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 originally built its first series of warships to have what the crew affectionately called 'fuck holes.'

These were cylinders about two and a half metres deep that contained an inflatable sleeping bag, heaters, a small entertainment suite, and a small cubby for personal effects. They saved on space and 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 clean out the suction-toilette.

This had an adverse effect on morale.

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 larger, more personal spaces, with more amenities and comforts.

Ivil didn't know at which point in that sequence of logical decisions the idea of a fish tank originated. But here it was. A large-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 glass as she looked into the tank. The fish were managing well enough. She wondered how they managed to survive hard burns. Did the previous captain of the Sappho replace the fish after every mission? There was an automatic feeder and scrubber, at least.

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

She made a note to toss the clothes out later. Maybe the others could find something for themselves in it.

It was, all in all, not the worst place 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 wanted to 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 on the other side time to take a deep breath while Ivil opened the 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 answer that, it was rhetorical, merely surprise. Why do you want to call for a ship-wide meeting, exactly?"

"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 mechanic 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 cabin that should have been the first mate's, arranging the few things she had. Missy was below, in the ship's kitchen 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 on the button to close the door. It was just an excuse to give herself and Twenty-Six a few moments. This was... an unexpected turn. Was Twenty-Six this upset about what Ivil was doing?

Then again, discovering that someone was dating multiple people at the same time was a pretty common source of drama. Ivil was pretty sure that she wouldn't have to deal with clones, or fake deaths, or long lost twins. Real life drama was a lot more grounded. Like having one girl she was interested in be annoyed that she was interested 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 kitchen. "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 last 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 on them, to 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 blinked, then looked over to Ivil. "Is this true?" she asked.

"Wow," Missy said.

Ivil considered what to say for a moment and chose to rely on honesty. "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 princess though, that's messed up."

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

"What was, then?" Twenty-Six asked.

Ivil glanced between the three women she was currently interested in. "Very well, the truth, then. I recently visited a seer on Haumea."

"You mentioned that, yes," Aurora said.

"Well, what I asked her for was assistance in finding true love. That lead me to the Held Together. Unfortunately, the instructions beyond that were unclear." Ivil nodded once. That 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 clairvoyance. A prediction. I came here looking for love. I found more... potential interests than I was expecting."

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

"No," Ivil said.

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

"Too old, I'm afraid."

"Hawke?" Twenty-Six asked.

"I considered 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 glanced around the room. The back and forth with Twenty-Six had served as a small distraction, but she still wanted to know how the others were reacting to the news. It was, in her estimation, a tactically sound idea to drop the news about Clair Voyant's prediction.

Aurora was eyeing her curiously, and Ivil noted that the slight note of anger she'd had earlier was gone. Missy, on the other hand, was staring at her with naked suspicion, which Ivil supposed was only fair.

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

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

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

Twenty-Six pouted, completely missing the way Aurora covered her mouth to hide a smile. "I think," Aurora said. "That that was... perhaps the most unique explanation for why someone might two-time someone that 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 chance she had before even the first dates.

***