The subtle tilting and corrections kept going for several seconds, long enough for Lana to worry that the landing gear might actually sink lower than the maximum length of the struts, keeping them at a permanent tilt until they took off again.
She wasn't the only one worried about that, apparently. “Nice landing, old man,” Barix said sarcastically. “Unreclaimed waste, did you set us down in a bog?”
Aiden snapped back defensively. “I was touching down through Level 5 atmospherics without the help of a global weather monitoring system. I'm not an AI.”
“Funny, I was going to say even Fix could've landed this tub better than you.” The Ishivi paused for a beat, then added slyly. “Or Pilot.”
Lana didn't see what the insult was there, since the captain was a pilot, but the older man gritted his teeth at that and coldly ignored him. Although in spite of his protests he did look a bit embarrassed by the landing.
Thankfully the tilting finally stopped, and the ship leveled out for good. Aiden swiftly unbuckled his harness and stood. “Well, if you're planning on coming, come on then.”
Dax nodded and unbuckled with smooth efficiency, then helped Lana get free of her harness. On the other side of the bridge, the twins both grumbled about how once you've been to Callous there's nothing new to see, so they might as well spend the time in full immersion doing something they at least enjoyed.
In spite of that, as Aiden strode out of the bridge with Ali beside him the two Ishivi followed, with Dax and Lana trailing behind. They made their way all the way back through the ship to the cargo bay, where Aiden palmed the plate to open the ramp. Then they all gathered atop it, waiting for the mechanism to lower.
As it did, the planet's air rushed in around them and Lana inhaled deeply. It had a different smell and taste to it than what she'd experienced in the Homeworld immersion. More . . . earthy, with a hint of pungency. Beside her, Barix mimicked her deep breath, then let it out in a disgusted whoosh. “Ah, just breathe in that fresh dairy air.” His nose wrinkled. “By which I mean it smells like as-”
“Fertilizer and livestock,” Ali cut in calmly. “As you'd expect from an agrarian colony.”
“I imagine you're used to the smell, what with your nose always firmly planted up the Captain's exhaust port,” the Ishivi called over his shoulder, wandering down the ramp while it was still several inches above the ground. “I wonder if one of the more enterprising hayseeds has finally gotten around to opening up a whorehouse on this fertilizer-and-livestock-hole.” He hopped off and disappeared around the side of the ship.
Aiden was down the ramp the moment it thumped onto the grassy field, the others close behind. Lana hesitantly followed, noticing that even though it was late at night going by their time, the planet's sun shone brightly beyond the edge of the ramp, cutting a sharp line where the hull shaded them.
Halfway down she was able to see the grassy field surrounding the ship, and the humble buildings stretching away beyond it. A crowd was forming at the edge of the field, starting to trickle onto the grass, with adults gathering in clumps while children ran ahead towards the ship, laughing and cheering and waving their arms over their heads.
Lana couldn't help but smile at the sight of them; she hadn't seen children before, aside from pictures and videos with them in the ship's databanks. They seemed far more alive and energetic in person.
The colonists were all dressed in simple clothes in a dizzying variety, and nearly as dizzying were the variety of colors. The adults approaching in a group behind the excited children were smiling and seemed friendly enough, but even so when Lana reached the bottom of the ramp she paused.
Her disastrous visit to Midpoint was hard to forget, and while this place seemed nothing like that she still felt a bit of trepidation. After all, there were dozens of people approaching; what if they decided not to be friendly after all?
The captain had seemed ready to make right for the crowd to greet them, but he paused when he noticed Lana was no longer following. “Coming?” he asked gently, understanding in his piercing green eyes.
Lana hesitated, looking at the approaching crowd with wide eyes. “Should I, um, stay close to you? In case there are slavers?”
Aiden chuckled, returning to rest a comforting hand on her shoulder. “There are no slavers on Callous. Not much crime of any sort, aside from the occasional mischievous kid sneaking produce off a neighbor's tree, or the even more rare feuding neighbors.”
He gestured at the assembled people in their simple but colorful clothes. “You could walk from one end of this colony to the other at any time of day, alone and stark naked and carrying a sackful of chits, and no one would bother you aside from to ask if you needed help, or to offer their greetings and wish you a nice day.”
“I think she'd at least draw a few odd looks if she was walking around naked among these backwards prudes,” Belix said with a sniff. Then she grinned wickedly and patted Lana's cheek. “Probably more than a few, considering your looks. Although I doubt any of the yokels would be complaining, at least until their wives started smacking them upside the head.”
Lana felt her cheeks heating, and was grateful when the captain gave the elfin woman a stern look to shut her up. “My point is, you're perfectly safe here,” he said firmly. “These are good people, and most of them are good friends.”
Aiden continued forward, hefting a heavy satchel he'd brought with him from the cargo bay on one shoulder, while the others trailed behind. Lana stuck with the group, letting the
