Henry had served aboard almost a dozen capital ships during his time as a fighter jock, and on each one the bridge lounge was—more often than not—the ship’s most popular gathering ground. Unfortunately, the Vanuatu’s bridge lounge was clearly not an exception to tradition. His heart sank a bit after he’d stepped inside, dismayed that so many people had apparently shared his idea of visiting after work.
Why did I expect anything else, he thought grimly.
The lounge’s lighting was noticeably bluer than the rest of the ship and slightly dimmed, giving the room a relaxed and almost intimate feeling. It was roughly similar in size to the bridge, making it the largest lounge Henry had ever been in, and its carpet was red, perfectly matching the dozen or so couches arranged near the door. The noisy game stations in the lounge’s far left corner seemed to be where most people had chosen to congregate, with the nearby bar being almost as busy. Those few who weren’t standing about at the back end of the room occupied the couches, chatting loudly.
Quite a bit of attention seemed to be on the small conveyor belt at the bar. It ran in an elongated circle across the bar’s countertop, slowly carting cans and packaged snacks from right to left. An array of touchscreens meant for ordering had also been built into the bar’s countertop, and whenever someone ordered something a nearby wall dispenser would drop the requested item onto the conveyor belt. It was a familiar sight to Henry, who’d seen it before on several other ships, but for many of the people standing at the bar the conveyor was clearly novel.
On the left side of the lounge sat a double door with a large digital signpost set on the wall above, displaying a shifting array of colorful animations and graphics. Occasionally, movie titles would flash through the animations with names like, ‘Wilhelm’s Famous Journey’, or, ‘Arms of the Patriots’.
Wow, it has a theater? Henry thought. That’s cool.
Motion off to his right drew his attention, and he quickly spotted Kaya waving to him from a nearby couch. Beside her sat a thin and rather attractive dark skinned woman with long and braided brown hair, sitting close enough to Kaya that their legs nearly touched. She watched Henry with a look of mild curiosity as he trotted towards them. Both women were sporting casualwear—Kaya wore a simple blue button down blouse and white capris, while her partner wore black skorts and a matching tank top.
Kaya called out to Henry in greeting.
“Hey Red, what’s up?”
A sigh exploded from him as he dropped down onto the empty couch beside them.
“Why’s everyone calling me that?”
“Calling you what? Red?”
“Yeah.”
Kaya opened her mouth to respond, but then turned to the woman sitting beside her, seeking help.
“You have red hair,” she said simply.
Henry cocked his head at her with mock confusion. “I do?”
She let out a derisive snort.
“I told you he’s a clown,” Kaya said.
“Maybe he’s just a weirdo?” she replied, then turned back to Henry with a friendly smile. “I’m Sam.”
“Henry,” he said, reaching out to shake her hand. “Though you can call me Red if you really want to. I guess I don’t mind.”
“I think it suits you,” said Kaya.
“Were you the one who made the announcement this morning?” Sam asked, curious. “The first one after we woke up?”
Henry nodded.
“I thought I recognized your voice. So you’re pretty important then, huh?”
“I—no,” he replied hastily. “I’m far down the food chain.”
“He’s important enough to be at the senior staff meetings,” Kaya said.
“That’s only because I’m in charge of the FTL comms. There’s quite a few other people who outrank me on the ship.”
“What’s your rank?” asked Sam.
“Captain.”
She nodded. “I guessed as much. I made it to captain, too, before I got out.”
“No shit? What’d you do?”
“I was a navy judge advocate.”
“Oh no,” Henry chuckled. “Oh no. A lawyer.”
Sam merely rolled her eyes, but Kaya seemed to take offense on her behalf.
“And what exactly is wrong with being a lawyer?”
“Nothing,” he grinned. “That is, when the sun is up.”
Sam frowned at him. “Har-har. A blood-sucking lawyer joke. Wow. Never heard one of those before.”
“Big talk for someone who sends text messages for a living,” Kaya added.
Henry mimed slamming his palms down onto a keyboard.
“Me write good,” he grunted.
“If you run the comms system then you must have the insider scoop on messages from Sol,” said Sam.
“I tried this already,” Kaya warned.
“There’s no scoop,” Henry shrugged. “Not so far as I know, anyway.”
“Oh, fine. Keep your secrets. But aliens, though! That’s so wild! Isn’t that crazy, babe?”
Kaya turned to Henry and gave him an exasperated sigh. “That’s the fourth time she’s said that to me in the last hour.”
“Because it’s so exciting! Don’t you get it? We’re literally real life space adventurers! Please be excited with me, hun.”
“Are we space adventurers? That’s news to me.”
It was Sam’s turn to give Henry an exasperated sigh. “She’s just mad that we won’t get to live on the surface.”
“Fifteen years on this ship sounds like a prison sentence,” Kaya said, scowling.
Henry laughed, and got back to his feet. “Do you guys want to go play some games? Sam, as a former navy person I bet you know how to play foosball.”
“Oh, I dabble,” she replied, smirking.
Kaya looked between them. “Foosball? What’s that?”
“It’s table football,” Sam replied as she stood up.
She offered her hand to Kaya and dutifully pulled her up to her feet. Henry was surprised—Sam was at least three centimeters taller than Kaya.
She’s a little taller than me, too.
“Can we play air hockey, too?” Kaya asked.
“I’m down,” said Henry.
They made their way over to the game stations, weaving past a few people headed in the opposite direction along the way. All of the stations were in use, forcing them into the uncomfortable position of asking one of the groups at the air hockey stations if they could us it after they were finished. In the meantime, mostly to not annoy the people at the station by hovering, they sidled up against the nearby wall, standing side-by-side.
“It’s really busy,” Sam complained.
“Aren’t there other lounges on the ship?” Kaya asked. “Why are there so many people here?”
“Tradition,” said Henry. “The bridge lounge is usually the most popular lounge on the ship. Well, that, and there’s almost four thousand people on board. We could come later next time. It probably wouldn’t be as busy.”
“I would like that,” Kaya said, nodding.
Henry turned to Sam. “What’s your role on the ship? I don’t suppose you’re a nurse, too?”
She scoffed. “No. I’m the colony’s assistant defense attorney. Or at least, I would’ve been if there was going to be a colony.”
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“Should’ve guessed,” Henry said ruefully.
Sam clicked her tongue. “Man, don’t hate me ‘cause I’m beautiful.”
“Yeah!” Kaya barked.
“So you’re a defense attorney and she’s an age treatment specialist,” Henry said. “Those are two of the most cushy white collar jobs I can possibly imagine. What the heck are you guys doing here?”
Kaya abruptly switched sides. “Yeah!”
“Couple reasons,” Sam said, rolling her eyes. “But the important one right now is because being here is fuckin’ cool. We’re trailblazers! Right, babe?”
“Hmm. I wonder if mom is enjoying the loft."
“Kaya’s mother moved into our old place at Planitia when we joined the program,” Sam explained.
“Oh, okay,” Henry said, laughing.
“So what about you?” she asked. “Everyone had to volunteer for this, not just us lowly civilians. Why’d you come here?”
Somehow the question took Henry off guard, despite the fact it was perfectly reasonable for her to ask. He thought it over for a moment, and quickly realized that he hadn’t actually had one specific reason to join the program.
This is the farthest place away from home I could possibly find, he thought. And I wouldn't complain too loudly if history remembered my name for this.
“Couple reasons,” he shrugged.
“Okay, name one,” said Kaya.
“This'll be great for my career. When we fly home I’ll be the only commissioned officer in the entire solar system with field experience in FTL comms. Meaning I'll be in high demand.”
“Mhm. That’s kinda obvious. What else?”
“Well…,” Henry trailed off, looking around the room. “...I guess I want a ship like this one someday. My own command. I’d like to have the power to make important decisions. See some changes happen.”
Sam nodded slowly, absorbing what he’d said. She then turned to Kaya.
“I want a ship too.”
“No.”
“But—!”
Before Sam could articulate the rest of her complaint, the people using the air hockey station began to walk away. Henry and Sam both pounced on the station before any of the other people standing closeby could steal it.
“Who should play first?” Kaya asked.
“You two go ahead, I’ll play the winner,” said Henry.
They agreed, and he stood off to the side, observing as they picked up the paddles and began to play. There was an immediate and obvious difference in skill between them. Sam’s reflexes were very sharp, and her ability to accurately intercept the puck demonstrated a surprising amount of athleticism. Kaya was no slouch either, but Henry soon got the impression that Sam was allowing her to score.
For a while they took turns scoring on one another. Kaya seemed to be having fun, and when she scored the final goal she let out some delighted laughter.
“Haha! Too bad, hun. Maybe next time!”
Sam let out a sharp sigh. “Ah, what can I say? Good game.”
Henry gave her a frown loaded with suspicion. She returned it with an innocuous shrug.
“C’mon Red, come get your butt kicked!” Kaya said, grinning.
Henry replaced Sam at the station. “Prepare thyself for destruction, perfidious Martian!”
“That’s really weird coming from someone wearing a Martian Marauders T-shirt.”
“Then prepare thyself for victory!”
“Now it doesn’t even make sense!” she cried out as Henry fired the puck towards her goal. She managed to deflect it just in time.
The match between them was not as close as it was with Sam. Henry focused on countering her strikes with swift shots aimed at slipping past her defense, the speed of which often took her by surprise. After putting up a noble but brief resistance, she lost the match.
“Well that was clearly not my fault,” she said. “I was distracted by your blazing red hair and baby face. It was like the sun, the glare—just blinding, honestly.”
“Uh-huh,” Henry and Sam said simultaneously, then laughed.
The lounge seemed to be thinning out as the evening progressed. People began to migrate away from the games towards the bar, leaving a few of the stations open, including one of the nearby foosball tables.
Sam glanced at it, and shot Henry a loaded smile. “Would you care for some foosball, fine gentleman?”
He scoffed. “Why yes, indubitably.”
“I shalln’t observe thee,” said Kaya.
“I don’t think that word means what you think it means, Kaya.”
“Oh, whatever!”
Henry and Sam settled in at the foosball station, both spinning their handles about and testing them as if they were athletes warming up with their equipment. Something about the small smile on Sam’s face gave Henry an uneasy feeling.
“Play the ball, Red,” she said.
He snatched it from the catch pocket below his goal and placed it onto the table's center circle.
“Prepare thineself—”
With lightning speed, Sam pushed her kickers forward and launched the ball past all of Henry’s defenders. It sailed past his goalies and sank into the goal before he could react.
Henry’s mouth fell open with shock.
“Oh, it really is like football,” said Kaya.
“You don’t dabble in foosball!” Henry shouted. “You’re a fucking pro!”
A smug smile spread across Sam’s face, and she spun her kickers about.
“Never said I wasn’t.”
“Dabble,” Henry repeated, outraged. “You can dabble my ass.”
Sam let out some laughter. “Gross. C’mon, play it again. Let’s see how long you last.”
With the challenge laid down, Henry retrieved the ball and set it onto the center circle. Sam lunged for it the moment he placed his hands back onto his paddles, and the game began in earnest.
Foosball had been a tradition within the USF since before the Union had even existed. The Martian and Jovian navies both made foosball into their unofficial pastimes, mostly for reasons of power efficiency and accessibility. Table top games such as foosball, chess, and the royal game of Ur didn’t require much power beyond lighting, which made them very handy for the many situations where a ship’s power happened to be needed for other, more important things, such as air production. It was for that reason Henry had correctly assumed Sam would be familiar with foosball, but he could never have anticipated just how formidable she’d be as an opponent.
She’s not actually a pro, he thought after they’d been playing for a while. But she’s really damn good. We’re about even.
Henry and Sam went quiet as the game progressed, both utterly focused. For the next fifteen minutes the only sound to come from the table was the noise of the ball being violently kicked about. Sweat began to bead on Henry’s forehead, threatening to enter his eyes, but he couldn’t risk the time it would take to lift a hand from the paddles to wipe it away.
Eventually it came down to one final play. Sam and Henry were both a single goal away from winning.
“What’s wrong, Red?” Sam asked. “You’re looking a little sweaty.”
Henry glanced at her. “So are you.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you—”
He launched into the attack, sending the ball flying past all her defenders and straight for her goal. But at the very last instant she managed to bring her goalie into position to block it, sending the ball careening back towards the other end of the field. Once again, Henry was caught off guard.
The ball thudded against his own goalie and ricocheted into his goal.
“Nooo!!!” he instantly wailed.
Sam stood back from the station and let out a relieved sigh, wiping her forehead.
“That was really intense!” Kaya said, obviously impressed. “Good job, babe.”
“Thanks. That was pretty easy.”
“You little liar!”
Kaya and Sam both laughed.
“Whew! I’m thirsty, now,” said Sam.
The lounge had cleared out even more during their game, and enough space now existed at the bar to make visiting it seem like a bearable prospect. They trotted over to it, and after Sam and Kaya spent a few moments marveling at the conveyor they decided to order drinks. Henry and Sam both opted for water, but Kaya went against the grain and ordered plum wine.
With their drinks in hand they headed back to the couches. Sam let out a satisfied sigh after sitting down and gulping some water.
“Ahhh. The drink of champions.”
“You’re really good,” Henry admitted.
“You both are,” said Kaya. “When and how did you get so good at foosball, hun?”
“I picked it up during my time at JAG. My boss was basically a semi-pro, so I had a good mentor. Foos is like riding a bike, I guess.”
“When’s the last time you played?” Henry asked.
She took a moment to think about it. “...Probably back when I was still in. So…five, six years? Something like that.”
Henry was aghast. She played like that after being six years out of practice? Goddamn! I wonder...
“...You know,” he began. “Sometimes when a ship goes underway an unofficial foosball league gets going among the crew.”
Sam raised an interested eyebrow at him. “...Really?”
“Yeah. Kind of a tradition, y’know? People pair up and compete against each other. It’s just a for fun kind of thing, but—”
“You want to team up?”
“Yes! Yes, we should team up. We could rule this ship, Sam.”
“What about me?” Kaya asked, whining. “Don’t you want to team up with me?”
Desperation instantly appeared in Sam’s voice. “Honey, you know I would love to team up with you—”
Kaya let out some laughter. “I’m just teasing. You’re both way above my level, obviously. To be completely honest I’m just glad you’ve found someone else to be competitive with.”
“I’ll make it up to you. Promise.”
“I know you will,” Kaya smiled.
Sam turned to Henry, grinning. “Wife permission acquired! We’re gonna practice, right?”
“Hell yes. Starting tomorrow?”
“Sounds good.”
“Alright. Do you guys want to trade numbers?”
They did, and Kaya started a group chat between the three of them.
“I’m exhausted after that win,” said Sam.
"So am I," said Kaya. "And I didn't even play."
Henry got back to his feet. “Same. See you guys tomorrow?”
They both nodded.
“Nineteen hundred sounds good to you for practice?” he asked.
“Works for me.”
“Cool. Later on!”
They both said their goodbyes to him, and he walked out of the lounge with some bounce in his step.
Have I ever made friends with anyone that quickly before? he asked himself. It’s like we’re on all the same wavelengths.
A trickle of people passed him as he headed down the hallway towards his room.
I’ve never won the league before. Not once. But between my tactical genius and her raw talent, we’re absolutely sure to win. And I’m gonna rub it in everyone’s faces…!
A smug chortle suddenly erupted from him, instantly drawing a few alarmed looks from passersby. Henry didn’t notice, and he made the rest of the trip back to his room lost in thought, salivating over a title he deemed already won.