Jzoor nodded somewhat unconvinced of validity of Sera's statement. Certainly Sera had displayed on many occasions her exceptional piloting abilities. Though the Benzite scientist was also aware that Sera was constantly seeking new challenges in this area, and as much as Jzoor approved of testing ones self she did not want to endure the consequences if this particular experiment failed.

"Please remain at 30,000km from the edge of the planetary atmosphere. That is an order Lieutenant,"Jzoor said in a calm tone as she went back to her experiments.

Unseen by Jzoor, Sera rolled her eyes as she replied. "30,000 klicks aye."

Then under her breath Sera added "Kill joy, "

Turning control over to automatic Sera dug out a pair of ear pieces from the small pocket in the inside of her uniform. She stuck one in her ear and was half way to putting the second in when she thought the better of it and put it back. She then with a few keystrokes routed a musical selection from her collection she'd stored in Aerowing's computer. Reclining as the opening cords of Steppenwolf's Magic Carpet Ride began, she looked out over the particular planet she and Jzoor had been assigned to survey. Sera had been in space for three years, one as a cadet and two as an officer on the Valiant, by no means a space virgin, to use the colourful lexicon of the Rapid Response Team. As a result she'd had seen a number of planets in her time, but this one she decided was easily the most malevolent one she had ever laid eyes upon. It was an ugly combination of green, brown and black gasses that swirled around at wind speeds which would make the wind on Jupiter a light breeze by comparison. All of this was racked with flashes of lightning like energy pulses. Then there were the eyes. Well they weren't really eyes in the biological sense but the calm places in the storms where the winds were down to a manageable few hundred kph. The thing about them was that Sera swore they were staring at her, sizing her up as though they were the eyes of some beast that planned to spring forward and devour the Aerowing. But as she was fairly certain that the planet wasn't going pounce on her anytime soon, it was just annoying in the way that most things that irrationally invoked fear in her did. It had always been her impulse to challenge those fears, and being forced to keep her distance was torment to her it was like letting her fears win. Though while Sera may be a risk taker, she also wasn't stupid, and if Xela didn't want to come any closer than 30,000km she wasn't going to force the issue. So the eyes escaped unchallenged, today.

"So sir, I don't think I have asked you but do you have anyone at home?"Sera asked hoping conversation would calm the effect of the planet on her nerves.

"No you are correct you haven't asked."

Sera smiled, Jzoor was a real challenge to read her right. She was almost Vulcan in her lack of emotional involvement, but then she had heard the relations between the Vulcans and Benzites were good and some of the philosophies had become shared ones, so it could be just that. Even so Sera wasn't going to be beaten by the eyes and Jzoor in the same day she probed.

"So?"

"So what?"Asked Jzoor with half interest as she studied the readings she was receiving.

"Do you have someone at home?"

"Benzite's live in communal homes, so yes I have several 'someone's' at home."

Sera chuckled to herself. Either Jzoor was very evasive or completely unaware of the implications of the question. Deciding on a frontal assault, Sera made another attack run.

"Do you have a boyfriend, a fiancée, a betrothed waiting for you I mean?"

Jzoor stopped, and turned to the Ops chief as she reclined in the helm chair.

"Why does that interest you?"Jzoor asked sounding confused.

"Because I'm curious about people's lives, I like to know things about them…"

"And apparently share them with the entire crew,"Jzoor added.

Sera considered the comment trying to dercern if it was an observation or a dig, deciding on the former she said.

"Sometimes, but never if it hurts a person. I'm just really curious."

Jzoor nodded. "Perhaps you should pursue science as a career instead of Operations if that's the case."

"Well, I'm not that kind of curious, Lieutenant. I mean yes I enjoy unraveling the mysteries of the universe as much as the next person, that's after all why I joined up. But mostly I'm curious about people."

"Why is that?"Jzoor asked hoping for a swift and efficient answer, but fearing that no such answer may be forthcoming.

Sera thought about it for a bit then replied. "Because essentially I think it comes down to loneliness, I spent a lot of time by myself, not always by choice, and I guess I collect facts about people and share them because then people will want to hear them from me and hence I won't be alone."

"Reasonable,"Jzoor ruled. "If inefficient."

"Well what would be more efficient?"

"By speaking less and listening more, I have found that people seek you out more often if you are capable of listening to them exclusively at times, some people have commented that you seem to talk to hear yourself and not others."

"I do not!"Sera said indignantly while internally she knew her illusions had just taken a critical hit and were leaking plasma. "Never."

"If you say, it was merely an observation on other's conversations I am not a counselor and cannot thusly back my observation up with evidence."

As Sera's mental damage control teams hurried to cut off the plasma flow before it ignited and blew up her entire self image. Sera turned and looked back to her helm board focusing on ignoring Jzoor and her comments. Jzoor went back to her work. While she felt bad for Sera, ultimately the truth would be in the end better for her than more illusions, and at the very least, for the time Jzoor would not be interrupted while she continued her scans of the planet's atmosphere.

The peaceful quite of the Aerowing would not last long. As only a twenty minutes passed between when Sera went silent and sensors picked up a metallic object in the gravitational field of the planet. Unfortunately the sensors could not determine what it was only that it was metal and approximately a meter in diameter. Also disheartening was that it was 23,000km from the planet's atmosphere which meant a trip of 7,000 kilometers from their current position into the gravitonic sheer. Jzoor carefully weighed the risks with the benefits and decided that it would be worth the risk to investigate the object, after all Sera was an excellent pilot even if she was a brash one.

"Lieutenant Fizgherald, please take note of the metallic object detected on our sensors and set the safest possible course to it's location."

Sera suddenly snapped from her previous sulky morose state to one of eager alertness. "Setting course, buckle in."

Jzoor did as she was asked. "Engage."

The Aerowing jolted forward and was bounced heavily by the sheer before Sera set a course into it which left the decks vibrating gently but they suffered no ill effects as she piloted the way down the gravity well to the object.

"Wow, the Boone is in top form today. It's almost too easy."

Jzoor flinched, she had developed the human superstition about anticipating success without cause. But there was nothing one could do about it now but hold on tight and watch the screen. Shortly the object was clearer, it was definitely spherical, and was now either reading some residual power signature from the atmospheric storms or it was it's self giving one off. Somehow Jzoor didn't think it would be dangerous, but rather was convinced this was some sort of probe which contained all the data on this place she would need. As they closed she had become so wraped up in her belief that it was a probe she didn't mention the power readings even as the grew exponentially, and was convinced of her correctness to the moment it exploded.

"What the hell was that!"Sera called as the Aerowing reeled from the explosion.

"Unknown, perhaps a mine of some kind."

Sera really didn’t hear the answer to her question, the Aerowing had slid out of it's orbital position and was rapidly moving towards the planet and she would need to get them out of it. Her hands danced rapidly across the console, but to no avail the controls were sluggish, and the damage assessment sensors weren't functioning. Slowly Sera got a feel for the controls new response time she checked the navigation sensors, there was a calm spot in the atmosphere only 5000km from their position. If she could angle her decent so she would enter it there was a good chance she could stabilize her craft long enough to see what damage had been done and hopefully get them out again. She went to work, a few seconds later she had made the course change and was waging a desperate war of control for the ship with the gravitonic forces exuded by the planet, but managed to shout.

"Brace yourself!"A few seconds before they hit the atmosphere.

The shuttle framed in a red halo of friction disappeared into one of Tarkon IV's malevolent eyes, and as it did, Sera thought, well you wanted to challenge it.

TO BE CONTINUED