The small shuttle currently servicing the Starjammer was on its way to the planet Fubasi, where a test for a Kree military prototype was being conducted. Nestled into the pilot's chair was Scott Summers, captain of the Starjammers.
He'd brought along Nova for the mission. She was a good teammate to have in the field – bright, quick, and resourceful. Having flame powers wasn't exactly a drawback either.
But furthermore, he'd promised Binary that he'd cut back on the tension level flitting around the ship and tell her about the feelings he'd developed for her on the way back from this mission.
Nervous as he was, it at least seemed to feel good that he was going to be able to get it out for once.
Nova almost felt kind of bad that the little sardine can of a shuttle they were in was about to be replaced. It had served them well, in spite of its other failings. Still, she couldn't feel too bad, if the Kree scout ship they were after was everything that rumor said it was.
She'd been faintly surprised that Cyclops had invited her along for the mission, things being how they had been. But then again, she shouldn't be too surprised – locating the shuttle fast would be the name of the game, and who better to do that than the psychic-bloodhound, so to speak?
"It's going to need a name… You just know the Kree named it something sucky…"
"Undoubtedly something praising their Supreme Intelligence or whatever it is they worship in their spare time," Scott quipped, quirking a wry grin. He didn't have too much time to spare for chatter, however, rather absorbed in piloting the shuttle. He was trying his best to ride the atmospheric currents down to the surface as best he could, relying on the engines as little as possible.
Made them harder to detect that way.
Settling down a fair ways from the base near the test site, they were going to hike the rest of the way in, and the plan was to snatch the shuttle and get out as fast as possible before anything could react.
Well… he'd made a joke. That was encouraging. She grinned back, not that he had time to look.
As the shuttle touched down, Nova scooted to the back to snatch up the small backpack of supplies they'd brought, mostly remotely triggered explosives in the event they needed a diversion. She liked carrying the backpack. It made her feel important.
They'd planned fairly well for a ten kilometer hike. It was supposed to take no more than a few hours, which would allow the planet's distant star to set. Temperatures here were a bit cooler than those they might be used to, being from Earth, but they should be out long before they would need any kind of insulating clothing for protection.
Splitting up only briefly, he had Nova scout a bit of the base's perimeter, while he went the other way. It would provide crucial evidence they would need to be able to get in easily.
For someone that had once spent most of her spare time roller-blading in Central Park, the hike towards the base, need for stealth aside, was something she greatly enjoyed after being space bound for so long. Creeping around the edge of the base was slightly thrilling as well, in the watched-too-many-spy-shows-as-a-kid sense. She even amused herself by concealing a small set of explosives at what looked to be a good spot. Still, she was greatly relieved when she met up with Scott again. "The main guardpost was on my side," she murmured, a slight grin playing at the corner of her lips.
She was grinning in a way that managed to be both charming and devious. Just what had she done? He supposed he would find out. He trusted her enough to think she'd do what was best. Maybe she found a way to blind the guard.
Having a seat, Scott motioned for her to do the same. He was waiting for the last remnants of daylight to sink below the horizon. He was certain the Kree would be very similar to humans, and the guards that were guarding the wall would be anxious to be doing what most of the guard was likely doing at this hour – having fun.
Only when it was completely dark did he rise, offering her a hand up. "Ready?" This was it.
Nova settled next to him, watching the sun set. If they weren't about to raid a military base, blow stuff up, and steal a ship, it might have been romantic. Nova's thoughts were elsewhere, however, on the stars starting to show in the darkening sky. When the last traces of sunlight were gone over the horizon, Scott stirred, and she looked up at him. "You betcha, boss," she said, taking his hand up. Yes, the pirate life and she had taken to each other. It was certainly more pleasant than working for the Big G.
Idle thoughts of relaxing somewhere watching the sun set with Nova curled against him never had much room to surface. Scott was busy watching the base. He was taking down how often they patrolled various parts of the perimeter, and tried to get a feel for how often the guard was changed.
He'd even thought he had identified the hangar where the shuttle was being kept. It was just a matter of getting there.
Waiting for the right moment, he advanced on the base's perimeter, motioning for Nova to follow.
Nova double-checked her fiery-mane-concealing insulated hood as she crept after Scott, figuring to take over at least slightly the leading-the-way once he'd gotten them through the perimeter. He was better at that sort of thing. Planning ahead had never been her strong suit, her natural gift for finding things only encouraging her to move through life in a haphazard, driftwood-like manner.
It wasn't getting in that had been hard, it was getting into the hangar for the shuttle that would be hard. Naturally, there were a few guards around it, and the only surefire way Scott had to incapacitate them would made far too much noise and light.
The explosives…but how to get them far enough away to draw attention from the hangar? A glance was directed back towards Nova, almost as though to ask if she had ideas. He'd rather not split up just now, but if he had to…
Slipping through the shadows of the military base, the former herald was greatly pleased by the hood the crew had come up with for her. While she'd never pass for completely normal, being able to move around without looking like a walking torch was nice sometimes. Just sometimes, though. She wasn't ashamed of who she was, in spite or perhaps because of everything.
Nova caught his glance and made a gesture with her hands, asking if he wanted something to go boom right about then, nudging the backpack a little to show the load had been lightened already.
So she had planned a surprise. It brought a mildly sadistic grin to Scott's face, trying to convey the message – whenever you're ready. There were three guards around the shuttle hangar. Two guarded the big main doors, while another guarded a smaller side door. They tended to rotate around, but with the blast, they might forget, and Scott could use his powers to knock the side door guard out, allowing them in and a few minutes peace.
Nova tugged out the transmitter, motioning for him to take a bit of cover. Once he had, she keyed something in, and a few heartbeats later an explosion was heard, something propelled into the sky above the eastern side of the base where it went off like fireworks. She'd found a piece of the original fence, half buried in the ground, its hollowed inside wide enough to slip in a few pieces of explosives. She'd hoped it would look like someone was firing on the base, thus driving the guards towards the perimeter, unaware that the enemy was already inside. It was all about buying time.
The initial explosion was followed a few seconds later by a more grounded one near the guard post, and that one was followed a several seconds later by a third.
It was brilliant. Scott could have kissed her for it….if not for the whole nervous bit around her and all (not to mention it might seem awkward at the time as well).
Moving quickly, the side door guard had only just seen him coming when a quick blast to his head knocked him out. Waving Nova over, he got the door open with the guard's passcard, and the two of them dragged the limp Kree inside.
The shuttle was the next obstacle. "You've already scored ten out of ten, I'd say, but I don't suppose you either read Kree or could find the right buttons with your powers?"
A weak joke. Scott could pick out what he needed, mostly.
The shuttle was sleek and luxurious compared to their old one. Not being crammed in like sardines was another plus. "How about giving the weapons a field test on the hangar door there? I think the blue ones in front of you operate them."
"I do read Kree," she murmured very quietly after a few moments of looking uncomfortable. "Or, at least… I used to be able to…" Time was the name of the game right now, though, so she moved to the console, hoping the knowledge was still there… somewhere. She'd always had a natural affinity for languages, so she was hoping it was.
Dropping into the seat without further comment, she eyed the console, inhaled softly to relax herself, and then ran her fingers across the buttons. The hanger door was blasted off its hinges, and then some. "Yeah. I can sort of understand the labels," she said with a sigh that sounded both relieved and bothered at the same time.
Noting the annoyance in her voice, Scott tried easing that away. "I'd say your command of the Kree language is good enough," he grinned slightly. Lifting off, the shuttle bumped the hangar's roof briefly before lurching forward.
"Sorry 'bout that," Scott chuckled, looking halfway apologetic.
But the shuttle was soon roaring up through the atmosphere after that, the base still showing signs of chaos. Maybe they'd get a good enough head start to avoid any big cruisers.
Glancing at Scott, she reminded herself not to brood. That was Norrin's department, after all. She was the Raye of sunshine. Or was supposed to be. "Tsk tsk. Betcha scratched the paint. The captain's not gonna like that," she remarked, nudging her voice back towards the cheerful end of things.
Leaving the flying to him, she eyed the console, looking over the other controls, trying to get the sensors and other support systems on and ready as they'd likely need them soon.
"Knew our luck wouldn't hold. Well, let's see if your brilliant execution in the field will inspire my piloting." He tossed an encouraging grin her way. A Kree war cruiser was coming around the curve of the planet, and quickly. Scott had naturally headed the other way as fast as he could, but the cruiser's engines made it so much faster than the shuttle. He'd have to lose them somehow.
"No worries, boss. Fate is on our side… this little baby was meant to be ours." Nova patted the console, chuckling slightly and then focused on the scans of the system. "It's a bit out of the way," she said after a few moments, lightly tapping the screen midway between them. "But what do you think about trying to ditch them in this anomaly field?"
Scott couldn't help but grin at her claiming the shuttle as theirs already. "The anomaly field certainly beats trying to shoot it out or get blown up." Casting a slight glance at the field, the words were more like Greek to him this time.
"Don't suppose you can help out the Kree-illiterate Captain and tell me what kinds of anomalies those are?"
"Can't blow us up. Want their ship back in one piece. It says Morak. I know. Doesn't help." she replied, further studying the console and taking a moment to make the readings more elaborate. "Uhm… It looks like the last remains of a nebula that drifted into this system's gravity after picking up some space dust on the way… Pockets of dense plasma, probably some gravitational and magnetic fields there that you don't want to get close to… Man. I should have paid more attention in high school science…"
"Well, I'm sure they'd rather blow us up than the possibility of losing something fresh off the R&D line to Skrull, Shi'ar, or whoever they've honked off. Namely everyone."
He eyed the display she was trying to make sense of, though. "That looks nasty. Kinda fun, too. I mean, hey, if we run into ship-destroying gravitational fields, stellar matter fragments, and so on, I can say I've died in the best of company, right?"
He smiled weakly. Maybe he could work up into telling her….though he had to survive first. It prompted an unexplained chuckle from him – if he died, he wouldn't have to, huh?
Changing the shuttle's course, he roared off towards the nebula cloud.
"Please. No one can outfly you, boss," she said, repaying the compliment with a natural ease.
Tilting her head, Nova studied him, grinning. Maybe the him-being-avoidant had been her imagination. Aside from the trying-to-escape stress, he seemed perfectly fine. Good, then. All was well. "'Cept maybe Norrin," she added teasingly. "If B manages to push him the rest of the way out of his shell…"
Cyclops tossed her a wry smirk just before entering the nebula field. "We'll see about that."
After that, he quieted, trying to focus. The advanced sensors on the shuttle seemed to give them limited visibility in this area where they were normally blind. Maybe they had a decent chance after all.
"Keep trying to find the other ship when you can, and maybe give me a ballpark figure on how far they are. I don't think these sensors, as good as they are, are –that- good."
If they followed them in, they'd be near home free, just find a nice exit point and head home.
Nova settled down, keeping conversation to giving reports every time she'd adjusted the sensors enough to see the other ship in spite of the local interference. It seemed to be hanging at the edge of the field, getting discouraged about their attempts to pursue the escaping vessel. "The don't seem to be able to follow, boss..."
Scott had begun moving to the far side of the nebula. "Any sign of pursuit?" He didn't want to hop out of the cover they had only to run into a new ship out for their death.
He was taking it easy on the controls, trying not to excite any anomalies into becoming disasters.
Flicking to a more wide view, she picked up a couple of ships, but they were still a good ways away, and she remarked as much. "If we jet once we're out, they shouldn't be able to catch up."
Clearing the last of the anomalies, Scott pulled the throttle all the way back. A few fighters were making chase, just coming around the curvature of the gas cloud.
"Keep those lasers ready," he added, "but I think we give them some test results on how well their engines work," he grinned slightly.
The shuttle was able to leave the fighters far behind easily enough, making a few hyperspace jumps had them throwing off pursuit and on the way back to Starjammer.
Of course, the fact that they had succeeded meant something else.
"Frankie, there's something I've been meaning to tell you…"
So used to being called 'Nova', she looked slightly startled by the sudden turn to 'Frankie' in spite of the fact that it had been a long time since she'd already offered up her real name for use, though a large part of it came from the informality of it, so quickly on the heels of their tense ship theft.
"Uh… Ok?" she replied, double checking the sensors before powering down the weapons a bit as they weren't all that crucial at the moment.
Feeling a slight tingle in his cheeks, he figured they'd likely be as red as his visor before this all was over and done.
"Ever since you've joined the crew, you've been a vital part of the team, both for your skills, and for keeping everyone from being perpetually gloomy…" Scott paused, admonishing himself for speaking as a leader, and not as the man he was supposed to be.
"I've always thought of you as a friend, but over the past few months, I've….thought of you as more than that. I care….I…have feelings for you." The word 'love' had risen, and tried to get out, only he doubted it came out as anything intelligible.
Being of a rather unique upbringing, cast out into space barely a teenager, Scott had missed the whole 'talk' that most fathers or mentors tried giving their sons or charges. The life he'd led never allowed him the luxury of caring for someone like he did Nova, and he felt about as cool and smooth as a newborn foal, tripping over his own feet.
As he'd put it to Norrin – he felt like a teenager all over again. Well, like he had before the whole captured by aliens thing.
"Oh…" Nova's gaze flickered to the forward screens again. It wasn't really a bad kind of 'oh'… it was more of the never-saw-this-coming-from-a-million-miles-away sort of 'oh'. She was quiet for a minute, mostly due to the fact that her thoughts were quiet, too, and she wasn't sure what to make of them. Then, slowly, she murmured, "Scott? I… like you too, and all… it's just…" Nova sighed, drawing her feet up onto the edge of the seat, and wrapping her arms around her knees. "It's just, I've never thought about you that way. You bein' the captain and all. Guess I've tried not to think that way at all since…" Since Galactus had dumped her and the Surfer had pushed her away? She assumed that was self explanatory. She fell silent, not wanting to insult him by implying she was afraid he'd ditch her in the end, too.
Scott nodded mutely. This was as bad as it could get, as Binary had said, but at least it was out. "I understand," he finally said.
He didn't say much of anything else on the way back.
It was only as they pulled into the docking bay that he broke his silence. "B, we got the new ship, but set up several dampening fields and shields here in the bay. I want to go through every system and subsystem to make sure we aren't sitting on something crawling with tracking devices. Send Norrin down, I could use his help on that."
That kind of work would take days. And with the silent Norrin Radd for company, he wouldn't have to think about….well, anyhow.