Posted by Captain Johann Dvorak (CO) in Johann’s Quarters- Unexpected Messages

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Vora Zorell (Scientist) in Johann’s Quarters- Unexpected Messages

Posted by Captain Johann Dvorak (CO) in Johann’s Quarters- Unexpected Messages

(snip)

“We’ll still get married,” Johann said simply. “It’s just a wrinkle we need to understand fully. Frankly, it can’t be any worse than anything else we’ve already dealt with.” Despite saying the word “frankly” he was still not frank enough to explicitly point out that their isolated bubble had already been invaded by a criminal that she ended up killing in self defense, with whom she had a son previously, who was now living with her. Which would be a pretty big reason for most people to not be together. That’s way more drama than most people would put up with, and it technically involved Vora lying to him about whether she even had a son, which was also something a lot of people would put up with either in ordinary circumstances. Vora’s circumstances were never ordinary…

“True,” Vora said softly.

“I mean, ‘surprise, you have a long lost rich dad!’ isn’t typically a reason people don’t get married. It does affect how they get married. That’s really the only reason we would need to pause, to make sure we have the ‘how’ right. I’m pretty sure there is a ‘how’ that would make all of this not-our-problem too, but we may need to ask a lawyer about that sort of thing.” He actually did know one, but the specialty there was interstellar intellectual property law. He probably knows a guy, Johann thought.

“We could just keep our bubble, you know. Have him meet us somewhere in space. I’m sure interstellar travel is within his means.”

– Johann Dvorak, CO

Vora blew out a breath and leaned back in her chair, gazing at Johann. “It probably is, but you’re right, we’ve dealt with a lot so far, and…” It sat there, on the tip of her tongue, a desire se hadn’t fully realized until right this very moment. “Unless we have a really good reason not to- and if there is I’ll concede to it- I want to go, Johann. I want to get to know a different Tenra. With you. It’s been this place we think terrible things of. A people I mostly have negative feelings about, but Jerrin and I both had a rough go of it. That’s not how it is for everyone and if this person can help me see it in a different light, I think that it could be a good thing for everyone. Don’t you?”

~Vora Zorell, Sciences

“Yes, I think so.”

Did he think terrible things of Tenra? He wasn’t actually sure. He didn’t actually think much about her past most of the time, because it was largely in the past. Which wasn’t always how she thought of it. He probably didn’t assume that the places in her society that she would speak of were actually representative of it as a whole. It’s not like it was that long ago that cities on Earth had people like Roquan running crime syndicates. Or at least he didn’t think of it as being long ago; Johann was somewhat cynical regarding the hubris his own species seemed to have about its present society and how perfect it all was. Largely because he suspected most humans really had no idea how anything actually worked, just that it did and that was enough.

“The worst thing that happens is we don’t end up seeing it differently and we just… you know… go back to our bubble.” Was Europa a bubble? Was it supposed to be a bubble? Aren’t we supposed to be bursting other people’s bubbles? he thought. Suddenly he felt the urge to find a computer and talk it to death…

– Johann Dvorak, CO

Turning in her seat to face Johann, for a moment she just studied him, her maroon eyes curious.

“When I first left Tenra, I was terrified. Not just of Cortalo and what Roquan might do if he changed his mind about our agreement, but if I could actually be anything other than what I had been. But Deacon was so calm and certain when he explained the things he thought I was capable of and there was this brief moment where I wondered if maybe I could do this. Maybe I could have a life that was something special. And I know it was a process of painfully hard work, but I did it!”

She reached a hand out and rested her fingertips on his cheek. “And along the way different people helped me see how much I’ve actually changed. I’m ready Johann. Maybe we don’t even need that bubble, even if things don’t go as well. I’m a lot more… steady than I used to be. I can handle good things coming from this as much as I think I could handle any disappointment. But it will all be that much better if you’re there with me. So let’s do. Jump in with both feet, as Terrans like to say.”

~Vora Zorell, Sciences