Chapter Twenty-One - Daughter of Phobos

Phobos had always been in a precarious position. The unwanted moon of Mars. The now-rich child, reaping the rewards of long years as an outcast. It was a strange place in a no doubt unique position, able to leverage its newly found advantages, but wary of doing too much and earning the attention of the true big players in the solar system.

Ivil couldn't help but wonder if that kind of thing was what encouraged Aurora to move away from her homeworld. Was she chasing opportunities, or running away from trouble?

In any case, she imagined she might find out before the end of the day.

Sonic led the way to the room where the tea party was to be had. She walked with a slight bounce to her step. It was hard not to in the extremely low gravity in the ship. Sonic reached the last bulkhead, then paused before it. "Are you ready, ma'am?" she asked.

Sonic had already gathered a few things for the ritual. A large plastic container filled with water, and a box made of lacquered wood with a few inlays upon it. No doubt the box was worth its weight in precious metals, seeing as how wood was often more precious than gold.

"I'm ready," Ivil said with a nod.

The door was pushed open, and Ivil scanned the room as she entered it. Aurora was there already, which she'd known for some time. It was hard not to notice the woman, especially as she had a few cores that Ivil could sense.

The room itself was... nothing too special. It was alongside the cockpit, with another bulkhead door leading into the ship's command room. The front had a narrow but tall window looking out into empty space, and the centre of the room had a small, fixed table, surrounded by magnetised stools.

"Hello, Miss Sterlingworth," Sonic said as she moved closer to the table.

Aurora smiled in greetings. "Hello, Savant Panderghast," she said, addressing Sonic by her title. "And Miss Ville as well."

"Just Evelyn, please," Ivil replied as she took the stool next to Aurora, a hand swiping beneath her legs to adjust her skirt. She was... not fond of skirts, especially in a low-gravity environment, but she could admit that a pencil skirt did suit her figure.

Aurora looked at her, then nodded. "Evelyn, then. And of course you'll call me Aurora?"

"Certainly," Ivil replied. This was going better than she'd feared. At least, so far.

"I shall now begin the ritual," Sonic said. "Please, feel free to talk and enjoy each other's company during these early phases."

"Thank you," Aurora said.

Ivil nodded along, then watched as Sonic started to withdraw tools and equipment from within her outfit. It rapidly became obvious that she wasn't hiding the fact that she had a number of Cores suitable to the task of either miniaturising items or storing them in pocket space. She stared, then nodded to herself. Pocket space, definitely.

The table soon had a cloth draped over it in the deep red of the Adeptus Ancillia, then several small sets of cutlery were placed before each sitting area. That was followed by a metal plate placed in the centre of the table onto which more items were placed.

Everything clicked into place, and it was clear that every item was magnetised.

"What sort of tea will we be enjoying?" Aurora asked.

"Martian Oolong," Sonic said. "Cultivated in the Walking Cathedral of Saint George the Dust-Slayer."

"Impressive," Aurora said with the same tone Ivil might expect from a tourist entirely unaware of why something was impressive to begin with. Ivil didn't blame her.

Sonic placed the last of her things onto the table, then without much pomp, began the ritual. It started when she opened that little box and removed a small glass jar filled with loose tea leaves. She extracted three small tablespoons from the jar and placed them within a small stainless container. Then she poured some water into an electric kettle and hummed while it started to boil.

Before placing the tea leaves within a second, glass, kettle, Sonic poured some of the almost-boiling water within it and swirled it about. She then poured the water out.

"What is that for?" Ivil wondered.

"I think it's to avoid the coolness of the kettle from impacting the tea. Essentially pre-heating the kettle," Aurora said. "Or something like that. I'll admit that while I've spoken to several Ancillia, they aren't as common a sight on Phobos as they might be on Mars."

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"Really? I would have suspected otherwise. The Ancillia seem a lot more capable when it comes to handling the difficult living conditions of Phobos. Or... pardon me, the previously difficult conditions."

Aurora shook her head. "No, you don't need to worry so much about that, Miss V-- Evelyn. I'm well aware that Phobos was not always paradise. We still have unfortunate amounts radiation, and the moon's surface is still dangerous. But yes, the Ancillia has always been a boon. They can, and do, go everywhere on the moon, and their presence is very welcome."

"But not enough for you to seek out one for a... partner?" Ivil asked.

Aurora blinked, then she blushed quite prettily. "Ah, no, not really. I'm a very busy woman, and while the Ancillia is a wonderful group, I can't help but think that they would not be a good fit for me."

"Oh?" Ivil asked. She glanced over to Sonic, and was pleased to note that the maid seemed entirely focused on her task. "Why not?"

Aurora's blush deepened. "They are just so..." she struggled for words. "Different? From most other people. Their minds are different. Not bad, but not the same."

Ivil had a few choice words about how different someone could be and still be compatible, but she held back. "Forgive me if this is intrusive, but are you married, Aurora?"

"Not yet," Aurora said. "But there are several suitors interested in me. It's one of the reasons I'm travelling to Callisto right now. My father and mother have arranged a few meetings."

"Ah, I see," Ivil said. She wasn't particularly surprised, nor did she know why she was disappointed. She was aware that the young woman was wealthy and that her family was influential. The thought of an arranged marriage was... She could hardly claim that it was unheard of, but it didn't appeal to her. Ivil reached over and gently touched Aurora's shoulder. "You're a very attractive woman, I'm certain the suitors must be clamouring after you."

Aurora's blush, which had just been receding, reemerged with a vengeance. Ivil held back a smile. She'd rarely met someone so quick to become flushed. Most of the people she dealt with were more military minded, where shows of emotion were a weakness. Aurora had all of the control of a flustered teenager, but Ivil found it rather cute, instead of the annoyance it usually was.

The tea was made, and the scent of oolong wafted through the air. The ritual continued, with the kettle and its contents placed on a heatproof pad in the centre of the table, and then a plate was added with some food. Small sandwiches and some tiny pastries, which were all carefully crafted.

"Thank you," Ivil said as Sonic poured into the cup before her, then went on to fill Aurora's and her own. "I don't think I've ever enjoyed this type of tea before. It smells wonderful."

"The tea can be moderated with honey or cream. The honey is imported from Earth, the cream from Luna," Sonic said.

"No Martian honey or cream?" Ivil asked.

"They're both inferior," Aurora said. "For all that Mars is a behemoth, there are several things that the world lacks. Luxury agriculture is one of those. It's one of the other reasons for my trip to Jupiter's moons."

"Do they do things better?" Ivil asked.

"Some things, yes," Aurora said. "A lot of the moons in the solar system find themselves needing to focus on a specific niche. Making, creating, or processing something unique to them that they can sell to the rest of the system. Moons cannot stand alone, unlike the inner planets."

Ivil nodded along. It wasn't as if Aurora was sharing some amazing new discovery. The truth was obvious enough. The planets had it good, the rest could muddle along. She did appreciate Aurora's willingness to share her thoughts.

Across from her, Sonic was sitting, steaming cup placed before her, a small pastry next to it. Her hands on her lap while she stared. She was very pointedly not moving the doll mask she wore to taste her own tea.

Ivil took a sip. It was hot enough that it might have burned someone less resilient. "This tastes quite nice," she admitted. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome," Sonic said with a small bow. "I live to serve."

***