Alex's bathroom was a simple space, with the clothes washer and completely enclosed shower against one wall, and the vanity facing the door. Against the opposite wall sat the toilet, with the wide array of hoses and vacuum pipes needed to keep things sanitary while weightless. Alex stepped up to the sink and unlatched the cabinet behind the mirror. The contents were in complete disarray from being thrown around during the interdiction, but she was grateful to see nothing had broken. She grabbed a few items before turning back towards her passenger. ET4H2-5C was hovering in the doorway, eyes still lowered awkwardly.
"Please try to stand still," Alex requested as she stepped up and began to clean the blood off the woman's forehead: glad to see that the cut was pretty minor in the grand scheme of things.
"Can you tell me what happened?" she asked as she continued seeing to her passenger. ET4H2-5C hesitated but eventually gave a quiet answer.
"I struck my head while traversing the crawlspace, Miss"
Alex just nodded simply, not saying anything for a moment. The slave still had her gaze lowered, and Alex could clearly see the uncertainty and conflict playing out across her face.
"Can you tell me.... why this is making you uncomfortable?" she asked gently as she twisted the lid off a bottle of disinfectant cream.
"I...." ET4H2-5C began as her shoulders tensed. "I do not deserve the level of praise you gave. And you tending to me like this is beneath you. Especially after all you've already done for me. However, I'm not permitted... to stop you. And I don't know which takes priority," she admitted quietly. Alex pursed her lips as she carefully applied a small bandage over the cut.
"You just did something dangerous and difficult to help me out, and it kept me and my ship out of a hell of an ugly situation. Yeah it kept yourself safe too, but like... how do you not deserve praise for that?"
Her passenger blushed deeply before answering.
"I am a slave. It is my duty to serve. Do you thank Verity for just doing her duty?" ET4H2-5C asked timidly.
"One," Alex began sternly. "Verity is a non-sentient computer program. You are not. And two..... Your duty sure as hell isn't to serve me. I'm not Imperial."
"I......" the woman began unsurely. "...owe you a debt for saving my life, Miss Alex. Until such time as the Empire can pay you properly for my return, my service is all I can offer you. That is.... if you do intend to return me to the Empire," ET4H2-5C added timidly. Alex narrowed her eyes and fixed her passenger with a piercing stare for a long moment, before letting out a sigh as she dumped the bandage wrapper in the garbage compactor and the rest of the supplies back in the cabinet.
"You don't owe me anything. I don't charge a fee for picking up an escape pod. And even if I did, your help with the interdiction would balance it out. I'll call us even. Debt cleared. And like... yeah my standard thing with rescues is help them get back to where they want to be. I don't make a habit of kidnapping people, not even the cute ones. But.... do you really want to go back to the Empire?" Alex asked gently as she left the room, gesturing for her passenger to follow as she turned towards the cockpit. ET4H2-5C hastily followed, wishing she had a moment to return her tool belt to her pod.
"I....." she began as they walked, trying to get her thoughts in order. "I do. Even discounting the fact that I am their legal property... I did enjoy my life as a slave. As I told you... I chose to be one...." she added tentatively. Alex glanced back at her with a somewhat pitying expression.
"I mean.... " the Commander began after a long breath. "I know I can't go around giving impromptu speeches of how much I want to control my own destiny while telling you what to do with yours.... But really? Like I'm glad you enjoyed your life, that's better than being miserable there. But surely there's other lives that you'd enjoy too? And you've got a chance right now, the Empire probably thinks you're dead so they're not going to be looking for you," she added hopefully as they entered the cockpit and she made her way towards her pilot's seat. ET4H2-5C wordless returned to her kneeling position at the Commander's side, leaving Alex once again batting down her conflicted feelings on the position.
"But..... it's your life, you get to decide what you do with it," she admitted tiredly. "And I'm sorry for getting on your ass about it... but it just feels......" but her voice trailed off before saying 'like a waste.' The kneeling woman still didn't reply.
"Look...." Alex finally conceded. "It's not like I'm going to chain you up in the cargo bay so you can't go back."
The Commander didn't notice the quick flash of colour pass across the slave's face.
"If the Empire is what you really want.... I'll do what I can to make sure you get there safe," Alex finally finished, letting a silence hang over the cockpit for a moment.
"Thank you, Miss Alex," ET4H2-5C eventually replied.
"You've already done so much for me; there will almost certainly be a Search and Rescue Agent within the Starport," she continued slowly. "They will be more than capable of returning me to the Empire so I won't continue to be a burden to you. And I promise the Empire will reward you for my return."
"You were never a burden," Alex stated firmly as she turned her attention forward and more fatigue settled over her.
"But we're not that far from landing. I'll need to unload and deliver my cargo first, I've left that client waiting too long as it is. Also need to refuel. All that jazz. Then could I at least buy you dinner before we take you to the S&R office?" she asked gently. ET4H2-5C blushed but nodded. She was suddenly reminded of her hunger, as her stomach once again made its protests known.
"I.... Thank you Miss, so long as you purchased for yourself as well of course," she managed.
"Of course," chuckled Alex before she continued.
"And this is one of the spinning Starports, so it will have gravity," she added before lifting a hand to her neck. She grabbed hold of her suit's zipper and tugged it down slightly. She tucked her chin against her chest and inhaled gently through her nose. She was met with the smell of sweat and adrenaline. Her body's way of protesting the day's excitement.
"Showering is easier in gravity," she said embarrassedly as she quickly closed her zipper before glancing down at ET4H2-5C. Noting the streaks of dust, oil, and graphite on the woman's suit from working on the FSD and climbing into the ceiling.
"In a completely non-judgmental way you're welcome to have one too before you go. And wash your clothes if you want," she offered.
"You are too kind, Miss Alex."
It wasn't long before the pair were closing in on the port. Alex was carefully watching her speed on approach, her passenger having taken the opportunity to stow her tools before reluctantly moving into the second seat a meter or so away. ET4H2-5C had been enjoying watching the Commander's hands move across her controls with practiced precision. But she was pulled out of her quiet thoughts as Alex wrapped her fingers around a small release.
"Dropping out of Supercruise.......... now," she said calmly as she pulled. The ship quivering for a moment before both woman were jerked forward by the sudden deceleration. The slave let out a startled gasp of awe as the Starport suddenly loomed before them. She clasped as she stared out at the enormous four kilometer diameter ring against the backdrop of the planet behind. The closest star casting stark shadows across its surface.
"What's up?" asked Alex with an amused expression. "I thought you worked on ships. You're reacting like you've never seen something like this before."
"Worked on ships and Starports yes, but never seen one from this angle before," ET4H2-5C murmured in wonder as she gazed out. "I've seen them from nearby drydocks or scaffolding, but those are always dozens of kilometers away. From this close... it looks so alive!" she breathed, her usual professional tone slipping into one of wonder as her eyes followed the swarm of ships flowing in and out of the port's hanger.
"It's beautiful," she whispered. Alex couldn't help but smile as well, being pulled along by the other woman's amazement.
"Yeah... I guess it is," she said. "I guess there's just stuff out here I've seen enough times I've gotten bored with it."
ET4H2-5C finally tore her gaze from the station to look at Alex in shock.
"How can you be bored of space, Miss? It's one of the most spectacular environments we'll ever get a chance to see. And you have it all at your fingertips."
Alex chuckled. "Space is big. It's not ALL at my fingertips. But... fair point," she said, thinking back to just how mind-numbingly bored she had been hours before. It was that boredom that had led to her finding her passenger, but the woman was still right. She glanced over, watching ET4H2-5C's wide eyes taking in every detail.
"I appreciate the reminder," she added genuinely as she hit a few buttons on her console: sending off the standard docking request. And only a few seconds later an automated message came across her comms in response.
"Welcome Commander. Docking request accepted. Please proceed to landing pad three eight," it said simply, and with that Alex pushed the nose of the ship towards the hanger. She approached slowly, eyes quickly flitting between the view in front of her and her scanner display. ET4H2-5C instead remained transfixed on the bustle around them.
The hanger was located directly in the center mass of the station. And as they approached, the huge structure loomed overhead; its radial arms casting shadows across the Peregrine as it spun. And before them the actual entryway came into view. The glowing rectangle, only two hundred meters wide and a quarter of that tall, through which ships poured both in and out. Despite being big enough for vessels many times the size of Alex's, it looked minuscule compared to the scale of the station both above and below them.
"Surely you've been through a mail slot before?" Alex asked in amusement, watching her passenger's star struck expression.
"Pardon me.... mail slot?" ET4H2-5C asked in confusion, tearing her eyes away from the sight before her to glance at the Commander.
"That's the unofficial name, yeah"
