Things on the ship settled into routine very quickly after takeoff. And just as quickly the urgency of their departure faded and monotony replaced it. Just as their last trip from the blue and green planet, they were not making any stops along the way. Gui'Yata seemed to have orders to make the utmost haste on his trip, drop them off, and return to Soona. Courtney didn't like that, anymore than she liked to run from this whole situation.
She moved past Yalsa in the symbol-adorned hallway, much like Aztec ruins in its look, who appeared bedraggled and tired. He must have finally conceded that Quarta could fly without him. His battle helm was in his hand; the nav-connections dangling all too much like his own fleshy hair from either side of the brassy metal. The setup gave her an unpleasant association to the culled helms the Noa had been using to fool the Soua in their battles. He nodded at her silently as they came even with each other. Courtney could muster no words that wouldn't remind them both of the fact that they were retreating. Instead she returned his nod and moved further down the hall.
She was off of any kind of duty on the ship, and had decided to pay Gerard a visit to see how he was faring. She moved through a myriad of twisted passages, and only prevented getting lost by virtue of her many long years serving with the ship. As she reached the level just above the engine room she turned toward one darkened doorway. A light above her blinked red, and she could just hear the chime of announcement over the engine just below her and the insulation that prevented the room from being unbearably noisy.
A moment later she looked up, watching as the door receded into the wall. Gerard fronted her, looking unhappy, and just a bit green. His expression did not change as he looked at her, but he stepped aside and motioned her to come in.
"You okay?" she asked with some concern as she accepted his invitation and stepped into the spartan quarters he had been grudgingly provided. He was lucky to be in a room actually, had it been any other Soua crew he would be sleeping wherever was out of the way enough not to get kicked around. That was the way of the dishonored, that they had no privileges, which meant that they were given no sleeping quarters and no favor with those around them.
His cheeks puffed out as air escaped him, and his green turned to a pale white. He shook his head, "Always had a problem with traveling," he managed to get out. He moved past her and plopped down on the hard bench.
"You're a soldier and don't like traveling?"
He nodded, flushing slightly.
"I didn't notice any problems coming from Earth," She said, looking around, though not really knowing why. It wasn't like there was something there to see.
"You didn't exactly get around me, did you?"
She flushed realizing that she had stoutly avoided him on that trip. She had been too torn up with Sora's loss, and worried about Gui'Yata's sorry state of health to notice the only other person on the ship who was human, "Sorry about that. You should stop by the Soyan, I could fix that for you permanently."
His brow raised, "I wish I knew that sooner than this."
"Again I apologize. I hate seeing misery."
He shrugged, "Soona…great place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there."
Courtney scoffed, "Say's you," And she plopped down on the bench next to him, "I didn't want to leave."
He looked at her sidelong, "Why not? Are you really so steeped in all of this hunting and fighting that you want to continue?"
A frown crossed her features then, "This has been my life for nearly fourteen years. I have never felt so alive…I mean my time on Earth was less than pleasant."
"But…you told me yourself, that this was a hardship. After thirteen years of denying yourself anything but pain and suffering, I would expect you'd be ready for the humdrum life you had before."
Courtney humphed, "It has never crossed my mind," she said smiling, but it slowly faded from her, as her one regret surfaced again. Her eyes moved up to the wall across from them, slowly becoming unfocused as she remembered Teresa. She would be nearly nineteen now. Unbidden tears filled her eyes at the realization of how much of her own daughter's life she had missed, a first because of her Ex, and then because of this change in lifestyle. She wondered again just how her daughter was fairing, and if her father had continued to treat her well after Courtney had been declared dead. She might never find that out even after they were back.
A lump formed in her throat as that hit her, very hard, just behind the breast. She worked hard not to let those tears fall, even as a part of her wondered what Teresa might look like. She tried to imagine it, remembering the details of her young face and trying to project in her mind what that would equate to in an adult.
"Are you okay?" Gerard said, breaking her from her reverie.
"Yeah," she said a little too quickly, "Just wondering how well I will be able to get into the swing of being human again."
He frowned, not seeming to believe her, but he said, "You'll do fine. It would be like the proverbial learning how to ride a bicycle."
"What is that again?" She joked, scrunching up her face as she smiled. The joviality was contagious and Gerard seemed to have forgotten suddenly that he was motion sick. Courtney stood slowly, looking down at the male and said, "You know it is about meal time, how about we get something to eat?"
He looked green again, "Well, I'll try."
Together they stepped through the door and into the passage Courtney deftly maneuvering back through the corridors and levels leading up to the galley.
"You know," Gerard said, "I stepped out of my room once to go exploring, thinking I remembered the way," He paused, "I didn't, and it took me four hours just to make it back to my room."
Courtney smiled back at him, "The ship can be quite complicated."
"The man makes little effort to attend his surroundings," Quarta commented in Courtney's head, sounding offended, and causing her to smile.
"What's so funny?" Gerard inquired, noticing her widening smile.
"I think I have insulted Quarta."
"Who?" Gerard asked.
She paused, "Quarta, the ship."
"It…hears?"
"She is alive," Courtney answered her, "And she is more aware of what goes on inside her than humans ever will of their own bodies."
"The ship…alive?" He queried incredulously.
"All of the Taya ships are," Courtney replied.
Suddenly Gerard's eyes were darting over the walls and ceiling, "Great."
"She says if you would only pay attention you wouldn't get lost so easily."
"Well tell her that is hard to do when my stomach is threatening mutiny," he said dryly.
"I don't need to, she heard you."
"She understands English too?"
Courtney could only smile.
By this time they had reached the galley, a place that resembled nothing of what human's build in their heads about a dining facility. There was a large open space sprawled out before them no furniture or adornments filled the area at all. The lighting was low, because Soua did not need light to see, and she could feel Gerard tense next to her tense. Courtney was used to the soft light, but she could understand Gerard's apprehension. She strode across the expanse confidently, the man in her wake, and stopped at the indent in the opposite wall. Touching the top of the up-slanting portion, the lid slid away to reveal a variety of strange foods. At the same time large bowls were revealed off to the left of the display and Courtney quickly took one, mixing several of the food choices within it and turning, motioned Gerard forward.
He looked relatively reluctant, but did follow her suit, picking a bowl out and choosing what he thought looked appetizing, which wasn't much.
They moved over near one wall lowering themselves down onto the slightly padded floor to eat. Courtney moved through meal with a quickness that spoke of long years of expediency. She looked up, forcing herself to slow down as she watched her human companion pick at the Xaca in his bowl.
"Gerard, I will tell you again, you must eat."
"Oh, I know. But my stomach doesn't seem to agree. I can't wait to be able to eat a cheeseburger again."
She smirked, taking another bite of her own mix of foods. She chewed for long moments before asking, "So what are you going to do when you get home? Besides raiding the first fast food restaurant you come to."
He shrugged, "I'm not sure. I've, hopefully still got some prospects in LA that will pick me up to work. I doubt that little shanty of an apartment I was living in to stay under the Organizations radar is still there, not that I mind much mind you, it was a dump. Come to think of it…I think this little trip has been a benefit. They may not even be looking for me any more."
"Wow if they are still after you when all this time has passed…that is some serious grudge holding."
"Well, I guess they were afraid that I was going to spill something to the authorities."
She scoffed, "Like the authorities would believe that you worked for a super secret agency that hunted aliens on Earth."
"I would go over like a lead balloon."
She laughed now.
"How about you?"
Courtney's face blanked as she watched him primly put a small piece of xaca in his mouth and chews slowly, "What about me?"
"What are your plans when we get back?"
"I keep hoping that I won't have to stay," she admitted bitterly, "So beyond that vain hope, I hadn't really thought at all about what to engage in when I get back home," her eyes turned away and lost focus, "I guess I will start by breaking the news to my family that I didn't die 13 years ago."
"Hmmm," Gerard replied thoughtfully, "That's gonna be awkward."
"Tell me about it," She added.
"Did you…leave someone behind?" Gerard inquired that thoughtful, and a slightly hopeful look on his face.
"Like a…" she threw up her hands.
"Husband…boyfriend?" He clarified.
She smiled widely, "An Ex," the smile faded and that pain hit her again about the other she had left behind, one she was not willing to talk to Gerard about. It was just too painful.
Courtney saw the concern in Gerard's face as he was looking at her. She was more than grateful when he did not ask again what else was wrong. She turned her eyes back to her bowl, thinking about the unknown on the world she left behind, and wondering just how she was going to deal with it when she got there.
And still, she wished this was a dream, wished that going to Earth was just a stop off, a way to put Gerard back where he thought he belonged, despite how much that thought was beginning to hurt. She kept hoping that Gui'Yata would come to her and say, "We will again become Taysa Taru, and return, even if it means exile."
Yet he had not said it, they were still streaming toward Earth, and another drastic change in her lifestyle.
