“God no, Sir,” Nathan reassured him.
“Good.” The captain breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had just dodged a bullet. “Just make sure you keep it that way.”
“No problem, Sir.”
“Listen, Lieutenant, the most important part of being in command, is being able to make the call when it needs to be made. Now there’s nothing wrong with listening to the advice of your subordinates. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with admitting that they’re right and following that advice. But you do not debate the issue, Lieutenant. Not on the flight deck. That’s what briefing rooms are for, son. Just remember, right or wrong, any decision made too late, is a bad decision.”
The captain rose from his desk and made his way back to his chair. “Now I suggest that you go and work things out with Ensign Taylor before you turn in for the night. I don’t want to find you lying in Medical later with a knife in your back.”
“Yes Sir.”
“Now fix this, Lieutenant, or I will.”
“Yes Sir,” he assured, snapping a salute.
The Aurora’s hangar bay was only dimly light, allowing just enough light so that a person could make their way through safely. Although the facility was finished and ready for operations, the Aurora’s spacecraft and flight personnel were not due to arrive until well after the first shakedown cruise. For now, the massive space was being used as a staging area for components and supplies waiting to be installed or put into storage.
Nathan wandered between the stacks of boxes and equipment. “Taylor!” he called out. “I know you’re in here!” He was lying, as he wasn’t really sure she was there. He had gone to her quarters after leaving the captain’s ready room, looking to make peace with her. He nearly had to order her roommate to divulge her location. Even then, she was only guessing that Cameron had come here, as it was one of the few places still left on the ship where she could be alone with her thoughts.
“Come on, Cameron! We need to talk!”
“What the hell do you want?” she finally answered.
Nathan spun around, trying to locate where her voice had come from. “Where are you?”
“Back here.”
Nathan looked toward her voice. She was sitting on one of the rolling step ladders normally used for accessing the cockpit of fighters. There were a row of twelve of them neatly arranged against the far wall of the hangar. She was sitting at the top of one of the middle ones.
“What are you doing in here?” he asked as he approached.
“This is where I come to think.” Her voice had a melancholy he hadn’t heard from her before. “But you must’ve talked to my roommate to find me, so you already know that.” She was being logical, as usual.
“Why here?” Nathan asked as he reached the row of step ladders. He was trying to establish some sort of rapport with her before hashing out their differences.
“I don’t know. I guess it’s because it’s the largest open space on the ship. I mean, everywhere else is so cramped. Well, not cramped really, just no wasted space, you know? It kind of boxes you in, compartmentalizes your thinking. Here, everything is wide open.” She looked down at him, standing at the bottom of the step ladder next to the one she was sitting on. “I know, it sounds stupid.”
“Actually, it sort of makes sense when you think about it.”
“So, what do you want, Nathan?”
“We’ve got to figure out how to make this work.”
“That’s easy,” she quipped. “Resign your commission.”
Nathan was pretty sure she was joking, but decided not to test her.
“You know,” he began as he started up the step ladder, “the captain asked me if you and I were together.”
“Oh God,” she exclaimed, realizing what he meant. “I hope you set him straight!”
“Of course I did,” he assured. “I mean, come on, you and I?”
“Please, you are so not my type,” she insisted.
“Me neither,” he agreed as he sat down at the top of the step ladder next to hers. “I mean, nothing personal,” he added, realizing he might have offended her. “I mean, you’re really cute and all but…”
“…You can shut up now, Lieutenant.”
“Okay, then. Moving on.” There was an uncomfortable moment of silence, as Nathan tried to figure out what to say. “Listen, I know you hate me. But we have to find a way to work together.”
“You’re right,” she agreed. “I do hate you.”
Nathan didn’t know how to react to that. Finally, he turned towards her to say something and noticed a big grin on her face. “Oh, that was real funny,” he admitted, a bit relieved.
“And it felt really good, too,” she laughed.
“Let’s be honest with each other,” Nathan suggested. “Let’s get everything out in the open.”
“I thought that’s what I was doing,” she added. He was making it too easy for her.
“Enough, already,” Nathan objected. “Okay, fine. Tell me what you hate about me.”
“You sure you’re ready? I mean, we could be here awhile.”
“Okay, let’s make it easier. Just give me your top three reasons.”
“You’re a cocky, arrogant, pretty little rich boy, and you’ve probably always gotten by on your charm, good looks, and your daddy’s money. And I seriously doubt that you’ve ever taken anything seriously your whole life.”
Nathan paused for a moment, a little taken aback. “Well. I’m pretty sure that was more than three reasons. But, I will admit that there is probably a little truth to some of that.”
“Some?”
“Okay, most.”
“Most?”
“Don’t push it, Ensign.” Nathan took a deep breath before continuing. “You’re right, about all of it, actually. But that was before I enlisted. Since I got into the Academy, I’ve actually been trying to do my best. For the first time that I can remember, I actually believe in something, I actually care about something.” He paused to look at her. “Something other than myself, I mean.”
“And I’m just supposed to believe you?”
“Well, I guess you don’t have to. But it is the truth.”
“Okay. Fair enough, I guess.” Cameron wasn’t quite sure what to believe. Nathan was opening up to her, which was something that she wasn’t used to, at least not from men. And certainly not from Nathan. Most guys had found her too cold and calculating to ever get close to her in any real sense of the word.
“So,” Nathan said, breaking another uncomfortable silence. “My turn?”
“Fair is fair.”
Nathan began an exaggerated ritual, rubbing his hands together and pretending like he was loosening up for something really big.
“Alright already! Out with it!”
“You’re cold and dispassionate, you refuse to admit when you’re wrong, and you’re always trying to prove to everyone that you’re better than me.”
They sat there for a few moments, each thinking about what the other had said, trying to decide what was true and to come to terms with it.
“Well, you make me sound like a real bitch,” Cameron mumbled.
“I wouldn’t say that. I may have overheard others toss that word around, but…”
Cameron cut him off with a slap of the back of her hand against his shoulder.
“I am not dispassionate,” she objected.
“Maybe that was the wrong word.”
“So what do we do?”
“I don’t know, call a truce maybe?”
“I guess I can live with that,” she resigned.
Nathan held out his hand, which Cameron reluctantly shook. “Alright then.”
Cameron rose from her perch and made her way down the step ladder. Once back on the deck, she turned back to Nathan. “You know, I wasn’t trying to prove that I’m better than you,” she explained as she turned to walk away. “I already know that I am.”
Nathan just smiled and watched her walk away, thinking, she really is a bitch.
It had been a long walk back to his quarters from the hangar bay. And all Nathan wanted to do was climb into his bunk and stay there. The day had been long and exhausting, at least emotionally if not physically. And he suspected that despite their truce, the next few days were not likely to be any easier.