The best designs emerged from collaboration. The strongest structures incorporated flexibility. And sometimes the most profound discoveries happened not through careful planning, but through trusting someone enough to follow them through impossible spaces.
"Excellent work, both of you," Vaxon said, his voice carrying that insufferable knowing tone. "Zor'go, once we dock with Mothership, you might want to actually talk to your co-designer instead of avoiding her for three more days."
Jalina's hand tightened on mine. "He was avoiding me?"
"Spectacularly. I'd explain, but he should probably use his words like a functional adult."
"Kex'tar—"
"That'sPilotKex'tar during rescue operations. Show proper respect for the being who just flew through an asteroid field following your navigation coordinates."
He was right, blast him. He was completely right.
I looked down at Jalina, down so far, she was so small, how had I never properly comprehended how fragile humans were, and made a decision.
"We should talk," I said. "After debriefing. Privately. About professional conduct and appropriate boundaries and why I've been handling our collaboration with catastrophic incompetence."
"Finally," Kex'tar muttered.
Jalina bit her lip, clearly fighting a smile. "That sounds ominous."
"It's not. Or perhaps it is. I'm uncertain." My markings flickered erratically, visible evidence of my agitation that I couldn't suppress. "I'm rather terrible at this."
"At what?"
"Everything not related to spatial mathematics and structural engineering."
"I find that hard to believe. You just helped save eight hundred people."
"Because you showed me how to see spaces I'd never noticed before."
The words hung between us, carrying more meaning than their surface value. Jalina understood. Recognition dawned in her expression, wariness giving way to cautious hope.
"Docking in five minutes," Vaxon announced. "Everyone prepare for standard disembarkation procedures. And Zor'go?"
"What?"
"Don't screw this up."
Sound advice.
I just had to figure out how to follow it.
Chapter 7
Jalina
The workshop door wouldn't open.
I stood outside Zor'go's office in the Operations sector, my hand hovering over the access panel, and tried to summon courage I didn't actually possess. Three times I'd almost walked away. Three times I'd forced myself to stay.
We'd just saved two hundred beings. He'd lifted me off the ground in front of the entire bridge crew. Our faces had been inches apart, his crystalline blue markings shimmering so bright I could see them reflected in his eyes, and then?—
"Excellent work, Architect Chauncy."
Like I was a colleague. Like he hadn't been about to kiss me in front of Captain Tor'van and half the command staff.
I pressed the access panel harder than necessary. The door slid open.
