Hey everyone, sorry for the delay in…everything. Hope these slow updates are worth it. Going to try the same technique of back and forth dialogue that I've enjoyed with this story.
Piper unzips her tent with a long hiss, stretching tired legs outwards as she exits. The cold early atmosphere snaps at her fingers and toes, lingering on her breath as she notices the fog escape her lips. The golden sunrise peaks over the horizon, choice beams shining through the narrow spines of trees littering Terra Fauna.
It's moments like this that she always misses.
Radarr scurries past, dragging a piece of cloth between his teeth as he escapes on all fours. Finn screams behind her, shirtless and chasing the co-pilot who had run off with his uniform to scurry up a tree.
Moments like this that always fall short.
"Have to admit, I didn't think he'd be one of the early risers," her father spoke up behind her, shielding his eyes from the morning glow. Piper chuckled, seeing Finn snag Radarr's tail and bring him down.
"Yeah, I'm surprised too," the navigators and cartographers begin setting up paper and maps atop crates. She makes her way to them, sitting down and plotting the maps alongside her father's team. Sun rises from the East; mark the border between the clearing and the tree line.
"Where do you think we should start?" a voice sounds over her shoulder. It turns her stomach to velvet, his eagerness always driving her own excitement. The pencil leaves the page for a split second.
"We thought we'd try and find a water source first, then evaluate which mountains have heavy mineral deposits."
"Excellent, you and I can show each other everything we know," her eyes widen, and standing abruptly, Piper turns into unfamiliar eyes.
"Forgotten me already?" Dodge smiles weakly to Piper's surprised expression. She glances down, noticing a second cup of coffee in his hold. "I thought you might like something to start your day?"
She follows the smell of smoke and burning fat to the large camp fire, roaring with life again. Junko and Aerrow sit poking at the cooking breakfast, while Stork polishes the Stork-mobile. Emerald eyes glance up, and spreading his classic lop-sided grin, Aerrow waves a small good morning to the navigator.
She looks back down to her offering, a sad reflection in the brown liquid.
Aerrow…or Dodge?
Her fingers lace the mug. "Thank you."
"So you might not believe this," Dodge makes himself comfortable next to Piper. "But I've heard a lot about you back on Atmosia. You're one of the most knowledgeable people on crystals around. People are honestly so surprised when I can brag that I knew you."
Her nose wrinkles. "You brag about me?"
"Of course! I was so surprised when your father reached out for this mission that I just knew I had to be part of it. I may be a crystal excavator but I wasn't going to pass on the opportunity of working with you, or seeing you again."
She smiles weakly in his direction.
"That's nice," she forces through her teeth, taking a step towards the fire. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go say hi to Aerrow."
She can feel his gaze on her as she leaves. She didn't want their talk to end so abruptly, she wanted to know who he was talking to, what information they could share on Atmos or Atmosia, but from the corner of her eye she noticed her father's darting vision between his daughter and his own conversation.
Dodge was here for a reason, and she wanted to know why.
Aerrow rises from his tent before any other member of his team. At least five members of the Thunder Falcons are already awake, starting breakfast and getting ready in the morning sunrise. Radarr scurries out from beneath his feet, sniffing along the ground as he follows an interesting scent towards Finn's tent.
"An early riser?" Jet's laugh echoes in the morning quiet. "I shouldn't be surprised. The leader is always the first one up; last one down with the ship. Isn't that right, my boy?"
"Sure is," he pulls a forced smile, thinking ahead that this would be the perfect time to schmooze his girlfriend's father and finally get on his good side. So far he didn't think he had much luck. "Good morning, Sir."
"And good morning to you too Sky Knight," he sits down at the young camp-fire, patting a log next to it. Aerrow took that as a good sign. "How was your night?"
"We're pretty used to camping," he half-lied, hoping the Storm Hawks sounded more impressive than their preceding reputation.
"Glad to hear it. Not many teams I come across these days can say they've been more than 10 steps from their ship. Honestly, I find that greater adventures happen when one leaves comfort."
A plate of breakfast is offered to the Sky Knight. "Absolutely, couldn't agree more-"
"And don't feel threatened by Dodge," Aerrow's chewing dramatically slows as Jet continues his unsolicited advice. "I did think he would be a useful asset on this expedition. You have no need to worry about how they bond over their youth or crystals or passions and interests and whatnot. I'm sure your relationship can withst-"
"Sir Jet" a second in command quickly takes over the conversation. "If I'm not interrupting, I have the schedule outline for today. It needs your approval."
Jet slaps his hand on Aerrow's back again, the bruise never healing under the repeated act. Aerrow gulps down his breakfast as the father is led away. Stork takes a seat opposite the redhead at the fire pit, bowl in hand.
"So what were you and the future father in law discussing?" he holds the spoon up, watching as the white mixtures falls sloppily back into its dish. Aerrow slowly meets Stork's smirk, expression dangerously unimpressed.
"Nothing," he snaps, setting up a plate for Piper as Junko takes a seat next to him. "But I gotta tell you, I've got a bad feeling about the guy."
"Well, Piper seems to trust him," Aerrow follows the direction of Junko's pointed fork, seeing the mage and her father laughing at the early morning chase of the co-pilot. "And she trusts Dodge too, and since I trust Piper, I like them both."
The mention of the name brings a snarl to Aerrow's lips as he angrily pokes his eggs. Stork watches on in amusement as he attends to his ride. "Careful there, you have to make nice with the new paramour if you want to stay in daddy's good books."
At the warning, Aerrow returns his gaze to Piper, just in time to meet her amber eyes. The smile spreads quickly and reflexively. He waves in greeting, but it drops when Piper takes the offering from Dodge.
Great, she hates me.
Aerrow stands quickly as Piper approaches, her once annoyed expression now softening at his smile. He greets her with a hug, careful so as to not spill her drink.
"Good morning," he addresses, keeping his face close to hers. She can smell the breakfast on his breath. "Are you ok? You looked a little upset. Did Dodge say something?"
She shakes off his grip. "No, he was fine. I just thought I should come and say hello to you."
His bright smile quickly fades as he realises her intent. Regret fills her throat.
"Have you been up long?" she stammers, changing the subject quickly.
"Long enough to have breakfast," he sits down quickly amongst the other Storm Hawks, creating a sting of guilt in Piper's gut. He holds out the plate to her.
"Here, I had this one ready for you."
Aerrow…or Dodge?
"So what's the plan?" Finn muffles through his food. Piper takes a seat next to Junko.
"I thought we could find a water source first," she begins, eyeing Jet's crew members as they sat in a circle. They follow her gaze. "This Terra is completely uncharted, so really anything we find could be a significant result."
Stork's wide eyes trace a nearby tree-line. "First impression: creepy."
The rest of the Storm Hawks follow his gaze, seeing rain clouds swelling and dark birds escaping branches.
Finn gulps. "Seconded."
"Well, what're we waiting for?" Jet's booming voice stirs everyone in their skins. He smiles wide under his bucket hat. "This terra is big and waiting for us to learn about her. P, what do you think about splitting up into teams?"
"Teams? Don't you think we should stay in a large group on unknown territory?"
"We'll be able to cover more area if we break up into groups, maybe reconvene around dusk at another campsite?" he nods over his shoulder, initiating his crew into their predesignated teams. Junko and Finn stand quickly as they're ushered towards their rides.
"Hey, watch it," the blonde snarls.
A small group converge around Piper and Stork. "This team will need the most help with navigating, so I figured you two would be the perfect fit," Jet whispers as they push through dense forest.
The expedition leader spins around, spying the last remaining team members and Dodge and Aerrow standing in front of him. "Surely saving the best for last? I get the lucky team of the leaders!"
Aerrow side-eyes Dodge before watching Piper disappear behind thick shrubbery.
How convenient.
Radarr perches on his shoulder, accepting a subtle scratch on his chin as Jet and Dodge fall into a neatly orchestrated routine of exploration. The co-pilot growls lightly in their direction.
"I know buddy."
Racing ahead in less dense forest, Finn and Junko remain circled by the random crew. Finn leans over on his skimmer, whispering to the Wallop. "Does this all seem a bit odd to you?"
Junko juggles with a piece of paper and a short pencil.
"Hang on, Piper said we need to track anything we see so read it out to me."
The sharpshooter rolls his eyes, looking out at the horizon with a bored expression.
"Tree, tree, tree, bush, tree…"
"Slow down," Junko's tongue escapes his lips as he tries to concentrate, but the quick speed of their rides flicks the pencil out into the wind. "Oh man."
"We can describe everything tonight at a camp-fire," Finn catches two of Jet's team members whispering ahead. They manoeuvre easily through the trees, the dirt below their skimmers looking freshly overturned. He brings his ride up as close as he can without being noticed.
"And you think this will be a big enough pay out to retire on?"
"I know it will. We've been promised at least half the cut of this find. And we have the means to eliminate any competition. Trust me, after the next few days we're going to be sipping drinks on Tropica without a care in Atmos."
The first rider notices the tuft of hair behind him, turning his head sharply to see Finn listening in.
"Hey, what's it to you?"
"Cut of what find?" the sharpshooter questions accusingly, followed by an equally curious Wallop. "I thought this was a charting expedition. Do we have a target in mind?"
The two share a look, slowing their rides. Finn and Junko do the same. The first person speaks up.
"Crystals," his words are clear and careful. "We're looking for crystals. That's what we always look for."
"That's it?" Finn's nose turns up. "Known Terras are full of crystals. You don't need to go somewhere you've never been to find some."
Junko notices the darting eyes of the men in front of them, keeping their lips tight.
"What's so special about these crystals?"
One begins to speak, but is silenced by his crew.
"We'll find out when we find them," he snaps his helmet back on, shielding his face from the Storm Hawks. "After all, isn't that the best part about exploring?"
His bike speeds off, leaving a trail of dust in Finn's face.
"I've got a bad feeling about this Junko."
"How is it…that a team…makes it this far…not knowing how to navigate?" Stork's laboured breathing falls in synch with his heavy footsteps. "And why…couldn't we take our rides?"
Piper shields her eyes from the sun, calculating their direction through the dense forest.
"Do you see how the Stork Mobile could've made its way through here," she gestures back to where several crew members continue to file out of the overgrowth, forming a new path behind the navigators with their bodies. "Besides, if we were on our rides we wouldn't be able to pick up on that."
She holds her finger up, keeping her breath still as Stork's ear twitches at the noise.
"Running water," his sly grin spreads on thin lips.
"Mineral deposits," Piper finishes for him, both members turning their heads to find the source of the sound.
"Keep your eyes peeled for any bodies of water," Piper instructs the team as everyone fans out. A shout echos between the branches.
"Over here."
The energy of the team increases as everyone bolts through progressively thicker mud. At the clearing of the trees, the group emerge to a flowing riverbed. The water laps against the small ridge, becoming more violent the further east the river runs. A few of Jet's men jump into the water, wading at waist height and holding their weapons above their heads.
Piper glances at Stork, who's already staring back with the same look of worry. "They seem very keen, don't they," he voices as one soldier radios the other teams. Cautiously, the Storm Hawks crew members keep to the banks as they follow the water towards a distant cave.
"Thank you, over and out." static rings out on Jet's speaker after he ends the call. He turns to his crew members of Aerrow and Dodge, the former looking ehausted after hearing the latter drone on and on about Terra Atmosia regulations.
"Good news lads, the navigation team are hot on the trail of finding whatever crystals this terra might have, so we're going to join up with them. The other excavators will be too far out to reach us before sundown, so we'll meet up with them tomorrow at the next campsite."
A small smile grows on Aerrow's lips, but his thoughts are voiced by the boy beside him.
"I knew Piper would be successful, she's a very good navigator."
Ah, at least we can agree on one thing.
"She would make an excellent addition to the Terra Atmosia's young scientist initiative."
Wait…what?
Jet throws his head back in a laugh, bringing his hand painfully down on Aerrow's back and shaking the shocked expression off the redhead's face.
"Honestly, Dodge, I was thinking the same thing, but seeing Aerrow's reaction to that makes me think he wouldn't part from Piper for all the gold on Terra Rex," he pulls out a sonar reader, reading the co-ordinates of his team members. "This way."
"You're right, Piper is a great navigator," Aerrow follows Jet, not making eye contact with the boy he's addressing. "And she's been doing excellent work with the Storm Hawks, something she's going to continue doing when we become a registered squadron."
"I'd snort with derision, but I'm not that uncooth," the other boy places a hand on his chest, ignorant to Aerrow's internal snort. "You seriously can't think Piper is not wasting her talents on some childish fantasy?"
"I know for a fact that Piper loves what she does and that we can make a difference."
The two boys stand square, jaws set and eyes narrowed.
"She can make a practical difference in the scientist initiative," Dodge's arms cross firmly. "And I'm going to recommend her to council when I return to Atmosia."
"Gentlemen," Jet's voice snaps both members out of their glares. "The energy is exciting, but I need you back here. It seems the co-pilot has picked up the scent of something."
Aerrow is the first to break his stare, looking worriedly at Radarr as the creature's ears twitch fervently. His nose lifts high into the air, leading the team through the dense forest.
"What'cha got there bud?" the leader ignores the exclamation of disgust from Dodge. Radarr pokes his nose through a bush before them; Aerrow following suit.
Leaning next to their skimmers, two Talons wait patiently in the clearing.
"How much longer?" one questions his companion, flicking a spec of dust off his seat. The other rolls their neck, giving his co-worker a bored expression.
"I told you, they shouldn't be too long out. I heard that one team has already found some possible crystal caves, so that means-"
Their conversation is cut short, much to Aerrow's disappointment. From the other side of the clearing, two familiar members of Jet's team emerge from the overgrowth; each carrying a heavy wooden box.
"It's about time," one Talon stands up, elbowing the other in the ribs. "We were about to give up on you."
"We have what you asked for," the boxes were placed in front of the crowd and opened to reveal the weapons.
"Perfect," the Talon's hands rub together. "And the crystals?"
"We're getting them," Jet's crew member snaps, keeping his distance and his arms crossed.
"No need to get snappy, we're not the ones who-"
"Gentlemen," Aerrow freezes in his spot as Jet steps out from their hiding place, bringing all eyes to the charismatic leader. "Let's not ruin a good deal we have here. The crystals will be retrieved by tomorrow and testing of the weapons soon thereafter. By my count we're already a day early for you."
The soldier hums in thought. "That is a good point. Master Cyclonis will be happy to hear it."
With a nod of his head, Jet's team follow their leader's instructions and begin to shift the product out of Aerrow's sight, followed by the Talons. Jet glances back over his shoulder when the coast is clear, hooded eyes meeting with Aerrow and Dodge's confused stares.