says. She rests her head on the table again. Can we talk about this later?
Okay, says Tarae.
Serena pokes her head into the galley. Morning, Tarae. Morning, Tasneem.
Yes, I slept with her! Tasneem shouts. Alright? We don't have to talk about it!
Serena leaves.
Tarae says, Alright, now everybody knows.
Serena didn't know?
She knew.
Tasneem exhales heavily. I just don't want to talk about it.
Who's taking Catrine's place as first officer?
I don't know. A rock.
She was good. I don't think a rock would do it.
You want the job?
Me? Not if it means I have to sleep with you. I like you and I think you're a lovely woman -- most of the time -- but I'm not interested in taking your pants off. Or you taking mine.
I fucked things up, didn't I, Tasneem mumbles.
If you mean you're behaving like a child, then sure, I'd go with that, Tarae says. You were pretty shitty to me yesterday, too.
You want an apology?
I want you to stop screwing around and start trying to save the system again, says Tarae. That's all. Can we do that? Can you?
I don't know, Tasneem says. I've been trying to do that for a long time. I need a vacation. I should go to Tahiti.
Let me channel Catrine for you, says Tarae. Nobody knows what Tahiti is.
Shut up, Tarae.
Yes, ma'am.
• • •
The Maasi shudders, and dull, hollow booms reverberate through the ship. Varien is in the viewing galley, writing, when it happens. He yelps, pulled from his fog of adjectives. The next collision knocks him to the floor and sends his pen skittering away.
Tarae's voice sounds throughout the Maasi .
This one's real. Serena, wake up. Tasneem, I could use you up on the bridge.
The speaker crackles to life again, and Ishy says, Serena, get down here now, we've got a fire.
Varien scrambles to his feet. He takes the stairs three at a time, then throws himself down a ladder. He bangs into the wall, takes a corner fast, and nearly collides with Serena at the next junction.
With me, Serena shouts, and Varien follows.
Ishy is at the engine room door. Her left sleeve has been torn away, and her arm is scorched.
You're burned, Varien says.
I'm okay -- be careful in there, it just got huge all of a sudden.
Serena yells at Varien from inside. Tall guy! Varien!
Varien points up the stairs. Go find Oona, he says to Ishy. Hurry, these things need immediate treatment or they just get worse.
Varien! Serena yells again.
Ishy staggers up the stairs, and Varien dives into the engine room.
Serena is on her knees to stay under acrid smoke. Varien drops to the floor and crawls to her.
Above me, she says. There's a ripcord at the top of this panel. I can't reach it.
Pull it? Varien asks.
Hard as you can, she says. Hold your breath. Don't open your eyes.
Varien nods, takes two deep breaths of thinning air, and leaps to his feet. Serena watches as he vanishes into the smoke. His feet arch until he's standing on his toes.
It's short and has a handle, she calls up.
Behind her, the engine stutters, and she can hear the sound of twisting metal clanging deep inside of it.
Fast, now! she yells up at Varien.
He falls to the floor. His face is streaked with black soot.
I couldn't find it, he says, and coughs violently.
You gotta go back up, Serena says. Hear that?
The engine sounds like it's being torn apart by animals.
Varien nods.
That shit means bad things happen, she says. Really bad. We-all-die bad. Pull that goddamn cord!
Quo Vadimus
Tasneem stares at the asteroid. Far below, she can see fresh impact craters from the barrage.
Varien balls up a dirty towel and tosses it aside. He breathes like a chimney, every breath black and painful.
Oona has a solution that will help, Tasneem says.
Varien wheezes. This happens often?
Sometimes, Tasneem says. This is the worst one yet. We shouldn't have been running without radar, but there are Citadel patrols in the belt. We saw two a
Okay, says Tarae.
Serena pokes her head into the galley. Morning, Tarae. Morning, Tasneem.
Yes, I slept with her! Tasneem shouts. Alright? We don't have to talk about it!
Serena leaves.
Tarae says, Alright, now everybody knows.
Serena didn't know?
She knew.
Tasneem exhales heavily. I just don't want to talk about it.
Who's taking Catrine's place as first officer?
I don't know. A rock.
She was good. I don't think a rock would do it.
You want the job?
Me? Not if it means I have to sleep with you. I like you and I think you're a lovely woman -- most of the time -- but I'm not interested in taking your pants off. Or you taking mine.
I fucked things up, didn't I, Tasneem mumbles.
If you mean you're behaving like a child, then sure, I'd go with that, Tarae says. You were pretty shitty to me yesterday, too.
You want an apology?
I want you to stop screwing around and start trying to save the system again, says Tarae. That's all. Can we do that? Can you?
I don't know, Tasneem says. I've been trying to do that for a long time. I need a vacation. I should go to Tahiti.
Let me channel Catrine for you, says Tarae. Nobody knows what Tahiti is.
Shut up, Tarae.
Yes, ma'am.
• • •
The Maasi shudders, and dull, hollow booms reverberate through the ship. Varien is in the viewing galley, writing, when it happens. He yelps, pulled from his fog of adjectives. The next collision knocks him to the floor and sends his pen skittering away.
Tarae's voice sounds throughout the Maasi .
This one's real. Serena, wake up. Tasneem, I could use you up on the bridge.
The speaker crackles to life again, and Ishy says, Serena, get down here now, we've got a fire.
Varien scrambles to his feet. He takes the stairs three at a time, then throws himself down a ladder. He bangs into the wall, takes a corner fast, and nearly collides with Serena at the next junction.
With me, Serena shouts, and Varien follows.
Ishy is at the engine room door. Her left sleeve has been torn away, and her arm is scorched.
You're burned, Varien says.
I'm okay -- be careful in there, it just got huge all of a sudden.
Serena yells at Varien from inside. Tall guy! Varien!
Varien points up the stairs. Go find Oona, he says to Ishy. Hurry, these things need immediate treatment or they just get worse.
Varien! Serena yells again.
Ishy staggers up the stairs, and Varien dives into the engine room.
Serena is on her knees to stay under acrid smoke. Varien drops to the floor and crawls to her.
Above me, she says. There's a ripcord at the top of this panel. I can't reach it.
Pull it? Varien asks.
Hard as you can, she says. Hold your breath. Don't open your eyes.
Varien nods, takes two deep breaths of thinning air, and leaps to his feet. Serena watches as he vanishes into the smoke. His feet arch until he's standing on his toes.
It's short and has a handle, she calls up.
Behind her, the engine stutters, and she can hear the sound of twisting metal clanging deep inside of it.
Fast, now! she yells up at Varien.
He falls to the floor. His face is streaked with black soot.
I couldn't find it, he says, and coughs violently.
You gotta go back up, Serena says. Hear that?
The engine sounds like it's being torn apart by animals.
Varien nods.
That shit means bad things happen, she says. Really bad. We-all-die bad. Pull that goddamn cord!
Quo Vadimus
Tasneem stares at the asteroid. Far below, she can see fresh impact craters from the barrage.
Varien balls up a dirty towel and tosses it aside. He breathes like a chimney, every breath black and painful.
Oona has a solution that will help, Tasneem says.
Varien wheezes. This happens often?
Sometimes, Tasneem says. This is the worst one yet. We shouldn't have been running without radar, but there are Citadel patrols in the belt. We saw two a
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