Leaving streaks of plasma through the sandstorm with molten glass slipping off the ships the two flew in perfect formation. The sandstorm blasted the little paint remaining on the ships stripping them back to their bare hull. Levelling out just above the sandy wasteland the ships' landing thrusters blasted the sand below, turning it molten before plunging into the glassy sand. From the ship's cockpit they sat in sandy blindness waiting for the storm to pass.
The sandstorm finally moved deeper into the wasteland letting everyone gaze upon what seemed to be another endless desert. Stepping out of his airlock, Kilo was greeted by the Ardent crew as sand whipped at them.
"The structures we detected should be a few hundred metres east of here." One of the younger crew members informed Kilo but seemed uneasy as they continued to speak. "We know you have no obligation to assist in our work as your contract was purely escorting… however we would greatly appreciate your assistance." The lifeform was visibly uncomfortable asking Kilo for extra work. Glancing over the equipment that needed transport Kilo quickly agreed to help much to the relief of the Ardent crew. One thing Kilo learned the hard way was that good deeds pay off.
Sunken footprints stretched away from the landing site towards where the suspected structure was located. Dragging the equipment over a colossal sand dune they gazed over what seemed to be the tops of skyscrapers. The structures were crumbling away into piles of corroded concrete filling the site, whatever hope they had of exploring the inside of the structures was shattered as sand filled every crevice. Kilo watched over atop the dunes as the Ardent crew struggled to set up their field equipment in the sand before they eventually decided to set up on one of the crumbling rooftops. The hours ticked by with oxygen canisters slowly filling one of the larger storage bins. Watching his own oxygen levels deplete faster than expected Kilo quickly realised he didn't have a second canister on hand nor did he want to get one from the crew.
"Subterranean scans are almost complete!" The same younger crew member trudged up the sand dune yelling out to Kilo. "We were right, there's a city… what's wrong with your suit?" The lifeform's excitement quickly shifted to concern as they saw the dim red flashes behind Kilo's opaque visor.
"Low O2 levels, got just under an hour." The calmness from Kilo only made the young lifeform more concerned. "Spare some O2 and sit down." The young lifeform promptly handed over an O2 canister before sitting down next to him to gaze over the site. "How old are you?"
After a slight moment of hesitation they replied, "12"
"Human years?"
"Oh right, around 23 in human years… I think."
The young age of them shocked Kilo greatly, he hadn't seen any lifeform this young doing this much work. "You're just a kid… how'd you end up here?"
"Since I could fly I spent most of my time in the sky but it never felt enough for me. I wanted to be among the stars where I could be... free." Her voice was a blend of happiness mixed with depression as they spoke. "My family shunned me for wanting more and I just had enough, there was a ship making a pit stop in the city so I tested my luck by signing on and now I'm here with my new family." The poor memories from their past had clearly upset them despite the effort to hide the emotions.
"Try not to dwell on the past, what's happened has happened… you can't change the past and the only path is forward. You found lifeforms to call a family and that's more than many ever make it." The words were dull but they still comforted the young one enough to fully regain their composure.
"What about you, how'd you become a freelancer?"
"That's a long story for a different day, besides it looks like they need you down there." It was fortunate the rest of the crew required help as it gave Kilo the perfect opportunity to dismiss the question. "Hey kid, what's your name?" Kilo managed to get the question out just before she began the glide down the dune.
"Nyp."
Kilo slid down the sand dune reaching the base right as Nyp touched down, with the crew celebrating success shortly after. What seemed to be a worthless city destroyed by millennia of sandy abuse turned out to be a treasure trove of valuable data. Through countless scans they detected organic mass moving through the skyscrapers, the crew was still ecstatic with the potential discovery of a new creature. Keres announced to the crew that this discovery alone would most likely give them funding from the Galactic Research Federation while also raking in profits from the data. Morale hit a new high among the crew as Kilo even felt what he could only assume to be happiness for the Ardent crew.
The expedition on LHS-730A - B had been successful but with two more planets, a moon and the starport to collect data from their work was far from over. The excitement turned into exhaustion as they dragged the equipment back the way they came from over the dunes. By the time everyone had returned and finished packing the equipment into the cargo hold they were beat. As night fell over the planet the Ardent crew slowly awakened to start their celebration before, climbing atop his ship Kilo watched over the crew.
Spotting Kilo atop his ship Nyp broke off from their aerial formation, descending to land next to Kilo. Her wings folded back as she perched on the edge of the ship's wing being careful not to hit Kilo off.
"I haven't seen us celebrate like this in a long time, it's nice to see them in good spirits for a change. Although I wish they wouldn't fly in their conditions, last thing we need are broken wings." Nyp tried to start conversation with Kilo but her efforts were in vain, yet she persisted. "I still feel trapped ya'know, being on the Ardent is great but I still need more. I've been thinking about trying my hand at freelance work." Right as she mentioned freelance work she felt Kilo stop breathing for a disturbingly long time, he froze up like a stone statue.
"Stay with Ardent Nyp." Kilo finally began breathing again after processing what he heard. "Freelancing Isnt a life you want, it's not something anyone should want." His voice was hollow yet it spilled warnings that had gone unheard.
"If it's not a life anyone should want why are you a freelancer?" The question hung in the air as Kilo tried to get out of answering.
"It's a long story for a dif–"
"I have a long time so why are you one?" Nyp cut Kilo off along with any hope he had for getting out of the question.
The silence was palpable as Kilo thought of what to say, he knew Nyp wouldnt leave him be unless she got a satisfactory response.
"Nyp… you'll be killed within weeks, don't make the mistake by thinking freelancing leads to freedom." The glitter in Nyp's eyes faded as Kilo spoke, he couldn't help but feel bad by essentially crushing her hopes and dreams.
"I chose to become this because I have nowhere to go, no one to care about nor someone who'll miss me. You have all of that with the Ardent and believe me it's better that way."
His words silenced Nyp as they delved into thought, without any further discussion she spread her wings and took to the skies to rejoin the celebrations. Climbing back down into his ship Kilo decided to get much needed rest after the day's exhaustion finally caught up.
One by one the Ardent crew decided to call it a night as they trickled back into their ship, all but Nyp and Keres as they sat atop the ship. Looking upon the stars light years away it all seemed so close yet so far. Keres couldn't understand how she wanted to be free, this life they shared would be as free as any of them would ever be. After taking to the skies for one final flight the two returned inside the Ardent, joining the rest of their crew.
Starlight beamed through windows into the Ardents crew cabin slowly waking the crew. Morale was highest it had been in years, excitement was high unlike anything before, the future of the Ardent was finally starting to look up.