go. I don’t exactly have a lot of great alternatives.” He fought with whether or not to say the rest. “I don’t want to do it to impress you. I know that’s not even on your mind,” he added when he saw her blink. “I’m just saying… y’know?”
She let out another sigh, gripping the top of the balcony rail with frustration. “Yeah, I know.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “How many guys have given you last-minute heartfelt confessions?”
“In the last week? Three. Four, now.”
“Oh, please, I don’t count. You’ve known I’ve had a thing for you for a couple years now. I’ve asked you out plenty of times. Hey, I’m not bitter. We’re fine,” he smirked. “But I have to recognize that it could mess with my judgment.”
Allison nodded. “You’ve put other people first as long as I’ve known you,” she said, “including your parents, and your friends—including me. This one is all about you, Tanner.”
“I know,” he nodded. He gestured to the party behind them. “All this is over now, one way or the other. That’s how I have to think about it.”
“Maybe I should’ve spent more time with you,” she frowned. “But yeah. All going away now. And I’m not going to do anything to make myself regret my decisions.”
“That’ll disappoint a lot of guys,” grinned Tanner.
“Allison!” cried out a young woman behind them. “Come on! You can talk to him later!”
“I can’t help being amazing,” Allison deadpanned. “It’s a burden.” She put her hand on his back. “Don’t leave the party without seeing me again. I head out for Earth in a couple days and I want to make sure we stay in touch.”
She walked away, calling back happily to her other friends. He wondered if he would ever be able to shift emotional gears like that.
The party carried on. He had other people to talk to. For the moment, though, he felt better alone. He keyed the cheap holocom on his wrist again, calling up a much smaller holographic projection this time and returning to the media broadcast he had been watching before.
Icons at the bottom of the projection indicated that this was a live broadcast. With the distance between planets across the star system, that still meant for a delay of a few minutes, but Tanner had hoped to catch this particular news conference as it went out. He was a faithful fan of the woman at its center.
Andrea Bennet stood amid a throng of reporters, apparently still somewhere at Michelangelo Academy given their surroundings. Little media gear was evident; journalists typically had their tiny cameras and microphones woven into their clothes. With the audio off, a viewer could have taken the president’s press secretary for a tour guide showing off the Academy’s artwork collection. Instead, she conveyed grim, tragic news.
“Seven hours ago, elements of the Archangel Navy located three Argent Mark VI Lifeboats containing over six hundred survivors of the luxury liner Aphrodite not far outside the legal FTL line near Augustine. Responding units have also discovered the bodies of many others drifting in space. The liner itself has not been located and is believed to have left the system.
“Again, we don’t have an accurate listing of names of survivors yet. What I can tell you is that the survivors were largely made up of the ship’s crew. Recovery is still underway, so I don’t have an accurate number for the deceased, but I am told it is in the hundreds.”
“Are you saying these people were just spaced?” blurted one journalist.
Andrea swallowed as she nodded. Though calm and collected, no one would mistake her demeanor for indifference. “Many were clearly assaulted or killed beforehand, but it appears that most died from exposure to the void.
“Details currently indicate that Aphrodite was the victim of open piracy. Investigations are still ongoing and that conclusion is not final, of course. Unfortunately, I have no details on the suspects or their
She let out another sigh, gripping the top of the balcony rail with frustration. “Yeah, I know.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “How many guys have given you last-minute heartfelt confessions?”
“In the last week? Three. Four, now.”
“Oh, please, I don’t count. You’ve known I’ve had a thing for you for a couple years now. I’ve asked you out plenty of times. Hey, I’m not bitter. We’re fine,” he smirked. “But I have to recognize that it could mess with my judgment.”
Allison nodded. “You’ve put other people first as long as I’ve known you,” she said, “including your parents, and your friends—including me. This one is all about you, Tanner.”
“I know,” he nodded. He gestured to the party behind them. “All this is over now, one way or the other. That’s how I have to think about it.”
“Maybe I should’ve spent more time with you,” she frowned. “But yeah. All going away now. And I’m not going to do anything to make myself regret my decisions.”
“That’ll disappoint a lot of guys,” grinned Tanner.
“Allison!” cried out a young woman behind them. “Come on! You can talk to him later!”
“I can’t help being amazing,” Allison deadpanned. “It’s a burden.” She put her hand on his back. “Don’t leave the party without seeing me again. I head out for Earth in a couple days and I want to make sure we stay in touch.”
She walked away, calling back happily to her other friends. He wondered if he would ever be able to shift emotional gears like that.
The party carried on. He had other people to talk to. For the moment, though, he felt better alone. He keyed the cheap holocom on his wrist again, calling up a much smaller holographic projection this time and returning to the media broadcast he had been watching before.
Icons at the bottom of the projection indicated that this was a live broadcast. With the distance between planets across the star system, that still meant for a delay of a few minutes, but Tanner had hoped to catch this particular news conference as it went out. He was a faithful fan of the woman at its center.
Andrea Bennet stood amid a throng of reporters, apparently still somewhere at Michelangelo Academy given their surroundings. Little media gear was evident; journalists typically had their tiny cameras and microphones woven into their clothes. With the audio off, a viewer could have taken the president’s press secretary for a tour guide showing off the Academy’s artwork collection. Instead, she conveyed grim, tragic news.
“Seven hours ago, elements of the Archangel Navy located three Argent Mark VI Lifeboats containing over six hundred survivors of the luxury liner Aphrodite not far outside the legal FTL line near Augustine. Responding units have also discovered the bodies of many others drifting in space. The liner itself has not been located and is believed to have left the system.
“Again, we don’t have an accurate listing of names of survivors yet. What I can tell you is that the survivors were largely made up of the ship’s crew. Recovery is still underway, so I don’t have an accurate number for the deceased, but I am told it is in the hundreds.”
“Are you saying these people were just spaced?” blurted one journalist.
Andrea swallowed as she nodded. Though calm and collected, no one would mistake her demeanor for indifference. “Many were clearly assaulted or killed beforehand, but it appears that most died from exposure to the void.
“Details currently indicate that Aphrodite was the victim of open piracy. Investigations are still ongoing and that conclusion is not final, of course. Unfortunately, I have no details on the suspects or their
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