Happy Landing! (New Melbourne - Day 1 Very Late Night)

The gulls hung above them, wheeling and crying out in their perpetual search for food. Marisol inhaled the salt air, its’ thickening humidity refreshing to her senses. The sun above warmed her shoulders. Her one piece swimsuit was comfortable upon her skin, as were the broad brimmed hat and sunglasses she’d chosen for their day on Peloram’s beaches.

She sat upon a towel, her knees drawn up and encircled by her arms, watching as Gill and Serena played like children in the crashing surf. Their antics seemed to revolve around who might be splashing whom, followed by a comic pursuit across the sand. *She really is so pretty,* the mechanic smiled to herself, before averting her eyes as the current chase ended in a lingering kiss.

Her gaze fell upon the construction project taking place. Haddie was down on her knees, busily packing an empty drink cup with wet sand. After patting the load firmly into place, the girl flipped the cup over, adding another molded section to the protective wall around her castle. Lyen assisted her, carefully dribbling more of the sand between the sections to seal off their creation. She glanced up, catching Marisol in the act of studying her. The smiles they exchanged were enough to set her chest to swell with longing….until the beach shook.

She knew that sensation…just not here. It wasn’t supposed to be here. *The atmo engines* a distant voice alerted her as the sky above grew dark. *Cycling for re-entry.* The world suddenly shifted beneath her feet, plunging Marisol into inky blackness. She was sluggish, het her eyes were open. *Re-entry!* And no alerts. Something was up…

Marisol clawed her way out of bed, fumbling in the darkness for her coveralls, before shooting up the ladder. She hopscotched her way into the engine room, pulling on one boot before the other, until at last she made it to the control station. “Engineering, bridge,” the diminutive woman keyed the intercom mic, “on station.” That was really all to report. The hull was buffeting now, building friction as Lunar Veil met with the atmosphere of…wherever this was. “We got trouble?” she asked.

“Negative,” Valari replied over the comm. “Pop-up detour for the Cap’n. Welcome to New Melbourne.”

“Copy that,” Marisol acknowledged. “We’re all green down here.” Despite the surprise beginning, it would prove to be another textbook approach and landing for Lunar Veil. Once the Firefly had settled upon her struts, she keyed the mic again. “Engineering, bridge,” she said. “We taking shore power?”

“Keep her spun up,” Drake answered. “Quick cargo pickup, and we’re back in black.”

“Copy. Thanks.” That meant she had a few minutes. Perhaps there was some coffee brewed.

The mechanic was filling a mug with some acrid smelling coffee when the soldiers burst in. “Um….hi,” was all she could manage as the laser dots of three target scans settled onto her chest.

*“Marisol Chavez! You are bound by Law! Put your hands in the air!”*

From there, life became a blur. The soldiers roughly spun her about, frisking her for anything that might be considered a weapon. An officer stepped up behind her. With crisp movements, he snapped handcuffs onto her wrists before keying up his shoulder mic. “Chavez in custody.”

“Roger that,” a gravel voice echoed from his radio. “Return at once.” As they propelled her through the cargo bay, Marisol saw passengers and crew, sprawled upon the deck, face down as purple soldiers patrolled. Yaz, Drake, Serena….they were all there. A shock of orange caught her eye. As they lead her away, Marisol’s last sight of Lunar Veil was of Lyen. She thought about the beach.