To reach the small moon of Dactyl, travelers must first acquire proper paperwork and approval on the asteroid Ida. This is because Dactyl is such a small colony and because both Ida and Dactyl suffer from impact cratering, with frequent bombardment of smaller rocks and debris, making it somewhat hazardous. Travel is approved within safe travel windows along designated routes. For a ship like The Pharaoh, with a full complement of shields, we would have more travel windows open to us.

  I was once again traveling as @wrench, the paper and dirt merchant. We positioned The Pharaoh as an expedited small shipment carrier, ideally suited for less than load (LTL) shipments that would not fill a freighter or a large cargo vessel like Flipper. Small dirt shipments were irregular, so we scheduled an official delivery of paper for Dactyl.

  Lucky for us, the Alliance Starmada had provided dirt and paper in our cargo hold as part of the mission inventory, mainly in case we were inspected, but we had sufficient paper to fulfill a small order.

  The Pharaoh danced a winding course into Ida along the Townsend Dorsum ridge, allowing us to take in the distinct landscape of Ida. We flew in over Region 1, where there were no major craters, just regolith layers of pulverized rock coating the surface, with some more minor dips here and there, like an ocean of stone. This was where the majority of Ida's population lived, where there was less fear from impacts.

  The flight pattern I followed gave us a beautiful view of the lights coming off of the populous structures from the inhabitants in Region 1, where they had erected sturdy buildings designed to ward off incoming rock and debris. We flew in low, giving us a close-up of the mountain range. Most importantly, our flight route was free from immediate impact threats.

  We were heading to the Mammoth crater in Region 2, so after we flew over the Townsend Dorsum ridge, I piloted us away from the mountainous range. We swung to the solar west, taking in spectacular views of the contrasting deep craters in Region 2, the cratered side of Ida.

  Authorities were particular about Region 2. There were settlements in some of the larger craters, like Lascaux, but most of Region 2 was zoned for trade and commerce. Region 2 was an area for businesses, mining operations, warehouses, and it was the primary landing zone for anyone seeking entrance to Dactyl or Region 1.

  I eased The Pharaoh over the ridge of Mammoth crater and dipped us down to the landing zone. At first glance, it looked like a labyrinth of colored walls and platforms, but the bowl shape of Mammoth was well organized to allow for as many safe routes in and out of Ida as possible.

  Ida was a major trade hub and highly traversed. Several thousand asteroids were in the Koronis family, Ida being one of them, in the outer part of the asteroid belt. Being in the outer portion meant that the area had some Outer System Alliance settlements, unlike near-Earth asteroids (NEA) such as Eros. Ida, therefore, tried to take a neutral position, leaning into solar-system-wide authorities that both sides agreed to recognize.

  The Koronis family's position in the asteroid belt meant that it was a key sector for trade between the Union and Alliance factions. The war had gone on for centuries, both in a military sense and a trade sense. Commerce played a significant role. By coming to Dactyl, we essentially found ourselves at the transition point into Solar Union space. Many battles had been fought here among the Koronis family asteroids.

  With a ceasefire and peace talks underway, merchants were flooding the region under the promise of safe passage. This helped us blend in. We were just another ship, a small one by comparison, here for an expedited shipment.

  Now that we had two humans on board, I made a point to ensure they both stayed on the ship, and I programmed Rufus and Doofus to accompany them. Rufus went with @bitchfrog. Doofus went with John, whom we now knew as @dustcaller.

  "Prepare for inspection," I ordered the crew.

  I wasn't too concerned, but we needed to run through the ship and make sure there were no visible weapons or equipment other than what a trade ship would carry. This was standard Vanquisher procedure. They would likely ask more questions about us than our ship and cargo.

  I had to head down to talk with the 4C authority in the landing zone. I managed to snag a moment with @auroraloon before meeting with them and bringing the inspection party on board.

  She was at a workbench in the back of the ship, trying to manufacture clothes with the fabricator pen, something that was possible but not easy for anything bigger than a coffee mug. The place smelled a bit like burning plastic. She was refilling one of the atomic cartridges to have another go at the left sleeve when I found her.

  "How did you snag @dustcaller?" I asked. "And if I may ask, why?"

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  @names have a marketplace. Simple and popular names were expensive if they were up for sale. @dustcaller surprised me, but it seemed random enough. It was probably an expensive @name.

  @auroraloon didn't look up from her work as she answered. "I have a contact with the Dustborn group on Itokawa. He tipped me off a while back that they were going to be disbanding and selling off names to fund a relocation for some of the group. Private sales don't require as much paperwork. They're still a few months out, but I was able to snag this one."

  "They're disbanding?"

  I wondered what James and the Hollow Kings could tell me about that, and if they had anything to do with it.

  "Yep." She grimaced, inspecting the shirt to find that the left sleeve was slightly longer. It was a simple black v-neck shirt. I could tell she was trying to conserve material and using the cartridges we had the most of, so that she could actually finish the design.

  "Won't that just draw more attention to him?" I asked. I gestured to the shirt. "That's better than I could do, by the way."

  "You'd think it would," she explained, "but any hits on @dustcaller and they would need to wonder if it was really him or a holdover from the Dustborn. He should be able to say that it wasn't him, and we'll make sure his record reflects that. That also gives him some flexibility. He'll end up with two authentication methods: one that uses the clean identity and one that uses the dusty identity."

  She laughed at her own pun, then presented me with her new shirt, holding it up for me to see it better. "I suck at this. Do you think anyone will notice?"

  "Only if they look at you from the front or back," I chuckled.

  "You're dumb, and I hate you." She put the shirt back down on the workbench and tossed the fabricator in a little drawer, apparently content with her ill-fitted creation. "I wish I had my Infiltrator uniform. It can shift to emulate other clothes, and it self-cleans."

  "I didn't know they self-cleaned," I said. "I wonder if I could get approval for one."

  @auroraloon laughed at me. "You need to ask for approval?"

  I shrugged. "I don't know, I guess. I'm still kind of new to this."

  "Yeah, I figured."

  She was irritating, but apparently, I liked to be teased. Dangle a string of yarn and us kitties will go after it even if you pull it away.

  "You planning to stay with us for a bit then?" I pointed at the shirt. "I mean, you've got your pirate jumpsuit, a few things from @bitchfrog. What else could you need?"

  She leaned back against the workbench and crossed her arms. "I'm staying with @dustcaller, to be clear, not with you. But thank you for the invitation. I need to keep him safe until I figure out what to do with him. For now, this is the place, but that's just because we're here already. And @bitchfrog's clothes are too big on me."

  Fair enough. I was a little hurt. I thought that I shared a bit of responsibility now in keeping @dustcaller safe. It wasn't just her mission anymore, and I hoped she understood that.

  "I get it," I said, "but our entire crew is here to help."

  I said our in the hopes of planting a seed that perhaps she would consider herself a part of the crew. Along with that, I knew I had to give her more autonomy and privacy on The Pharaoh.

  "I know you don't want to talk about it," I went on. "So, we won't, but I know you're going off script. I'm back to doing my Alliance Starmada mission. You're just starting to not do your Solar Union mission. It's stressful. I won't pester you as you work through that."

  @auroraloon didn't appear as though she expected me to say that. She looked awkwardly at me. Then she nodded with a quick "thanks" and turned her attention back to her shirt.

  "Turn around," she directed. "I want to try it on."

  I checked my clock. I needed to get going to meet with the 4C authorities.

  "Sure, but make it quick. I've got to get out there."

  "Did you turn?"

  Shit. I hadn't. I turned around to face the other workstation. We had two back in this little workshop. It wasn't much, but it was enough for a Vanquisher.

  "Done," I said.

  I heard the rustling of fabric, followed by a soft phump as the yellow You Make Me Smile shirt landed on my head. I pulled it off, feeling its warmth, catching its burnt plastic scent, and waited to turn back.

  "Okay … tell me what you think."

  I thought she was a badass motherfucker who had surprised me by putting the people of our solar system ahead of her own faction. I thought she was appropriately selfish when needed and capable of making tough decisions. I thought she was a survivor. I questioned whether I could defeat her if we had to fight a proper battle. And I questioned whether I would be willing to fight her if it came to that, Solar Union vs. Outer System Alliance, or if she would fight me.

  The shirt itself was kind of atrocious, but @auroraloon somehow made the awkward design look attractive on her. Not only did it have a longer left sleeve, but the v-neck was offset so that it was lower on the right side of her chest. The bottom was also short and uneven, cutting off just above her waistline. That was either on purpose or simply because she was going to run out of cartridges. I didn't think it was on purpose.

  What did I think?

  "I think you're an exceptional Infiltrator," I remarked, not bothering to say the second part, that she was an awful seamstress.

  Her eyes bugged at me, and she opened her mouth as she smiled, taken by my phrasing. "Truth by omission!"

  She laughed and slapped me on my arm, grabbing the yellow t-shirt from my hands as she passed by, off to do who knows what. "You can just tell me I suck, you know. I can take it."

  "I think you should make t-shirts for the entire crew," I called after her. "They can call us Team Accident."

  She turned around and flicked me off, just like I expected.

  Then she bumped backwards into the doorframe and cursed, holding her right arm to her chest. Served her right.

  "Don't forget you owe me a proper duel," I reminded her. "Unless you've changed your mind and believe I can hold my own in a fist-fight."

  She just laughed at me and disappeared around the corner. I guess that meant we still had a fight coming. I couldn't wait. I was in a fantastic mood when I met the 4C authority to get us set for our trip to Dactyl.