Preparing to launch. Please ensure all safety precautions have been followed and verify personal safety procedures have been completed.
Mark rolled his eyes when he listened to the somewhat mechanical female voice echo throughout the halls of the Aurora. I better start getting used to this again, he thought to himself, I'm going to be hearing it for a long time.
Mark double checked his harness and his suit, verified all of the things around him were secured properly, then planted his hands firmly on the armrest next to him.
Mark closed his eyes when he heard the mechanical female voice one more time.
Preparing for launch in T-minus 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Mark's fingers gripped into the armrest and he felt his body violently shake as the Aurora lifted off the ground. He always hated this part. It left him feeling dizzy and nauseous and it took hours once they broke orbit for him to start feeling like himself again.
The mission he was on would take him out of the Earth's atmosphere for nearly seven months. The only thing he hated was taking off and landing. The rest he could deal with. But Mark absolutely loved every second of every flight after taking off. He loved space.
Once the Aurora broke orbit and stabilized, Mark stood up to stretch. He walked down to the living quarters and started straight for his room. While walking through the hallway to get to his quarters he spotted a man, small in stature, trying to open a door next to his own quarters. Mark did not recognize him.
"Hey do you need some help?" Mark asked the man, obviously struggling with the door.
"Nope, I got it," the man said, his sapphire eyes blazing into marks own brown.
"That door can be sticky sometimes. I used to have that room, but I requested a change specifically because Alterra would not fix the goddamn door. Here let me show you a trick," Mark said, and the man side stepped out of the way. Mark pushed down on the handle and with a closed fist, he slammed his fist into the lock hard enough to make the smaller man flinch in a starling manner. The door opened.
"Thanks a lot man. I really appreciate it. I'm going to have to learn how to do that if I'm going to be in this room," the man said to Mark.
"No problem," Mark said, smiling. "I'm Mark, and I'm staying right next to you".
The man held out a hand. "Sean. Pleased to meet you," he said, never looked away from Mark. He seemed captivated.
Once their introductions were out of the way, Sean realized he was still staring at Mark. He felt himself blush.
"So I assume this is your first mission on the Aurora? I've never seen you before... I would have remembered your face…" Mark watched as Sean's cheeks grew a slightly darker shade of pink, his eyes lowered to the ground. What does that mean? What am I even saying?
"Yeah, I used to do mercenary work for the Sunbeam, but they started being cheap asses. Alterra found me and made me a better offer to fly with the Aurora, for security. I'm not officially employed by Alterra, but I know my way around a ship. I've been doing mercenary work for the different space lines for 10 years now."
Mark noticed how easy it was to talk to Sean, how laid back he was. He is easy on the eyes as well, Mark thought to himself. Mark also noticed the muscular build of Sean's arms and back though his suit, and smiled.
Mark was impressed while listening to Sean's story. "Wow, you started young."
"Yes, I did," Sean said. "Both of my parents were assumed to have been killed when they went out on a mission to look for a ship called the Degasi that disappeared years ago. No one knows what happened to them, or if they do, no one is talking. I was on my own after that. A group of pirates took me in and showed me the ropes how to do mercenary work and to basically sell my shooting arm to the different space lines for security. It gives me a place to sleep and eat, a way to make some money, and while I'm out on missions, I am able to search for my parents, look for answers or look for the Degasi itself."
"Wow, impressive!" Mark said, lifting an eyebrow. "And to think all I do is tech stuff on the ship. It's really nice to meet you, and I'm sure we'll be spending a lot of time together. You're one of the cooler people around here. Most of the people on the Aurora seem to have a stick up their ass."
Sean laughed, and placed a gentle hand on the side of Mark's arm without thinking about it. Woah, for a tech guy, he sure is built, Sean thought to himself, then noticed Mark raised eyebrow at his action.
"I'm… sorry," Sean said, pulling his hand back quickly, his eyes darting to the floor, cheeks flushed.
"It's… okay, you're okay. It's all good," Mark said low and reassuringly, and placed his own hand on Sean's shoulder. Sean looked up into Mark's eyes, and their gaze lingered. Maybe a little too long.
Mark looked up and down the long corridor they were in, then said in a hushed tone "C'mere. I have something to show you," then grabbed Sean by the hand, pulled him into his old room, and quickly shut the door.