Amara arrived at the office workshop carrying a tablet and wearing the expression of someone who'd spent the morning wrestling with corporate bureaucracy into submission. Behind her, a delivery truck was backing up to the workshop entrance, its cargo bay clearly marked with M23 Reactor Systems logos.
"The good news is that the attention your beacon idea had generated has actually helped with some of our business arrangements," she announced, consulting her tablet. "I've reached a lease agreement with M23 Reactor Systems.A top-of-the-line civilian fusion reactors, hefty monthly fee, but you'll have the option to buy them outright when you sell the atmospheric surfer."
"That's fantastic news," Tanya said, her mood improving immediately. "I was worried about the power requirements."
"Your design is so power-hungry that you need the best of the best fusion reactors," Amara noted with dry amusement. "We definitely didn't have the funds to purchase it outright, so I'm glad I could work my magic."
As if summoned by the mention of power systems, Janet appeared in the workshop doorway. Behind her, Red was supervising the arrival of a second delivery, except this one was in a plain grey crate with military serial numbers and security seals that definitely didn't match those of the civilian reactor shipment.
"Speaking of power solutions," Janet said with casual confidence, "I managed to source something that might be even better."
Amara's expression shifted immediately, her business instincts recognising potential complications. "What exactly is 'something better'?"
"Military-grade compact fusion reactor," Janet replied, patting the unmarked crate. "Higher output, better efficiency, designed for combat operations. Someone owed me a favor."
The temperature in the workshop seemed to drop several degrees. Amara stared at the military crate, then at Janet, then back at the crate with the kind of expression usually reserved for discovering unexploded ordnance in your garden. Tanya had warned Amara that Janet was also seeking a reactor, but she guessed Amara didn't take it seriously.
"We're not going military," Amara said firmly. "If we do, we can't sell this thing widely. Export controls, licensing restrictions, Trexlor optics. It would be a nightmare."
"It's just a reactor," Janet said, though her tone suggested she understood the implications perfectly well.
"How did you get this onto Eden-Five?" Amara asked, her voice carrying the dangerous calm of someone trying very hard to remain professional.
"Someone owed me a favor," Janet repeated, offering no apology and no bravado as if it was obvious that answered everything.
Red, who had been quietly overseeing the deliveries, cleared his throat. "We only spotted the crate at the outer perimeter checkpoint. It was already through most of our security by then."
Amara's real concern became clear. "If we can't see that coming, who else is already inside our perimeter?"
The workshop fell silent. This wasn't about the reactor anymore but about a security breach that none of them had anticipated. Tanya also wondered how she had smuggled it onto the planet.
"I didn't smuggle anything," Janet said, bristling at the implied accusation. "Everything was properly documented through appropriate channels."
"Which channels?" Amara pressed. "I need a complete chain of custody."
"I'm not burning a source," Janet replied flatly.
Cameron, sensing the tension escalating, tried to defuse the situation with a technical analysis. "From an engineering standpoint, the military unit would solve our power density requirements more efficiently—"
"Not the point," Amara cut him off, still focused on Janet.
Tanya stepped between them, her voice carrying the unmistakable authority of someone who'd had enough. "We table this. I'll handle it with Janet later. Make sure you're able to seal up the weakness" She looked directly at her business manager. "Full audit after fabrication. Right now, we build."
Amara shifted gears with the practised ease of someone who knew when to pick battles. "Fine. But we're using the civilian reactors." She gestured toward the legitimate delivery. "Speaking of which, the materials shipment also arrived. Aluminum Oxynitride and graphene wrapping material. Are these really going to survive the pressure and chemistry you're planning to subject them to?"
Tanya nodded enthusiastically. "ALON is incredibly hard and heat-resistant, perfect for crushing pressures. The graphene wrap makes the cockpit chemically inert and protects against abrasive particles that would otherwise make the transparency cloudy over time. This also means shielding only needs to be turned on later"
"The ALON alone costs more than most people's houses," Amara noted with a slight wince.
"Visibility is the point," Tanya replied. "No view, no surf. Half the appeal is being able to see the incredible environments you're flying through."
With the civilian power systems secured, materials delivered, and the military reactor diplomatically sidelined, Tanya felt the familiar anticipation of beginning construction. The Trexlor Ship Show deadline loomed, but everything was finally in place.
Tanya settled into her pre-fabrication ritual, sitting cross-legged on the workshop floor. Eyes closed, she visualised the exact build order, identifying components that would be difficult to fit and the precise sequence needed to avoid interference. She mentally catalogued tools, cross-referenced design decisions, and let her consciousness expand to feel the materials waiting nearby.
This wasn't just engineering anymore; it was communion between creator and creation, transforming raw materials into something that had never existed before.
She entered that perfect state where time bent around her work and every movement felt precisely right. Starting with basic structural components, she found herself rebuilding every piece until it felt perfect.
"You're being quite particular about that strut," Cameron observed, watching her disassemble and reconstruct the same support beam for the fourth time.
"It needs to be right," Tanya murmured, running her hands along the metal. "Not just functionally correct, but harmonious. The whole ship has to work together like a symphony."
The quantum enhancement happened almost unconsciously as she aligned molecular structures through pure intuition. Each component needed to complement the others, creating a unified whole greater than the sum of its parts.
The modified vortex engine integration was the most delicate work. The alignment with the wing assemblies required microscopic precision. One degree off, and the shields would shear under atmospheric pressure. Its shape had been programmed to minimise power usage, so there was little room for error.
She spent extra time on the control systems, ensuring they gave just the right amount of haptic feedback so pilots would feel complete mastery. The hull received obsessive attention with every curve made perfect, every surface flawless. This was a statement piece that needed to feel unmistakably high-class.
"You're treating this like art," Janet observed, watching her spend an entire day perfecting the wing assemblies' subtle sweep.
"Because it is art," Tanya replied, stepping back to admire her work. "Anyone can build a ship that flies. I'm building something that inspires."
The transparent cockpit was the final, most anxiety-inducing component. The ALON and graphene materials were too expensive to waste they had no recycling safety net, first-try perfection required.
Working with atomic-level precision, she shaped the transparent dome that would protect pilots while providing unobstructed views of atmospheric wonders. The ALON formed like liquid crystal under her guidance, harder than steel but clear as perfect glass. The graphene wrapping sealed seamlessly around the outside, creating a surface that would resist any chemical attack.
When she sealed the last connection and stepped back, the entire ship seemed to vibrate with contained energy. The quantum-enhanced hull glowed softly under workshop lights, and shield generators purred with barely audible frequencies.
//Naming ceremony required for operational deployment,// Sage announced with genuine anticipation.
Tanya placed her hand on the ship's nose, feeling the warm response of quantum-enhanced materials. A name came from somewhere deep in her subconscious, feeling right in a way she couldn't explain.
"I name you Avdrulla Stela," she said formally. "May you dance among the stars and return safely home."
The ship's systems vibrated in acknowledgment, and she could swear the hull brightened momentarily in response.
//Interesting designation choice. Where did that name originate?//
"I'm not sure," Tanya said, surprised by her own words. "It just felt right. Why?"
//'Avdrulla Stela' derives from the insectoid language in your recent dimensional interface lesson. Translation: 'The One Who Dares.' This correlation is unexpected.//
Tanya stared at the ship, wondering how she'd unconsciously pulled a name from an alien language encountered in virtual lessons. "Is that normal?"
//Assessment: exceptional craftsmanship achieved. Construction quality demonstrates A-standard for a Stage 1 Shipwright. Most impressive.//
"A-?" Tanya asked, feeling simultaneously proud and curious. "And what's Stage 1?"
//Grade reduction due to lack of interstellar travel capabilities. A deliberate design choice rather than a technical limitation, but also a missed opportunity. Stage 1 represents the true start of being a shipwright. You have exceeded your current classification parameters.//
She filed questions about staging systems for later private discussion with Sage. Right now, standing before the completed Avdrulla Stela, she felt the familiar satisfaction of having built something extraordinary. Cameron and Janet were in awe of the ship
Cameron stood transfixed, his eyes taking in every detail of the completed ship. The way the quantum-enhanced hull seemed to breathe with inner light, the perfect integration of systems that should have been incompatible, the sheer elegance of form following function. "I've spent years working with crystal artifacts," he said quietly, "but I've never seen them respond like that. It's like the ship is actually working with the shield drive."
Janet circled the Avdrulla Stela slowly, her expression shifting from curiosity to genuine wonder. She'd seen plenty of ships before some alien and some human, built for efficiency over beauty, but this was something entirely different. The ship didn't just look functional, but looked like it belonged in a museum, a piece of sculpture that happened to fly. "It's gorgeous," she said softly, running her fingers along the hull's quantum-enhanced surface. "I mean, really gorgeous. Like someone took the idea of flight and made it into poetry." She stepped back, shaking her head in amazement. "I've never seen anything that looks so... alive. How does metal look like it's breathing?"