–New transmission decrypted ready for review–
09
Know your Worth
Marina crossed her arms. “It’s been three days, Tatiana. Where have you been?”
Tatiana gingerly shut the hatch behind her. “Busy on the bridge. But after so many drills, Captain Mironova gave us a break. Don’t get me wrong, I’m exhausted and fully intend to go and sleep for the next twelve to sixteen hours, but I figured we needed to talk, not just in messages, but in person. You left so abruptly.”
Marina took a deep breath, trying to relax. “That purple… I had to get away from the windows, set my teeth on edge.”
“Yeah, it’s weird, gave me a migraine after a few hours on deck too. Captain had to have the shutters closed. That’s why you ran off?”
“Yeah, made me want to throw up.”
“No one had a reaction that bad, but it def made some people uncomfortable, Mironova included. But that’s not why I’m here. You said Lev made a pass at you? What’s going on with that? You tell him to suck vacuum? You can’t just drop a bomb like that on your girl and then leave me. We gotta talk about it!”
Marina rubbed her own shoulders as she wrestled with her words before she spoke them. Her slowly healing voice had made her choosey, using only the best words. “No.”
“No? You didn’t tell him to suck vacuum and sending him packing to pound sand back on Earth? We could vent him here, they’ll never find him in the travel dimension. Mar, don’t tell me you said yes to him.”
Marina almost smiled. “Maybe.”
“Maybe? You might have told him yes?” Tatiana was drifting from sounding boisterous to offended.
“I didn’t tell him yes, I told him maybe.”
“Why on earth did you do that?”
Now Marina smiled. “We’re not on Earth anymore.”
This time Titania crossed her arms in mock frustration. “You know damn well what I mean.” They both giggled.
“Seriously though, you didn’t give him the juke?”
“I told him we’d see what happens.”
“How’d he handle that?”
“Nothing is different.”
“So you gave him an opening, and he didn’t take it? Sounds like a wuss.”
“What is he supposed to do, he was nice to me before, brought me a lot of warm drinks while my voice was healing?”
“I don’t know, Mar, something, anything. Can’t have romance without doing anything romantic.”
“We’re on a spaceship, Titania. We’re at work, on a mission, what’s he gunna do, bring me flowers?”
“Fine, point taken, but what do you even see in him? He’s just a guy.”
“I’m just a girl.”
Titania nearly detached her retinas rolling her eyes. “Don’t give me that, you gotta stand up for yourself. You’re the best, you deserve the best. There’s only one Marina out there, I’ve known you for almost a decade you’re better than that. You gotta save that for the right guy, can’t just give it up for a generic man like Lev.”
“How do you know he’s not the right guy if you don’t give him a chance? What makes you think he’s generic?”
“How is he generic? How is he not Mar? He’s the second shift assistant engineer on a ship. What’s so special about him?”
“He cares about me.”
“Mar, we’re a small crew on an ambitious and important mission, at some level, we all have to care for everyone onboard.”
“He’s a second shift assistant engineer on an important mission. We’re all pretty high performing people, you, me, him, Chief Konstantine, even that brown noser Toya. We were handpicked for this mission. You know how many thousands of people wanted to go? And what three hundred passed the test? We’re a pretty select group, the cream of the crop. We’ve all got good resumes.”
“Good resumes?” she scoffed. “Marina, this isn’t a job application, this is your love life.”
“It could be. I should have him make a resume to try and impress me that’s a good idea.”
“That’s not a good way to start a relationship either, quantifying each other like that.”
“Why does it have to be a relationship? Could just be a fling, having fun while abroad, blow off some steam after work.” Mar leaned over, bracing her foot in the corner of the weightless compartment so she could nudge her friend with her elbow.
Titania blew raspberries at her. “You can’t even joke like that. You’re not that kind of girl. I know you, if you get in a relationship, it’ll be a serious one, you play for keeps.”
She rubbed her face with both hands, not saying anything. “Oh, don’t give me that, you know it’s true. You’re no flirt. That’s what I was getting at earlier, you’re an old schoolgirl who’s not just gunna give it up for whoever comes along. You’re selective, you know your worth. I’m telling you, be more selective, he’s not worth you.”
“What do you want me to do Titania?”
“Dump him, he’s not good enough for you, he gives me the ick.”
“Dump him? We’re not even a thing yet.”
“Apparently not, if he’s not even done anything romantic for you yet.”
“If it doesn’t even count to you, then why are you making a big deal about it? Shouldn’t you be happy for me, since someone’s expressed interest?”
“Yeah, but it’s him, like why is he interested of all people.”
“Why should he not be interested?” she said, a little edge creeping into her voice.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it, Mar. You’ve always been the careful, reserved one, and this just feels out of line for you. I don’t know him well, but that’s my point, there’s nothing impressive about him, nothing worth remembering. I don’t want you to settle because it’s convenient.”
Marina, with her foot still hooked to the floor, turned, going back to her console. “Hey don’t run away from me. I wasn’t done talking.”
“I know. But I have work to do. The bridge is your office, the secondary control room is mine. We can keep talking, you’re welcome to stay, but I have to check on this real quick.”
“Alright, fine, tell me about him. What caught your interest enough to give him a chance. Convince me.” Titania said, moving to grab a handhold in the center of the compartment directly behind Marina.
She tapped away at the console. “I don’t know much about him personally.”
“That’s not a strong start, Mar. What do you know about him?”
“Well, for starters, he did a really shitty repair job after that electrical fire that screwed up my voice.”
Titania rolled her eyes again. “So he’s a screwup. And you’re considering dating this man?”
“He said he was worried about me.”
“So he did a shoddy job, and endangered everyone, and you’re just going to let him in your pants?”
“Don’t be crude. Didn’t you just tell me I’m not that kind of girl?”
“Then what are your intentions with this low life under performing man?” Titania said in a mocking, deep voice.
“What are you, my father?”
“Do I need to be? Gotta have that talk about what a guys intentions really are with my daughter? Where’s my shotgun?”
Marina snorted through her nose, trying not to wince with pain. “I don’t think there are any shotguns aboard Stalingrad.”
“Good point, good point. Don’t they have some boarding blades in the lockers on one of the lower decks?”
“Yeah, but those are going to be messy.” Marina pointed out.
“Because a shotgun wouldn’t be? It’s about sending a message. Nobody messes with my little girl.”
Closing her console, Marina turned to face Titania again. “That worried about me?”
“I’m surprised, this doesn’t feel like something you’d do. Like, I know you had a traumatic injury, but you’ve never been the one to ask for cuddles when you scraped your knee.”
“I never thought of it that way. Think I could get some sympathy snuggles? My bunk is right next to the vent, and sometimes it’s too cold, ya know?”
“Mar… we went to college together. Where was this adventurous girl our freshman year at MSU?”
“Studying, like we were supposed to be.”
“Did all that studying really pay off, we both passed together.”
“My GPA was higher.”
“Did they ask you your GPA when interviewed for this mission? No? See, lotta good all those extra hours of studying did you.”
“It’s not like you would have left a whole lot of boys for me anyway.”
Titania scoffed. “Oh, really?”
“Don’t think I forgot about all those tiny skirts you had.” Titania didn’t answer, only looked away. “I never had the confidence to wear anything like you did, anyway.”
“Maybe if you had, I don’t know, talked to a boy once in your life, instead of studying every waking second, you would have found your confidence.”
“So it’s a problem now that I am talking to a boy? Make up your mind girly.”
“We’re not in college anymore. It’s not just talking to boys, now it’s talking to men, and that’s different.”
“Is it really that different, we have to start somewhere, Titania.”
“Yeah, but now? On a mission, in the depths of space? In a whole other dimension? Now’s the time to start talking to men? What if it doesn’t work out, because it never does and now you’re stuck on the ship two bunks down from the guy you never want to see again? Maybe you want me to talk to him for you?”
“Talk to him for me? Are you trying to steal my man?”
“No, Mar, I’m trying to defend your honor?”
She looked at her long and hard, eyes narrowed. “Riiiiiight.”
“Trust me, I have less than no interest in stealing your precious Levrick from you.”
“He’s far from precious. But is it so wrong for me to want someone to talk to?”
“You could talk to me.” Titania said, suddenly indignant. “You used to.”
“That’s different. You’re on the bridge, you’re always busy. He and I work together, I can talk to him, see him whenever I want.”
“I’m not good enough for you now? Getting lonely down near the reactor without me?” Titania’s voice growing teasing again.
“It’s not like that.” Marina protested. “With all this stuff going on, the electrical problems, the, ya know, being in another dimension, I just wanted someone to comfort me, and he was trying, why not let him keep trying?”
“Isn’t he partially responsible for those problems?”
“He may have responded to them badly, but they weren’t his fault. I don’t know, just feels like the ship’s made out of glass right now, and I could use some reassurance.”
“You need reassurance? What about me? No one is coming to reassure me, and I was the one doing the calculations to fling us through all these different dimensions. You think I’m not nervous too?”
Marina looked at her eyes narrowed “Are… are you jealous?”
“Jealous of what?” Asked Lev as he came in through the hatch behind them.
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Edits on Book III knowledge of Gods continue. Scheduling a meeting with an editor for the final line edit once the author is done with his personal edits.. Trial sketches for cover art have been completed too, the concept is fully nailed down. Nerd Smith Consolidated is looking forward to doing the cover reveal.
The Descendant Saga 