After some time the conversations slowed down and people did get very quit.
Everybody was content and relaxed.
One after the other the members of the party drifted of to sleep in their tents until only Joe and Rick where left. They spent some time talking, Rick clearly uncertain on how to approach Joe. Her making it not really easy for him did not help.
After some time Rick decided to try a different approach and dug a bottle of vodka from his pack. He took a sip and handed the bottle to Joe.
"The stars look amazing." Rick pointed out.
"Yes, the atmosphere gives them a softer quality than in space."
"We don't get to see the stars that much back on earth, too much pollution in the air and from ambient light. But you don't have that problem in space, do you?"
"No, but still we don't tend to watch the stars that much. They're usually just there."
"I haven't thought about it that way. But now that you mention it, why are there no windows on the ship? I always thought there would be more windows to help with navigation?"
"That is a common mistake to make." She turned towards him, took a sip from the bottle and handed it back.
"Distances and speed in space makes unaided optics basically useless. By the time you see an object it is way to late to react in any meaningful way."
"But what if power fails? You'd still be able to orient yourself by the stars. Surely that would help?"
"And do what? If power fails a ship can't change its course. Triangulating your position with the help of the stars is useless. At that point you have much bigger concerns. And windows would introduce a whole lot of other problems like radiation and structural integrity."
"Fair enough, I never thought of it that way."
"No problem. Do you miss Earth?" Joe asked to change the subject.
"You'd think so but surprisingly not so much. There is far too much excitement to go around and also far too much work to miss anything much. But this here, is something that makes me miss Earth." he gestured at where the distant horizon was faintly visible by the starscape being cut off.
"Really? It is quite a beautiful sight. I have not seen anything like it on Earth." Joe asked with astonishment.
"You have seen nothing then! There are many sights on Earth that look much nicer than this. Paris at night, the Serengeti, the list is endless."
"I believe that, I normally see the spaceport and the surrounding area. Basic training was mainly conducted in orbit and Luna."
"When we're back on Earth I'll take you to see some places."
"Cool, thanks."
"My pleasure. How was it growing up on a space ship?"
"That is a difficult question, what do you want to know?"
"I don't know, I just imagine it being very different from growing up in Canada."
"How was that?"
"I don't know, nothing really special. Canada got hit bad in the war, considering that we did quite well. We always had enough to eat and power throughout the whole year, that was not common everywhere when I was a child."
"That is quite different. A freighter is an extended family, they run the ship generation after generation. There was always someone to play with. My mother took care of the kids' education so we did not miss anything."
"Sounds not bad at all. But was that not difficult, never meeting new people? Always the same faces around?"
"Not at all. I did not miss anything, I had no real comparison to be fair. But on a freighter there's always something to do. Between ports you get a lot of time and kids always find a way to cause havoc."
"That I agree with, that one time we…".
They continued their drunken discussion late into the night until their bottle ran empty.
The next morning woke the camp with gentle light from the rising sun. Two of the occupants did not appreciate the light or the noise that was accompanying the others waking up and preparing breakfast.
"What was that stuff we drank yesterday?" a blurry eyed Joe asked.
"Vodka, the good stuff. Gets you drunk, great if you need to remove paint or degrease something." a way too bright Rick answered.
"Sounds about right." Joe grumbled.
With a herculean effort she managed to get up and sit at her place of the camp. Somebody handed her a cup of coffee she thankfully accepted.
"Why are you so good this morning, you drank more than me?" She grumbled at Rick.
"Practice makes perfect, simple as that." He smiled as he sipped his coffee and handed her a small pill. Joe looked at him puzzled.
"That also helps, anti-hangover pill. Never leave home without them."
She swallowed the pill sceptically.
The others had reconfigured the lamp into a heater and placed a pan on top of it. Joe finally noticed the smell and felt invigorated.
Right when breakfast was ready Joe felt the effect of the medication – her hangover was gone completely.
After a chatty breakfast the group broke down the camp. They carefully made sure to collect all waste to leave nothing behind. They took some time to take in the view and headed back to the base.
The next two days where a busy blur. With the dissipation of the scrambler field the machinery they had brought to the planet started to work fully to spec once more, greatly speeding up the analysis of the planetary surface.
Analysis that had taken days with the degraded hardware could now be conducted in less than an hour as was normally to be expected.
The botanical team was busy setting up an experimental field to grow crops in while the rest was finishing up the last of their tests and began breaking down the base camp.
"I think we should be done in no more than another day. We already lifted most of the containers back to the Hermes. The Autolab is on its way down, once that is set up and the other containers and crew are back on board we're ready to leave." Smyke reported to the captain via a crisp-clear comlink.
"Good work. Any chance to further investigate the structure at the bottom of the lake?" The Captain asked.
"Sadly, no. Scans indicate that it is quite extensive and completely flooded. We don't have the gear necessary to go that deep." Dr. Schmitz answered.
"We can still analyze the machinery in the rim. There is so much more to learn here." He continued hopefully.
"That is a pity. Again Dr., this is not our main-priority. We could spend several months or even years here trying to learn more about the technology and maybe even the people who built it and what happened to them. We just don't have the time for that."
"I get your point, I just hate to leave such a find without investigating further."
"I feel you. What is the verdict? Is this a suitable candidate for colonization?"
"From what we can tell so far, it is. Soil composition is close enough, we only need to introduce some missing trace elements. That is something we learned on the Vega-colony. Otherwise considering the amount of technology to be found here, combined with the resources in this system I think this planet makes a prime candidate for colonization. The planet is easily capable of supporting a population of at least 500 Million people which leaves ample room for a large research contingent. My report will state that much."
"Very good. Deploying the Autolab is still justified? Considering how much we already know?"
"I believe so. Especially planting the test crops will be vital to the long term sustainability. Once they're harvested and analyzed a final verdict can be concluded. This would need to be done anyway and this way is the fasted way to do that. Earth should have all the data needed to mount a colonization effort when they're ready to do so."
"Alright. Take your time to set things up, once we're underway we won't return for no good reason."
"Understood."
During the next two days Joe and the other pilots where busy shuttling equipment back to orbit and personal between Hermes and the surface. As the next leg of the journey would be a longer one everybody wanted at least some time on solid ground and fresh air. Departure was delayed further as they noticed a small problem with the limited AI of the Autolab. Once that had been corrected it set to work and it was time to leave the planet for now."
"Status report." The Captain commanded.
"All systems normal, cargo is secured." Smyke answered.
"Course is laid in, ship is ready for departure." Joe reported.
"Doctor?" The Captain asked after a moment of awkward silence.
"Yes?"
"Are we ready to go? The Autolab is set up and running?"
"Ah, yes. Sorry. We are good to go. The Autolab is working as expected, data feed is stable. Besides being reluctant to leave we are ready."
"Very good. Ms. 9, take us out of orbit and ready for warp."
"Breaking orbit. Course laid in at full sublight."
"Captain, if you'll excuse me? I have a report to send." Dr. Schmitz excused himself.
"Ready for Warp, Captain."
"Take us out, Ms. 9."
"Understood. Warp in 3, 2, 1, go."
The nacelles light up brightly as did the deflector. With a barely noticeable tremble Hermes broke the Warp barrier and went underway.
"Ship is stable at Warp 4. ETA to destination is ten days and four hours." Joe reported securing her console.
"Alright, carry on." The Captain ordered before leaving the bridge.