Pria was quite confused at her answer. So what if the war was far way? Wasn't it for a good cause? She was obviously leaving something out, and that bothered Pria. It bothered her a lot. But it also felt like she shouldn't push on it, at least not at this moment. In response she sighed. Placing her fork down on the plate.

"Mom, i'm not dad. I'm not going to just leave and break all contact. Whatever he did to make you upset...I'll be better. You just have to help me..."

If Pria couldn't get around the emotional heavy lifting, then she could at least be sincere. If her and her mom could reach a sort of understanding with each other then everything was well. Living so close for so many years they had a mutual respect for each other. Pria just hoped this was one of those times her mom looked at her like an adult, instead of a child.

Mom shook her head, looking at you sadly. "I knew the day would come that you'd want to leave. It's normal for kids to grow up and move out. But I just don't see why you can't move out around here. You're not just talking about moving away, you're talking about leaving the planet! How is that staying in touch?" She had tears in her eyes now. "I won't be able to come over for coffee, just to talk. I won't be able to hold you and comfort you when you get your heart broken. I won't be able to get to know the person you'll chose to spend the rest of your life with. Not really anyways, because I will only see him every now and then from a screen. And one day you'll get me some grandkids -not for a while, because I'm not old enough to be a grandma yet, but way, WAY in the future. You'll get me grandkids who look just like you and I won't be able to see them grow and develop.

"I don't want to lose you, Pria." She said almost desperately, tears pouring down her face. "I have loved seeing you grow and I want to be involved in your life, stay involved in it. I want to see how you develop into a young woman. I don't want you to come home one day and find we have nothing to talk about anymore because you've lived this whole other life I've never been part of."

Mom was doing her best not to sound angry as well as sad, but she clearly felt like you were abandoning her. Like you were saying 'thanks for everything, I'll leave now and give nothing back.'

Pria watched mom unfold and in many ways felt herself unraveling too. She wasn't too used to seeing her this way. Seeing her fall apart at the seams and spill out emotions. They weren't cold with each-other, not at all; but seeing the person she grew up knowing as her protector start crying in such a manner was jarring.

She didn't know what to say, she found a tingle in her nose and tears behind her eyes daring to well up. It was like an automatic response in seeing her mother do it. She felt conflicted in so many ways. She didn't mean for any of this. She wasn't trying to leave she was trying to explore. She didn't want to a distance in their relationship, just a measure of her own life lived. And even though she disagreed with what or how her mother said all the things she just did, she couldn't bear to say so. It felt like if she did it would be the same as telling her she was right. As if arguing validated her fears. She found herself biting her lip, tears rolling down each cheek. She wasn't bawling and she didn't feel like she was wrong to want what she did, but she did feel like what was in front of her was her fault. She just made the woman who spent most of her life raising Pria cry. That wasn't something Pria would let go easily.

"Mom i'm...i'm sorry." She finally managed. "I'm not running away. I just feel comfortable out there..." Her words got quieter as she went. Often she was quite confident in what she said, but not now.

"I don't want to hurt you..."

"I know that." Mom shook her head and sniffed, trying to wipe her tears away. "It's just... I never understood that need of adventure. Why do you wnat to risk everything? We've travelled around and it was no picknic. Why do you want to return to that lifr when you have safety here?"

Pria took the chance to wipe her cheek as well. She sniffed and put some thought into her answer.

"I don't...I don't want danger." She managed to rise her gaze up to her mother's. "I want to help. I want to do what feels right."

"Out there, a rickshaw village is being bombarded by a horrible storm. They could use someone to fly them out. Out there an ancient jungle is being burned to the ground, because some wealthy investors want land. It could use defending. Out there an important coral reef is being blown to bits in the search for sunken gold, out there a dying species is being hunted to the last, out there people are in chains, out there need help. Every little bit of help it can get." She stopped to catch her breath. She hadn't realized it but at some point she began standing. After letting the air settle a bit she sat down again.

"My hands are small. My arms can only save so much space." She held her palms out, miming the literal size pf space she could grasp.

"But saving that much is worth it." She put her arms down and looked at her mom. "I want to do for as many people as possible what you did for me all those years. And not a single part of that means forgetting you."

"you're so young." Mom looked at you intensely, trying not to cry. "How could you understand? You're just like him." This time though, she said it with love rather than resentment, as if she was finally accepting just a little that she couldn't stop him.

Pria let a lot of air stand between her mothers last words and her next.

"I guess I don't know." She scooted her chair around a little closer. "But you can help me learn?" She only knew as much about her father as her mom told her. And clearly there was more to learn. She wasn't going to back down from doing this, and it seemed like her mom might accept that, but she didn't want to ever be on bad terms with her. Every time she had been in life it effected everything. She never felt right, food tasted off she stopped doing things she enjoyed. Her mom was important, and she wanted her to know that.

"How am I like him? Is it in a bad way?"

"Oh honey, no. Not a bad way." She brought her hand to touch your cheek. "You're like him in that you can't sit still. Family life, settling down, living simple... He tried. He really did. For your sake he tried but it wasn't for him. He was an adveturer, and so are you. He wanted to see things, just like you. He wanted to be out ther, to help people, defend the weak. He had this picture in his heas that he could help build a better place and it wasn't happening by living a simple family life."

Mom sighed deeply and for a moment seemed lost in thought. Then she shook her head. "So how much money do you have saved up? And how much will you make tomorrow?"

Pria was shaken a bit when she heard the last question. She was listening so intently it jarred her. For some reason she was somewhat embarrassed or reluctant to tell. "Well...if the job goes well I can get 1000 in one go. But I already have...600" She had been saving for a while now, doing whatever other small jobs came her way. She hardly got to fly but work was work.

"One more big job after this one and I could afford a decent used ship I think. I've kept an eye on some used retailers around here." She was trying to sounds grown up. She didn't notice it herself but there was never a time she wasn't attempting to impress her mom in some way. Even if that meant choosing a conflicting opinion from her.

Her mother nodded and seemed to think. Then she activated her smart sleeve and typed on it some. She activated the holo screen and you could see thay she was in the transfer tab of her bank account.

"I had something saved up to help you out when you decided to take on a college education." She said, putting your data in the receipient's area. "But since that's not gonna happen, I'd rather you use it to make sure you get yourself a ship that's capable of keeping you safe and warm. It's really cold out there. In more ways than one."

She pressed 'send' and it was done. 1000 credits added to your account.

Pria watched as her mom went into the bank accounts. Her mouth opened bit by bit as the 0's got added on. When her mom hit send she didn't know what to say.

1000 credits? Just like that? She could actually use her college fund like she wanted?

After a long few milliseconds of the gears turning in her head she made a mock sort of squealing noise and got up to embrace her mother. She clasped around her from behind, giving he a big hug.

"Thank you thank you thank you!"

She would be able to start so soon with this! She'd also have a better ship then she was planning on getting! And best of all it meant her mom was finally accepting her decision!

She pecked her mom on the cheek over and over with kisses, another "thank you" thrown in between each one. After an at least slightly annoying amount of fawning over her, she let her mother go and sat down again. Dragging the chair closer again this time.

"Mom, it means a lot to have you on my side for this. I appreciate it."

You were hugged back tightly. "I know this isn't some spur-of-themoment idea." She said. "You've been talking about this for years. I raised you to be a responsible young woman, capable of making her own choices. I'm not entirely on your side with this plan, but you're my daughter. If this is the choice yoi make, I'll support you."

She waited for you to finish hugging her. "Just promise me one thing." She said. "Promise menyou'll contact uncle Ben about joining the guild. It costs a little money, but you'll be insured. You'll have backup if you get into trouble. Promise me that, please. It'll ease a mother's conscience knowing you are looked after if you run into trouble out there."

Pria almost laughed when her mom asked her to contact Ben. She sat back down and waited for her mom to finish.

"Of course mom. I wasn't planning on being some rogue out there. I'll give him a call when I can tomorrow." She wasn't lying in what she said. She had planned on joining the guild the whole time, it was just smarter and safer. She wanted to help people not commit suicide via space. "I'm really glad you're my mom, you know?" She smiled warmly then got up to get the box of baked goods from the counter.

"Now how about some sweets?"

She made quick work of cleaning off her plate and putting it in the sink to soak. She opened the pastry box and put it between her and her mother. There were 4 cookies inside, 3 of which were the kind mum liked. Pria took the one that stood out and began to nibble.

"How long has it been since we've actually seen uncle Ben? It feels like it's been a little while."

"Thank you, honey. It was sweet of you to bring these." Mom took one of the cookies and ate it happily.

"Well, he hasn't been by since last year, but he's stationned at headquarters now and that's way back in the Tilburg section, remember?" The Tilburg section was about sixty light years away, which made it a 20 day travel on a fast shuttle. "But I actually spoke to him last week. He told me..."

Mom seemed glad at the change of subject. She happily talked about her conversation with uncle Ben, relieved to steer away from the topic of you leaving for space. The tension in the room seemed lifted now.

Pria nodded along. She did remember Tilburg, and it's distance. It was a flight she was bound to make once in her life. But she wouldn't stop mom by saying that. Pria just smiled, nodded and ate as her and her mother talked about Uncle Ben. Afterwards the conversation trailed around, as conversations do. From uncle Ben to other people they knew on their trips. That lady with the horrible wig, that one gentleman with the 3 legged dog. They talked about their days and what they had done, who they saw. They talked about little things that mattered and ones that didn't. At some point the kettle was put on and Pria found a mug of hot-chocolate in her hands. After that was done and their topics exhausted, Pria found he way back to her room. She spent the night popping in the address of her client's into her glasses so she wouldn't get lost. She dig up Uncle Ben's number so she didn't embarrass herself by asking mom for it. She wrote down the day in her little cheap journal and threw it back in her bag. It wasn't terribly late but she had an early day ahead of her, so she set her morning alarm, and found her bed.

It took her a while to finally drift off to sleep, but she did so with a smile on her face.

---

The next morning Pria was up and ready in no time. She wasn't exactly a morning person but she was excited about today. She just had some toast for breakfast and grabbed some granola bars to throw in her bag. She caught her mom just before she left for work, and gave her a peck on the cheek. "See you later mum, have a good day!"

She set out, leaving a fair 10 minutes of wiggle time before getting to her destination. Despite having a constantly updating path on her eye wear, she wasn't keen on being late in any situation. After arriving at the rather upscale location, she rung to be let in.

The gate was open so you could move up the huge lawn towards an equally impressive private mansion. There were several steps to climb before you reached the front door where you could ring the doorbell.

A Sumarian male answered the door. You didn't need to be very well-trained in seeing the differences between members of other races to notice that this was not the person you had spoken with over the holophone. This man was tall and thin, towering over you with a very blank look on his face, clearly not recognising you. He wore a Sumarian formal suit, which looked like a blue linnen bathrobe, with red accentuations and a red belt to keep it together. Under that you could only see hints of a blue dress shirt and no pants. He wore shoes, though "Yeeeeees?" He asked with a slur as he looked down on you from above. The man's breath smelled rather awful, as was the case for most Sumarians.

Pria gave her best smile and a small wave. "Hello sir. I'm here to escort someone to Veridian for the convention. This was the time I was told to arrive, do I have the correct address?" She was certain she did, she just wanted to seem polite. He didn't seem all too excited to see her and she felt bad if she was imposing.

She wondered who exactly this might be though. He wore a formal suit, but this early in the morning? They were rich enough to have a butler but it might be rude to assume. For all she knew she was speaking to her client's father. Not that she'd treat him much different if he was.

"Is thaaat soooo?" The man drawled on, looking you over again. Footsteps sounded loudly on a staircase somewhere inside and another voice rang loudly through the hallway. "It's alright, Timo! That's for me!"

A much younger Sumarian appeared in the door opening, the same boy you had been in contact with earlier. He looked like he just crawled out of bed, with his hair undone and his clothes wrinkled. Granted, it was early. It was barely lifht outside. "Hey." He said to you, while turning to put his feet in his shoes. "My dad's hangar's in the back. I'll show you." He grabbed a coat and backpack, said "Thanks Timo, tell dad I'll be back in time for school tomorrow" And quickly left the house. He guided you round the mansion to the back where a large side building stood.

"I'm Hensen by the way." He told you as you walked and you could smell his horrible breath. He seemed not to notice, though and excitedly continued. "Hensen Trellion. Dis you have trouble finding this place? Well, I suppose not since you were right on time."

Pria nodded and waved to the man called Timo. She followed after her client and her made way towards the back. "Very nice to meet you Hensen. I'm Pria if I didn't mention it in the call." Pria was pretty good at putting up a front but wow were the rumors true about the breath. Something to look into, is it their diet or their biology? Regardless she probably shouldn't dwell on it.

"Yes I found my way fine, it was no trouble." He certainly seemed excited about this all. Couldn't blame him though, he's probably been looking forward to this for a good long time. She'd have to make sure to get him there in good time. The memory that she was trying to earn 1000 credits right here right now placed some stress on her back. That was a lot of money, maybe she should be less cavalier about it all? He didn't seem the type but he was also rich; it wouldn't be surprising if he expected some more seriousness without being too serious himself.

She'd just play it by ear.

"You were lucky you were tge first to contact me for the job." Hensen told you. "I must have had about fifteen other applicants after you applied. Some even offered to fly me for half the price, but I'd already given the job to you. And my dad always said tgat once you make a contract with someone, you must do your best to keep it or people won't want tondo business with you again. And getting a name of being unreliable is deadly to any business." The boy was saying all this in an excited way, not at all trying to get you to agree to half the price. This was clearly just him making conversation.

The door to the hangar opened on Hensen's voice command. Inside the hangar stood a huge ship. If you had any knowledge of ships you would notice it was a Mattiz, one of the top brands in the spaceship business. The thing cost a true fortune! For anyone who could afford that kind of ship, 1000 credits was really peanuts, spare change. But you could have gathered that from the mansion as well. One scratch on that thing would probably cost you a year to pay off, even with earning 1000 credits per job.