Feeling sufficiently caffeinated, Sorcha decided to get to her feet and take a stroll. Sitting alone in the crew commons wasn't going to do anything for her state of mind, and exploring the ship seemed agreeable enough for the next twenty minutes.

Not that there was much to explore, of course. This was an OSA Fleet Support Vessel, a small, agile ship designed to quickly transport personnel and equipment to emergency situations. The corridors were cramped, and heavy with the smells of various crew members; Sorcha's sensitive nose picked up the thick, slightly fishy funk of Dog and spicy Fox aroma among several others. She couldn't wait to get onto a larger craft and breathe some slightly fresher recycled air.

As she walked along the corridor leading from the commons, her ears rotated and twitched as they picked up sounds; chief among those was the sound of somebody singing. Female, and with the growly quality of a Dog's voice. Sorcha strolled to a stop opposite a doorway leading to one of the FSV's equipment bays, where one of the engineers was working on a piece of equipment. From the evidence gathered thus far, and from the muzzle sticking out from under a clunky protection visor, Sorcha identified the worker as Naoko Wilbur. The mutt had a pair of headphones over her pointed ears, and she was yelling along to whatever song was playing through them. Sorcha moved into the bay and peered at what Naoko was doing; she had popped a panel from the equipment and was working on the electrical connections inside.

Naoko pounded a paw on the casing of the machinery as she continued to howl. "Don't you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me! I said 'you're holding back', she said 'shut up and dance with me'! This woman is my destiny, she said 'oh oh oh, shut up and dance with...'" She turned toward the tool box on the deck beside her, probably to grab a tool, and noticed Sorcha. "...Hey." She doffed her headphones and licked her muzzle. "Just listening to some classical music." A lopsided smile spread across it. "Didja think of a question?"

Sorcha smiled a crafty vulpine smile. She had questions, all right. She stepped a little closer. "What's the name of the original solar blasting charge?"

Naoko paused, lifting her visor. "Uh..."

Sorcha sighed. "Don't you know?"

The Dog suddenly brightened. "The Ackham-Moller Solar Blasting Charge," she yapped.

Sorcha felt a cool rush of relief at that. "What is the main element in its core?"

"Libandium," Naoko responded.

Sorcha nodded. "Good. What element in the original AMSBC did it replace?"

"Cantralite."

Sorcha found herself grinning widely. "What principle is the reaction of the collective charges, the reaction that reignites a dead sun, governed by?"

Naoko let out a joyful laugh. She was enjoying this, Sorcha knew. "The Layton Effect."

"Okay. And finally, what is the difference between solar blasting and the Daybreak project?" Sorcha asked her.

"The first is for reactivating dead stars," Naoko replied after a short pause. "The second, which is much more recent, is for reactivating dying stars."

Sorcha chortled, amused by Naoko's enthusiasm and her own misgivings. "That's right."

Naoko laughed happily. Her ears rotated toward the door, and she looked in that direction, followed by Sorcha. The white Cat, Bryce, was coming in. "Hey," he mewled to Sorcha before turning to Naoko. "Yo, Voltage Girl."

Naoko sighed. "Bryce, when Ruan said to think up cool names for each other, he kinda emphasized the word 'cool'." She flicked a gloved paw at Sorcha. "Y'know, like 'Sun Dog'. Think along those lines."

Sorcha couldn't help but titter.

Bryce put a paw to his mouth in a show of deep thought. "Hmm. Well, you are a Dog..."

Naoko nodded expectantly. "Uh-huh?"

Bryce lit up. "Butt Sniffer." He yowled as Naoko strode forward and thumped him. "Okay, okay! I'll keep thinking!" he laughed.

Naoko growled, relenting momentarily. "Why are you here?"

"Ruan wants you," Bryce told her.

Naoko took off her visor and gloves, giving Bryce a barbed glare as she left. "You'll be giving yourself first aid one of these days," she mock snarled at him.

Bryce followed her out. "Wait! How about 'Wire Wench'?"

"Bryce, I'm warning you..."

Their chatter faded as they both left. Sorcha made to leave as well, and as she reentered the corridor, she ran into a familiar face. Lina Seldin was standing in the opposite bay with arms folded and an amused grin on her face. Her white markings glowed in the lights.

"Oh!" Sorcha squeaked. "Hi."

Lina chortled. "Hi. Loved your quiz show. Think you missed your calling; you coulda been a great host." She sniffed. "Look, my team members know their stuff, 'kay? You can relax."

Sorcha nodded, feeling even more contrite. "I know. I'm sorry."

Lina waved her paw. "It's alright. I'd probably have done the same in your position." She uncrossed her arms and patted her paws against her hips. "Anyway, we're nearly at our destination, and I think there's something you'll want to check out."

Sorcha blinked. "Really?" Her fur bristled. "Good, or...?"

"Why don't you come and find out?" Lina chirped. She turned back towards the bridge, from which she had ostensibly come. "The bridge is just up here."

Sorcha nodded again. "Okay." She walked with Lina, happy to be on the move.