On the way to the planet, everyone was strangely quiet. Even Julie had nothing to say. At first, Gwen was unsure about her coming along, but since she had more control over Ship than the rest of them, the group agreed to let her come. Elena was sitting next to her, looking a little uncomfortable. Finally, Ben broke the silence. "So, how's tennis going?"
"Pretty well." Julie said. "My next match is coming up in a couple weeks."
Elena was looking at her. She couldn't believe Ben hadn't told her about Julie, then again she never asked. But she didn't want to let him know she was crushing on him.
"Elena?" She looked up. "You okay? You seemed out of it for a second."
"Yeah, it happens sometimes." Elena said. "So, how'd you learn how to train this…uh…" She had forgotten the names of some of the species over the years the team thought she'd been M.I.A.
"Well, that's an interesting story." Julie said. "I was on my first date with Ben when we ran across Ship here."
"I see." Elena said.
"He can be a handful sometimes, but he mostly listens to Julie." Kevin said. "And it gives Ben an excuse to…ow!" Gwen elbowed him in the side.
"Hey, try not to beat each other up before we get there." Ben said.
"Sorry." Gwen said. She turned to the girls. "Go on, no one's listening this time."
"Are they always like this?" Elena asked.
"After a while you get used to it." Julie said. "The first time I went on a mission with them, it was pretty hectic compared to now."
"Same here, I guess." Elena said. "Of course I've only been on one official mission with these guys."
"Yeah, and the rate you and Gwen were arguing…" Ben started.
"You and Kevin argue all the time." Gwen pointed out.
"Okay, we get the idea!" Elena said, equally embarrassed. Julie began laughing.
"Ship!" Suddenly, the group was thrown forward. Everyone positioned themselves back upward.
"We're approaching the planet." Ben said as it came into view. "Remember, not many people have explored this place before so no matter what happens, we all stick together." Everyone nodded, but Elena was a little unsure.
"Ship, fly lower." Julie said. As Ship descended, the more uncomfortable Elena was feeling.