Panic Now, Avoid the Rush

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Yeah, you did great!" Wyl beamed proudly at the woman and slithered off his seat, wrapping his skinny arms around her in a hug. After a few seconds the boy broke away, almost shyly. While he was by no means a bashful child, he was still hesitant when it came to honest displays of affection; they were close reminders of a dynamic that had been surely lost all that time ago in the Core.

Eagerly the little boy looked at the control panel, studying each display screen with an intenseness that was startling on his small face. Wyl sighed. "It's gonna take forever, still. Can the ship go any faster?"

[Morgan Evanar]

"Hah, no." Morgan said and shook his head. "We all wish. Do you want to know how everything works?" He asked. Wyl lit up immediately.

"Yeah!" He said, enthusiasm bubbled through.

"Okay. Right now, this is the most important screen." Morgan explained, and tapped on the display to the left of the view screen. It was the life support monitor. On it were several bars, all green, but three were bigger than the others.

"This is the life support monitor. It keeps track of all of the different gasses we need. Right now there is a health mix, so each bar is green. The square green lights are for each part of the system; circulation pumps and filters and scrubbers. It's pretty boring until something stops working." Morgan said. Wyl nodded knowingly.

"Now this is more interesting. It's a mass-field detector. It generally stays dark." Wyl noted there wasn't much more than a display grid right now. "When you're going to jump, this will tell you when it's safe, after, of course, you've precomputed everything."

There was a largish screen in the upper-left command console.

"What's that?" Wyl asked.

"Sensor readout, in normal space. In hyperspace it tells you hyperdrive power status and location data." Morgan explained. Rhianna, too, was paying attention. While not attracted to spaceflight, Rhianna was a practical person.

"What about this one?" Wyl pointed at another display.

[Rhianna]

Leaned over the back of his chair and listening to Morgan explain the greater workings of navigation, Rhianna was struck by how peaceful she was now that the jump was done with again. She couldn't have picked better companions for the long flight to their potential new home.

Despite whatever emotional attachments she was not supposed to be developing, she knew it was already far too late for caution. Although she wouldn't let that fact interfere with her training. She still intended to learn all that she must to become a Jedi, but too late was just too late.. She did not see either of the faces before her as members of an Order that they all belonged to, and just happen to cohabitate with.. They were family. Maybe she was stubborn, but it felt like more of a wrong to deny that than to simply embrace it and continue on..

Resolved, she turned away from the happy scene before her and took her own seat again, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her cheek on them.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl listened with the sort of attention that bordered on alarming as Morgan explained everything. Each word immediately carved itself into the boy's brain. He pointed eagerly to a row of switches and toggles.

"And these control the maneuvering fins, right? Rhianna, isn't this sick?" Wyl twisted to look over his shoulder, checking to see if she was paying attention. There was a grin a parsec wide spread across the child's face, which only grew brighter when he saw the woman's thoughtfully content expression.

"Hey Morgan, when we get to our planet, can I land?" Wyl latched onto the tall man's arm like a leech, shooting him a very beseeching look. With his eyes wide and hopeful, the boy rather resembled a Hoojib."Pleeeaaase? Promise I won't crash, not even a little!"

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan took a deep breath.

"No, not with all the cargo in it." Wyl sank. "Once we get set up, we'll bring her up to space and I'll let you get acquainted."

"Really?" Wyl asked, excitedly.

"So long as Daria allows it. And, if not..." Morgan gave Wyl a wink. The boy began to circle the cockpit, skipping.

"Flying is the finest thing, riding on a wing..." Wyl made a wooshing sound, arms flat out as he tilted and turned.

Morgan gave Rhianna a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder.

[Rhianna]

Rhianna had been about to drop her feet back down to the floor, but quickly pulled them up again as the 'freighter-boy' zoomed past her toes precariously. Lips twisted into a wry grin she glanced up at Morgan.

"At that rate he'll tire himself out soon.." Of course this was Wyl they were discussing and sleep was not his favorite activity, by far.

Sixteens hours of the darkness of space, and relative privacy for two adults who were supposed to be keeping their distance made for a tricky combination. So maybe it was better that Wyl chatted their heads off, she thought.

Regretfully, she moved her gaze away from Morgan's. "Or maybe not.. you know how he is."

[Wyl Staedtler]

Morgan was going to teach him how to fly! Sure it would take a while before they had a chance but Wyl, himself, was going to fly! Like a real pilot!

He circled the cockpit once more and then launched himself at Morgan, attacking him with a tight hug. "You're the best Morgan!"

Slightly out of breath, Wyl dropped to the floor and wrapped his arms around his knees. He wore a dreamy expression on his face, already picturing the barrel roles and complicated maneuvers he would perform.

"You should teach Rhianna, too." He stilled his imagination for a moment. "That way we would all know how, in case something bad happens."

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan returned the hug carefully, mindful of how much smaller Wyl was.

"I think that's a good idea." Morgan said, and smiled appreciatively at Wyl's practical thought. "Whenever you feel ready." He added. Morgan suspected it would be a while before Rhianna wanted to try her hand at space flight. In the mean time, it was good to see her grow in confidence with being a passenger. Sometimes Morgan needed to remind himself, that, aside from the different accent, Rhianna was new to the technology that was so ingrained in Morgan's life since birth.

Wyl sat, wrapped back up in imagination of flight. Morgan looked a Rhianna. What he wanted was not what he had promised, and right now, it was very frustrating. He closed his eyes and wiped his brow. He exhaled a little louder than he meant to as he got up. What was left of Wyl's food bar would make a good snack right now.

"I'm getting food, anyone want anything?" He asked while stretching his arms.

[Rhianna]

Rhianna shot them both a look that clearly said she thought they were craiceáilte.. Crazy!

"Yes? Well... maybe we could start with one of those things that stays closer to the ground, hmm? A speeder?" That sounded much safer..

A deep sigh from Morgan claimed her attention. Rhianna eyed him more closely and thought for a minute that despite his apparent greater understanding of the situation that just maybe he was as frustrated and lonely as she was. Her head tilted, her blue eyes roamed over him searchingly.. and then she suddenly stopped and groaned, feeling horribly guilty.

She wasn't even trying!

"Maybe a cold drink..?", she hopped up to follow, thinking that maybe something cold would douse the sudden heat running thorugh her veins.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl wasn't hungry or thirsty, but he wasn't about to be left behind - especially since there was something weird going on. Morgan and Rhianna had been acting funny the entire trip. They thought he hadn't noticed but he saw a lot of things that people didn't think he did.

Worried, he trailed after the two. There was a definite bend of frustration in the Force, and the littlest Padawan narrowed his eyes.

If something bad had happened they ought to talk about it. Wyl huffed and put his hands on his hips. "What's going on? Something's wrong."

[Morgan Evanar]

Morgan sighed. Wyl had caught wind of their tension.

"We're really frustrated, that's all. Rhianna and I have some rules to adhere to and..." he paused, trying to phrase what he felt. "...we're not especially happy about it. We don't fully understand the rule." It felt good to tell someone else, but he was somewhat concerned that Wyl might dig too deeply. It was too late now.

Uncannily, Morgan located what was left of the ration bar and chewed. He settled into the bolted down chair in the mess. He sighed, and avoided looking at Rhianna too long. He'd end up thinking about what he wasn't supposed to do.

[Rhianna]

Rhianna pinkened a bit, but poured them each a small cup of chilled tea sweetened with honey from a thermos. She glugged her's back and poured another before trusting herself to turn around.

She handed one cup over to Wyl. "Rules are hard enough sometimes, but when you don't understand their meaning it is even worse!", she scrunched up her nose in a silly manner, showing her displeasure.

"..and even worse than that when it just plain doesn't feel right..", she handed one to Morgan, but kept her eyes down, so he wouldn't see her smirk.

[Wyl Staedtler]

"Ohhhh." Wyl nodded, slurping his tea. He knew all about frustrating rules. The fact that he wasn't the only one who had to follow them was heartening.

After a moment's silence he chirped, "What kinda rules?"

[Morgan Evanar]

"Adult ones." Morgan said, and inwardly winced. Wyl looked unconvinced.

"Ones that are special for Rhianna and I." He said, hoping Wyl wouldn't probe any more. Wyl didn't talk to Serena very much, but who knows what he would tell Daria.

Rhianna looked rather flushed. Wyl was too young for that talk in any of their societies.

[Rhianna]

"Don't worry about it, Wyl..", she smiled, leaning against the counter.

"I'm sorry if we gave you the impression that something was wrong. Everything is fine, I was just being grumpy. I'm done now.. Really..", she really hoped she was.

At least she wouldn't be trying to further talk to Morgan about their unique situation, for now.. Wyl was far too perceptive to be fooled.

[Wyl Staedtler]

Wyl looked at the two of them dubiously and then nodded. The boy put his cup on the counter and carefully poured more tea into it.

He took a thoughtful sip. If Morgan and Rhianna said everything was fine, he believed them - there wasn't any reason not to. But...

"Do all grownups have special rules just for them?" The worry had gone from his voice, and now there was only Wyl's inexhaustible curiosity left, "Does Master Daria and Master Serena?"

[Morgan Evanar]

"Yes." Morgan answered. There were a lot of special grown-up rules, he realized. You just sort of got used to it.

"Both Master Daria and Master Serena follow these rules, too. I know Master Serena does for certain." Morgan confirmed, and hoped Wyl wouldn't ask too much more. This was not a topic he was ready to go over with Wyl. He still thought girls didn't like spiders enough.

[Rhianna]

Rhianna very nearly spluttered into her drink at that last bit.

This whole conversation had gone from tricky to ridiculously tricky, and now.. it was just bordering on inappropriate.

She shook her head, auburn curls swinging. "Ok.. Enough, please!"

Rhi grinned a cheeky grin. "We don't have to spend the whole trip to Talasea talking about what we can't do, do we? Surely we can think up something more..exciting to make the time pass.."

[Wyl Staedtler]

Boy, they sure were uptight about whatever it was they weren't supposed to do. Wyl stared at Rhianna - who was still blushing slightly - slyly.

At the suggestion of activity, however, the matter was forgotten completely. Wyl brightened. "Yeah! Like a game! Let's play..."

He was about to say Rancor Tag, but there wasn't enough room for that. Hide 'n' Go Seek was out too; they could do a lot of the latter but none of the former. Wyl ran through all of his favourites and came up empty. His face fell.

"Aw," He scowled, "We can't do anything exciting on here."

[Morgan Evanar]

"No, not really. Wait here." Morgan smiled, climbing down into one of the crew quarters that was below the main deck. Like many other Corellian ships, this one had been modified. Sometimes he wondered how long it took before a Corellian light freighter lasted before something was taken out of spec.

He came back up with a holographic game board. The previous crew had left it behind due to a blown power converter, but Morgan had recored it, so it worked fine now.

"100 games, or so it claims." He said while he plugged it in to the power socket under the table. It thrummed to life, immediately providing a list of games to choose from.

"So, what do you want to play?" Morgan asked. Common choices, like Kempanjang, Pazak and Sabaac were listed. Pazak and Sabaac was meant to be played in concert with actual cards, but someone had taken a deck with them, and there weren't many chances to buy such things on Vortex.