Recently I had an idea for a short sci-fi story set in my universe, following the rag-tag crew of "Raptor's Talon", a private spaceship "running errands" for a powerful and mysterious person in the frontier regions of the United Federation of Terran Stars and the Commonwealth of the Free Worlds. Along the way they have to deal with the law-enforcing Space Patrol, hotheaded frontier fighter jockeys, vicious Orion pirates, treacherous aliens, ravenous monsters and malfunctioning ship systems.

These two characters, Ayron and Natalie, are the "Talon"'s pilots. Ayron is brave, reckless and competitive, always trying to test the limits of his skills, while Natalie is even-tempered, reasonable and calm, trying to avoid unnecessary risks and thinking before she acts. They complete each other, Natalie keeping Ayron out of trouble - or, rather, from causing it - on mundane operations, and Ayron getting the "Talon" and her crew out of tight spots when excrements do hit the air conditioning unit.

Ayron and Natalie © me
 siegfriednox