Zarathustra In Aphelion I am a forest, and a night of dark trees: but he who is not afraid of my darkness, will find banks full of roses under my cypresses.
More than two weeks had passed since the Gemini Kay ended up stuck in the center of the storm of Kepler. More and more ships arrived, only to share the same fate - if not worse. The storm seemed to have gotten way more dangerous, and one daredevil after another piloted their ship into the thick fog, with no message reaching back to Ames. What started out as a cementary for adventurers had taken the shape of a violent cosmic catastrophe, lashing out at anything leaving the stable pocket around the research installation.
Only the three vessels of the Search & Rescue group had proven their ability to repeatedly move into the darkness, only to emerge again with wreck and survivors in tow. The cost of recovery? Their resources get added to the pool. Levan felt lucky to have made it to Ames with only a few scratches to the hull and a few systems offline.
Luck usually was on the side of the boy. After a horrible life on Pittsburgh, it felt to him like fate had made a mistake and tried to make up for all the pain he had to endure in the borax mines of Liberty's most ignored criminal hotspot. Everyone knew that Houston was populated by the absolute scum of society, working in labor camps, allowing LPI to make an uncanny fortune from anyone being in the wrong place at the wrong time - be it criminals or others.
But Pittsburgh? Nobody cared about Pittsburgh. Nobody batted an eye on people going missing there.
Then, however, fate handed an almost completely broken Levan a gift. The Gemini Kay. And everything changed. Despite the occasional setback, the amount of luck the boy experienced over and over again felt unreasonable, and yet welcome. Money, women, reputation, even an upper hand in combat against Liberty Rogues. Lady Luck caressed his flawless skin over and over again.
Expect this time. Levan stood in front of a laundromat, one of many on Ames. Crew and visitors came here to get their clothes clean, and given the extended period of time Levan, Monique and Madeleine were forced to stay here, unprepared and with only a limited amount of clothes, it was time to for Levan to do the laundry.
The boy stuffed the clothes into the machine, one after another, particularly careful to empty pockets to make sure nobody left anything important in them. As it turned out, he just happened to know an idiot who left his PDA in the pocket of his pants: Kristoff Avellone. Not intending to make the same silly mistake, the boy took his time to double-check everything while separating the clothes by color. One machine for black, one for colored. Then two for black, as he realized that neither of them had enough colored clothing fill a machine.
Upon finishing loading the machine, Levan stood up and looked around. He was all alone, as it was in the middle of the night in the local time. Not a single soul in sight. Without as much as a second thought, he began to pull down the zipper of his suit and rolled it off his skin. Those boxer briefs can go into the machine as well.
There was not much to do for Madeleine and Monique. The two young women had to adjust to the limited range of things one can do on a space station. To Madeleine, it meant to somehow survive without her cigarettes and her coffee, and the first days of their stay turned her into a moody mess. It had gotten better once she found a distraction from her aching addictions. There was a reason why Levan wanted to get as many clothes clean in one go as possible.
To Monique, the little space adventure was stupidly fun. The tall woman with the neon blue hair tried her best to lift the spirits of everyone around her, which due to her forced stay on Ames, included the crew and guests of the station. Frequenting the local bar a bit more than Levan would have preferred, she showed off her talent at being untalented, presenting silly party tricks while getting so drunk that she usually arrived back at the Gemini Kay as a wobbly mess that either left puddles of involuntary reurgitation or ambushed the unsuspecting Levan with an unnatural desire.
In any case, clothes ended up getting dirty.
Thinking about the somewhat fortunate situation he was in, with his two girlfriends, he didn't pay too much attention to what he was doing. The machines' hatches closed and the engines started running. Sighing, Levan looked at his suit in his hand, intending to put it on again. However, he came to the realization that there was no suit in his hands. Not in the left one, not in the right one. Not on the machines, not on the floor.
The boy kneeled down, glancing through the glass hatch to witness his suit having joined the other clothes of the washing party.
Uh oh.
The attempt at opening the hatch turned out to be futile, and the fully naked boy bit on his lower lip, realizing the extremely stupid and unfortunate situation he was in: Naked on a space station with hundreds of people that could show up at any second. And there was no way to reach the Kay without getting seen like this.
... Fuck.
It was only natural to him to keep trying to open the hatch of the running machine, however, it refused to comply. In desperation, the boy looked around, quickly noticing a broom leaning against the wall not far away from him. He quickly hurried over and grabbed it, then back to the machine, attempting to use the broom stick as a lever to pry the hatch open. And it almost worked!
Almost. Then the broom stick broke in half, and with that, Levan fell to the side with the broken stick in hand, hitting his head on another machine, only to fall unconscious.
Zarathustra In Aphelion Was that life? Well then, once more!
It took months for the Zoners of Kepler to find ways to nagivate the storm safely, and even then, there is always the chance of something going wrong. There is no constant. Only a set of buoys to provide some assistance for orientation.
Sometimes, that's just not enough.
All it took was a rock. An asteroid, pushed and pulled by the whims of the storm, whirling around seemingly without any control, colliding with other rocks, bouncing off, shattering, providing more and more obstacles for the daring. One such obstacle hit the ZST Playa Blanca, throwing her off course. It took not long for the crew to panic, and it took even less time for the ship to completely lose control. Trapped in disarray, the supply transport drifted deeper into the storm...
Levan opened his eyes. Slowly. His head was hurting slightly, and the bright light surrounding him was uncomfortable to his brown eyes. It took him a few seconds to come back to senses, to realize he was not on the Kay. Nor was this the locker room. This was...
... M-madeleine...? Monique?
The boy slowly rose his head and tried to get a picture of his surroundings. This seemed to be a jail cell. Just a toilet, a shower, prefab bed and a blueish glowing energy barrier. Barely transparent. Exhaling carefully, he let his hand slide across the hurting spot at the back of his head. No blood. Just a little bump under his thick hair. Nothing to worry about. Once he gets his hand on his beanie, it will cover it perfectly.
The prisoner took a few seconds to get on his feet, then moved over to the shower, where he swiftly grabbed the pristine white towel to finally cover his nethers. Whoever got him here must have gotten a good view on everything. Quite embarrassing, he thought for a moment, then moved to the barrier. It was almost impossible to identify anything beyond it, although he was certain there was at least one human silhouette behind it.
Uh, hello? Anyone out there?
Not long after, the barrier switched from opaque to fully transparent, with only a few beams of energy indicating it was still up. Beyond the energy wall was a corridor of multiple jail cells just like his, although as far as the boy could see, nobody else was occupying them.
A fairly tall and muscular woman appeared in front of him, donning a security uniform and some armor plating, a baton hanging from her belt and an almost comically large rifle in her hands. The sight intimidated Levan, causing him to gasp in surprise as he took a few steps away from the barrier.
Behind the colossus of a security guard emerged a considerably smaller man with glasses and a different uniform in white. Levan had seen those before - this guys was part of the station management. And he seemed rather annoyed.
Captain Harlow, is that correct?
Uh, yeah.
The man pushed the glasses on his nose closer to his eyes and took in some air through his mouth, followed by him masticating a few times on nothing, audibly.
Eh, we found you unconscious and according to the security footage, you attempted to vandalize...
no, actually vandalized a broom stick. Oh, and public indecency.
Could you explain the circumstances of these... events?
The machine did not stop. I accidentally put all my clothes in there.
More masticating noises, while the large woman stared at Levan, somewhat amused. The boy took another deep breath, shaking his head.
... Can you let me out? I would like to get back to my clothes.
Can you confirm that you are not inebriated?
I am not inebriated. No alcohol, no drugs. Look, uhm, I wanted to wash my clothes, then accidentally threw my suit in there as well. Then I tried to get it back but the machine was already running. So I tried to pry it open, and fucked myself over.
The man kept making rather annoying sounds with his mouth, staring at the PDA in his hand.
We usually charge perps with a fee, but it says here that you're a frequent supplier of the station, so the administrator notified me to drop the fee.
But, eh, please make sure to not end up naked in public.
... Not the first time I got that advice.
Pardon?
I said the administrator seems very nice!
Thank you. Could you release me now?
Without much further ado, the man with the glasses moved to the side to lower the force field. And that already marked the end of Levan's time in jail. After a brief walk of shame through the hallways of the station, the boy arrived back at the locker room and beelined for the laundromat with his clothing. Apparently enough time had passed, and the hatch opened with a simple pull.
God, finally.
He pulled his suit out of the machine, both clean and dry, only to realize the security guard was still with him. She simply stared at him. It was both intimidating and bewildering. Especially right now, as he intended to put on the suit, and therefor, drop the towel.
Uhm... do you mind?
No reaction from her, apart from an amused smirk. The rifle was still firmly in her gargantuan hands, and Levan slowly understood that she had no intention to look away. As if to challenge her, he returned the stare into her eyes and kept staring at her in a rebellious fashion while dropping the towel, provocatively with his body facing in her direction. Her gaze sunk for a brief moment before meeting his again, while he slipped into the suit to finally have his, apart from many scars and tribal tattoo, flawless albeit thin and small body covered by at least one layer of black polymer fabric.
... You really got nothing better to do?
But with that, she just chuckled and left.
Levan exhaled and sat down on the floor for a moment, carefully rubbing a finger over the bump at the back of his head. What a silly situation. When they walked back to this room, he had noticed that some of the people in the hallways snickered, and he had the feeling he was now that guy.
The sooner they would get to leave the station, the better. Sighing, he looked at the machine, only to realize one thing: His PDA wasn't around. When he took off his suit, he had put it on one of the machines. Someone must have stolen it while he was gone. An annoyed groan escaped his lips.
Attention to all pilots and captains:
The supply ship has gone missing in the storm.
Please check your inbox for an emergency search and rescue mission offer.
Every second counts.
That is all.
The supply ship went missing? Bad news for Ames, and by extension, Levan and the girls. Those supplies are important, Levan thought, mostly being worried about having to share his own resources with the people here. Having to share his Synth Paste rations with the girls was already a stretch. Once those are gone, he would need to eat... regular food. His stomach wouldn't be able to handle that.
Stuffing the clothes back into the bag he initially brought here, Levan figured that he was probably one of the pilots most suited for this mission. And, by all means, being known as the captain who saved the supply ship sounded a lot more appealing than being known as the naked guy who lost a fight with a laundry machine.
Zarathustra In Aphelion Close beside my knowledge lies my black ignorance.
Carrying the bag back to the Kay, the boy became more and more aware of the unwanted attention he had gottem himself. Snickering and staring, like back in the day of elementary school. Or the mines. A harsh reminder of how much more quality of life he had on Denver now. Trying to ignore the eyes of gossip, he simply hurried to the Kay.
Airlock. Hallway. Light switch. Light switch. Cockpit door. Monique lounging on the bed, visibly bored as she played some game on her PDA, while Madeleine sat in the pilot seat, brushing her orange hair. Her thin thighs held a thermo cup of steaming coffee. In a show of multitasking, she turned around with the seat to face Levan.
Hey. Laundry is done.
Cool.Didanythinghappenonthestation?
Nope!
Moving over to the bed, he sat down at the edge of it, then emptied the bag with the clothes on the floor without any care.
Really,nothinghappened?
Madeleine stared at Levan, her gaze piercing his eyes. The boy returned a slightly confused, slightly inimidated smile, then avoided her. Monique was still playing her game on the PDA, so Levan briefly glanced over it. For some reason, Monique's smirk grew wider and wider. Very slowly. Did they know? How? Levan's eyes involuntarily focussed in on the PDA. Colorful neon lights of some sci-fi city, isometric view. One of those games where you click buildings to get items to build more buildings that produce more items. Levan had one of those games on his PDA, too. That exact game.
Is that my PDA?
He'scatchingon,Maddy.
Eyes widening, Levan glanced over to Madeleine, who once again met his eyes with her piercing stare, accompanied by the hint of a mischievous grin.
Whathappened,Levan?
I put the stuff in the washing machine, then I took a nap somewhere else and came back here. And I guess you two tried to find me and found my PDA instead.
Justher.
Really,youtookanap?
The boy sighed, slightly annoyed, and grabbed the PDA from Monique, who shifted her posture to face him better.
There was an announcement on Ames about the supply ship not having reached the station. They are asking pilots to join for a rescue mission.
Goodlucktothem,then.
Levan gave Madeleine a flat look before standing up, intending to move over to her. Before he could, however, Monique grabbed him from behind and pulled him back down to the bed. Madeleine moved the coffee cup from between her legs onto the little tray at the controls, then got up from the chair and walked over to them.
Uhm, Monique~
Erm,Levan- We'renotgoingtojointhatmission.
Goingouttherealmostkilleduslasttime,Levan.
That ship is out there, and we can help them! They need us!
He tried to free himself from Monique's arms wrapped around his torso, yet Madeleine pushed him further onto the bed and sat down on his thighs, trapping him. The girl with the orange hair leaned forward and hugged him gently.
Youcan'tsavethemall,love.
I can save them, Madeleine. I am a good pilot. I can find them and tow them to Ames!
The young woman placed her lips on his. Her hands gently cupped his cheeks, her thumbs caressing the cheekbones. Their lips parted and they simply eyed each other.
That turned him silent. He closed his eyes and turned his face away from her. Madeleine exhaled audibly, deeply and let her hands slide down to his chest.
All three of them. Monique, Madeleine, Levan. Him and his two girlfriends. All a man could want. Two pretty women that admired him in many ways. Any other man would be happy with that, Levan thought. No need to take any risks. Any suffering would be self-inflicted. Any struggle a struggle of his own making. And yet, there were people out there that needed help, and every second wasted on arguing with Madeleine and Monique was decreasing their chances of survival.
Levan filled his lungs with the tasteless recycled air of the Kay. He shook his head.
I guess you are right.
Madeleine responded with a more passionate kiss, which he returned. However, when she tried to push him to lay down, he pulled away.
Not really in the mood for that right now.
Yourlowerbodyseemstothinkdifferently.
I cannot do that when there are people out there that could be dying any second.
Once more, Levan remained silent. Was egoism really the right thing here? His gunboat was sturdier than most ships around, his navigating skills not too bad either. And he was an adult man. Even while being in a chokehold by two girls. But maybe they were right. Maybe the other pilots will manage to do it without him. Maybe was already too late. Maybe it was an ambush. And maybe there were better things to do right now.
But maybe he was the one to save this supply ship. The thought didn't let go of him. Neither did the two girls. Monique hugging him from behind, Madeleine from the front.
Kristoff wouldn't hesitate to help. Nobody could have stopped him from helping these people. Aspen literally went down to Erie to help defending the planet. She risked her life, too. Even Rebecca risked her life over and over again to help her friends in the most stupid ways, and escaped her well-deserved death every time. And Yoshiko would probably scolt him for wanting to play hero.
He had no idea what to do. Everything wanted him to play it safe and stay, and enjoy life. And yet the abyss was calling for him, tempting with the reward of helping people in need.
Zarathustra In Aphelion Disobedience - that is the nobility of slaves.
To the boy from Pittsburgh, living with what the Gemini Kay provided was more than enough. Countless water bottles, packs of Synth Paste and a few of Synth Gel, a very improvized shower, a large bunk bed in the back of the cockpit, a PDA for entertainment. The lack of amenities became apparent when Monique and Madeleine kept pointing it out. The bed was barely large enough for all three of them - luckily they were close enough to each other to be uncomfortable with proximity.
Monique pointed out that the wall panels could easily have a holo screen installed. Instead they had to make due with watching movies on the little PDA. The shower on the lower deck was also extremely barebones, with only a limited amount of water available. Enough to get clean after getting covered in industrial grease and sticky dust. Compared to the Den, this was a massive downgrade. It reminded Monique of her father insisting on a camping trip near the mountains behind Crichton. Little Monique, her little brother Jules, her big sisters Celyne and Charlotte, mother Josephine, father Valentin, aunt Phyllis and husband Arthur. Nobody enjoyed it, and she and her big sisters usually used every opportunity to get away from the family and instead hang out with neighbouring campers, especially if they were boys in their age.
At least nobody here tried to get her to sing at a campfire. No silly board games, either. And nobody tried to use to impress the family with a comically large BBQ grill. No insects, either. The more she thought about it, the more Monique realized that she was quite fortunate to be with Madeleine and Levan, even if the variety of things to do on the Kay was rather limited. Innocently cuddling with her boyfriend on the bed was not too bad, either.
Given said boyfriend did the laundry, Madeleine thought it was only fair to take care of the clean clothes on the floor. She folded them neatly and placed them sorted by person in the cabinet. That killed some time. A whopping ten minutes! Sitting down in the co-pilot seat, she glanced over to Monique and Levan on the bed. They looked cute that way. He simply lay on his back, his head on the fluffy pillow, looking down at the PDA he held on his belly to allow Monique at his side to watch the movie. Her hand an his chest, her head resting against his shoulder. One of her legs covered one of his, occasionally gently moving up and down in a lovingly way. She knew he silently appreciated these gestures of affection, even without him ever telling.
It took Madeleine many months to no longer feel jealousy at this sight. Sharing him with her had become a normal thing to her. Somehow, it simply worked out. Somehow, this became a thing. The woman with the orange hair turned around in her chair and placed her legs on the locked controls, slowly slumping down in the seat. The storm outside the ship didn't seem to grow any weaker. If anything, it had gotten only worse ever since they had arrived many days ago. She knew perfectly well that Levan somehow took a liking to this view, and sometimes she felt comfort in seeing the red lightnings in the distance, despite them being the ultimate proof of the extremely violent forces at play in the so-called vacuum of space.
She sighed inwardly. A few years ago, she merely visited the Den to hang out with another friend. Then she met Levan, visited more often, occasionally lay with him, and then she had fully moved in. It wasn't a relationship at all - just one of many girls that tended to hang out with Levan for various reasons. Then they grew closer, and at some point, she became the main girl. And Monique the second. And then they explored space together, and every time something bad happened. And yet Levan wanted to return to space over and over again, and yet again both Monique and Madeleine decided to come with him. And every time it went bad again. And every time she questioned her own sanity, she glanced at Levan and her brain shut down. Her body desired his and her heart desired his.
When nature's chemistry is at work, there is no place for reason.
No place at all.
Sadly, her bodily chemistry had another craving. Without her menthol cigarettes, it was almost impossible to calm down. And not having access to them regularly put her willpower to the test. Maybe someone at the bar would allow her to bum off a smoke.
Alright.I'llcheckoutthebar.
She got up from the seat and moved over to the door. Before she was able to leave, Monique scooted over Levan and off the bed.
Hangon,I'llcomewithyou! Reallywouldn'tmindadrink.
'Kay.You'recomingwithus,love?
I really do not want to set a foot on the station any time soon.
Madeleine smirked at him, watching him as he moved to sit at the edge of the bed.
Take your PDAs with you, just in case, okay?
Sure.
He got up and walked over to the two girls.
And please try to not give away too much information on us, okay?
Not everyone on this station is a Zoner. And some are quite vile.
Dude,we'reusedtohangingoutwithscumathome.
Yes, but these people are not just scum. They are space scum!
Don'tworry,we'llhandleit.
Just as they wanted to leave for the hallway, Levan grabbed Madeleine's hand and pulled her toward himself. Before she could grasp the situation, she found his lips on hers. A surprisingly passionate kiss, followed by a hand on her rear. Her heart skipped a beat from the sudden move. Even after years, he still managed to give her sweaty hands. They parted lips, and she smiled at him, her cheeks turning red. Of course he was tip-toeing to reach her lips, and now got back on his feet. Something she always found adorable about him, given he was a head shorter than her and Monique.
What...wasthatfor?
Just making sure you are not trying find a new boyfriend at the bar.
HaveIevergivenyoureasontoworryaboutthat?
No. Because I make sure you do not. Like this.
Another kiss, this time shorter. Passionate nevertheless. She bit her lip as they parted. Swallowing, she took a step back. His hand slid off her rear, along her hip, then returned to him.
Do not let Monique wait.
Sure.
He gave her one last smile, then she turned around and followed Monique through the hallway over to the airlock. The door to the cockpit closed behind her.
Her mind was suddenly clouded by rather adult thoughts on what to do with Levan once they are back. Maybe the cigarettes could wait? But Monique stopped her train of thought, commenting on the healthy color of her cheeks. The girl with the blue hair stepped out of the airlock onto the station flooring panels and took in some of the air. A bit more texture to it than on the Kay, for sure. The air felt a bit more heavy, she thought.
Madeleine, trying to calm down, followed Monique, then suddenly stopped, one step before leaving the ship. Monique kept walking, not intending to wait. For a few seconds, Madeleine hesitated, then stepped out of the airlock. Just as it was about to shut behind her, she quickly jumped back into it.
A few seconds later, Monique realized Madeleine was not following, so she turned around, trying to find Madeleine. However, instead of her, she noticed how the airlock gates of the station shut. The gunboat was unmooring.
Ohyoudamnfucker!
The woman with the blue hair hurried back to the airlock, but it was useless. The docking clamps had been released and through the transparent airlock shutters, she could do nothing other than staring at the Kay as it gained more and more distance from Ames.
Little did Levan know, his little plan was only partially successful, as Madeleine slowly made her way back into the hallway of the gunboat.
Zarathustra In Aphelion The spirit now wills his own will, and he who had been lost to the world now conquers the world.
Leaving the secure sphere around Ames, the Kay immediately found itself shrouded by the dark matter storm encapsulating the entire system in violent radiation and corroded debris, pushed and pulled by forces akin to turbulences and jetstreams, mixed with the constant harassment of specks of dust and pebbles. And yet, boldly went the little gunboat deeper and deeper into the wilds, its pilot determined to challenge the odds in an attempt to save lives - at the risk of two. At least two.
Madeleine slowly stepped through the hallway of the gunboat. The door to the cockpit was open, revealing the sight of the cockpit windows presenting the death right outside the shield bubble, and a seemingly fearless pilot named Levan. A young, skinny boy, who always seemed like one or two sizes too small for the pilot's seat he resided in, leaning forward to the controls, his senses focused on everything ahead of him. To him, he was the only person on the Kay. To him, only his own life was at risk.
The girl with the orange-dyed hair slowly made her way to the cockpit. Her steps so lightfooted, if there was any sound produced by her, it was muffled by the rumbling of the engines and increasing pressure on hull and shields. Her gaze fell, just slightly, in thought of this situation. Her mind busied itself with the endless considerations of the here and now. What was the best way to deal with this? Confronting him? Blaming him? In one possible scenario, she would easily overpower him, take control of the ship and head right back to Ames. In one other possible scenario - one she deemed a lot more likely despite a lack of solid evidence to support this thought of likeliness - he would overpower her.
Madeleine knew there was something off about him. Something he was hiding for years. She knew he had a different persona buried beneath this cute appearance. He mentioned it a few times to her. Despite a constant profession-founded curiousity to find out more, she figured it was best to leave it buried. He had been through enough trauma, and it was not up to her to poke into it. At least not without his consent.
The black boot covering her right foot entered the cockpit. Then the long leg attached to it. In a sovereign motion, the rest of her tall yet thin body followed. A set of buoys in the distance, then the glowing orbs around the Prophet. Levan dismissed them and steered the ship around for the next set of buoys. Madeleine inched closer, the fingers and thumb of her right hand almost nervously massaging the palm of her left hand. Her body still didn't produce any audible noise. There were these anomalies right out there, and the wreck of a liner trapped between them. And yet Levan didn't care. It was nothing he wanted to care about anymore.
Levan.
There was a moment of silence as the Kay stopped dead in its track right next to the new set of buoys marking the passage to Colorado. Levan slowly leaned back into his seat, his arms taking the opportunity to relax onto the arm rests. He exhaled audibly. Despite the sudden wave of intimidation almost crushing her body, she stepped closer and closer until she arrived right next to him, facing the cockpit windows. Whenever he went silent and unresponsive, it disturbed her. This magnificent, breathtaking boy, otherwise causing the people around him, especially her and Monique, to smile, to laugh and feel love and joy in response to his beauty, his pheromones and his naive, undereducated antics. These brown eyes peeking through under a curtain of thick, black hair. This otherwise calm and youthful voice. All the things she loved about him, that made her hands sweaty in his presence, that made her body react with desire for touch, kiss and mating, for constant proximity and unreasonable loyalty to him. All that was shaken in this moment, when he fell silent.
She knew it would have been better to stay on Ames, to intentionally fall for his little deception to get her and Monique to stay in a safe place. And yet here she was, right next to him.
Take the co-pilot seat. We are scanning for debris.
Without much hesitation, she followed his command. The tall girl lowered her rear into the seat next to his and leaned forward. She had little knowledge about all the controls in front of her, but the scanner was rather intuitive to use. It was not the first time.
We are looking for anything with smaller levels of radiation and corrosion. That should give us a lead.
Areyounotmad?
His head turned in her direction for a few seconds, giving her a piercing yet neutral stare. It then turned into an amiable smile before he faced Kepler again.
I think we both know exactly what you being here means.
The smile was contageous, and Madeleine found herself almost embarrassed at the realization that her lips had formed one.
You are far too intelligent to come here and ask me to return to Ames. You know I will not return. You made a conscious decision to stay with me despite me trying to fool you.
If anything, I just love you even more now, be it for your intention to either tell me not to do it, or for the intention to stay with me regardless.
To say Madeleine was intelligent was an understatement. Her perception, her ability to analyze and deduce as well as her empathy have proven to be assets that made her stand out, by a long shot, from the average person. It was only natural to her that pursuing psychological studies would be the career of choice. However, she herself disliked being called intelligent. She disliked the term, especially in how it is used in its colloquial aspect. Both Monique and Levan often praised her for her abilities, and yet she refused to take pride in it. To her, her level of thinking is something everyone is capable of, but simply elects not to aim for.
Most pilots consider the route from Colorado to Ames easier than the other route from Galileo. The Zoners generally tend to use that route - just like we did when we came here. There are two waypoints of this path that are more difficult to navigate, and that is where I want to check for any traces. It is right ahead of us. Since everything else in the system is radioactive, it is safe to guess that if the ship is still out there, it is considerably less radioactive. That, or its debris. That is the plan.
On occasion, a bigger piece of rock bumped against the shields of the Kay, and Madeleine experienced constant reminders about how death was creeping up on them whenever the titanium plating deformed just enough under the constant pressure and force of violence to pester her with the iconic sound of metallic bending. Nothing the nanobots on and behind the hull weren't able to handle, and yet absolutely terrifying to a person that is not used to it.
Gulping, the young lady from David's Hollow kept her mind entertained with the various scanner displays. Visual, heat, radiation, light, pressure, sonar - sonar? Did sonic not require a medium to move? How was that possible in the vacuum of space? But then again, they were surrounded by gas and dust. Maybe that was enough to actually carry sonic waves? The impacts of rocks on the shields definitely caused sound. It probably made sense in some abstract way. Astrophysics were certainly not her forte.
These thoughts kept her busy. They passed the set of buoys at the most infamous junction of the path - surrounded by the surprisingly sharp rocks of what used to be the Denko asteroid cluster. Levan once told her about the abandoned Xeno asteroid as they passed by. Those people lost their home when the dark matter storm claimed the entire system. That was her immediate thought, until Levan told her that "those idiots had been living in a smaller dark matter cloud covering the region the entire time already".
It was weird to her, the idea of these people purposely living in the most hazardous areas of space, to fight for someone else's cause. Then she looked over to Levan, who right now was risking both of their lives in an attempt to save people who don't even know him, who don't care for him and, most importantly, are most likely dead already. This boy, this young man, who kept surprising her over and over again.
Irresistable. Simply built differently. Her eyes betrayed her thoughts as they were glued to him. His remarkably beautiful face. Not a single flaw in his skin, no beard stubbles, no pimples, no scars. Skin softer than her own. A small, thin body, devoid of any unnecessary fat deposit. Skin and bones, with just enough muscle. He was working out frequently, one way or another. He has never looked healthier than now. Still somewhat underweight, though, which was one of his few visible flaws. And how was he supposed to gain weight, when water and synth paste - or as he kept referring to it, WaSPs - provided him with the exact amount of nutrition and energy he would ever need per day. His skin-tight suit emphasized his body's silhouette, forcing a neverending reminder of his attractive shape onto her mind. Sometimes he conceiled it a bit more by wearing clothes over the suit, and yet his preferred choice of style only fueled her craving for this seemingly rebellious misfit, simply not bending to the conformity of 834 A.S.' sense of fashion.
All in all, she found her praised intelligence to melt away like butter in a frying pan. Brain cells sizzling and steaming, replaced by mankind's most primal instinct. The mere thought of his virility, of the most exciting, jokingly OSC-appropriated part of his body and what he, despite his supressed - no, satiated - libido, can make her feel with it.
Her barely contained desire for him didn't remain unnoticed as his brown eyes met hers, struck by realization of how - and what - she kept eyeing, her body reacting like a dog seeing a juicy, slightly acidic grapefruit, producing saliva. Her brain was no longer in charge of her body. Instincts took a rock and smashed all intelligence out of her head.
Coincidentally, a much bigger rock hit the gunboat at high velocity, causing critical damage to it.
