Orientation concludes beneath the projected orbital lanes. Cadets disperse toward residence wings while the academy instructor remains in the hall, answering questions beside the enrollment display.
Nate reaches his assigned apartment overlooking the launch towers. He sets the enrollment packet and credential on the desk, then sends Yumi an invitation through his phone.
Nate
I got in. Come see my new academy apartment when you can. I have something to show you.
Later, Yumi arrives from Nate’s former apartment with her repaired simulator case and usual bright curiosity. Her pink hair catches the corridor light as the residence door opens.
Yumi
This place has actual academy security, Nate. Please tell me you did not accidentally acquire a whole launch tower too.
Inside, the modest apartment is far better equipped than Nate’s old room, with a study console, storage alcove, and broad windows framing the glowing launch towers.
Yumi
Wait. That uniform, the credential, the enrollment packet... you got in. You really got into the academy.
✓ Quest Accepted
Plan a survey ship with Yumi
“I give her a hug “I did it! Finally. The simulator and our talks helped a lot thank you so much””
FAILURE (Great Diplomacy, rolled -4)
“I give her a hug “I did it! Finally. The simulator and our talks helped a lot thank you so much””
SUCCESS (Great Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Nate crosses the apartment and hugs Yumi, careful around the simulator case. The academy corridor light spills through the open door behind her.
Nate
I did it! Finally. The simulator and our talks helped a lot. Thank you so much.
Yumi holds him firmly, the case pressed safely between them for a moment before she sets it beside the entry console.
Yumi
You did it because you earned it, Nate. I only helped you find the routes and reminded you to trust your work.
She steps back and studies the blue insignia on his uniform, her bright expression reflected in the apartment window and the distant launch towers.
Yumi
Still, I am incredibly proud of you. This place suits you, and I want to see everything before your first real training day.
Yumi
He made it through the door he has been chasing for so long. I am glad I got to stand beside him when it opened.
“We take a seat “I was thinking we could start planning our survey ship here. There’s a lot of materials and how they work and ways to build them. Plus I get my choice of ship paid for by the academy after graduation if I finish in the top ten of my class””
SUCCESS (Great Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Nate and Yumi sit at the apartment study console, with the simulator case beside them and academy reference displays opening across the wall.
Nate
I was thinking we could start planning our survey ship here. There are materials, how they work, and different ways to build them.
Nate
After graduation, the academy pays for my choice of ship if I finish in the top ten of my class.
Yumi turns toward the console, her attention sharpening as the academy database populates with hull composites, propulsion systems, sensor packages, and modular survey layouts.
Yumi
Top ten? That makes the ship plan a real design constraint, not just a dream. We should build something you can actually fly and maintain.
Yumi
He has academy resources now, and he is already thinking beyond graduation. I can help turn that ambition into a workable survey platform.
Yumi
Let us start with the mission profile, then compare materials, power requirements, and crew space. If we do this properly, the academy may have trouble ignoring your design.
“Does the academy offer survey-ship design mentorship?”
YES (Likely, rolled 18)
The academy database opens a mentorship directory beneath the survey-ship specifications. Faculty profiles, workshop schedules, and supervised design bays populate the wall display.
Yumi
There it is. The academy offers survey-ship design mentorship, with propulsion, sensor, and structural specialists assigned to student projects.
A faculty notice identifies the program as a competitive year-round track. Accepted cadets receive design reviews, materials access, and flight-test preparation alongside their regular training.
The Academy Instructor
That program is available to you, Nate, provided your instructors approve the workload. Strong pilots are encouraged to understand the ships they may someday command.
Yumi
This is better than a library and a dream. He can learn the design process from people who actually build deep-space vessels.
Yumi
We should request an introductory review. Bring your mission profile, expected crew size, and the kind of unexplored routes you want the ship to handle.
The display highlights an application link and the next open workshop. Beyond the windows, launch towers burn against the evening sky while the survey-ship plan gains an official path forward.
““I was thinking you should apply to the academy too. They have a great navigator program and ship design too of course. You are definitely smart enough to get in. I can put in a good word. I think you can do it””
SUCCESS (Great Diplomacy, rolled -1)
Nate
You should apply to the academy too. They have a great navigator program and ship design, and you are definitely smart enough to get in. I can put in a good word. I think you can do it.
Yumi goes quiet, eyes fixed on the academy application link. The launch towers glow beyond the windows while the survey-ship plans remain open between them.
Yumi
You mean that? I have wanted formal navigation training for years, but I kept treating the academy like something meant for other people.
Yumi
He is not just inviting me into his plans. He thinks I belong in the same rooms, working toward the same future.
Yumi
All right. I will apply. I will bring my navigation projects, the simulator work, and our survey-ship design to the review.
Yumi selects the application link and begins entering her information. The academy system accepts her preliminary submission and schedules an introductory assessment.
The Academy Instructor
I will add a faculty recommendation request to your file, Yumi. Nate’s good word matters, but your work will make the case.
Quest Complete
Plan a survey ship with Yumi
Skill Upgrade: Diplomacy Great→Superb
“After we finish planning and talking about everything night time comes. We sit there in the couch together. I look at her and say “hey um, thanks for everything. I love planning ahead with someone. I um, really like you…” I chuckle and scratch the back of my head “it’s ok if you don’t like me like that I just figured I should be honest with you. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this way before””
SUCCESS (Superb Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Night settles over the academy apartment. The planning displays dim to standby, leaving the couch washed in launch-tower light and the quiet hum of residence systems.
Nate
Hey, um, thanks for everything. I love planning ahead with someone. I really like you. It is okay if you do not feel the same, but I wanted to be honest.
Nate chuckles and scratches the back of his head. Yumi studies him for a long moment, her expression gentle rather than startled.
Yumi
Thank you for trusting me enough to say that. I care about you too, Nate, and I love building these plans with you.
Yumi
He is being completely sincere. Whatever the future brings, I want our trust and partnership to stay safe.
Yumi
I do not have a perfect answer tonight, but I do know this: you matter to me, and I want to keep moving toward that future together.
The survey-ship plans remain open across the wall, glowing between them. Outside, launch towers climb into the stars while Yumi stays beside Nate on the couch.
“I nod “sounds good to me” she gets up to leave and hugs me. Before she completely pulls away I lean in to kiss her.”
SUCCESS (Superb Diplomacy, rolled -2)
Nate
Sounds good to me.
Yumi rises from the couch and hugs Nate goodbye. As she pulls away, Nate leans in, and the private farewell becomes unexpectedly tender before they separate.
Her movement bumps the study console. A stylus drops into the narrow gap beneath the housing, and the survey-ship display flickers into standby.
Yumi
Well. That was not exactly in the application schedule.
Yumi
He trusted me with another honest moment. I need to answer that trust carefully, not pretend it meant nothing.
Yumi
I am still coming back tomorrow for the assessment prep. We should probably recover that stylus before your design plan forgets everything.
Yumi crouches beside the console, reaching into the gap while launch-tower light sweeps across the apartment. The application window remains saved, and the evening stays open between them.