Something about the rote repetition of maintenance work always relaxed Amata, brought her the quiet peace that came with being elbow-deep in sensitive mechanisms and greasy filaments. As she sat nestled in the small nook behind one of the wall panels, the ship thrummed warmly around her, electricity running through thick insulated cables like blood in a vast circulatory system. The air was cool but not cold; it smelled faintly of ozone and spilled hydraulic fluid. The musty, acrid smell of it lingered despite Amata having already wiped up the spill.
Aboard the Abeona, Amata was captain, chief engineer, and first officer all rolled into one — and she liked it that way. Lines of starship code and greasy, grimy engines had always come far more easily to her than people did, and when she'd had the opportunity to buy the dinky little ship, she'd leapt at the chance. With its cramped quarters and systems in need of plenty of work, it wasn't exactly luxurious by any standard, but for a single woman who didn't want anyone else on board except herself? It was perfect. Amata was alone, and she liked it.
Well, alone except for her stalwart Roxy. As if on cue, the ship's AI spoke, a synthesized feminine voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once. "Hydraulic system pressure rising to optimal levels in door E-07. Exceptional work as always, Captain Amata." Despite the AI's natural stiffness of tone, its words carried an undercurrent of genuine appreciation. Amata smiled slightly, leaning back against the wall panel. She could hear the gentle hiss of hydraulics within the walls now, the door's systems back in working order.
"Thanks, Roxy," the young captain chirped, standing and dusting off her jumpsuit. "Run a systems check and let me know if there's anything else that needs maintenance, please."
"Of course, Captain." There was a brief pause, before the AI's voice returned, "All systems in working order, Captain."
"Great!" Amata patted one of the ship's walls as one would pat a friend's shoulder, earning a soft hum of acknowledgement from the ship itself. "What do you say we get this old girl back in the stars, hm? Let's go see what kind of trouble we can get ourselves into."
Roxy made no reply, but Amata heard the faint sound of the ship's docking procedure starting up, unmooring it from the station. A few moments later, the ship's engines roared to life, sending them off into the vast, glittering expanse of space.
Amata made her way through the small hallways towards the Abeona's cockpit — a tiny thing, just enough to fit one person comfortably, maybe two in a pinch.