Leyna woke before the cruiser landed on Pion and felt great disappointment that she had to work while everyone else got to tour the planet, but making money was more important than personal pleasure. What made it worse was that Tynan was off while she was working and he'd have to go back on duty before she got off. He visited her during her lunch hour, though it was hardly the same as being able to spend the entire day with him. Feeling disappointed, she grabbed something light to eat after her shift and ate it before heading towards her room since she had nothing better to do.

"Evening, Leyna."

She looked up to a pair of familiar faces. "Oh hello Gaur and Atun. Where have you been?"

"We went on an extensive version of the tour and returned a little before takeoff."

"Gaur thought it would be educational. He wasn't wrong."

She smiled softly. "I would love to hear all about it."

"Perhaps you would like to join us for tea then?"

"Sure." She realized that Tynan might not like the idea of her spending time with them still, but really didn't see any harm in it as she followed them back to the mess hall. "So what was Pion like?"

"A forest planet." Gaur replied as Atun brought a tray of tea to the table they'd picked out. "Not surprisingly, most of their business involves lumber production. To compensate, the natives plant seedlings in areas designated for regrowth and leave those parts of the forest alone to recover. This practice is so successful that Pion is the only planet in this system that never has to completely stop harvesting trees."

"Lysatra has some forest areas way up in the mountains, but they're off limits to take lumber from since it was declared a sanctuary for wildlife." She took a sip of her tea. "Did they have places like that on Pion?"

Atun nodded. "The natives set aside the oldest part of their woodlands for the flora and fauna to remain undisturbed. They have patrols that sweep the entire planet to keep the trees safe from thieves and vandals, both of which they've had many."

"Agaris had similar problems before the Empire took over the mining compound. What were the natives like?"

"Atun said they were very similar to the Near-Humans on Indoumodo, only they had black zig-zag patterns on their brown skin instead of solid rainbow colors. I had to take his word for it of course, since I was sick when the two of you toured Indoumodo. Two races similar to Twi'leks and Zubrak in Wild Space who may be related to them in some way. Who knows? It might be a few years before we know whether or not they are, though it's interesting to think about."

"Twi'leks live all over the known galaxy, or at least that's what I've heard." She sighed as she wondered if there were relatives of the Chiss anywhere, though it didn't seem likely. "Tynan said they sometimes marry other Near-Humans or Humans and have children, so anything is possible."

"Indeed. Is something wrong?"

"To be honest, I was hoping leaving Lysatra would lead to more than it has so far, but I'm too impatient for my own good."

Gaur inclined his head. "Unfortunately patience doesn't come easy and takes time to develope. However, if everything happened right away, then there would be nothing left for anyone to enjoy."

"I never thought of it that way. Are all politicians so philosophical or did you get that from Atun?"

"Mostly the latter, though I wish there were more like Atun. I couldn't have asked for a better friend or relative."

Atun waived a hand modestly. "I can say the same of you, Gaur."

She got up. "I think you both are good people. It's been a long day and it is finally catching up to me. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Leyna." They replied together.


She slept fitfully and was awake again before Tynan would be off of his shift. She cleaned her room and then decided to go down to the dinning hall to get an early breakfast and see about picking up an extra shift.

"I'm sorry Leyna. We have enough staff for today, otherwise I would say yes." Her boss told her when she peeked in.

"That's okay." She withheld a sigh and left. She wondered what she should do as she walked down the halls, her feet unconsciously taking her to the observation room. She decided to sit and enjoy the view until Tynan got off duty.

"Hey." He greeted tiredly as he joined her.

"Hey." She smiled. "How was your shift?"

"Long, yours?"

"Pretty much the same. I woke early today and tried to see about getting some more hours, but everyone had shown up, so I just spent time here."

He nodded. "Nothing wrong with that. You hungry?"

"Not really, are you?"

"I should probably eat something light."

She got up. "Then we can grab that on the way to your room."

He walked with her and chose a bowl of fruit to take with him. "Did you do anything interesting after your shift?"

"I talked with Gaur and Atun for a while. They said they took the extended tour of Pion and talked about how the entire planet is a forest and what the natives looked like. It was nice of them to take the time to do so, I felt left out having to work the whole time we were there."

"Yeah, I felt like that the first time I passed through here. I didn't have any friends because I was new here, but I knew eventually I would be able to go onto the planet."

She nodded, glad he hadn't said anything about not trusting Gaur or Atun still. "How long till we reach Lysatra?"

"A few hours. Thinking of visiting your folks while we're there?"

"Maybe, you?"

"No. My father and I don't have much to say to each other since my mother passed." He laid down after finishing his fruit. "I might change my mind though."

"We'll have plenty of time to decide for certain before we arrive."