A few hours after Poki was ejected, they were wrapping up for the night.
Corpse had given up in trying to talk to Nova, and they all solemnly tended to their tasks. It seemed as though she was about to open up to him but drew back. When he tried to open up to her, they were interrupted. Something was telling him they weren't meant to be; she was to remain unobtainable, and he was to remain admiring from afar.
"You heading to Med Bay soon?" Nova appeared at Admin where Felix was rummaging through its drawers.
"Huh?" Felix was so concentrated on looking for the ship's documents that he hadn't heard Nova, "Oh, uh, I'm just gonna hang out here for a while."
Nova gave him a sad smile as it looked as though he was losing his sanity due to the recent events. She thought if Felix was brave enough to stay up by himself, she could also use some time to relax by her lonesome. Ever since the night of Joel's death, Med Bay emanated this dark cloud heavy with anxiety and distrust for one another. Now, with Poki gone, there was a strange calm throughout the ship, and she wanted to enjoy it.
She took a seat in Navigation, leaning back in the chair as she stared at the night sky. It should have been beautiful with the twinkling stars and swirls of galaxies in the distance, but all she could see was a graveyard, their space mission only a strange interlude before they all met their demise.
"Nova?" Corpse called out gently, his lean figure against the doorframe. He'd wanted to let things go between them, but every time he saw her, he longed to make her his.
She looked over her shoulder, "Hey, Corpse."
His name sounded so sweet coming from her lips. He couldn't hide the gleam on his face, seeing as it looked as though she had forgiven him for how he'd been acting. She had. She realized he was only trying to protect her, and that had been one of the reasons she was so drawn to him. He wouldn't have been so passionate if he didn't care.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked, seeing as the air around them was light, not a single suspicion on the ship anymore.
She smiled, the bass in his voice filling her mind and replacing every other thought, "I could use the company."
He breathed a relieved laugh through his nose as he walked over to take a seat at the other chair. He marveled at her beauty, gazing over every curve of her perfect face as she watched the stars. Noticing out of the corner of her eye that he hadn't once turned away from her, she looked over at him, blushing as they made eye contact.
He was caught staring, and he racked his mind for something to say, "So... what did you mean when you said Poki wasn't going to make it home?" He was pleased in his ability to divert from appearing awkward.
Nova shrugged, "It's a suicide mission."
"What do you mean?"
"Why do you think we were all sent up here?" she asked.
Corpse shook his head, not knowing how to answer. They'd all assumed this was some sort of publicity stunt.
"You saw how things were back home," Nova explained calmly, "The looting, riots, everyone going crazy on lockdown. The government's been planning this for years and had no choice when shit hit the fan."
"Planning what?" Corpse was on the edge of his seat, eager for Nova to go on about what it was that was weighing on her mind.
"They selected a handful of us to find another inhabitable planet. Like influencers are the epitome of our generation," she laughed, "That's why there was that list of characteristics — for us to see who was a suitable mate. Some morbid way for society to start over new."
