Eyes and Ears

[Nick Stenn]

Approaching Freeport 2, Nick could only smile to himself as the crew on the bridge moved around him quietly and efficiently. "Sir, we're coming in to moor now. Clearances have just been granted." One of the men near the helm console called back to Nick. Nodding Nick speaks calmly, "How are the systems holding up? Given the lack of alarms, I assume the Core is running as expected?", prompting a nearby crewmember to flick through some readouts. "Core is at 80% efficiency sir, and all systems are green. She's running above projected expectations." A smile betrays Nicks true emotions as he stands amidst the bridge crew of the Haven, seemingly calm and focused, but inwardly barely capable of restraining his excitement and joy as he commands the massive ship. "Alright, helm, take us in. Carefully, we just painted her." Nick says with just a touch of amusement in his voice.

---

Standing inside the biodome below, Elena sees the ship first, and even then it takes her a moment to connect what she's seeing with real life. As far as she had known, Haven was still undergoing repairs at Taba, and had not yet been cleared for test flights. At first she dismissed the ship as merely being a coincidence, but as it moved closer to the mooring point, she could see the clearly emblazoned symbol of the Forlorn Hope on its hull, and all doubts were dispelled. Nick had brought the Haven.

---

The ships mooring to the Freeport proceeded without incident, and shortly afterwards, Nick was on his way down to the biodome where Elena and Red waited for him. Casually flipping the datapad around in his cybernetic left hand, Nick moved with the easy confidence of a soldier, as he navigated seemingly effortlessly through the corridors and open spaces of the Freeport. Arriving in the biodome, he glances around the area, admiring the contrast of vegetation with a starry backdrop, before scanning the faces in the crowd and locating his waiting companions with ease. To be fair, a helmeted figure and a blue haired woman stood out, even in the crowd of punks and unioners. Grinning to himself, Nick would approach them leisurely, still flipping the datapad idly, before being stopped by one of the punks. His grin never faltered as he casually laid a hand on the pistol on his hip, his eyes almost daring the punk to try anything. After a moment, the kid realized that he had bitten off more than he could chew, and moved out the way, as Nick continued his approach towards Elena and Red.

---

Arriving moments later, Nick simply smiles at the two, leans against a nearby railing, and eyes the two of them with their arms hooked curiously. "And here I thought we had something special." he says after a moment. "Well, anyways, sorry for making you both wait, I trust the conversation wasn't boring while I was away?" Nick says with a smile. Holding out the datapad he had casually been flipping, he continues "Here's what you wanted."