The flight to the workshop felt different this time. Not frantic, not desperate. Tanya leaned back in the pilot's chair, humming softly to the beat of an old song playing through the Nova Theseus' sound system. Her fingers tapped the console, guiding the ship manually instead of relying on autopilot, the way Sage preferred it.
She let the ship drift in a slow roll as the island came into view, adding a lazy flourish to the landing sequence. The inertial dampers compensated smoothly, and Tanya laughed out loud. It wasn't efficient, but it was fun.
//Your mood has improved noticeably,// Sage observed, his tone carrying what almost sounded like relief.
"I know," she said, grinning as the landing struts touched stone with a solid thud. "Feels good, doesn't it? No panic spirals. Just... building again."
The dimensional gateway shimmered as she blinked into her workshop. Consoles flickered to life, the whole place greeting her like an old friend. Tanya paused in the doorway, letting the quiet anticipation settle in her chest. This was what she loved, what she'd been missing.
Her father's words from their walk back to the farm echoed in her mind: Plant one row at a time, sweetheart. You can't harvest what you haven't grown.
She tossed her jacket onto a chair and spun up the holographic display. "Alright. New plan. We start with the beacon ship." She pulled the existing design into view, watching the crude prototype rotate in blue light. "One working system. Something I can finish. Sage, I think we're going to make something special today."
The mess of overcomplicated neural interface experiments sat in adjacent tabs, taking up room on the interface. It was the result of weeks of frantic work trying to solve every problem at once. She'd been trying to plant an entire field in a single day instead of focusing on what mattered. She understood her limits better now.
"Right then," she said, gesturing the prototype schematics into focus. "First order of business: get that beacon prototype back where it belongs."
She gestured toward empty air, and the dimensional beacon builder simply materialised on her workbench with a soft displacement of atmosphere. The device looked even cruder than she remembered. It had been hastily assembled using standard human technology, the components held together more by hope than proper engineering.
"This thing was barely functional, wasn't it?" she said, picking up the prototype with workshop tools assistance and immediately noting its limitations. "I was so focused on distracting myself that I completely ignored visual and practical requirements."
//The original design prioritised rapid demonstration over practical deployment capability. Now that proof-of-concept has been established, improved development becomes feasible.//
"Exactly." Tanya set the prototype aside and pulled up a fresh design interface. "Time to build this the right way. Starting with the question: what would an actual automated beacon layer look like?"
She began sketching, but instead of the bulky system she'd originally envisioned, a different concept took shape. Small, unique, purpose-built for independent operation. Not a retrofit to an existing ship, but a dedicated platform designed from the ground up.
"A drone," she said, excitement building as the design took shape. "Not some massive vessel, but a compact automated system that can operate independently for months." It had always been the plan, but she had got ahead of herself and convinced herself of all the other alternatives. Focus is what she needed now.
The concept flowed naturally from everything she'd learned about modular design and resource efficiency. The core housed the fabrication systems, with modular sections for resource collection, sensor deployment, and extended-range navigation. Small enough to be mass-produced, sophisticated enough to operate autonomously across interstellar distances. The lack of a pilot meant no need for a cockpit or life support. All those bulky systems could be removed.
"This could work," she murmured, refining the proportions. The ship was barely five meters across – tiny but packed with functionality. "Resource collection here, fabrication bay there, sensor storage magazine here." It had been created so that it could quickly be reloaded with dimensional sensors. Tanya believes she could create supply depots for them to reload automatically. She was getting excited about the design.
//Design philosophy appears sound. However, the compact form factor will limit operational capabilities.//
"That's fine. We're not trying to build a miracle here, just a reliable system that does one job well." She began specifying components, drawing from the workshop's vast library of fabrication templates. "Deploy beacons, collect resources for construction, and maintain communication with base stations. Simple, focused, achievable."
It took multiple design sessions, but with the help of the workshop's simulators and design software, a final configuration emerged. All that was left was to build it.
The fabrication systems came to life as she fed raw materials into the molecular assemblers. This time, she took her time with each component, ensuring correct tolerances and redundant safety systems. The ship's hull grew slowly; its surface dotted with sensor ports and collection bays. There was no special feeling this time, nothing that suggested she would achieve the quantum enhancements that had blessed the Vanguard. It would have been helpful, if only to gain more understanding of that phenomenon, but she was learning to work within normal parameters.
"You know," she said, watching the internal fabrication bay take shape, "this same basic design could be adapted for other purposes. Resource collection, deep space survey work, even..." She paused, considering whether she wanted to voice the thought. "Even minelaying, if someone wanted to use it that way."
//Mine deployment would be impractical with this configuration,// Sage observed. //The fabrication speed and deployment rate are optimised for beacon construction, not tactical weapons placement. Additionally, the drone's maximum speed would be insufficient for military applications.//
"Good point. Too slow to be practical for combat use." She returned her attention to the beacon-specific systems, installing the dimensional sensor array that would let the drone detect its position in both real space and the vortex dimensions. "Better to keep it focused on its intended purpose anyway."
The sensor systems came together beautifully—twenty miniature dimensional detectors for the test run that could map local space-time and vortex topology using coordinate systems only she could decode. Each sensor was quantum-entangled with the drone's communication array, allowing real-time data transmission across vast distances.
"This is what proper engineering feels like," Tanya said with satisfaction, watching the final assembly sequences complete themselves. "Every component has a clear purpose, and every system integrates logically with the others. Just solid design principles applied consistently."
//The drone represents a significant advancement over your original prototype while remaining within achievable technical parameters. An excellent balance of capability and complexity.//
The completed drone sat in her workshop, its surface gleaming under the workshop lights. Barely larger than a personal transport, but packed with sophisticated systems that could operate independently for months. Resource collection arms folded neatly against its hull, while the fabrication bay's access panels revealed glimpses of molecular assemblers and quantum processors.
"You know exactly what you're supposed to do, don't you?" she said to the drone, checking the final status indicators. "No trying to be more than you are. You have one job and you will do it well." She then walked to the console to add some finishing touches.
"Flight plan next," she said, pulling up the navigation interface. "Nothing too ambitious for the first test. Maybe five beacon deployments across local space and vortex space, with full resource collection and autonomous fabrication."
She traced potential routes through the Eden system, identifying asteroids for material collection and optimal placement sites for the beacon network. The planned mission would take at least a month, testing every aspect of the automated system while building a functional infrastructure.
"Conservative parameters," she said, finalising the mission profile. "Test the resource collection systems, verify autonomous fabrication, confirm beacon deployment procedures, and validate long-range communication."
//Mission scope appears comprehensive while remaining within acceptable risk parameters. All primary systems will receive a thorough evaluation.//
"Exactly what we need." Tanya uploaded the flight plan to the drone's navigation core, watching as its internal systems processed the route and began pre-flight preparations. "A suitable test of the engineered systems. Now I just need to focus on the black box required to navigate the beacon network."
The plan would give her one month to create the navigation system, but that was a sequential task she was confident about tackling. One project at a time, correctly executed.
She powered up the drone's systems, pleased by the smooth startup sequence and quiet efficiency of its operations. The weeks of frantic multi-tasking had taught her valuable lessons about her own limitations. Red's prosthetic would have to wait until she properly understood neural interfaces. The beacon network controls could be addressed after the infrastructure was proven. Everything in its proper order.
"Plant one row at a time," she murmured, echoing her father's wisdom as she gave the final launch authorisation.
Off you go then," she said, giving the hull a gentle pat. "Time to plant some beacons and see what grows."
With a shimmer of workshop systems, the drone was teleported to upper orbit before setting off on its mission. Through the workshop connections to the drone's computer, she watched it accelerate smoothly toward its first objective, every system functioning exactly as designed.
She left the lab and returned to her main office to update Amara on her progress, but she came across the unexpected sight of her mother, Amara, and Valentina gardening in front of her company's office. It was surprising to see the two normally straight-laced and intense women working with their hands, dirt under their fingernails and genuine smiles on their faces.
Tanya looked over at Red, who was watching his wife with obvious contentment. "Coming here has done wonders for her mental health," he said quietly. "She was a military lawyer back home. Found that job incredibly stressful. I have to thank you for giving her a job."
Tanya was surprised at the news but happy. She reminded herself she would need to focus more when reading the briefing from now on.
He chuckled softly. "That's actually how we met. She had to defend me when I got myself into a bit of trouble on rec leave. Turns out bar fights look much worse on the security holo in military court than they do in the actual bar."
Tanya's mother noticed her and called her over to help with the gardening. "I'm giving these two a lesson on companion planting," she explained, gesturing to the neat rows they were working on. "Making sure the plants work together instead of competing for resources."
"Like what?" Amara asked, brushing soil from her hands with obvious satisfaction.
"Well, these tomatoes and basil, for instance," Tanya's mother said, pointing to adjacent rows. "The basil repels pests that would attack the tomatoes, and the tomatoes provide shade that keeps the basil from bolting in the heat. They're better together than apart."
Valentina looked up from the seedlings she was planting. "It's fascinating how complex these relationships can be. In the military, we're taught to think in terms of hierarchy and command structure. But this is more like... ecosystem thinking."
"Exactly!" Tanya's mother beamed. "Every plant has something to offer and something it needs. The trick is finding the right combinations."
"I wish corporate negotiations worked the same way," Amara said dryly. "Usually, everyone's trying to take more than they give."
"Maybe that's why they fail so often," Tanya's mother replied with a knowing smile. "Competition has its place, but cooperation usually produces better results in the long run."
Tanya found herself relaxing as she helped plant the neat rows, the simple rhythm of digging and planting unexpectedly soothing. It was a surprisingly peaceful afternoon, and she was glad to see people getting along so well. It had been a good day with her prototype travelling around the system.
The next morning, Tanya decided to take the next couple of days off to clear her head and meet some friends in town. She had arranged to have brunch with several of her old school friends at the Riverside Café, the same place where she'd met Ian on that awkward blind date.
"Tanya!" Rachel called out as she approached the table. "Look at you, all successful and fancy!"
"I'm not fancy," Tanya protested, settling into her chair. "I'm just... busy."
"Busy building spaceships," added Michael, grinning. "That's pretty fancy in my book."
Poor Red looked uncomfortable throughout the meal, clearly struggling with how to maintain security while she socialised in familiar, supposedly safe environments. He had positioned himself at a nearby table with a clear view of the exits, but Tanya could see him trying to blend in while obviously being a large, alert man with military bearing.
"Is that your bodyguard?" Rachel whispered conspiratorially.
"Security consultant," Tanya corrected. "It's a business precaution."
"Must be some business," Michael said, glancing over at Red with obvious curiosity.
After brunch, they walked through Riverside Park, the same place where she'd played as a child and later tested her model rockets. The conversation flowed easily between old friends, covering everything from job changes to relationship updates to speculation about who from their graduating class would be the first to have kids.
"Remember when you built that launcher and the pumpkin nearly took out Mrs. Henderson's chicken coop?" Rachel laughed, pointing toward the field where the incident had occurred.
"That was a navigation error, not a design flaw," Tanya protested, though she was grinning at the memory. "And I did fix her fence afterwards."
"Your parents made you fix her fence," Michael corrected. "And apologise to every chicken individually for scaring them."
They settled on the benches by the pond, watching the imported waterfowl that were part of Eden-Five's carefully balanced ecosystem. Red maintained his discreet distance, but Tanya could see him gradually relaxing as the afternoon wore on without incident.
"It's good to see you again," Rachel said as they prepared to part ways. "Don't let success make you forget where you came from."
"Never," Tanya replied, meaning it. "This is still home."
Walking back to the farm that evening, Tanya felt the last of the tension drain from her shoulders. The drone was out there doing its work, her family and friends were settling into their new normal, and she had a month to tackle the black box navigation system at her own pace.
One project at a time.