Chapter 18 - Mission Charter

Okay, so there I was, at the head of the table again, staring at this mission charter like our life depended on it. Three weeks in, two to Alpha Centauri, that’s what Zoe had planned. We had three freaking months to do everything. Shit, time was slipping through our fingers like sand and we hadn't even arrived yet. I could feel my shoulders tensing up, already picturing us all screaming at each other.

“Alright,” I started, trying to sound all captain-like, which was a joke. "Three weeks down, we’ll be at Alpha Centauri in about two, which means we got just over three months to get the survey done before we have to haul ass back to Sol." I needed to be more in control. Maybe if I pretended long enough, it would become real.

"That’s cutting it close," Emily said. She flipped through her notes, taking notes, punching her keyboard like life depended on it, probably some super-organized shit. She was always so put together, it was actually kind of a turn-on, not that I'd ever say that out loud. Not with Joey and Danny here, they'd never let me live it down.

Danny, ever the worrywart, leaned back in his chair, adjusting his glasses. "It’s not just the time, it’s the whole damn thing. The UER wants a full system map, and the IFC is salivating over potential resource exploitation. Then there's the whole 'search for alien life' bit. It's a huge-ass list." He wasn't wrong.

Joey, Mr. Doom and Gloom, chimed in, "Let's not forget that we're balls deep in debt to the IFC, 300 million deep, just to be clear." Yeah, Joey, I know the numbers, and why couldn’t you just shut up? Like I needed a fucking reminder that we were one wrong move away from being space-hobos. Trust me, I know how much we owe.

I rubbed my eyes, the weight of it all pressing down. “Yeah, exactly. The payouts are there, maybe, but we gotta be fast and efficient. The charter mentions bonuses for 'strategic resource identification.' So, any high-value asteroids or weird-ass minerals, we need to tag 'em. No screwing around."

Emily tapped her laptop, and I found myself wanting to touch her, just a little, “The habitable zone analysis has the big payout, 500 mil if it’s habitable, 200 more for a bio-compatible atmosphere. That’s where we make all our money." That’s right. Cash money, that’s what I like to hear. I wanted her to hear it too, because I wanted to know what she thought of that, to see if she had also, you know, similar needs. Money talks, bullshit walks, and right now, money was screaming my name. And hers, hopefully.

Danny nodded, frowning. "Yeah, but what if there are no planets to even consider? The charter does say to document 'any' planetary bodies, even if they're barren rocks. And we still need to grab core samples, look for life signs, artifacts, whatever else..." His eyebrows were doing that thing again. Distracting as hell.

I leaned back, pointing at the laptop in front of me, and all I saw were random numbers and symbols. “We’ve got the satellites, the probes, all the tools, the whole shebang. Everything we need is right here. We just need to get our shit together so that we can jump into action when we hit Alpha Centauri. Everything needs to be ready." Emily was sitting so close to me, and it was hard to pretend that I was even listening to what was coming out of my mouth.

Danny practically yelled, his voice was a bit too shrill for this early in the morning, “That's what we’ve been doing, you know?” Okay, okay, chill the fuck out, Danny, I didn’t say that you weren't trying. No need to get your panties in a twist.

I raised my hand, wanting to avoid a lecture. "I know, I know, I’m just saying we gotta deploy instantly. Get those probes out for the planetary surveys, start analyzing for those signatures, and grab core samples where the charter indicates. Plan the orbits, grab the data, and haul ass."

Emily raised an eyebrow, giving me that look. The one that said, 'You're full of shit, but I'm going to let you think you're not.' "Luca, you can’t half-ass this. The charter is very specific about the 'comprehensive mapping' and the 'alien lifeform detection' protocols. We need to follow procedure. This is the only shot we’ve got at this survey." She was right. Annoyingly right.

“I’m not saying to half-ass it, Jesus,” I retorted, already feeling my temper flare up. I had to stop myself from being so damn defensive. “I’m saying we gotta be sharp, no wasted effort, no doing things twice. We don’t have time for screwups. If we plan carefully, we can do this fast and right,” and I knew that wasn’t true, that we had limited time and a lot of chances to screw this all up, but also, she was so close to me, it was so hard to concentrate. And then, she had to do it, her hand had found its way to my thigh, what a tease, what a damn tease.

Danny sighed, and I could almost see the disappointment on his face. I had a moment of clarity that I had lost my point, again. I swear, the guy had more sighs than a depressed cat. “Concise and thorough don’t always work together, Luca. You can't ‘optimize’ science.” And he had a point.

“Look, Danny," I said, leaning forward. “I know you’re the brains, you’re the scientist, I trust you. But three months ain’t a lot when we’re dealing with three stars and whatever the hell else is out there. We gotta go for the mission charter's shit first.”

Her gaze steady on me, and it was so hard to focus. “He’s got a point. The IFC doesn’t care what we find unless it lines up with the payouts. So, habitable zones, resources, life signs… that's where we have to focus," and her fingers, and her touch, they were driving me insane. I really did need to stop.

Joey, who’d been quiet for once, and I had to admit, I was a little worried about that too, finally decided to speak. “But what if there’s nothing out there? What if it’s just dead rock?” Oh, fuck you, Joey. Don’t jinx us like that, because now, that was all I could think about, and also, I could feel myself getting hard, and it was so damn inconvenient.

The room got quiet, the thought hanging there like a turd in a punch bowl, and I had to force myself to take a deep breath. I hated that idea, that we could fail, that we might have bet it all, for nothing, and I was not ready to think about that.

Emily broke the silence. “We’ve got more than theories. Five planets based on every observation from Earth. Sure, one might be radioactive, but that still leaves other options.” Her hand had moved even higher now, and what was even the point of this whole mission, anyway?

Joey looked up, his face less screwed up, but he was still a mess. “Yeah, but ‘options’ don’t guarantee results.” No shit, Joey, they don't, but what are we supposed to do, cry about it? And also, you have no idea what is happening here, under the table.

“No,” Emily said, “but it’s better than nothing. We have data, tools, and a kick-ass team that knows how to use them,” and then her fingers squeezed my inner thigh, just for a second. Oh my God. “And that counts for a lot,” and she was probably trying to distract me, or to keep me quiet, or what, I had no idea.

Danny nodded, and he looked kind of smug, and his eyebrows were doing that thing again. “Yeah, those observations give us a start. Once we’re in-system, we can fine-tune everything in real-time.”

“And there’s probably a valuable asteroid or two,” I murmured, trying to act like I wasn't a complete mess. “If all else fails, we sell that on the black market.” Because yeah, that’s what we could actually do.

Joey snorted, finally smiling, and he had been looking a little too serious, and I was glad he was letting loose a little, even if it was just a small snort. “Oh, great. Captain’s Plan B is to turn into space pirates. Fantastic.”

I shrugged, because why not, and it also felt good to let the tension go, even if for just a few seconds. “Whatever keeps us out of debt, right?” Maybe if I become a pirate, I could get a cool eyepatch. I really did need her hand off my leg.

Emily rolled her eyes, and I wanted to kiss her, but instead, she just made sure to move her fingers just a little higher. “Let’s stick to the mission before you start designing a pirate flag, okay?” Yeah, yeah, okay baby. What's a space-pirate flag look like anyways?

“Fine, fine,” I said, holding my hands up in mock surrender. “But don’t say I never gave you options.”

The tension in the room eased, like a breath of fresh air. Danny scoffed. “If this whole exploration thing doesn’t work out, I’m calling dibs on naming the ship for piracy."

Alright, that's actually a pretty good idea, Danny. He might be a genius after all. Or just a really good pirate. He’d be a damn good pirate. Maybe this could be an option, though, Zoe? Yeah, she'd want to name the ship. She’d probably name it something ridiculous, like 'The Star Hopper' or 'The Cosmic Cucumber'. Zoe was weird like that. But in a good way. Mostly.