After leaving Sblannu’s office, Eyuy decided he might as well eat now that he had the time. Entering the canteen, he lined up to get his food. While edible, the food at the ICC couldn’t be called tasty. Eyuy knew the drop in food quality was because it was hard to accommodate the dietary needs of all the species currently stationed there, but he often wished for the taste of the meals back home on Anmlonh. He imagined his desires reflected the majority opinion.

He took his tray and sat down at an empty table. He was halfway through his food when another tray sat down next to his. A yeolbaun slid into the seat. Her scales were a dusty pink and were more pointed than his own. She wore a blue uniform. 

Eyuy greeted her, "Jintha, Diplomat. I am Eyuy Aeum-yinh. Son of Yeodalsit Aeum-yinh."

"Suinsay, Eyuy-yinh. I am Dabwhsi Jagyeu-ye." 

Eyuy waited for her to state her purpose for accompanying him. However, she said nothing and ate her food. Eyuy tried to stop his tail from reacting, but it swayed in irritation. Dabwhsi caught the movement. Her tail, which had been draped behind her, curled around her waist. A gesture made from embarrassment. Eyuy's tail halted as confusion overtook him.

Dabwhsi spoke, "My deepest regrets, I didn’t intend to be rude. I merely wanted company while I ate. I have no other reason for sitting here."

"I accept your regret. This does not bother me. It's just that most do not make an effort to interact with me." 

Eyuy wasn’t popular. In fact, most of his coworkers disliked him. Eyuy's strict, rule-following ways didn’t suit the laid-back atmosphere of the Exploration Sector. Species that were sticklers for the rules tended to join the Military, Diplomat, or Administrative Sector. Eyuy often reprimanded or corrected the behavior of his peers, reporting their offences to the necessary authorities. Although Eyuy knew this didn’t endear himself to the others, the ICC code of conduct necessitated that he did.

Section 2; subsection a: Any and all offences detailed by the sectors respective rulebooks should be reported immediately. The offender should be reported to their sector's authorities.

It was in Eyuy's nature to follow the guidelines. The strict and sometimes oppressive society of Anmlonh drilled in the need to follow the rules. Those who failed to comply were given swift and harsh punishment, which was usually death. Eyuy thought the ICC's punishments were incredibly light, and that was the reason why there were so many who ignored what was written in the code of conduct. 

Eyuy was brought out his thoughts by another tray set down on the table. He turned and saw Angelika Müller taking a seat across from him. She said, pointing at the folder next to him, "I see you got the briefing."

Eyuy looked at folder and realized that the briefing must have been what Angelika was holding when he ran into her. He replied, "Yes, I have been given the basics of the mission."

Angelika nodded, poking at the remains of her food. She turned to Dabwhsi and introduced herself, "I am Angelika Müller. Earthling and part of the Exploration Sector."

"Hello, Explorer Müller. I am Dabwhsi Jagyeu-ye. Yeolbaun and part of the Diplomat Sector."

Angelika turned back to Eyuy. "Have you got the departure information?"

"No. Supervisor Sblannu informed me that I would receive those details by tonight."

"Understood. Sorry I came over without asking, but we'll be working together for a while. IF 329714628-419 is around six months from here. Might as well get to know each other."

"Really?" Dabwhsi gasped, "Anmlonh is only a week's travel. I can't imagine being on a ship for that long."

Angelika sighed, "The downsides of being an explorer."

"It's not too bad," Eyuy said, "It's peaceful."

"Don't you get lonely?" Dabwhsi asked.

"No," Eyuy replied. He saw his time in space as a reprieve from all his problems. Time to think without any pressure. His angry coworkers couldn’t bother him and neither could he bother them. It was the ultimate win-win situation as the earthlings called it. 

Angelika said, "I haven't been sent out on a mission yet. We have too many explorers, so I'm stuck manning the base."

"I know how you feel," Dabwhsi replied, "The younger diplomats get overshadowed by the more experienced ones, so I never get to do important work."

"Don't diplomats work in apprenticeships?" Eyuy asked.

"We do, but not all diplomats trust their apprentices with the serious work. Mine doesn't." Dabwhsi's tail swished quickly back and forth, belying her calm tone. This obviously bothered her more than she wanted people to know.

"Apprenticeships are all about learning. If they don't let you take on serious work, then how will you ever learn to do it?" Angelika questioned.

"I don't know," Dabwhsi sighed.

Eyuy's holowatch buzzed. He checked the screen and saw it was an incoming message from Supervisor Sblannu's team. He stood up from the table and said, "Excuse me, I must get back to my rooms. It was nice to talk to you, Explorer Müller and Diplomat Jagyeu-ye."

"I will talk to you later, Eyuy," Angelika said. Eyuy stiffened immediately. Angelika's improper use of his name rankled him. Only those who had a close bond with him could address him so improperly. Dabwhsi leaned over the table and whispered to her. Angelika gasped and corrected her mistake, "Eyuy-yinh. My apologies, I was unaware the yeolbau had different naming conventions between the males and females."

"I accept you regret. Please remember this from now on."

"I will. Again, I apologize."

Eyuy gave her a stiff smile before walking away. He arrived at his room and entered the passcode for the door. Warmth greeted him and he sighed in content. The ICC had to accommodate the temperature requirements of more than 100 different species, so many couldn’t live in their ideal environment. His home, Anmlonh, was a scorching hot planet. The station was an icicle in comparison. He laid down on his bed and opened the message he got in the mess hall.

================================================================================

[DO NOT DELETE THIS MESSAGE. IMPORTANT.]

[Explorer Eyuy Aeum-yinh, this message contains departure details regarding the mission to Planet IF 329714628-419.]

[Spaceship Class: F]

[Day of Departure: xx-xxx-xx03]

[Time of Departure: 0900]

[Where: Hangar 3]

[Baoyè T'xy will escort you further. He will be waiting for you at the entrance of the hangar.]

================================================================================

Eyuy closed the message and took off the watch, throwing it onto the end table. He would be leaving tomorrow morning. He assumed that Baoyè T'xy would also take care of his supplies as the message didn’t mention him needing to pack. He glanced at the clock on the end table. It was early in the evening, so Eyuy supposed he could stay up for a little longer. He got off the bed and walked to the computer that sat at the other side of the room. He turned it on and started working. 

Hours later, he glanced at the clock again. It read 2300. If he wanted to have a productive day tomorrow, he would need to sleep soon. He turned off the monitor and the computer before sliding under the covers of his bed. Sleep came easy to him and he woke up at 0650. He changed into a fresh uniform and headed to hangar three.

A gelatinous alien stood at the door. Eyuy approached him and asked, "Are you Baoyè T'xy?"

Baoyè nodded, making his entire body jiggle. He gurgled, "Who are you?"

"I am Explorer Eyuy Aeum-yinh. I am here to report for mission departure."

"Ah, Explorer Aeum-yinh, please follow me." The blob inched his way to his office. Eyuy found it hard to slow his gait to match Baoyè's.

Once they arrived, Baoyè handed Eyuy a bag full of supplies. Eyuy opened the bag after wiping away Baoyè's slimy residue. Inside he found the basic necessities, but not enough for the kind of mission he was going on. Baoyè must have seen Eyuy's questioning look because he said, "The rest of your supplies are already on the ship. The storage on the ship you've been assigned to is more complex than it needs to be, so I packed this so you wouldn't have to use it too soon."

"I see. Thank you for your consideration."

"No problem. You are all set to go. Please follow me to your ship."

Eyuy followed behind the snail's pace. The alien's slow jiggle across the hangar made Eyuy want to pick him up and carry him to the correct ship. Anything to go faster. They got to the ship in thirty long minutes. Eyuy couldn’t believe they let Baoyè work in the hangar around faster than light vehicles. However, it wasn’t his place to question the hiring manager. Let him be their problem. 

"This is it. Have a safe trip and good luck on your mission," Baoyè said.

"Thank you, Baoyè T'xy. I will do my best." Eyuy boarded his ship. The inside was sleek and sterile. The interior lights flickered on and he saw the control room. A single chair was surrounded by computers, monitors, and a dashboard. The ship had three other rooms. Although, Eyuy hesitated to call them rooms. The spaces were as small as they could possibly be and didn’t allow for much wiggle room. Eyuy would have to be careful not to knock anything over.

The sleeping space held a cot, the kitchen space contained a food synthesizer, and the bathroom space had a toilet. He headed to the command chair and sat down. He familiarized himself with the ship's primary control before he toggled on the ship's AI. 

Section 46; subsection j: Proper procedure must be followed every time a pilot boards their ship. Locating the ship's primary controls must be the first action taken by the pilot. Please refer to page 1062 for the full and detailed procedure.

A robotic voice greeted him, [I AM LOIUY, THE AI OF THIS SHIP. PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND POSITION.]

"Eyuy Aeum-yinh. Explorer."

[THANK YOU, EXPLORER AEUM-YINH. PLEASE WAIT WHILE I UPDATE THE SYSTEM.]

While LOIUY updated the system, Eyuy checked the ship's other capabilities. He found that the ship contained the basic functions and not more beyond that. He would have an easy time controlling everything. Eyuy was a seasoned pilot, but his skills paled in comparison to those of the Military Sector. The soldiers could do amazing moves with their ships. Yeolbaun pilots were nothing to scoff at either.

[EXPLORER AEUM-YINH, I AM CONNECTING TO BASE. PLEASE WAIT FOR THE CONNECTION TO BE ESTABLISHED.]

Eyuy knew he was connected when the cool voice of Angelika come over the intercom. "Explorer Aeum-yinh, this is Angelika Müller, your base partner. Do you copy?"

"I copy. Am I ready for takeoff?"

"Yes, your departure is cleared."

"Understood." Eyuy directed the ship to the middle of the hangar. The doors opened to show the inky darkness of space. Planets and stars glittered in the far distance. Eyuy prepared for takeoff, hovering above the ground before blasting out of the station. Eyuy couldn’t enter hyperdrive until he was out of the station's proximity. Once he was, LOIUY came on.

[INTIATE HYPERDRIVE?]

"Yes."

[HYPERDRIVE INTIATED IN 3...2...1...]

Eyuy's ship jolted forward as the hyperdrive activated. Eyuy leaned back in his seat, letting LOIUY take control. He wouldn’t need to drive for a considerable amount of the trip thanks to the hyperdrive. He watched the planets and stars zip past his ship, admiring the light. At least he would have something pretty to look at for his long six-month journey.