working escorts and that sorta stuff. You gotta fly quick out there," she gave the younger sister a mischievous smirk," otherwise you end up pasted across the side of an asteroid. And with all the pirates and Maltese raiders roaming the region, you need to learn how to fight quick, too."

She leaned back and reminisced in silence for a moment before going on.

"I was a fast learner. Had to be. Then, a few years flying for the Bretonians during the war taught me everything else I had to know."

Olivia could not help but smile as Satsumi finished. The girl's last statement felt strangely relevant to the mercenary; indeed, she did not have much biological family left to speak of, relying instead on people she met along her journeys to fill the void - on the rare occasions she allowed them to. Of course, she would not easily admit such thoughts to anyone, nor, even, to herself.

"Sounds like the Prowers have infiltrated just about every house in Sirius," Olivia joked, glancing back at Nicole. "All part of the chief spook's plan, perhaps?"

She turned back to Satsumi.

"I'm glad you all are still able to get together despite of everything." Her tone had a hint of bittersweetness to it.