Unknown Horizons (Lesbian Space Opera)

Chapter 2

I stand in front of the mirror in my cabin assessing my formal wear. There's a welcome reception tonight for Hartley and me, and I hate receptions. I suck at small talk and always feel awkward eating off tiny plates. Still, I've made an effort, ditching the traditional dress uniform for a simple backless green dress, cut just above the knees. It shows a hint of cleavage, but not enough to be inappropriate. My hair hangs loose, tickling my back and shoulders. I fasten my necklace, a single black pearl—well, fake pearl—strung by a barely-there chain. It's the only piece of jewelry I own, given to me by my father when I graduated from the academy. He was so proud I'd joined the Union fleet. Personally, I think he was more excited about the leverage he could use in the commons with a daughter in the service. Maybe that's unfair, but he's always saying you have to find your edge, especially if it's personal. I'll never have to endure one of his for-your-own-good lectures again, and I'm not sure if that saddens me.

I've timed it so I arrive twenty minutes late; the less chitchat I have to endure before they call us to dinner the better. I stand outside the officers' mess and press the panel on my right and the door slips open. I spot Hartley first in the corner by the window surrounded by a bunch of engineer geeks. Since he's the only person I've met beside the captain, I head his way, and he waves as soon as he sees me. The mess is crowded with officers and with a few crew members bellowing, the excitement is palpable.

Hartley takes my hand and lifts it away from my body to get a better look at my dress. "You look fantastic in that. I was worried you might show up in dress uniform." He pairs his somewhat inappropriate compliment with a face-stretching grin and stuffs a cheese ball in his mouth. If he were Union fleet, it would be wholly inappropriate to speak to a superior officer like that. But Hartley is part of the civilian group included in the mission to fill any knowledge gaps. Only the two Union ships and the Posterus crew are Union, the rest are civilians. But Hartley's the only one assigned to our ship.

Ben Hartley has no filter between his brain and mouth. It's the first thing I noticed when I met him at the air dock. He arrived earlier this afternoon, with two giant containers, one of which contains the engine core for the Posterus, the other with who knows what.

"Would you like to see the engine room or your cabin first?" I ask shaking his hand.

He grins wide. "How 'bout your cabin?" He's tall and lanky, pure geek, his confidence doesn't match his looks. I could make as if I'm offended, but I've always hated the sort who can't take a joke or poorly placed compliment.

"It's not that big. I don't think there'd be room for your ego."

His laugh, also incongruous, booms out of his skinny chest, quick and thunderous. "I think we're going to get along just fine, Lieutenant."

He hands me a champagne flute and stands on his toes peering over my head. "The heels are a little high, though."

It's entertaining to see that he's still just as cheeky at the reception as he was first meeting him.

"You might want to tone those down," he continues and nods to the men surrounding him, none of whom are as tall or brazen. Only one looks shocked, and the rest are in awe, hanging off his every word as if he were a God.

I've read his file and a few of his papers so I know that his confidence and this God-like reverence comes from his being the leading mind in nuclear fusion propulsion. He's the reason it will only take one hundred years to get to Kepler 980f instead of five hundred. He's not the only one working on it, but he's the one who solved the containment issue, and all the other problems seemed to fall into place after that.

Uncouth as he is, I decide I like him.

And to prove my point, he slaps my back and points to the others. "Holy crap, where are my manners? Guys, this is Lieutenant Ali Ash, our new first officer. Ash, these are the guys on my team. Well, I guess they're my team now that I'm here. But you know what I mean, these are the engineers on board." He's bouncing on the balls of his feet by this time, barreling through each word so fast I find it hard to keep up. "They're going to help me install the fusion core when we get to the Posterus."