Another Life (Oc x reader)

Chapter 4 - Eleven Percent

You walk back into the observation room and see Ethan in his thoughtful pacing. Reaching him you give him something to eat, he shakes his head but you force it into his hands and he takes.

"Seven months slapped into a trip that was only supposed to take six." Ethan mutters, annoyed. "Am I being too cautious?" He asks you and William.

"You see that here?" William point to the star map on the screen. "This.. clumpin'? For all we know, it could be an entire star system playing hide and seek with us, or.. maybe it's a black hole. What we can't see, will kill us."

"William.. I need your advice." Ethan tells him. "So, I'm asking you what you think."

"Oh.."

William is taken aback, but feels very appreciative by the way Ethan is treating him. He liked you and Ethan since the moment he met you, felt that you treat him like a person, like a friend.

"I think, I'd like to reach our destination in one piece.. even is it means taking longer to get there."

"Okay, then."

The door opens. "We have a solution." Yerxa tells Ethan as he walks in with August.

"Great. I'm all ears."

"Whenever we're travelling faster than light, the Salvare had a force field." August says.

"It's not really a force field, but-"

"It's more of a bubble, one that deflects energy particles-"

"And energy bursts." Yerxa says. "Like the one shooting out of Sirius."

"Okay, so.. you guys want to initialise this bubble on its own to create, like, a kind of shield?" Ethan asks them.

"Exactly. Now, I won't lie. It's gonna be a bumpy ride, but we will make it through in one piece."

"Huh.." Ethan then turn to William and you. "Thoughts?"

"Well, the science is there, but if you're looking for a sure thing.. keep looking. There's an eleven percent chance the bubble won't be strong enough." William tells him.

"Which means there's an 89 percent chance that it will." Yerxa then says. "It's a very solid plan. I would take the risk."

"Still, it's a risk."

"Being out here is a risk. Even eating those MREs is a risk. Ethan, please. This is our best shot." Yerxa tells him.

Ethan sighs. "Eleven percent is just too much."

Yerxa grows angry. "You are adding months to our journey."

"Ian-"

"There is a piece of alien technology sticking out of some field in the middle of nowhere and we have no idea why, or what it wants. Now, he might not have anyone waiting for him." He gestures to William. "But I do! You do!"

"And if we take a shortcut that destroys the ship, they're all on their own. The Salvare is all-"

Yerxa interrupts him. "And if we second-guess every single decision, we will never make it there."