Dr Elune squinted as they walked down the ramp, a large crowd of people awaiting at the bottom. Gulping quietly, they jumped slightly as Ren patted them on the back, "Seems word got out the reclusive inventor was coming to town. Down you go."

Sighing, Dr Elune smiled and gave a little wave, catching snippets of the chatter awaiting them as the group descended. Didn't sound angry, or shocked... Looks like Alex is still a secret. "Hello, everyone. I don't mean to be rude, uh, but we have been cooped up in there... I wasn't expecting such a reception."

A man walked to the front of the crowd, appologising for the odd bump here and there, "Ah, hellon there. I am Frederick Arnolds, contacted by mist- Er, Doctor Ohara before you left. He was concerned, as you had reportedly been away for quite some time."

Dr Elune nodded, smiling as they stepped to the side slightly, Ren standing beside them as everyone else was let through, "Many years, yes. I am rather fond of my little hideaway... I trust you have things sorted out, so we may move our ship to somewhere more, well... Convenient?"

Frederick nodded, smiling nervously, "Yes, of course. I trust the vessel is laden with your research equipment... While I am unlikely to have much opportunity to meet you again, I have arranged with our mutual colleagues to have your ship inspected, as per legel mandate."

Dr Elune glanced at Ren, who nodded with a smile, "Thank you so much, Fred. With all the doodads the doctor insisted on bringing, I will feel much better knowing specialised proffesionals are handling the inspection."

Face brightening as Dr Elune understood, they nodded, "Yes, thank you. If there is anything, well... That you don't know how to handle, please just let us know."

Frederick nodded slowly, glancing at the surrounding crowd as they milled around excitedly, "As you say, Doctor. Now... We do have so many people here who have been aching to meet you. Word got out from the flight regulation commitie you were coming, and your recent breakthrough on the OPHS has everyone abuzz."

Blinking, Dr Elune chuckled awkwardly, "It was nothing. Just a little pet project, to better help my everyday tinkering. I guess I better shake a few hands... Meet a few proffesionals. I'm afraid I have little intent on wandering the cities, though."

Nodding in understanding, Frederick waved to the crowd, beckoning them closer, "Unfortunately, the first part of the inspection requires your presence. Just a basic scan for stowaways... Until that is done, let's say hello."

Dr Elune nodded, humming before they remembered something, "Oh, uh, Francis is still on board. One of our other members also stayed behind to keep him company, as he was feeling a little uneasy after landing."

Nodding calmly, Francis smiled, "Oh, you needn't worry. They can even stay put until the shuttle has arrived at the estate. I will send someone in, to let them know."

Dr Elune grinned stiffly, hiding their releif. Only one Alex had left the ship... The other was reading inside, to avoid suspicion. And they had only procured one set of credentials between the two. "Thanks for the help."

Ren raised an eyebrow, about to ask who was left behind before he figured it out, coughing suddenly to mask it, "Pardon, still adjusting to the change in air here."

"Hmm? Oh, right. Slightly different, when you are used to the filtered stations and shuttles. So... Sterile. I'm sure you will be fine." Beaming as he introduced the first acedemic awaiting attention, Frederick remained oblivious to just how fine the act they were balancing... Trying to keep things from erupting, should anyone ask the wrong question. Dr Elune could feel themself sweating already, just hoping for the inspection be done.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Groaning as the mag pod sailed along the side of the bulding, Dr Elune tiredly looked at Ren, "Hope the others have had fun, settling down at the Estate."

Ren laughed quietly, "What, tired already? I'm surprised you weren't dragged off for a full press conference. We already have three scheduled you know." Grinning broadly at the resulting groan, he continued, "Besides... The have probably only just left the spire now."

"What? How big is this place?"

"Very." Ren looked up at the maze of buildings around them, smiling softly at the cold lights, "We landed near the top of the spire... This thing is 500 stories tall, remember? Only spire on the haven."

Dr Elune shrugged, "I have been to the First spire... They aren't that amazing. They are only important because of the shuttle assitance."

Shaking his head with a sigh, Ren continued, "More importanly, this thing is wide. The bottom few stories, where you can actually start seeing the sky from the ground, is counted as the largest country on the fourth haven."

Dr Elune nodded, "That is how the spires work. Make best ue out of the terraformed space... Use the roofs for more popular crops and parks. Ahh... I miss the earlier havens. So much space, without all the bustle..."

Ren smirked, "Good. My friend thinks the same, which is why we are headed out into the countryside. Only way we can dock an entire shuttle outside of official hangars is to use a sprawling state, and those are nice and far from civilisation."

Dr Elune grinned, "Hey, you should know me by now... As long as the internet is good, the further the better."

Ren snorted, smirking slightly, "... We are on a haven. The boonies here have ten times the bandwidth of your entire station. Due to being connected by mag-rail though, we will still have visitors... And requests for scientific meetings."

"Uggh, if I must... How many are you signing me up for?"

"Haha, don't worry, I had some mercy... The first week only has one big conference. Then, the next four weeks have one every second day, to help appease them... Then we go down to two a week for a while. I will try and whittle down even that as soon as possible."

Dr Elune rolled their eyes, "Easy, yeah. I guess I am technically here on business..." Sighing, they glanced around, "... I hope Alex is okay."

"Laura is with her. She will be fine." Ren grinned, "As for our dear friend with Francis, though... Well, as long as nobody pays attention, this will go smoothly. Even if they ask, I have sent a quick message to try and sort that out... Remember what we talked about, in that situation?"

Dr Elune nodded with a cautious smile, "Yeah. I am more worried about the scanner."

"That'll be fine. It only reads signs of life... Your equipment's designs will be kept secret." Looking at the doctor pointedly, Ren waited for them to nod before relaxing.

The doctor spent the rest of the trip looking through the windows flashing past, reading articles on the datapad supplied... The havens were rather different now, yet somehow unchanged. Passing trends the doctor had faintly heard of through the gaming channels, panic over the smallest things, and far too much focus on stuff that would be forgotten in five years time.

The articles started to fade from the doctor's attention, as they thought of Alex... They wished they could straight out ask, but the pod was lined with microphones to pick up audible requests, to be passed to service handlers. Or security, in the case of emergencies... Instead, the doctor simply hoped that they would meet up at the estate without issue.