- Interlude -

The lounge was quiet, the kind of quiet that only hit when the whole ship had gone to bed. The faint hum of the Triumph’s systems filled the space, blending with the occasional clink of beer bottles. The main source of light came from the flashes of color on the screen in front of us: Mortal Kombat, classic mode. I landed a solid Get over here! on Ryan, yanking Sonya into Scorpion’s waiting fists.

Ryan grunted, shifting next to me on the couch. "Why you pouting?"

"I’m not pouting." Reflex. Automatic. I didn’t even look at him, just kept my attention locked on the game.

Ryan wasn’t buying it. He never did. "C’mon, I know you, man. You’re too quiet tonight. What’s up?"

I flicked my eyes to him for half a second before dodging another attack. "It’s nothing."

Ryan exhaled through his nose. “Really? You should be fucking happy. You finally got to be with Emily!"

I smirked, shaking my head. "I know, I know."

Ryan tilted his beer toward me like he was making a toast. “Then what? You suddenly having performance anxiety?"

I snorted. "Eat shit, Ry."

He laughed, but I could tell he wasn’t gonna drop it. I should’ve known better than to think I could just sit here in silence without him poking at me. I paused the game. "It’s the story, man. It’s not picking up like I thought it would."

Ryan frowned. "What do you mean? You’ve got, what, almost ten thousand views?"

I scoffed. "Yeah, but readers? Barely a thousand have read the prologue… and then the numbers nosedive. We’re 35 chapters in, and I feel like we’re just laying the groundwork."

Ryan leaned back, considering. "You just gotta give it time, dude. They’ll come."

On screen, Sonya grabbed Scorpion’s leg, flipping him into the dirt.

"Hey!" I laughed, shoving Ryan’s shoulder.

"Suck it up, Captain," Ryan shot back, grinning.

I exhaled, running a hand through my hair. "I even fixed the Prologue, updated the last section of chapter five, patched the story holes."

Ryan nodded. "So, what’s the problem then?"

I breathed out, letting out some of the tension in my chest, setting my controller down for a second. "The problem, Ry, is that there is no problem."

Ryan gave me a confused look. "Huh?"

"Like… what’s our driving force right now? There’s no main conflict, and nothing urgent is pushing us forward. So far, it's just been a slow burn of setup, mission planning, and getting our shit together." I picked up my beer, swirling the last bit in the bottle. "And I’m worried that’s boring the readers."

Ryan nodded slowly, rolling his controller in his hands. "I get what you’re saying. We got Emily, sure, and this week’s got a couple of, uh… smoky chapters coming."

I smirked. "A couple?"

Ryan snorted. "Okay, maybe more than a couple."

"Yeah, but then what?" I asked, leaning forward. "We land... do our thing. It’s not bad, but it’s not gripping. Readers want action, tension. And here I am, sitting on multiple chapters of smut, wondering if I should just cut it and get to the action faster, because it's literally around the corner."

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. "Wait, wait, wait. You’re thinking about cutting the smut? Are you sick? Is this a cry for help?"

I laughed and shook my head. "I’m serious, dude. What’s the balance? Too much buildup, we lose readers. Too much action, we lose depth. Too much sex, we get flagged or, worse, just become another one of those stories."

Ryan hummed, rubbing his chin. "Alright, so what do you think we need?"

I huffed, what do we need? "I don't know. The conflict is that we have to complete the mission or everyone back home suffers. But it doesn’t affect us. You, me, Danny, the girls, Chris, Joey, we’re just here, doing our thing. Making plans, setting up for a big first step, sure, but it’s mostly just us building up drama between each other." I swirled the last bit of beer in my bottle. "I just don’t know if that’s enough."

Ryan shrugged, not looking too concerned. "People love drama."

I let out a short laugh, picking up the controller again. "Yeah, but they love a reason to care more."

Ryan nailed me with a well-timed leg grab, flipping Scorpion into the dirt. I shot him a glare. "Well," he said, smirking as Sonya followed up with a brutal combo, "what drove you to write this thing anyway?"

I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair. "I just love the idea of exploration. Visiting planets, stepping onto new worlds, seeing shit no one’s ever seen before. And, you know… budding relationships."

Ryan grinned. "Yeah, I bet that last part is a real priority for you."

I smirked, shaking my head. "I mean, look at the name we gave the planet. New Dawn? Shit’s kinda cringe, right?"

Ryan scoffed, nudging me. "Fuck off, I named it. Sounds optimistic. Fresh start."

I snorted. "Yeah, yeah. Still sounds like the name of a wellness retreat."

Ryan rolled his eyes, taking another swig of beer. "So... there's more chapters planned?"

I groaned, rubbing my face. "Yeah. Too many to change things. I’ve got, like, almost 120 in backlog."

Ryan blinked. "Oh."

For a second, neither of us said anything. The game sounds filled the silence, Scorpion throwing a punch, Sonya countering with a nasty uppercut.

"You should write what you like to write," Ryan added, leaning forward. "And if people like it? Then great. If not? It’s your story. We’re gonna get banged up anyways in the very near future, so we're just a few chapters from action anyhow."

I didn’t answer right away. I just kept playing, thinking about it. Sonya roundhouse-kicked Scorpion into a Fatality .

Ryan leaned back with a grin. "Boom, bitch."

I groaned, tossing my controller onto the couch. "Fuck you."

Ryan smirked, cracking open another beer. "Nah, but seriously. Just ride it out, man. People are here for the long haul. And if not? Fuck ‘em."

I exhaled, cracking open my own beer. "Yeah. Maybe."