A lone shuttle flew low over the ground with a roar of engines. Following the contour of the land it crested a snow capped peak and decended.  As the alpine gave way to evergreen forests the engines battered the tops of the trees. 

“Why couldn’t the dilithium be here,” Ensign Anthony Talon observed as he made a minor course correction. 

“Don’t let it fool you Ensign,”  Captain Órlaith Murphy remarked as she manipulated the shuttle’s sensors. “The mountains are just as deadly if not more so. In North America thirty some people die in avalanches every year. As a general rule a colder planet is a deadlier planet “

The mountain side leveled out to a large blue lake so calm it was mirror smooth  “But, it sure is pretty.  I bet the fishing is second to none ”

Órlaith considered it for a minute and shrugged,  “I’ll have to take your word for it Ensign. This grid is clear. Move on to the next one please.”

“Aye Captain,” Anthony adjusted the shuttle’s course. Silence fell between them. After a moment he spoke,  “ Ma’am I’m am sorry about what happened on the Markonian Outpost. It really was a misunderstanding. He mistook a hot hand and decent bluffing ability as cheating.”

“Yeah, I know. I spoke to Lieutenant Garza about it. He told me everything.  You two should have walked away, but I was young once. All of us oldsters were, and we’ve all made poor decisions. Granted I never lowered myself to a common bar brawl.  But, as they say it’s water under the bridge,  and no harm was done.”

“Tell that to my nose. It still isn’t right and I’ve been to Doc Mulder three times.”

Órlaith smirked sparing a glance at the pilot before turning her attention back to her sensor screen. “You gotta know how to read a room Ensign.  I know, easier said than done.  Where are you from?”

“Terra Alpha.”

“That’s a human colony near the Typhon Expanse isn’t it?”

Anthony shrugged,  “It’s not exactly close, but I guess it is in the general area.”  Anthony adjusted the shuttle’s course and the evergreen forests gave way to a lush green prairie broken only by the occasional disiduous tree. Kilometer after Kilometer this grassland  stretched off into the distance disturbed only by the winds. “Grew up on the ranches there. Knew how to ride before I could walk.  My dad got my mom pregnant with me when they were young. Caused quite a scandal at the time,” Anthony smirked.  My dad never did get to pursue his dreams.  Always working to take care of me.  It was a good life. I can’t complain.  Talons are a big family and there’s always a cousin you can run around with and cause problems with.”

“So you were a handful from the beginning,” Órlaith teased.

“Yes ma’am.  They say cowboys ain’t easy to love, we ain’t so easy to raise either.  We’d saddle up our horses in the morning and be gone until sundown, and we were usually doing things we shouldn’t, like riding through downtown Riley City, and ordering burgers from a the local drive through horseback.”

“Must have been one hell of a childhood. So is Admiral Talon related to you?”

“Rebecca Talon? Yeah, she’s my aunt.  She married my Uncle Milo before I was born.”

“I served under her on the Erebus when she was still a captain.”

“I’ll be damned. It’s a small fleet.  I used to run about with Liv and Aimee on that ship from time to time.  We probably crossed paths.”

Órlaith considered it for a moment and nodded, “Seems likely.” She sighed looking at her data.  Transporter signature should have dissipated by now.  Let’s call off the search.  Return to Telluride and let’s come up with a new plan.”

Anthony nodded, entered commands into the helm and the shuttle rose into the sky rolling in turning back to their mining settlement.