19 A small funeral and returning to Earth

By the request of the captain, the android's body, alongside it's core was transported to the maintenance bay of the ship, where both of them were hooked up to a temporary power source. At the same time Natra made the necessary preparations for the funeral of officer Levon. First he wanted to place the body into a torpedo, then shoot it into outer space, however this idea was quickly aborted due to concerns of it landing on another probably inhabited planet.

In the end Natra whipped out the mining laser, and dug a large hole near the inner edge of the crater to serve as a final resting place for their comrade, using the beacon he brought as a makeshift gravestone, forever broadcasting the location of the place. Still not wanting to give up on his idea, the captain made a compromise by hollowing out a torpedo to serve as a coffin, a tradition usually reserved for high ranking officers of a given ship.

As Helena's team still hasn't returned, and Dr. Ming being busy with looting everything that wasn't nailed to the ground, the duty of administering the final respects fell to the one in charge, which in itself was a simple process, beginning with the placement of the marker, and ending with a minute long silence while saluting to the fallen one. Fulfilling his part, Natra respectfully bowed to the grave, then turned around only to see Helena and Erina returning in the distance.

Their timing was perfect, as the captain had a small task for both of them, namely the loading of the moonrover - or to be more precise it's frame - into the cargo bay. It wasn't anything important in the grand scheme of things, serving more like as a kind of passion project for the entertainment of Natra. From just the looks of the frame, he could very well keep himself entertained for weeks, as almost every part was missing from the vehicle, meaning he could tinker with it to his heart's content.

Already envisioning a miniature hover tank, Natra couldn't wait to be alone with that piece of scrap. However they still had tasks to complete, both for the Guild and High Command, so the first thing he did was to type the name of Renna into the navigation computer.

According to the clock, back on the planet it was already nighttime, and not wanting to lose any sleep, the captain this time left the flight to the A.I., while he was bathing in his private bathroom, for a moment unburdened by any form of responsibility.

Well unburdened, except for the fact that he still didn't sent any data back home since it was requested, and it wasn't even sorted or categorized. First they had to send the scans of the maps and books they had purchased back in Danamar. Then there was the information provided by Erina about the various lifeforms on the planet. And finally they had to look through the mouantins of data they found on the moon, alongside a report about their actions there. Just the thought of this made the bath less comfortable, so the captain desperately looked for a way to relieve himself

Suddenly realizing something he stood up from the bath, quickly running to his room, leaving a mix of water, shower gel, and some light chemical solvants on the ground, leading from the bathtub to his desk, from where he took out a phone, and after returning to tub, attempted to connect to the internet.

And a few minutes of trying later.... success. The guys at home really thought about everything thought the captain, as he began browsing the news. As expected he couldn't find anything about their top-secret mission.

Thinking about their next move Natra stepped out of the bath, now properly drying himself, went towards his dressing cabinet, while carefully dodging the small robots cleaning the floor, soon finding his pajamas. It was a two piece set, made out of synthetic fabric. Both pieces were deep blue, with the shirt having the word "Vanguard" sewed onto the upper-right portion of it, almost looking like a badge. Feeling a bit tired from the day the captain checked the security monitors one last time, before finally turning off the lights, and going to sleep for the rest of the day.

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A few hours later the Vanguard broke through the atmosphere, and adjusted it's course towards the town of Renna.

A day later the crew was welcomed by a very familiar sight. It was a great plateau with a small patch of trees and a rundown mansion. Same as last time, the ship landed on top of it, from which a great city could be seen with large stone walls.

The arrangements of the crew were almost the same as last time, except for two things.

First Helena and Erina decided to ditch their previous gear in favour of the newly built space suits, which despite the name were capable of doubling as combat attires. Of course Natra objected at first, but was soon forced to compromise, only adding some armor plating to the already protective getup.

This time they left the helmets behind, opting for the usual visor devices. Erina was also wearing her robe, creating a strange, yet well working combo. Their armaments didn't change a bit.

Natra didn't change his armor or weapons even a bit, only taking the money they earned with him.

As for consumables, all three of them received a large field medical kit, five stun- and five lethal grenades, plus some water and rations. Helena was also carrying the letter they needed to deliver, safely stored in an armored cassette carried on her person at all times. All of these were placed in standardized military backpacks, as using more advanced storage methods was still unnecessary.

If everything went as calculated, they had just about three and a half day left to complete the quest including travel time.