The afternoon passes in much the same way as the morning: more sites, more assessments, and more data filling my tablet.
By the time the shuttle sets down in the main hangar, the larger sun has begun its descent toward Spire Mountain. The other team members file out – L'Stourn with his soil samples, and Dr. Petrova clutching her tablet and already dictating notes. I gather my own things, rolling the tension from my shoulders as I stand. Moving slowly, I am the last to exit the ship.
It has been a good day. My body aches, but it is the satisfying ache of work well done. The kind of tired that comes with purpose.
I descend the ramp and find Cody waiting at the bottom, propped against the landing strut with his arms crossed. That restless energy is still there, humming beneath his casual posture like a current beneath still water.
I stop in front of him and tilt my head.
"Cody."
"Yeah?"
"Are you alright?"
He blinks. "What? Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
"You have been distracted today. Checking the time constantly. Fidgeting." I study his face. "Something is on your mind. You have been holding it in all day, and you are doing a poor job of hiding it."
He stares at me for a moment. Then a laugh escapes him. Not his usual easy laugh, but one almost sheepish. He runs a hand through his hair, and the tips of his ears go pink.
"You're scary, you know that? Nothing gets past you."
"You are not exactly subtle, Cody." But I let the corner of my mouth curve, just enough to blunt my words.
"Okay. Fine. You caught me." He straightens up, the sheepishness burning off like fog. That barely contained energy rises to the surface, and his eyes are practically glowing. "I have a surprise for you."
I narrow my eyes. "What kind of surprise?"
"The kind where you don't ask questions and trust me." He grins. "I've already cleared it with D'Rett. We're good to go."
"Go where?"
"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." He's bouncing on the balls of his feet now, completely unable to contain himself. It is endearing. "Wait here. Give me one minute."
Before I can protest, he turns and jogs into the hangar, disappearing through a side door. I stand at the base of the ramp, arms folded, caught somewhere between amusement and exasperation.
Cody returns moments later with a full bag slung over his shoulder. It is not a standard utility pack. It is larger and rounder, and whatever is inside clinks when he moves.
"What is in the bag, Cody?"
"Supplies." He says this with a completely straight face while adjusting a bag that is clearly packed with non-essential items. "Very important mission supplies. Classified."
"Classified."
"Top secret. Need-to-know basis." He gestures up the ramp. "After you."
I give him the look. The one that usually makes junior engineers confess whatever mistakes they have made, but Cody is immune. Instead, he grins wider and waits.
I shake my head and walk up the ramp.
When I settle into the co-pilot's seat, Cody is already running through the pre-flight sequence. There is a lightness to him that was not there during our work flights today. Whatever he has been holding in all day has been set free. He is excited, purely and simply, and watching him makes me want to smile.
We lift off and clear the hangar, rising into the late afternoon sky. Cody banks the ship eastward, away from the capital, and I feel the first flicker of recognition.
East.
"Cody," I say slowly. "Where are we going?"
