Chapter Text
Vi felt her entire body ache from the long shift. Normally she'd return to her bunk in the Engineering barracks, change out of her sweaty overalls, and try to get at least a little bit of rest. But the boss wanted to talk to her, so she dragged herself to the small office he was set up in.
When she opened the door, the office smelled of Eucalyptus, Vanders usual scent. Like her, Vander was an alpha, the caretaker and protector of their pack, as well as the foreman of the engineering crew Vi worked for. Truly, he felt more like a dad than Vi's actual dad some days, though she could not resent Connel for it. Raising an alpha daughter would be tough for any beta man, but Vi was particularly stubborn and determined to make it difficult sometimes. "Boss? You wanted to speak with me?"
"Violet, yes." Vander makes a gesture, and the holographic display on his desk turns off. "Please, sit."
Vi did as he asked, though almost immediately began bouncing her legs. It was normal she'd meet with Vander to discuss work, but this meeting was not scheduled. In the past, surprise schedules like this usually meant someone fucked up, or Vander had to share bad news.
"Getting a lot of complaints from Sevika, recently." Vander began, and he chuckled after Vi let out a single dry laugh. "Apparently her crew is barely able to do their job, and she blames you. Guess she must miss you." Despite the company being so small, each shift had their own manager, Normaly Vi would work in Sevika's shift. But for this job, Vander let Vi take over Benzo's shift, and now she has her own team.
"She did always say I needed to prove myself." Vi folded her arms and smirked. "And she was so eager to get rid of me three weeks ago."
"She's only an ass to you because she wants you to be the very best you can be. As do I." Vander smiled softly. "What about your shift? How is everyone handling it?"
Vi sighed, leaning forward slightly. Running a shift was promising, but also came with their own challenges. Getting her team to listen was the biggest of them all. A few of them were part of Vi's pack; Powder was her little sister, so she was naturally never interested in actually following her orders. Mylo and Claggor were less difficult, though Mylo had a tendecy to screw things up. Her struggle with Ekko was mostly in the fact he was a young omega— practically like a younger brother to Vi— and so she could not shake her instincts yelling at her to protect him, even though she knew he could take care of himself well.
The few members of her crew that were not in her pack, were harder for Vi to get used to, however. Gert and Eve seemed nice enough, often even being quite helpful. It was a bit awkward when Gert tried flirting with Vi, but Vi was really not interested in looking for a mate, and especially did not want to try anything with a coworker. Scar was always quite silent, but close to Ekko. Ekko quaranteed Vi that if Scar ever had an issue with her, she would know.
Originally, Deckard was going to be part of her team, but as soon as Vander announced it, the younger alpha had thrown what Vi could only describe as a hissy fit, and Vander refused to let him leave port with that attitude, so Vi was one man short- and performing much better due to it.
"Good, yeah." Vi said once she realised she had gone way too long without answering. "That fuel line you asked us to check out? Turned out to be harmless. Flushed the bypass just to be sure, but it should not give any us any issues. Already told Sevika to keep an eye on it just in case."
"Good. See, you've got this. Told you I could count on you." Vander bumped Vi's shoulder gently with his fist. "Though that does bring us to the topic at hand. In three days, the guests of the ship are going on a shore visit, to view the Nebula up close."
It was easy for Vi to forget there were guests aboard the ship. She heard a bit from those who were willing to try the higher decks, mostly there were a bunch of Pilties there, turning their nose up at the sight of them. It was not quite clear if they looked down on them for being mechanical staff, or for being from the understation, probably both.
"So, bunch of rich fuckers are off to watch a cloud of gas. Why should I care?"
"Our employers, the Kirammans, are holding a gala, on the oberservation deck. It's for all the staff. We can only send in one shift though. Even with the engines idling, the reactors will still be running, and we need to keep enough people ready for support."
Vi was not quite used to such generosity. Sure, rich pitlie families often threw parties for their crews and staff, but they were just hired help. Vander's engineering company, The Last Gear, was often hired for Yachts like this, that did not see usage often enough to warrant a full-time crew. "This is not deducted from our daily rates, is it?"
"No, we are actually being paid overtime for it, on top of our normal rates. I even checked the contract, and it all checks out. I know you're skeptical, as you have every right to. But I this seems legit, I trust it."
Vi huffed, watching Vander for a moment, trying to catch a glimmer of lingering doubt. "okay, I guess, if they want to pay you overtime to go to some stupid gala I won't stop them. It's their lousy money."
"So do we need to adjust the workschedule? I'm sure if I can tell the team beforehand, they'll be able to handle the extra workload."
"I'm quite sure they will, actually." Vander chuckled. "Considering it's your team that's going to this gala."
"What?!" Vi nearly knocked her chair over as she stood up. "Vander, that's bullshit. What are we even supposed to do at a gala full of Pilties."
"They're other staff, Vi. You won't be surrounded by the rich and fancy guests. The Kirammans should be with the guests too. And you're supposed to socialize, network. The captain and ship officers should be there too, knowing the right people gets you far in this line of work."
"Isn't that your job? I'm just managing one shift, not taking over your damn company." Vi put her hands down on the desk. "The less I deal with those people, the better it is for me."
"I know the Captain personally. She is a fine, honest woman." Vander sighed, standing up as well and putting a hand on Vi's shoulder. "She used to be the commander at the Naval Academy, she still has contacts there. This could be your ticket out of the understation. You always wanted to be a proper Hex-Jet mechanic, right?. Don't turn down a good opportunity due to pride."
Vi felt herself deflate, and she dropped back down in the chair.
"What's the point? They haven't let anyone from the understation back in there since the riots. They won't let me become a mechanic, they will never even fucking test me to be compatible with a pilot."
Vander was right though. She had wanted to fly since she heard about the Hex-Jets. For centuries, every civilization in the cluster had believed it was impossible for one person to pilot a spacecraft— unless they had rare Psionic powers— it was simply too complex. But scientists from the Piltover Station developed the impossible, and kept it's secret close through the gates of the Academy.
A Hex-Jet could fly with only one pilot, and a mechanic. Many others tried to copy the designs, the engines, even the powerful, top of the line reactors, but they all missed the true secret, the special mental link between the Pilot, the Mechanic, and the Ship.
Each Mechanic designs the ship, and while in flight, is in charge of ensuring that neither it, nor the pilot, would fall apart in flight. While the Pilot was mentall plugged into both the ship, and the mechanic. That's what made the ships so rare, and hard to imitate. You needed both a mechanic and a pilot, with the requires skills, training, and mental fortitude to endure what the Hex-Jet demanded. And the Pilot and Mechanic needed to be mentally compatible enough to handle such a mental link without frying their brains.
Nobody from the Understation ever graduated the academy, however. And for the past 15 years, they haven't even let anyone from the Understation enroll.
"The point is, you gotta try, kiddo." Vander was approached for the program once, he was a very talented ship engineer, and with the right training could have been the first Hex-Jet engineer from the Understation. Though when the riots happened, those politically opposed to him studying at the academy got their way, and Vander was expelled.
Vander continued his speech "You've got talent. All you need is the right opportunity and you could shape the Galaxy itself."
Vi took a deep breath. "I don't know, Vander. What if I fuck it up? The first Hex-Jet engineer from the Understation- That's a lot of pressure."
"I know. But you don't need to graduate just yet. One step at a time. Think you can do that?" Vander watched, warmth radiating from his eyes. "Besides- if you don't go… This may be the best chance your sister and other packmates have of seeing a Nebula with their own eyes, not through a viewscreen. Would you really rob them of that?"
Vander knew how to wield guilt against Vi, that was clear at least."But we can't exaclty go to the Gala in greasy work overalls, can we?"
Vander chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "I told Miss Kiramman the same. So she offered to pay for your visit to the tailor. You're scheduled for 3 hours from now. Tell your team, freshen yourself up, and head up to deck 7G."
"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Vi sighed. "You're sure you don't want to take it? You deserve some rest too."
"I'm sure. Now scram, and take a shower before going to see the tailor, you reek of oil" Vander said with a laugh. Vi stood up and gave a mock salute, just to tease a little, and left Vander's office. She still felt guilt wrap around her stomach, was it truly right for her to take this from the other crews? She kept the doubt to herself and tapped the side of her temple twice quickly. A holographic display projected in front of her eyes, controlled with her eyes. She sent out a quick message to the entire crew. "Quick meeting in the bunks in 2 mins. Good news."
Vi, inevitably, lost the insurmountable struggle to not let out an annoyed groan at the ceaseless complaining coming from Mylo. She was glad, at least, that she managed to drag the rest of her pack to the tailors. Normally, she really should go with her entire team, but Gert, Eve and Scar mentioned they'd prefer to go by themselves, which made things a lot easier for Vi.
Still, that meant bringing Powder, Mylo, Claggor and Ekko, and trying to herd Mylo and Powder like they are feral cats, and keeping a constant eye out to make sure they don't cause trouble with any of the fancy Pilties on the ship, or try to steal anything.
Claggor and Ekko were, in comparison, allies to Vi, and she had no real reason to worry about either of them. Unfortunately that did not stop her instincts. The way she was raised, in the Understation Alphas are responsible for the safety and well-being of their pack. She had heard that in the upper levels of the Piltover Station, Alphas tended to only really care about their direct family, or their mate. Vi could not imagine having such a small, cramped world without a pack consisting of a few families supporting eachother.
Of course, the majority of people were betas, who did not have to worry about pack instincts or scents the way an Alpha like Vi had to. But slightly more rare than Alphas were the Omegas, like Ekko, and an Alpha's instinct was almost always screaming to protect those omegas more than others.
Still, Vi knew Ekko could take care of himself, and did not particularly want or need Vi to fuss over him and treat him as fragile. So Vi keeps her hands busy by fidgetting with the edge of the sleeve of the jacket she was given to try on. Admittedly, Vi was very impressed with how the Tailor could juggle all five of them at the same time, though she could not stand waiting while he took Claggor's measurements.
Vi did not quite realise that formal wear had so many options, and she quickly had to pretend she had any idea what the tailor was talking about when bringing up different suit and dress options. At least Vi knew she had little interest in a dress, which trimmed the list a bit.
Powder, no surprise, had asked for a dress that likely would cause a lot of fuss at the party, but the tailor knew how to give her something that appeased her, yet seemed sensible enough to be acceptable for the gala.
Mylo seemed most nonchalant about his options, and seemingly picked the first option he was presented with, and included a bowtie that Vi thought looked ridiculous on him. Ekko on the other hand knew what he wanted a bit more, and put together his suit and jacket with all kinds of specific requests for the tailor that gave Vi some time to think about and look over her options.
Usually, when not working, Vi wore a red jacket made out of artificially grown leather. So she suggested a red jacket for her suit, and was given a burgundy jacket, unfortunately made of some fabric instead of leather, a matching vest— or petticoat, as the tailor called it for some reason— and long trousers. Under it all she wore a dress shirt in Navy Blue. Vi figured it would probably be some criminal combination to the fancy Piltie assholes at the Gala, but the tailor didn't make any harsh comments at least.
Still, Vi did not quite feel comfortable in the fabrics. It felt too thin, her usual leathers, or work overalls, provided a lot more protection in comparison. Still, she kept feeling like something was missing, though she could not put her finger on what.
When finished with measuring up Claggor, and sending him to a changing room to try out a few options, the tailor returned to Vi, inspecting her clothing and how it fit on her carefully. "Hmm, the beginning is there. But you don't quite look comfortable- It does fit well? Not too tight?"
Vi shook her head. "nah, a little bit too loose in a few spots, maybe. Though I am a bit worried about the sleeves." She had some cybernetics installed in her right arm, mostly integrated in her forearm. She used it to store some simple tools and keep them on hand always. And while she did not expect to need a pocket wrench at a gala, she did worry about ripping the sleeves if she tried accessing any of the hatches.
"We can go for a shorter sleeve option." The tailor hummed to himself as he typed some numbers into a computer. "Though it being a bit loose is good. if it's too tight, you won't be able to dance, it is a gala after all."
"Don't know much about Piltie dances, honestly. So don't think that will be much of a problem." Vi chuckled to herself, leaning back on her seat slightly. "I guess it feels a bit more formal than I'm used to. I tend to just wear practical stuff."
"I can sympathize with that. How about I-" Something chimed on the man's screen, which demanded his attention. After a little bit, he redirected his focus back to Vi. "I will send a few different cuts of jackets to the changing room, try out a few of those, and see if any of those are better for you, alright?"
Vi was going to respond, but the tailor already turned away from her. She huffed at herself in annoyance and went to the changing room. Inside a panel opened in the wall, with a coathanger and a few jackets in the same colour as the one she already had one but with different sizes sliding out.
After trying out a few of them, Vi picked one that was a fairly short cut. It probably was not as formal as a longer jacket, but it was closer to what she was used to. In her own opinion, it did also look better on her.
She poked out of the changing room to check on the others. She saw Mylo and Powder standing near the front of the shop, clearly gossiping and staring at some other customer. "Hey, what is this. I thought I told you to-" Vi was going to reprimand them, before they could get in trouble. But her mind screeched to a halt when she got close to them.
She picked up on a scent she was not familiar with. Jasmine with a slight hint of Lilac mixed in. Talking with the tailor was a woman in the uniform of a bridge crew officer. Her scent gave away quite clearly she was an omega, and unmated. Vi had to actively fight herself to stop looking her up and down. Did all members of the bridge crew have such a tight outfit? The frilly ends of the skirt especially caught Vi's focus.
"Who is she?" Vi asked Mylo. The woman laughed at something the tailor said. She shook her head, and Vi noticed the long blue hair sway slightly. When she looked in Vi's direction they locked eyes; and Vi wished she could swim and drown in those beautiful blue eyes.
"Someone from the bridge crew. Can you imagine?" Mylo whispered, then looked at Vi. "Yo, Powder- Your sis has the hots for that Piltie."
"What?!" Powder responded a bit too loud, and Vi had to quickly cover her mouth to shush her. "Gross, both of you."
"Will you shut up? You are going to get us in trouble. We don't need to bother, or stare at a fucking naval officer, okay?"
"You're more drooling than sta-" Mylo tried to say, but Vi shoved him to the back of the store.
"I apologize, is there an issue?"
Vi froze up in place for a moment, before she turned back around and saw the woman had walked over, looking at Vi with her arms crossed. "Issue? No, no. Nothing is wrong here." Vi tried to laugh to seem casual, it had the opposite effect. "What's your issue?"
"What?" The woman looked offended for a moment.
"I mean- uh." Vi struggled to get her mind back on track. "I'm Vi. From the Engineering team. Don't mind these two doofuses here. We don't get to go to fancy Piltie stores often, so they aren't quite familiar with the right… etiquette."
"Right, I see." She laughed softly. "I'm Caitlyn. Junior Navigator. I serve on the bridge, though I suppose you already know that. And please, don't worry about etiquette. I'm only a Junior officer. The Academy requires experience serving on a ship for at least 3 trips."
"Wait, you're in the academy? Are you training to become a Hex-Jet pilot?"
The woman takes a breath before answering. "Yes. I know it is unorthodox, many don't think an omega is fit to be in the cockpit but-"
"Whoa, that's amazing!" Vi cuts her off excitedly. "What is it like? I always wondered what flying a Hex-Jet would be like. I wanted to apply so badly when I was a kid, but they don't accept students from the Understation."
"I don't actually know. Very few mechanics are willing to test for drift compatibilty with an omega." Caitlyn mumbles slightly, fidgetting with her fingers. "Hopefully one day I will find a mechanic to work with, then I will be able to start training outside of the simulators. I'm sure you would have more luck finding a mechanic, if you were to apply however."
"Nah. I am the mechanic. Piloting seems fun too, don't get me wrong. But I grew up with engine oil and wrenches."
Caitlyn smiled. "Most alphas on the upper levels of Piltover would consider that… degrading. They don't think it's right to look after the pilot's safety, and want to be the one shouting orders."
"Oh please. I'm nothing like those alphas on the upper levels." Vi boasted, causing Powder to clear her throat behind her and laugh. "Powder, Mylo. Go check how Ekko and Claggor are doing!" She quickly called out to them, wanting to make them leave.
"I'm sure you are." Caitlyn said, her lips curled in an amused smile. "I apologise if I am keeping you from your family. You must be quite busy."
"Oh, no I'm fine. We're just getting outfits for that staff Gala. I guess I need to wear something formal but- Well I have no idea what is or such an event. I'm very out of my element."
"Well, if you want my perspective. You look quite striking in a suit like this, it is a good silhouette." Vi could not quite follow what she was saying. What does a silhou-whatever- have to do with clothing? "The colour suits you too, but you really need an accesory, to complete the look a bit more. Maybe… Wait here."
Vi watched as Caitlyn stepped away. She looked through a cabinet of accesories and jewelry, assessing each carefully, before she picked out a silver emblem that looked like a flower.
"Here, May I?" Caitlyn stepped closer to Vi, and she just nodded, unsure what exactly she intended. Caitlyn pinned the emblem to silver flower to Vi's jacket, at the part she guessed was the Lapel. "Here, Silver fits you well, it matches with your eyes. If you don't like flowers, you could go for a different symbol, of course, maybe some kind of bird but-"
"No, no flowers are fine. What kind is it? I can't quite see it well from here." Vi asked, though a part of her had a guess at what kind it would be.
"My personal favourite, actually. It's a Violet." Caitlyn answered, making Vi chuckle. "Why is that funny?"
"Oh it's just… well, what do you think Vi is short for?" Vi watched Caitlyn's hands as she carefully made sure the emblem was attached properly and wouldn't poke into Vi's skin. Then her eyes trailed to Caitlyn's eyes, especially after the comment she made about hers.
"Right." Caitlyn blushed. "I should have guessed, what a… coincidence. It fits you perfectly then, keep it! consider it a gift, from me."
Vi smiled, coincidence certainly was one way of putting it. Still, Vi forgot to respond. She was focussed on Caitlyn's eyes for a moment. She was a bit surprised, when at closer inspection, the two eyes seemed to not be the exact same colour. The left eye was slightly lighter. While focussing on that eye, she noticed how it twitched and rotated slightly unnaturally. It seemed almost mechanical.
"Wait, what is that?" Vi asked, and the suddenness of her voice seemed to catch Caitlyn off-guard, the eye twitched in a way that was definitely not natural. "What model is your eye? I've seen a few prosthetic eyes before, but never one that looked so realistic."
Caitlyn took a step back, then turned pale suddenly. "What?" She quickly covered her eye with her hand. "Don't- it's nothing. Don't look at it."
"I didn't mean anything by it! I was just curious since I-" Vi tried to salvage the situation, but Caitlyn quickly turned around and began storming off. Vi wanted to go after her, to assure her she did not want to make her uncomfortable, but it was already too late.