RavensDagger

  Chapter Forty-Two - Maximum Drama

  The captain of a ship doesn't need a bigger space. In fact, the captain, being human, only needs as much space as any other crew member on any given ship.

  To save on space, the Martian navy inally built its first series of warships to have what the crew affeately called 'fuck holes.'

  These were ders about two and a half metres deep that tained an inftable sleeping bag, heaters, a small eai suite, and a small cubby for personal effects. They saved on spad could serve as the sleeping quarters of a crew member.

  Every officer and captain had the same allotted space as every other member of the crew, from the cook to the guy whose job was to out the su-toilette.

  This had an adverse effeorale.

  The crew didn't respect the captain if the captain lived in the same squalor as them. Human monkey psychology, rearing its ugly head once more.

  And so captains were slowly given rger, more personal spaces, with more amenities and forts.

  Ivil didn't know at which point in that sequence of logical decisions the idea of a fish tank inated. But here it was. A rge-ish tank, a metre long and half as tall and deep, with... seventeen fish in it across three species, and a few snails as well.

  She gently tapped the reinforced gss as she looked into the tank. The fish were managing well enough. She wondered how they mao survive hard burns. Did the previous captain of the Sappho repce the fish after every mission? There was an automatic feeder and scrubber, at least.

  The rest of the room was respectable enough. A bed alme enough for two, a small bookcase with actual hard-copy books likely imported from Earth to show off wealth, a coffee mae designed for in-ship use, and a rather small but respectable closet.

  She made a o toss the clothes out ter. Maybe the others could find something for themselves in it.

  It was, all in all, not the worst pce she'd have to spend some time in. There was even a cramped little washroom to one side. A luxury onboard any ship, really.

  Ivil was just thinking of how to decorate the room a little more--perhaps some ambient lighting?--when there was a knock at her door.

  Twenty-Six, and the young woman did not seem happy. Or, at least, she seemed unhappy, then nervous, then unhappy, then she looked like she wao run. It was quite clear that she didn't want to be there.

  Ivil moved over to the door, then grabbed the manual handle and made a show of opening it slowly, giving Twenty-Six oher side time to take a deep breath while Ivil opehe door. "Yes?" Ivil asked.

  Twenty-Six stared for a moment, swallowed, then frowned. "Missy told me you asked her out on a date," she said.

  "Yes, I did," Ivil admitted.

  "Aurora said the same thing," Twenty-Six added.

  "Yes, that's also accurate," Ivil said. Did... did Twenty-Six also want to be asked out?

  Twenty-Six flushed. "I'm calling for a ship-wide meeting," she said.

  Ivil found herself taken by surprise. "A what?" she asked. "No, don't ahat, it was rhetorical, merely surprise. Why do you want to call for a ship-wide meetily?"

  "Because, on the Held Together when things get weird in the crew, that's what the captain does," Twenty-Six said. "And I think we need one. Um... please?" The meic fidgeted a little, her feet rubbing against each other as she floated there.

  "Okay," Ivil said. "Let's call a ship-wide meeting. As long as the others aren't overly busy?" She was aware that they weren't. Aurora was in the that should have been the first mate's, arranging the few things she had. Missy was below, in the ship's kit listening to something in one earbud while she cooked, head bobbing.

  It looked like she was almost done, in any case. So the crew was likely to be called down to dinner in any case.

  "Alright, okay," Twenty-Six said with a nod. She smiled awkwardly, then pulled herself down the corridor. "I'll go tell Miss Aurora!" she said.

  Ivil watched her go, then tapped oton to close the door. It was just an excuse to give herself and Twenty-Six a few moments. This was... an ued turn. Was Twenty-Six this upset about what Ivil was doing?

  Then again, disc that someone was dating multiple people at the same time was a pretty on source of drama. Ivil retty sure that she wouldn't have to deal with es, or fake deaths, or long lost twins. Real life drama was a lot mrounded. Like having one girl she was ied in be ahat she was ied in two other women.

  When Aurora and Twenty-Six headed down, Ivil followed at a distance, letting them get to the dining room below first.

  "Good timing," Missy said from the kit. "I warmed up some sludge, get ready for the most mildly edible meal of your lives."

  "I miss Mister Hawke already," Twenty-Six said, but she sat herself down anyway. "Um, before we start... I'd like to have a team meeting. Please?"

  "Certainly," Aurora said. "Is there anything wrong with the vessel?"

  "Found something broken?" Missy asked.

  Twenty-Six shook her head, then frowned rather cutely. She squished her nose when she frowned, which drew attention to the smattering of freckles across her cheeks. "This is about, uh, personal matters. I'm probably the st person that should bring it up, but, uh, it feels wrong."

  "What's wrong?" Missy asked. She came over with four fully-covered bowls filled with spacer's slop. The bowls had small tubes oo suck the meals out of when in zero-g.

  Twenty-Six looked between Missy and Ivil, then Ivil and Aurora. "Miss Evelyn is dating both of you," she said.

  Aurora blihen looked over to Ivil. "Is this true?" she asked.

  "Wow," Missy said.

  Ivil sidered what to say for a moment and chose to rely on hoy. "Yes, it's true," she said.

  "You know, that's rather insulting," Aurora said as she sat straighter.

  "Never been on this end of things," Missy muttered. "Gotta agree with the prihough, that's messed up."

  Ivil sighed. "I'm aware. Trust me, this wasn't my iion."

  "What was, then?" Twenty-Six asked.

  Ivil gnced betweehree women she was currently ied in. "Very well, the truth, then. I retly visited a seer on Haumea."

  "You mentiohat, yes," Aurora said.

  "Well, what I asked her for was assistan finding true love. That lead me to the Held Together. Unfortunately, the instrus beyond that were unclear." Ivil nodded ohat ought to clear things up.

  "Wait," Twenty-Six said. "Wait wait, I thought you were just... two-timing, but this is all some prophecy thing?"

  "It's not a prophecy, I don't think," Ivil said. "It's merely cirvoyance. A predi. I came here looking for love. I found more... potential is than I was expeg."

  "Are Missy and Aurora the only two?" Twenty-Six asked, a note of suspi in her voice.

  "No," Ivil said.

  Twenty-Six gasped. "Who, then? The captain?"

  "Too old, I'm afraid."

  "Hawke?" Twenty-Six asked.

  "I sidered it, but I don't think it would work out."

  "Miss Pendergast?"

  "Not gay enough," Ivil said with a sigh.

  "D-Donny?" Twenty-Six asked. The incredulity was clear.

  "I'd rather die lonely."

  "Uh," Twenty-Six said.

  Missy groaned. "Two-Six, she's talking about you."

  Twenty-Six opened her mouth, then shut up while her face flushed. "Me?!" she squeaked.

  "Is that so hard to believe?" Ivil asked.

  "Yes!" Twenty-Six said. "I mean... yes?"

  Ivil gnced around the room. The bad forth with Twenty-Six had served as a small distra, but she still wao know how the others were reag to the news. It was, in her estimation, a tactically sound idea to drop the news about Cir Voyant's predi.

  Aurora was eyeing her curiously, and Ivil hat the slight note of anger she'd had earlier was gone. Missy, oher hand, was staring at her with naked suspi, which Ivil supposed was only fair.

  "You're a very attractive young woman, Twenty-Six," Ivil said holy.

  "Ah! No no, you're the one being accused of weirdness here! Don't try to deflect it with pliments!" Twenty-Six said.

  "I wasn't defleg, and that wasn't a pliment, merely a statement of the obvious," Ivil replied.

  Twenty-Six pouted, pletely missing the way Aurora covered her mouth to hide a smile. "I think," Aurora said. "That that was... perhaps the most unique expnation for why someone might two-time someohat I've ever heard."

  "Well, it's the truth," Ivil said. "I believe that keeping that secret wouldn't help at this point."

  "Is it the only secret you're keeping?" Missy asked.

  "Oh, goodnes no, but the rest I'll be keeping to myself for now." She wouldn't want to ruin every ce she had before even the first dates.

  ***

  RavensDagger

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