Ktak listened incredulously to Stella’s explanations of human relationships and feelings. Humans had this thing … pair bonding. Love. Originally for making offspring, but also building a life together. Sure, she had seen humans pair up on the ship. She had even seen a few offspring happen from these pairings. And now it was happening to her. With Ames. Who would not even look at her. Who could… what was the term Stella used … Break her heart. It sounded terrifying. Stella had assured that very few people died from this, but it was apparently not unheard of. She must have looked terrified, because Stella felt she needed to give her a little bit of extra help – a storage cube full of various old earth romance books and films. And then she explained human courtship rituals. Dating. Apparently, as a female she was expected to give Ames the chance to make the first move and ask her out. She had been bred to be a Commander. She had trained to be one. This was rubbing her the wrong way. Stella could see that and quickly assured her that it was an outdated custom and she could do the asking if he wouldn’t dare to. She retired to her compartment with the cube in hand and head full of thoughts.
Stella felt heartily sorry for the poor girl. Being human, even part human, was not easy. Broken heart being the worst of it. Ktak’s brood must be wealthy indeed. The genetic material she was made of was almost pure human, hardly any degradation at all. First generation possibly even. A rare commodity and expensive to boot as Tamare were banned from acquiring new “donors”, even willing ones by Council order. But it came with complications. She wondered if it counted as meddling, but there was no harm in just looking… She unlocked her workstation and pulled up a video from the hospital room Ames was in. The Commanders coat, still stained with his blood was on the chair. Ames seemed to be staring at it and occasionally touching it. Gently. Stella closed the feed. She felt a bit dirty – that was a private moment. She was also slightly relived. Heartbreak, at least not immediately, may not be awaiting her young commander after all. The political implications however… Stella chuckled again – her diplomatic skills were going to get a workout of a lifetime. The Mtak problem was still brewing… And now this. She wondered if she should tell them how much trouble they were in but decided against it. Taking care of politics was her job after all. And there wasn’t even an understanding between them yet. Later.
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Ames was feeling better and sitting up in his bed. The cast had been replaced with a lighter one that no longer needed suspension and he could take the oxygen hose off his head and move around carefully without passing out. Enough for a trip to the toilet at least. The coat was still there. He wondered why she had not come for it yet. Or sent someone to pick it up. She was the commander after all. Everyone on the ship, him included, were under her command. And yet… There had been the tears and her hand holding his. There was no harm in asking her to dinner, was there? To thank her for saving him. There was a knock on the door interrupting his thoughts.
Ktak was feeling silly. She was The Commander. So why was she so nervous about knocking on a door on her ship? Just to get her coat. She took a deep breath, knocked, and stepped in. Ames was looking much better, sitting up and fully awake. She felt relieved.
“I forgot my coat,” she squeezed out, and grabbed it hastily to quickly retread.
Ames stopped her, by touching her hand.
“Thank you for saving me,” he said, “when I get out, will you come to have dinner with me?”
She froze. Completely. Her mind was going at light speed, however. A date? He’s asking me for a date… Getting her mouth to move required an enormous effort.
“Yes, sure…” she said and then bolted out of the door as fast as she could because she felt herself getting uncomfortably hot in the face.
Ames smiled to himself. He was quite sure that purple hue had been a blush. He had been worried for a moment about getting slapped when she froze, but her words and the blush had dispelled the fear. And the hasty retreat rather confirmed his suspicions about how The Commander felt about him. Now at least he had something to do – a date to plan – while he was still stuck here. He had a stash of Earth wines tucked away in his compartment. For special occasions. They probably did not get any more special than a date with The Commander on this ship. And the head chef down at the officers mess still owed him for fixing the stove without filing a claim on her when she had accidentally damaged it. If he did think about what ship rules had to say about dating one’s Commander, it was in passing. Near death experience gives a man a new perspective on things that matter and things that do not. A date with the woman who saved your life mattered a whole lot more than a bunch of old rules.