It was astounding how sleek and dangerous the little ships looked in space-dock and how fragile and vulnerable they were in combat against Earth’s heavily armored, heavily armed warships. This had to change. But how?

In the meantime, she hadn’t given up entirely on Carter. She couldn’t. He was her only shot at making this work. So, she began corresponding with him on a regular basis. It was not going well. She was reading the latest missive from Carter when her father stuck his head in the doorway: “Dinner in a few minutes, sweetheart!”

“Okay, Daddy!”

She turned her attention back to the screen, giving Carter’s latest message a quick scan:

Oh! The Castellum! I forgot about that. No wonder you’re such a stuck up bitch. Next time I’ll try to remember: You’re not just a ninety-day wonder, you’re a Castellum kid! Well whoop-de-doo! I came up the hard way, you know, having to actually work for a living. Sorry if that offends you.

LC

She fired off a reply:

Dear Clueless Grunt,

No it doesn’t “offend” me. Now I now why you’re so difficult to work with. You’re too busy patting yourself on the back for all your “hard work”. Here’s a hint: Everyone in the Fleet works hard! Get it?

Laughing at how stupid you are,

Tess

No, things weren’t going well at all. But she wasn’t about to give up.

Presently, her father stuck his head through the doorway again. “Dinner’s getting cold, darling!”

Time to take a break. After dealing with several of Carter’s letters, she needed one.

A short time later, she was back at her desk:

Oh! Your daddy’s rich and your mama’s good lookin’! Now I know how you got into the Castellum. Typical rich bitch. Not only are you dumb, you’re not even really all that hot-looking. I’m not sure why I’m even wasting my time here.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

LC

Dear Stupid Motherfucker,

My mother died when you fucking Earthers invaded our home! Fuck you! I got into the Castellum because I made the grades. Don’t write to me again!!!

Goodbye!

And so that was that. She would just have to find another top-flight engineer. Except a few days later, she got another email from Carter:

Look kid, sorry about that. This thing is getting way out of hand. How about we kind of push the “reset” button and start over? I’m sorry your mom died. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.

LC

Really? That was jaw-dropping and the last thing she expected from Carter. Maybe it wasn’t hopeless after all.

Dear Master Chief Carter,

Alright I forgive you. Does that mean you’re going to be my new engineer?

TD

Dear Clueless One,

Not a chance in hell kid! I’ve got a great retirement going on here plus I’ve seen what our ships usually do to your ships unless you’ve got a hell of a lot of them against one of ours. I plan on living a lot longer. No thanks!

LC

Dear Mister Carter,

We’re getting a new ship.

Tess

Dear ex-SpaceForce Officer,

You call me “Mister” again and we’re done! I work for a living, remember? It’s “Carter” or “Master Chief”. Try to remember that. What kind of new ship are you getting? Better than those beer-cans you’re flying now?

Still hopeful you’ll grow a brain,

Command Master Chief Carter, (ret)

Dear Fatboy,

We’re getting a bigger ship with more firepower. I can’t tell you the details, obviously. You’re just going to have to trust me.

Very truly yours,

Tess

Dear Toots,

Remember when the Admiral ordered you to just board the fucking derelict and steal the goddamn dimensional gate? But no! You had to try to steal the whole fucking ship! That’s why I don’t trust you! Why should I trust you to command an entire goddamn ship when you can’t even follow simple orders? This is a big problem for me. PLUS what was the big idea showing up at my door in that getup you had on? I’m seventy-something years old for chrissake! Did you really think you were going to seduce me into chucking my whole retirement and joining your clueless pirates? If you did, you got another thing coming. You’re lucky I didn’t report you when you showed up here like a moron. Good luck with your pirates, but count me out.

Sincerely,

Lucretius Carter E-9, retired

So that was that. She was just going to have to find another engineer. It wasn't the first time, certainly, she'd been dealt a setback. But lately it seemed to be nothing but setbacks. She wiped away a tear with a mechanical finger. Goddammit! Everything about her was artificial! How did she know she wasn't just a brain in a vat, dreaming all of this? No, this was definitely real. Ever since her rescue, everything had been too harsh, too vivid, and far too disappointing to be an illusion.