Lirssa led the way up and stepped aside with her hands out. If she didn't perform the role, every bit of nervousness would bleed through in gesture and voice. She was a pilot of her own ship. She had to act like it. Just inside was an open area with slats in the floor where things such as chairs or cargo bins could be bolted down. The major cargo hold where they stood curved up to a height twice their own and tapered back down at the back to two doorways. To the left, an open doorway created a minimal definition between the helm where Lirssa piloted the craft and the rest of the ship. The new helm with its monitors and switches could be seen. To the aft of the ship were two doorways. One led to a necessary room and the other to private quarters.

Hochi followed closely behind looking at all the ships around him. His attention was brought to the Motley Moxie looking over the ship smiling brightly. He steps up into the ship looking around the interior.

With a gesture to the aft doors, Lirssa said. "You can stow your stuff in that room there on the right side. I cleaned it out for you. I don't use it much anyway, but when the gravity compensators start working to take over from actual gravity you may need a place to lay down and recover. It can sometimes get a little rocky." A nod to the door next to it. "That's the necessary room for...ya know...necessary stuff."

The ship had little by way of decoration. A few lockers ran along the starboard side of the cargo hold. "Emergency suits in the first locker, major med-kit in the second locker. I keep a smaller med-kit up at the helm.

"Anyway, here she is. Not fancy, but she's a fine ship." There was no mistaking the pride, and she did nothing to conceal it. "So, when you're ready, I'll get us started. I've picked out a few flight plans. One won't take us too far out, and the other that will really utilize whatever time we both have to spare. But I thought for starters, I'd just travel a bit overland and sea before we head out to the stars. Sound good?"

"Looks really nice. I really like it. You could fit quite a bit of cargo in this thing couldn't you." He walked around the main room looking around. He was so excited, just seeing the ship made his heart beat a bit quicker. "I think I should be able to handle a bit of rocking back and forth. Lived on the ocean for most my life." He grinned as he opened the door and quickly stowed his gear. "Ahhh a necessary room, I thought we were the only ones who had one of those. Ours is chock full of necessary looking items."

He chuckled as he moved back into the main area. He looked toward the lockers making note of where the important items were. "It looks like a helluva ship. I can't wait to see what she can do. You must be so excited, you got your ship back and running. There were a few times when my ship would break down. Getting her back up and running, was always a great day." He moved toward the helm, "flying over the sea and land, I am fine with that. Lets pick the second flight plan, lets stuff as much fun and excitement in the time that we have." He smiled happily as he leaned against the wall looking at all the dials and buttons in the helm.

Hochi was right. It was a great day. There had been some unspoken tether holding her down ever since her ship was grounded. Now, she felt able to stretch out and up and nothing holding her back. "Right-o." She sat down at the helm. Her fingers lightly brushed over the edge of the panel as if saying hello to the ship with her touch. A breath released and instinct took over. Her eyes were on the monitor as she ran through initialization procedures. A punch of a button, she spoke to a com. "Bravo Port, this is Motley Moxie, awaiting clearance. Flight plan Beta 6."

He watched her at the helm as he moved over and sat down in one of the available seats. He was impressed at quickly her hands danced about the helm console.

Over the com, came a warm friendly man's voice. "Hey, Lulu! Glad to hear you're back in the saddle. Don't see a manifest list here. Joy riding?"

A heavy sigh, her head hung a moment at hearing the nickname, she punched the com again. "No manifest. Passenger only. And yes, Baker, if you must know, I'm joy riding. Can I go now?" Irritation, amusement, and no small touch of embarrassment colored her tone and pinked her cheeks.

Baker was laughing as he completed the procedure. "Yeah, yeah. Motley Moxie, vector theta." A pause, then with the happiest voice said, "Safe travels, Lulu!"

"Maggot rotting apple cores," she muttered and punched the com. "Vector theta, aye." With her hands on the guide, she spoke over her shoulder to Hochi. "Get ready. Here we go."

"Lulu?" He looked to Lirssa eyebrow raised, "Haven't heard that one before" he teased as he leaned forward in his seat getting ready for take off.

Lirssa was quite reluctant to acknowledge the nickname, but when Hochi spoke it with that inquisitive tone she shrugged and muttered. "Yeah, tell ya about that sometime."

At that moment, she was more interested in splitting her attention between her plotted course and watching Hochi's reaction to their flight. "You can stand if you want to. In about two minutes, we'll head up into the between — umm space — pass by Gateway Station, you'll see some monster ships docked and waiting to dock there.

Lirssa smiled and let out a sigh of relief. For one, there had been no nickname, and for two it seemed the flight would be a smooth one. "Well, it is going to be some time before we get to the comet, but there is still plenty to see." She looked out the broad window. Beyond it were stars, some ships coming into orbit, and ". "Well, not a great deal more. I suppose, in some ways you've just traded out a big expanse of blue for a big expanse of black. You will see a few planets, but they'll just be slightly larger specks than the stars. We don't get too close to many of them. That takes longer flights than this one."

As she set the auto-pilot to take the helm for the moment, she leaned back in her chair and looked to Hochi. "So, other than Noah how many siblings do you have?"

"None as far as I know, I never knew my biological parents. We were split up when I was really young. I don't really know if I had or have any blood related siblings." He shrugged as he shifted his weight as the ship shifted upward. His stomach rolled a few times his head felt like it was spinning for a few seconds. He put a hand on the bulkhead to steady himself.

"This is amazing" his eyes darted from ship to ship then to Lirssa then back to the station and all the ships. He listened to her talk to the station he didn't really know what to look at more, the station the giant ships the small ones buzzing about.

"I love my big blue expanse, but I think I could trade that for this." Hochi chuckled "I'm guessing there are quite a few planets out there that haven't been fully explored or haven't even had an outsider step foot on them. So many new creatures that I could discover and name." He smiled turning his attention back to Lirssa, "Tell me a bit about yourself. What made you decide to become a space pilot. Well apart from being a cool sounding job."

Lirssa snickered, shrugged, rolled her eyes — all sorts of trying to look at ease while feeling uncomfortable. Then, she just honestly laughed. "For all my performing in front of people since I can remember, and talking up a storm, I don't know why I suddenly feel weird talking about myself. Must be because you are actually listening." A wry smile teased the corners of her mouth.

A sigh and she nodded. "I guess the story will get us partly there." It took a moment for her to think of a good place to start. "Well, I'm not sure when I exactly decided to become a pilot. For awhile I wanted to go to the academy. That started when I moved in with Fio and Ali. My father — Ali — is a pilot. I sorta had a knack for it, I guess. I went to a school in Star's End. That was when I had the goal to get to the Academy and be a true fighter pilot." She remembered so clearly the feeling. The memory was barely tarnished now, and she smiled. "I did get in the Academy, but I broke a rule." A shrug and she sat up again, fiddling with the helm that didn't need fiddling. "Breaking rules also was a habit of mine. I guess that's why I understand Noah some. Keep trying to do something right, but turns out it isn't the right thing by someone else's rules."

She brushed that aside with another shrug and smiled to Hochi. "Anyway, so got kicked out of the Academy, but I had made some connections. Like with my coach from school. He was the one that nicknamed my Lulu. He was my coach for Zero-G physical education and in speeder races. When he returned to a job at Gateway Station, everyone learned my nickname because that's what he'd call me over the com." A scratch at her head, "Sorry, I seem to have gotten ahead of myself. How I became a space pilot. I lucked into it. Like most of my life. Someone I had helped had this ship they were selling to get a newer one, gave me a really good price for it, and over time and with help I fixed it up to be able to start doing short cargo or transportation runs. And...here I am. From acrobat to space pilot." She looked to the stars and back to him. He had asked her to tell him about herself, but there was too much there. "I won't bore you just yet with the rest of my story. Rather hear about yours.

"So, what about you? I mean, you've said you can be a green polar bear, and you explore the oceans. That right there is a whole passel of interest and intrigue." She beamed a smile, pulling her legs up into lotus and ready to listen.

"I know what you mean about trouble, I tend to get into a lot of trouble before realizing just how much trouble I am in. So far I have been lucky enough to still have all my fingers and toes. With the Bird family there is Trevor, Noah, and Mara." Hochi chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. He loved telling stories about his crazy adventures but about himself this was going to be a bit more difficult. but he didn't know where to start this one. Well the best place to start would be the beginning. He sighed and ruffled his hair making sure it was messy enough.

"Well I never knew my parents. We were sold into slavery when I was very little. Spent a very long time in those mines in the middle of the desert...never saw anything but sand and rock till I came to Rhydin. I was able to escape from there with some help from a man named Lantos; first person to actually try to help me. He helped me as much as he could help...unfortunately he didn't survive. Aja managed to find me, and she took me in, and then later adopted me." He smiled thinking of that night in the Outback when he was a child. He ruffled his hair again as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"I grew up in mainly in Arcadia and Rhydin; free for once. It was here that I learned how to shift into a polar bear and where I learned to hide certain abilities of mine. I usually don't show this off in public but since it is just you and I"." He pulled a small ordinary rock from his pocket. It wasn't weird that he had a rock in his pocket. He held it up for her to see it, suddenly the rock shifted into a diamond the exact same size as the rock. Then it quickly shifted into a ruby then back into the ordinary rock.

When the stone turned into a precious stone, Lirssa's brows rose and her mouth twisted to the side. She could see how some people would definitely want to keep such a talent for themselves. It was the type of secret she had her own knowledge about.

"This was the only magical ability I was born with. Most slave owners like to keep those that can do something like my power. He came after me, and luckily Aja was able to help keep them away." He sighed. He usually didn't talk about it. Something about Lirssa just made him open up. He looked at her and smiled brightly before continuing the story.

"Then Aja showed me the ocean and sailing, and it was amazing. Just no one out there to tell you what to do, seeing new wonderful places for the first time." That smile of his grew even bigger as the memory flooded into his mind. "It was the first time in my life that I felt truly free. I grew up around boats and constantly trying to see new things. I wanted to see everything. When I was old enough I went to a school far off. Time moved a lot quicker there so when I came back after two years nearly grown up. When I came back home I decided it was time for me to explore everything I could. Discover as much as I could, and help whoever I could along the way." He smiled as he glanced out at the empty blackness before looking back to Lirssa.

"I went out exploring as soon as I built the Odyssey. Discovered a lot of new lands and cultures and people. Helped when I was able; was drafted into a war against my own will. That was interesting." He half smiled now having those memories flood into his mind.

"I just keep upgrading my ship and going back out to create new maps and discover new...well everything. He leaned back against the bulkhead again pausing for a few moments. "That's about it...I usually don't tell people all that."

She listened to his history, smiling when she saw the memories were pleasant, and noting when he moved quickly past the unpleasant. It was all, in some small measure, familiar. "I am honored you shared it with me, Hochi." Sincere in smile and words, she shifted in her chair, legs unfolding. "I guess we're a little alike. Only, I never had to deal with slavery or mines. Though, some of my friends felt Bubber was harsh on me, it was nothing like what I've seen slaves go through." A pause, she clarified. "Bubber was the first adult who cared for me, he trained me to perform, earn money for the both of us to live. He died when I was very young."

"Yeah...one of the reason I have so many scars, and why some don't have dangerously fun stories." He nodded a slight frown on his face but he quickly replaces it with a smile. He glanced out the windows looking at the stars and the endless blackness. Something deep down in him was begging him to go out into that expanse. To go where no being has gone before, deep space.

With a wobble of her head, she admitted, "And I've only recently found some blood relatives. Or, well, they found me. My parents both died. My uncle says I was supposed to die, too, which is cheery, don't you think" But I've had lots of people look out for me; some have taken me into their families, and others adopted me. But, as Bubber once told me, everyone leaves." She was not bitter about it. It was just a fact and she smiled, looking out to the space beyond.

"I am very glad that you didn't die. I would have never met you. And, yes, in my experience everyone does leave eventually, but you have to make the time of it while they are there."

Lirssa's smile shifted, and she leaned forward, looking over the monitor and reading the sensors. "You cannot be —" she did not finish the sentence, but altered it to say, "Hochi, strap in. Some idiots out here have decided to take exception to each other's existence." And the shriek of blasts followed by a ship skim close by as Lirssa gives the helm a hard turn to the port and at a down angle.

Hochi's own smile quickly vanished as the shriek of blasts flew down. He quickly scrambled into his seat and strapped himself in. "Space pirates" Or just psychotic killers?"

He nodded, making mental notes here and there as she pointed things out. "Understandable; feel like that may take me a bit of time to get the idea of no up and down." He smiled.

"This, of course, is the helm. Not fancy like some other ships that have touch responders. But it suits me." She rested her fingertips on the half-circle. It was not a wheel, not fully. It moved more than just one way or the other, but could be pulled and pressed in all directions. "Of course, have all the sensors that read out information about the ship, around the ship, on the course plotted — but only so far out. Why it was a near thing when those other ships showed up. If they are moving my way at a pretty good clip, and I'm moving their way, well...you saw what happened." She shifted her weight a little as gravity finally settled to normal.

"Yeah they seem to appear out of nowhere, huh." He smirked. "It has quite a few similar sensors that I have on the Odyssey." He looked over a few controls then glanced out the window.

Her mouth twisted one way and then the other as she considered. "I suppose I could turn off auto-pilot and give you a go at steering her. If you go bibbledy, I can right us again. Want to try?"

"Thought you would never ask" He smiled, "Now what switch allows me to do that." He took ahold of the controlstick looking over the console, eyes darting this way and that. "Like I said I promise not to kill us."

"Sounds like a pie-crust promise, but I have no doubt it won't happen intentionally." She grinned to him and nodded to a button just to the right of the helm. "That one there when you are ready. Remember, this is space, you typically don't have to do anything unless you want to change course."

He nodded and took a deep breath; leaning forward and hitting the button then gently leaning back, making sure he didn't move the stick. He then tilted the stick allowing the ship to gently rock back and forth. He was just trying to get a feel for the controls. "The controls are so much more responsive than i would have thought."

He pulled the nose of the ship up and then back down. He had a massive smile plastered on his face. "Could I try a barrel roll" Or is that too much for my first day flying."

"Go ahead and try, just remember, lots of pushes and pulls on out there in the black, but until you get close to something, they aren't strong." She leaned back against the wall, arms crossed and ankles crossed. "Have fun!"

He pushed the nose well downward and twisted the controls putting them into a barrel roll. He pulled back on the stick to make the ship do a little loop before pushing the engines hard. He glanced over the controls then pulled the stick up to do a loop de loop. He laughed happily as he banked the ship to the side.

"This thing is amazing! The maneuverability of it!"

It was like watching a child with a kite, pulling the string to make it dive and dart about. She chuckled and shook her head, "Glad you're having fun there, kiddo. Thank the gyroscopes. Much more efficient than using the thrusters for this sort of trick." She glanced to the monitor just to make sure things were clear still. They were.

Hochi chuckled as he sent the ship into one last barrel roll before leveling the ship out. "This ship is astounding. I am definitely going to be looking for one myself." He turned and looked up at Lirssa. "I think I would stay up here forever just keep on flying; doing jobs wherever I can get them."

"Well," she smiled and moved back closer to the helm. "That's just about what I do, except I tend to stay near Rhydin so I can keep up with my interests there. I think your mom would miss you a lot." A pause, her voice softened. She wasn't quite sure how to ask it, but so she tried stating an observation. "You two are really close."

He smiled warmly, "She is the only mother I have. I owe her my life and then some..." He paused as he looked out the window at the emptiness. "She was the first real family I ever had." He ruffled his hair to make sure it was messy enough. "I'm glad you keep it close to Rhydin. I wouldn't have met you again."

She reached out to messy up his hair, too — being helpful and all. A light laugh, "Yeah, well, you'd have gotten up here to space eventually. You seem the type that doesn't easily give up on a dream. On top of that, you work for it." Another assessing look, "Yeah, you'd have gotten up here."

He chuckled as she messed with his hair. "Yeah I would have made it up here. But you made it a helluva lot more enjoyable.". He looked over a few dials and screens on the helm. "That and without you here I would have probably been sucked out an airlock or something." He laughed as he began to fly more carefully as they talked.

A slight bow, she grinned, "Why thank you, kind sir." She reached around him to punch through a few screens on the monitor while she spoke to him. "I doubt you would have been sucked out of an airlock. That takes effort. You may have, however, gotten blasted out of the sky or run too close to a supernova. That would have been horrible. I guess it's best you waited for a tour guide this first time out. I hate to see the Admiral cry." She did not try to hide the teasing tone.

He smiled, "Both of those alternatives sound like painful ways to go." He looked toward a monitor correcting his course toward the comet. "What' Aja cry' I don't think that is even possible." He laughed, shaking his head. "I believe I am getting the hang of all these monitors I am going the right direction, right?" He pointed to a couple monitors to make sure he was using the right one to guide the ship.

"Yes, you sure are." And then she whispered close to him. "I wouldn't let you get us too far off course." A pat to the back of chair, she stood up straight. "I'll take over when we get closer to the comet, though. Managing the gravity of the comet plus the dust and gas of the tail, well, let's just say I'd feel more comfortable with my hands on the helm. I'll admit it, I don't trust you — yet."

"Understandable I do look like a dastardly devil of a man.". He smiled brightly. " I will happily give you the helm when we get close don't want to break your freshly fixed ship."

She moved about to face him, eying him as if assessing his level of devilry. Her green eyes narrowed on him, and she tapped her finger against her cheek. "Hmm, now that you mention it. You do sorta look devilish — if you mean in that cherubic, green-haired sort of way." Quite clearly joking with him. Then her hand dropped, and she nodded, gesturing to the helm. "Exactly! Thank you. So glad you understand. It isn't that I don't trust you, exactly, I don't trust anyone with my ship right now."

He raised an eyebrow trying to look more evil and devilish. "I know exactly what you mean. I don't think I would allow you to steer my ship into a busy trade port. I would be terrified that you would sink her." He smiled patting the helm softly, "This is your baby; I don't wanna hurt her."

"Thank you." She was grateful for his understanding, and she moved past him to open up a storage bin. "And I wouldn't trust me to steer your ship anywhere. I'd go crazy trying to figure out how to get it move against the wind." The storage bin closed once more, she returned to take the extra seat.

He smiled "We have big engines on board; we don't use sails that much anymore." He shrugged, "But when we did, you just keep tacking until you get where you want to go." He chuckled, "It was very boring back when I first started to explore. Then I got new engines that, well, are being held on by duct tape and gum right now." He turned toward her, "I think if you could fly this thing you could easily manage to steer a big water bound vessel. They are...um not similar at all but I think you could do it."

"Not similar at all, huh?" She beamed a smile at him and shook her head. "I'll leave the sailing to you. If I get a chance to go aboard sometime, I plan on being lazy — or climbing the rigging. That always looked fun. I guess if you don't have sails you don't have rigging." A small pout as she thought on that. "No rigging. Hmm, well," she laced her hands behind her head and leaned back, "I guess I'll get some practice in now on being lazy, then, with you at the helm."

"We have rigging and sails stowed away in case the engine's go dead. There is plenty to climb onboard the ship." He turned and looked at her, " You can't practice being lazy when I'm at the helm. A planet may appear out of nowhere. Or aliens might come and abduct me right from this seat." He chuckled as he glanced out the window for a flying saucer or some other danger. "Well it could happen. But if you come on my ship, you're going to drive, and I get to be lazy and work on my tan." He laughed " I always need more time to work on my tan."

She laughed along with him. "A tan is not something I have to work on much. And," she sat up moving back to the helm, pointing to a monitor. "Anything coming your way you'll see energy readings show up here first. Also," she turned to smile at him, she was quite close making sure she held his gaze, "we are all aliens to someone out here."