[b]”Code 3.”[/b]

[b]”Brace for emergency landing or was it… the air lock one?”[/b]

[b]”What do you think?”[/b]

[b]”The air lock one.”[/b]

[b]”Which air lock one? There are four that specifically refer to air locks.”[/b]

[b]”I’m… I’m not sure…”[/b]

[b]”Maybe it’s time to take a break. We could order up some ice cream from the replicator or something. What? You’ve never had ice cream before? It’s much better than it sounds. Promise.”[/b]

Ryen sighed and stretched. Like most evenings, Seita and she were holed up in the spare room. Both were sitting cross legged on the ground, a worn but clean throw rug the only thing that separated their bottoms from the ship’s hard, cold metallic floor. Books, instead of occupying their usual space on the shelves, were piled according to topic and difficulty on the floor. Above, projected by a nearby computer, major star formations and planets slowly rotated on the ceiling.  Ryen could name them all. Seita could accurately point out and breakdown almost fifteen.  It was a good start. The girl caught on quick but sometimes her facts got jumbled up.

[b]”We’re… only supposed to use the replicator during meal times.”[/b] Seita said and frowned.

[b]”Yeah, I know but Lazlo won’t find out,”[/b] Ryen replied. Seita gave her a look. [b]”Alright he probably [i]will[/i] but a little ice cream won’t hurt anyone. Plus, one small trip to the replicator won’t affect the ship’s power efficiency.”[/b]

[b]”How do you know?”[/b]

Ryen offered Seita a cheeky smile and helped the girl to her feet. The mechanic was pleased that Seita was beginning to open up, at least when it was just the two of them in the spare room. However, once they went through the door, the shy, childlike creature came back. It was as if this room was their secret place where they could just relax and be themselves. It was nice. Even Ryen felt her guard slipping.

[b]”What was Code 3?”[/b] Seita asked, taking the mechanic’s outstretched hand. 

[b]”All personnel should clear the airlocks. There could be multiple reasons for this. Like if someone were about to use their ETL or, maybe, if certain portions of the ship needed to be sectioned off. “[/b] The two of them stepped out of the room as Ryen took the lead to the galley. Outside the hallway was dimly lit, indicating to the crew that it was already ‘night time’.