"Oh? In that case i use psy... Psy... Psylogy!" the girl giggled.
Meanwhile, the Ticked Phoenix reached California's orbit and quickly headed to Cortez jumpgate. "Psylogy..." He raised an eyebrow "Hmm... Psychology?" "Yes! That!"
She smiled mischievously as she was docking to the last lane they would take in that system.. "All that energy can be manipulated you know?" She then added, nodding.
He considered her answer, while looking at his pineal amulet and back at her... "...I ...see." "You just need to find the right pivot annnnnd... I don't want to hurt them but... If they try to hurt me... Or make me do things i don't want... Welll... Hmm..."
She scratched her lower lip, thinking "I make their individual energies confront? So it turns into void?"
"I understand completely..." He said, making his best 'I understand' face.
She laughed after she took a look at him "You're funny when you do that!"
Shortly later, the Ticked Phoenix headed to the gate and jumped quickly. "So hmm..." "Looks like we are leaving Liberty..." "Yay! Anyway... Rah! I forgot what i was about to say!" She shouted, laughing. "Oh right!" She promptly added as Xavier was about to talk.
He finally closed his mouth after a couple of seconds. She reminded him of a little annoying someone... "You know i was on Cucu.... Curu... Uh.." She gave up after struggling for a bit. "HUD: 'Alert...leaving House space...Civilians are advised to keep to trade lanes in borderworld systems at all times.'" "Tell me if you want me to shut it off." "Oh? I don't mind. She's funny!"
Emerging from the wormhole, the ship quickly took the lane nearby.
"Hmmm... you were talking about Curacao i guess..?" "Right! That name! You went on that place? It's nice there!" "I once commissioned a Luxury Liner from there...She was a good ship." "Ah! I see... Rmmm... Liner..."
She thought for a bit, and then added softly. "I came to a liner there to help a friend and then... Hmmm... Some bad things happened?"
He glanced at her, wondering what she was talking about. "Oh? Does it still bother you?" "Rmm... I don't mind... It's past?" He could see her shaking her head.
A rather awkward silence followed. Xavier was almost tempted to lean over her to take a look at her face.
Now that he was thinking about it, he didn't remember seeing her sad only once.
"Anyway!" She suddenly turned around, beaming "We're going to Coronado, right?"
Xavier quickly noticed he unconsciously leaned over her. coughing, he leaned against the back of his seat... "That's the plan. The Trident is waiting for us in orbit of Pecos."
"Peeeek....Aus... Oh! Pecos! I see where it is!"
She suddenly accelerated, aborting their connection with the lane and headed to Cortez jumphole, making a quite big detour to avoid Curacao. "A boring guild planet right?" She said, laughing. "Why are we going to that place? There is no cute boys there!" "HUD: 'Pecos..IMG owned mining colony...Warning...beyond safe lane limits.'" "Woa she's smarter than me" said Concordia, laughing.
She then smiled mischievously once again and added.. "Oh i know why! Because you want to keep me for yourself!"
He sighed. "Come on Concordia... As i said, i need to keep you close for a while." "Keep me close! keep me close!" the girl shouted annoyingly, tilting her head.
When the Ticked Phoenix jumped to Coronado, she left her seat in a blink and jumped on his lap "Like this?" "C...Concordia! You're supposed to be the one piloting..." was able to say Xavier after a while, trying to not peek at the legs of the girl. "We're not in Coronado yet..." She said, smiling softly. "It's safer that you stay in the pilot seat."
She tickled him and laughed, finally moving back to her seat. "If only you could see the face you are doing right now!"
Putting her feet on the control panels, she wondered "Anyway hmmm... how come she is talking to you? The unicorn is never talking to me!" "Well hmm... She is a bootleg version of the original Eagle's onboard software. Don't put your feet on the console screen, please." "Booot...Leg?" She asked, moving away her feet.
Suddenly, the phoenix emerged in Coronado and the girl admired the quite familiar 'Barrier' and she set a course to Planet Pecos. "Got it from a passing Lane Hacker. She still works! Illegal to be blunt." He said coughing.
He nodded "Most CTE ships come with this HUD interface. the Borderworlds range...has less onboard features in exchange for durability." "Ahhhhh?"
As Concordia turned her head to give him a questionning look, he added "When i bought the ship I had to pay a liscense fee for updates and support but...well...I was counting my credits in those days." "Lane hackers? Oh right! They are good with all those tech thingy dingy!" She said after a while. she then laughed. "Once i was in Mactan docks... Annnnnd... One started to insult me because i caressed him! That was weird!"
Xavier raised an eyebrow and finally answered "Plenty of weirdos out there. Especially those cooped up in tiny asteroid bases."
The girl thought for a while. She finally asked "Why don't we have asteroid bases in Baffin?"
He shook his head. "No asteroids. The Geode and Eris ate em all." "Mom' told me once Eris had a biiiig iron core hidden inside all that orange gaz... You think that's true?" "Maybe we can find out one day. Perhaps get good old Mom some time off somewhere."
She looked at him and finally made her silly face. "You ever met her, right? She's ugly!" "We havent stopped to talk, I will say that much. However, I keep tabs on her dealings with TAZ to the outside."
He remained silent during a few seconds, choosing his words. "Very...driven woman."
Xavier suddenly noticed a proximity indicator on the passenger side HUD. "Seems we are getting in range of the Trident's scanners."
She opened her eyes wide after a while "Ohhhhh! That's that big thingy dingy, right?!"
Xavier, clearly showing his pride, answered "My pride and joy." "HUD: 'Incoming Transmission...direct?'" "Hmmm?" She muttered, looking at Xavier, unsure of what to do.
He reached for the comms system and opened a channel. "Helllllooooo?" She said before Xavier could only think to say something. "K..Kallisti, Ticked Phoenix. We have you at 20 klicks and closing."
She smiled teasingly and added with a soft voice "Xaaaavierrrr is a bit busy trying to look under my skirt right now... Can i take a message?"
There was suddenly a glass breaking sound on the other end and a scruffling sound coming from the speakers. "Concooordddia!" "Uhoh? Who's this?" She said, giggling. "Pandemonia here muahahaha. You are brave to approach my awesome fortress of discordian supremacy!"
Hearing this, Xavier made an audible face-palm.
Concordia bursted out laughing and then said to Xavier : "She's funny!"
She then came back to the comms "You are no match to the powers of the Phoenix honey!"
To make her point go across, she made an awkward looping with the eagle. "Egads!! The coveted double loop space pile driver!"
Xavier, losing it, then talking over the comms. "Pan, I swear...do you want to see the outside of an airlock!" "Oh cooome OOON! It's just Concordia! We are all friends here!"
Concordia laughed, heading this. "Hey! Be nice Xavierrr!"
further rustling could be heard from the speakers. On the Trident, it seemed the comm officer was able to gain temporary control of his station. "Pa...urrg! Ticked Phoenix you are cleared to land. Runway is cleared for your arrival. Docking bay 1C is free for you."
Further russling followed...
"Yes Concordia, come into my gaping maw!! bwaahahaahah!" "You wish!" She replied, sticking out her tongue. She then headed to the trident, engaging the docking sequence.
After a short while, the phoenix entered in the Trident of Eris docks.
The girl looked at Xavier, smiling "Welll... Here we are!"
She then stood up quickly. At the same time, Xavier rose from the passenger seat with a rather pronounced hand mark on his face.
"Indeed.... I got a bone to pick with a young pilot...but before that..." He opened his arms. "Care for the tour?"
Misunderstanding his gesture, she moved to hug him. "Yay!"
He showed a small amount of embarassment as the girl was pressing against him...
Much less than before.
Perhaps he was becoming accustomed to such levels of affection..