impending doom quite like he could. Probably because he was still hopeful that they would soon be rescued. Of course he was a more cynical man than that, but he had buried his panic so it wouldn't overwhelm him and make him do stupid things. Now was not the time for stupid. Now was the time to keep a level head and start looking for more clothing and blankets.
"So we are going to die," she said quietly.
"It looks that way," he told her honestly. "Not how I would like to go."
"How would you like to go?" she asked him and then gestured to his bunk, "Can I?"
"The other side," he told her so he wouldn't suffer another one of her painful arm grabbings. Norik closed his eyes as she clambered over top of him and then complained when she slipped and some part of her knocked him in the stomach.
"Sorry," she said and after a moment's hesitation, snuggled closer to him. "So how would you like to die?"
"It is not something I like to think about," he said and raised his eyebrow as she took his left hand and placed it across her shoulder. "And you?"
"I thought that dying of old age was boring, right now though it's looking really appealing," she told him. "But before all of this, I thought going out with a bang and making a headline would be good."
"It would make for an interesting story," he agreed.
"Exactly."
"I see you have thought about this often," he said dryly.
"Yeah," she admitted. "Us reporter types want to make a mark on the universe and then go out in a fiery blaze of glory before we lose our edge."
"So freezing to death would not be the fiery blaze of glory that you had hoped for?" he asked.
"Not so much," she said with a sigh. "More the exact opposite."
"If you would like, I could see if I could breach the antimatter containment," he offered. "It would make for a very impressive and noticeable explosion."
Jasmine laughed, he felt it reverberate through him and warm his heart. She wasn't scared of him it seemed, that or she was more scared of their imminent death and just wanted Human contact or contact with any living being, before the end. A thought that cooled the heat he felt in his veins.
She pushed herself up onto her elbow, the blanket still clutched to her chest and asked, "You would do that for me?"
Norik stared up at her, caught in her gaze as he tried to remember what the question was. "We could wait until the last possible moment. Or we could do it before the onset of hypothermia and frostbite-"
"How romantic," she said with a teasing smile which made him frown and her laugh again.
"Or," he continued, "if we can find environmental suits, rig the antimatter to detonate on a time delay and wait for any nearby ship to notice and come to investigate."
Jasmine stopped laughing and stared at him, openmouthed. "Would that work?" she asked.
Norik ran some calculations in his head and said hesitantly, "Provided there are EV suits and enough air in them for us to get away from the explosion and resulting shockwave, it is possible."
"Oh," she said with a hopeful smile.
"But not probable," he cautioned.
"OK, so it'll be plan B," she said solemnly. "Plan A is wait until just before hypothermia and frostbite and plan C is go out in a blaze of... no wait. I just confused myself. Whatever, you know what I mean."
"I know what you mean," he told her.
Silence descended over them like a blanket as they stared at each other. Embarrassed, Norik cast about for a new topic of discussion. He noticed her bare shoulders and asked, "Are you naked?" and then closed his eyes briefly, annoyed at himself for having asked something stupid.
"That depends," she told him.
"On?" he couldn't help but ask.
"On if you're still angry with me," she said cautiously.
"I have come to believe that you were acting in self defense," he said. "No, I am not currently angry with you."
"Good," said Jasmine. She gave him that smile, the one that transformed her plain features into that of a dazzling beauty. She dropped her hand from her
"So we are going to die," she said quietly.
"It looks that way," he told her honestly. "Not how I would like to go."
"How would you like to go?" she asked him and then gestured to his bunk, "Can I?"
"The other side," he told her so he wouldn't suffer another one of her painful arm grabbings. Norik closed his eyes as she clambered over top of him and then complained when she slipped and some part of her knocked him in the stomach.
"Sorry," she said and after a moment's hesitation, snuggled closer to him. "So how would you like to die?"
"It is not something I like to think about," he said and raised his eyebrow as she took his left hand and placed it across her shoulder. "And you?"
"I thought that dying of old age was boring, right now though it's looking really appealing," she told him. "But before all of this, I thought going out with a bang and making a headline would be good."
"It would make for an interesting story," he agreed.
"Exactly."
"I see you have thought about this often," he said dryly.
"Yeah," she admitted. "Us reporter types want to make a mark on the universe and then go out in a fiery blaze of glory before we lose our edge."
"So freezing to death would not be the fiery blaze of glory that you had hoped for?" he asked.
"Not so much," she said with a sigh. "More the exact opposite."
"If you would like, I could see if I could breach the antimatter containment," he offered. "It would make for a very impressive and noticeable explosion."
Jasmine laughed, he felt it reverberate through him and warm his heart. She wasn't scared of him it seemed, that or she was more scared of their imminent death and just wanted Human contact or contact with any living being, before the end. A thought that cooled the heat he felt in his veins.
She pushed herself up onto her elbow, the blanket still clutched to her chest and asked, "You would do that for me?"
Norik stared up at her, caught in her gaze as he tried to remember what the question was. "We could wait until the last possible moment. Or we could do it before the onset of hypothermia and frostbite-"
"How romantic," she said with a teasing smile which made him frown and her laugh again.
"Or," he continued, "if we can find environmental suits, rig the antimatter to detonate on a time delay and wait for any nearby ship to notice and come to investigate."
Jasmine stopped laughing and stared at him, openmouthed. "Would that work?" she asked.
Norik ran some calculations in his head and said hesitantly, "Provided there are EV suits and enough air in them for us to get away from the explosion and resulting shockwave, it is possible."
"Oh," she said with a hopeful smile.
"But not probable," he cautioned.
"OK, so it'll be plan B," she said solemnly. "Plan A is wait until just before hypothermia and frostbite and plan C is go out in a blaze of... no wait. I just confused myself. Whatever, you know what I mean."
"I know what you mean," he told her.
Silence descended over them like a blanket as they stared at each other. Embarrassed, Norik cast about for a new topic of discussion. He noticed her bare shoulders and asked, "Are you naked?" and then closed his eyes briefly, annoyed at himself for having asked something stupid.
"That depends," she told him.
"On?" he couldn't help but ask.
"On if you're still angry with me," she said cautiously.
"I have come to believe that you were acting in self defense," he said. "No, I am not currently angry with you."
"Good," said Jasmine. She gave him that smile, the one that transformed her plain features into that of a dazzling beauty. She dropped her hand from her
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