you're in deep

oneshot

A list of crew, a list of equipment, a list of scrap, and a list of visited moons constitutes a proper flight log.

Some employees, the more conscientious sort, may include other details. Lives lost, scrap lost, creatures encountered - conscientious employees may last the average amount of time, but they do not last the longest.

The company's longest lasting crew is a matter of contention: a silent competition between Myth, Promise, and Advent. There are other competitions, of course, but those competitors began long before the three crews aforementioned, so the older crews may as well not be a threat, because their already present threat is so... Threatening.

Yes, it makes perfect sense. No, Kronii hasn't spent upwards of an hour thinking about how she can rub it in G. Gura's face that Promise collected more scrap last week.

Being short and cocky is a recipe for disaster on anyone else; how G. Gura has lived this long is an industry secret. W. Amelia would say G. Gura is just quick and strong. N. Inanis would say G. Gura is slippery, like an eel or some other such sea creature, perhaps. Kronii would say G. Gura's days are numbered.

Gordion is a dot on the darkness of space behind them when Kronii begins her tedious and thankless work of equipment maintenance -

"Are you internally dialoguing again like some sort of angsty weirdo?" asks Irys.

Kronii counters intelligently, "I - what - weirdo - what - you! You're calling me a weirdo?! You-"

From the terminal, Bae shouts at Irys, "Stop trying to break the Kronii before we land! We need her!"

For the briefest moment, a warmth touches Kronii's stony heart of stone. Is this... An emotion she's feeling?

Bae continues, "Who else is going to fight the monsters for us while we do all the hard work?!"

Just like that, the warmth dies. Kronii stomps off to the bunks (which are only two footsteps away, making her dramatic exit very undramatic and short), and broods. She doesn't sulk or pout, because a magnificent being such as Kronii would never do something so childish. She broods because she is a mature adult with healthy responses to normal emotions.

Irys and Bae giggle to each other until they begin bantering, filling the shuttle's cabin with the usual shouting that Bae swears isn't flirting. No one believes you, Bae.

Kronii postpones the equipment check for the moment, seeing as her thankless and underappreciated efforts are being undervalued and sneered at.

Fauna pokes her head over the edge of the bunk above Kronii's. "It's okay that you like to monologue inside your head. We accept you as you are. Even if you are really weird."

Kronii sucks in a deep breath, contemplates a response, and settles for exhaling. "Thank you, Fauna."

"Anytime!"

--

They drop their scrap on the table, proud to have met the profit quota.

The long tendril of the company sweeps the scrap behind the wall. A disembodied voice tells them they've succeeded.

The Promise crew turns around, ready to go back to the ship.

"Company policy mandates all crews lasting up to one year must accept another crew member. Ships will be modified."

A cold drip of fear slices down Kronii's spine. She glances to Bae, who appears just as lost as Kronii, as all of them. None of them have ever heard of this policy. How were they supposed to find another person? Were they supposed to poach the fourth member of another crew?