“Come on, this is an Earther game!” Jihyo’s eyes were wide. “You have to be better than that.” 

Momo sighed. “This game is found in museums. How could I have played it?” 

“What good’s a game you don’t play?” Nayeon’s brow rose. 

“It’s like putting a food on display.” Dahyun chuckled. “Unless you people do that too.” 

Sana smiled. “That we don’t.” She looked down at the device in her hands. 

They had only recently taken the game console out. A week had passed since they left Kepler. Dahyun had been entrenched in her work recently, often pouring over her tablet whenever Sana was in the workshop. She worked long and late, but always came to the group meals. Sana had a strong suspicion that Tzuyu was being even more attentive to her than usual, as Dahyun never looked tired. So even if Sana went to bed before her, the doctor probably came to the workshop to send the mechanic away to bed. 

“But you do know that this could be a very sought after artefact to anyone in this system?” Sana asked.

“Kepler too,” Jeongyeon said. “But if it gets into a museum, that’s just a waste.” 

“And money’s good and all,” Dahyun lightly bumped Sana’s shoulder, “but we do value having a bit of fun where we can.” 

“With the much sought after Mario.” Nayeon laughed. “Another round?” 

“Mina,” Momo called. She walked out of the room. In the distance, they heard her say, “I need you.” 

A few seconds passed. In walked Momo with Mina behind her. Her hair was damp. 

“What is this?” She raised an eyebrow at the screen. 

“They got their hands on a Wii machine.” Sana saw that Momo was trying not to pout as she spoke. 

“And restored it,” Chaeyoung added. She handed the remote to Nayeon.

The corner of Mina’s mouth tugged up. “I know the game.”

“So hopefully you’ll be good at this,” Tzuyu held out the remote, “I’ll watch.”

“Wimp.” Chaeyoung winked. 

The response was a light slap to the arm. “I'll be your moral support.” Tzuyu wrapped her good arm around the other mechanic’s shoulders. “Good luck losing later." 

Sana didn’t miss the blush on Chaeyoung’s face. She felt a pang of envy. She wanted to be that close to someone. Where false courtesy went out the window and was replaced by endearment mixed with insults. So many of her relationships had taken place behind veils of sweetness and flirtation. Most had been fun, but curtailed either by public expectations or Sana finally realising what their true agendas were. The latter was never a difficult feat. 

“You playing another round?” Dahyun asked. “Jeong swapped for this one too.” She had on her glasses and her hair fell loose around her shoulders. 

“It’s starting to sound like a tournament.” 

Dahyun’s face lit up. “We can make it one.” 

Sana felt her face warm at the brightness of the girl’s smile. 

“Let’s start out with the pushover then,” Nayeon said. “Luigi Circuit.”

“Cut him some slack,” Dahyun protested. “He’s never stopped me from kicking your .” 

“You got first once on Rainbow Road,” Tzuyu replied. There was a chorus of laughter. 

A sheepish smile. “Still got it, though.” 

Character selection then. Dahyun, unsurprisingly, chose Luigi, Nayeon took Mario, Mina chose King Boo, and Sana Bowser. 

“Not Peach?” Dahyun asked, a crooked grin appearing. 

“Not this time,” Sana elbowed her. “And that’s Momo’s character.”

The round started. Sana fell quickly to 8th place, then 10th, while Dahyun was in 5th, Mina in 3rd, and Nayeon in 1st. 

Sana snuck a glance at the spymaster to see her eyes were glued to the screen. Then Sana was last. 

The next item box gave her a blue shell. 

“Watch out,” she said in Japanese. She waited a few seconds before sending it off. 

Mina had pulled back. 

“!” Nayeon laughed. “Here I was thinking you’d give me privilege as one of the hosts.” She was in second place. 

The game continued. In the end, Sana was still last, Dahyun 8th, and Mina still in first. 

“Here.” Sana handed the controller to Chaeyoung. 

When she leaned back on the sofa, Dahyun scooted closer. 

“You cheater,” she muttered. 

“I’m innocent,” Sana raised her hands, “I swear.”

“I may not understand Japanese, but I know a warning when I hear it.” Dahyun grinned. “And now you’re gonna act all nice, but next time you’ll spam red shells my way.” 

Sana gave her a look. “It’s all a matter of luck, Dahyun-ah.”

She winked at her. “We’ll see.” 

Dahyun came in tenth then. She handed the controller to Jihyo. 

“Time for the real competition,” the mechanic whispered. 

Sana couldn’t stop her smile. “Aren’t you humble?” 

“Actually, I’m hungry.” Dahyun got to her feet. “Are you?”

She wasn’t yet, but Sana still stood. 

“You’re falling back on purpose!” Nayeon exclaimed. 

There was no response. When Sana looked back, she saw a smirk on Mina’s face. This was good. 

“What’re you in the mood for?” Dahyun asked. She opened the fridge. “Your great leftovers, dessert, or breakfast?”

“Leftovers please.” Pause. “Your Highness.”

Dahyun laughed. “Not sure if the person with the title does the serving of food too.” Then she looked back at her. “Then again, you did cook for us.” A snort. “And you chose Bowser.”

“You would’ve thought it worse if I took the princess,” Sana replied. 

She shrugged. “Probably, but Bowser,” she chuckled, “you plan on capturing the person you wanna marry?”

“All so that the galaxy’s Mario can come along and save her? Probably not.”

Something flashed across Dahyun’s expression, but it was gone before Sana could recognise what it was. 

“Speaking of,” the mechanic took the food from the microwave, “ever played Mario in space?”

“We just did,” Sana pointed to the screen. 

“Don’t get smart with me.” Dahyun stuck out her tongue. “It’s the typical save the princess story, but his ship’s a mini planet that looks like his face.” She narrowed her eyes. “And if you say I look like my ship, I’ll,” she trailed off. 

“You’ll what?” Sana poked her cheek. “Put me in the brig?”

There was pink in her cheeks now. “We don’t exactly have one.” Dahyun’s eyes went to the floor. “Nevermind, I’m not good at threats.”

“That’s a good thing,” she replied. “And you’re already so threatening, Luigi.” She poked her again. 

Dahyun gave her a look, her cheeks puffed out. Sana felt a real lightness building in her. 

“Can you swap with her?” Nayeon was pouting at Momo. “She’s ruining my winning streak.” She pointed at Mina. 

Momo shook her head. “But I can swap with you.”

Jihyo and Jeongyeon laughed. 

“There’s still the ultimate test,” Tzuyu said. “The special one.”

“If she wins that,” Jeongyeon back, “we give her the crown.” 

“It’s a copper diadem,” Dahyun explained. 

“Did you make it when you won last time?” Sana set down two plates. 

“All those years ago,” Chaeyoung called. 

“In her defence, all of us were okay with it,” Tzuyu said. 

“Meaning we all had a few drinks,” Jihyo added. 

“And it was the prettiest damn thing you ever made,” Nayeon said. 

Dahyun had turned red. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Sana patted her arm. “It was a short reign, but a reign nonetheless.” The others were continuing with the Mushroom cup. 

“Nice of you to say,” the mechanic/captain muttered. “I haven’t won a single course since then. Unless it’s against the computer.”

They started eating. 

“On easy?”

Dahyun squinted at her. “You and I should do a one-on-one. Then we’ll see how great you are, princess.”

“Looking forward to it.”

“Stop flirting and keep eating,” Jihyo smirked, “you two still have to play the next rounds. 

Jeongyeon drew out a few glasses from the cabinets. “Does the upper class drink?”

Sana nodded, still slightly taken aback by Jihyo’s comment. 

“Good. Sometimes you get better at drifting,” Jeongyeon replied. 

“In video games,” Jihyo said. “I already said this, but you’re only allowed in the pilot’s seat if you’re dry.”

“Okay,” Sana nodded, “I’ll believe you.” Others would probably disagree with drinking while on a ship at all. They didn’t let most delivery ships have any sort of drug unless it was caffeine. 

“Get your asses over here!” Chaeyoung called. “We’re moving to Star cup.”

They got up. Jeongyeon and Jihyo were ahead of them, carrying a tray of nine glasses. 

Sana bounded over to Dahyun. She made sure to hold both her shoulders before whispering, “I’ll be sure to try and get that crown today.” Then she left to sit with Mina and Momo. She felt eyes on her and smiled. 

_____

Mina set down the controller, not bothering with hiding her satisfaction. 

“You’re too good at this,” Nayeon glowered, “you probably grew up with the game.” 

Yes and no, Mina thought. “Not quite, although my family did have an old Switch.”

“She’s just good,” said Momo. 

Nayeon broke into a smile then. “And she’s carrying the royal entourage through the whole tournament.” She lifted a bottle and put a bit in either of their glasses. Then she added the fizzy drink. 

“Trying to make me worse?” Mina asked. 

“I’ll be getting worse too.” Nayeon tapped their glasses together.

Mina drank. 

“So what’s a switch?”

“There’s never been one in Kepler?” Mina asked. “But you found a Wii?” She wondered what the story there was. 

A small frown. “I’m guessing it came after the Wii?”

She nodded. “And they made it small and portable.”

“Ah,” Nayeon said. “Do they have the same games?”

“Not exactly.” 

“Then I’m good with this old thing.” Chaeyoung patted it. “He does his best.”

“Does it have a name too?” Momo asked. 

“Reggi,” Dahyun said. 

“Really?” Sana turned to her. Mina could already see the tenderness in her gaze. She wasn’t sure if it was a good thing that it had happened so quickly. 

“Yep.”

The princess smiled. Mina hoped they wouldn’t start to truly pass from flirtation into something more significant. She hoped it would all remain fun. Sand didn’t need things to advance any further. 

“And now it gets real,” Nayeon moved to sit down beside her. “You get this, I’ll accept the fact that you’re better at this game.” A wink. “At least today.”

“I take it you’ll be the one to crown me?” 

Nayeon’s mouth fell open. “Well,” she said. “You win, I’ll think about it.”

The cup started. Jihyo won the desert course, Nayeon got the highway course, and Mina got first in Bowser’s Castle. 

“I bet on Mina,” Sana announced. 

"Betting’s legal here?” Dahyun asked. They sat on the floor, not touching, but as good as. 

Sana nodded. “After you’ve used the designated account.” 

“That’s for official betting,” Jeongyeon said. 

Jihyo held a finger to her lips. “Don’t tell them that.” Her eyes sparkled. 

Mina suddenly felt like a fool for not seeing it sooner. 

After the next toast, she saw Sana lean over to Dahyun and whisper something. Mina felt slightly uneasy watching it. Dahyun had her utmost attention on whatever Sana was saying. The mechanic nodded and then both were grinning and giggling. Sana leaned her head on the mechanic’s shoulder. 

“Anyway,” Dahyun drawled, “my money’s on the captain.” Then she frowned. “Are we using money, or something else?”

"Let's keep the money out of this until tomorrow," Jihyo said. "Or keep it at five signals." 

Mina nodded, her eyes still on the pair sitting on the floor. 

“Come on,” Nayeon nudged her, “I need my win to be fair.” There was a question in her eyes. Not one Mina would be answering while they were here. 

“We’ll see.”

Mine let herself get to third place, partially so she could send another red shell Nayeon’s way. 

“Not this time!” The captain laughed. She'd blocked it with a green shell. 

“You looked at my screen.”

“You caught me:” The siren-like sound started. 

That was when Nayeon got hit by the blue shell. 

“Cosmic justice.” Mina smiled as she overtook her. 

“That’s not even a thing!”

“I mean,” Jeongyeon said. “It did come from a computer.”

“In space,” Tzuyu added. 

“Whatever,” Nayeon grumbled. 

A shell came Mina’s way. Green thankfully. 

“I’ll get the crown.” Dahyun rushed out of the room, limping as she did. Whatever supplies Tzuyu had were of a high standard. Did she want to know how they got them?

“Getting nervous?” Mina asked. 

Nayeon laughed. “You wish.”

There was a lightning bolt. Just as they began one of the last arcs. Thankfully, they shrank before the first boost pad. The music became higher. 

Then it was the last stretch. Mina hadn’t realised how tense she was until she straightened. She twisted as she started a drift, hoping that she wouldn’t slip off the road. She didn’t. 

“Come on, I’ve got signals on you,” Dahyun said. 

Nayeon didn’t respond. Mina peeked over to see that she was just as fixated on the game. 

She could see the finish line, as well as a banana just a bit before the finish line. She veered out of the way. 

A shell was coming around again. A red one. Mina hoped she’d get there in time. 

“Yes!” A small chorus of voices chimed. 

“You can give me my pay tomorrow.” Sana laughed. 

“You’re crowning her.” Dahyun placed the copper crown onto Nayeon’s head. It was a surprisingly delicate-looking thing. Oddly enough, it suited her. 

“Shall we watch the victory sequence first?” Momo asked, not even hiding her smugness.

“You’re really milking this.” Jihyo gave her a look. 

“Of course.”

Nayeon sighed as she watched the screen. “We’re having a rematch.”

“Already?” Mina leant back in the seat, feeling oddly satisfied. 

“Tomorrow,” she said, her gaze serious. “When we’re both sober.” She lifted the crown off her head. “Come here.”

Mina stayed where she was. 

Nayeon rolled her eyes. “You smug schmuck.” She moved closer and placed the crown on Mina’s head. Her eyes stayed on Mina's the entire time, a small smile on her face. 

“Technically, I was supposed to kneel before you," Mina said when the captain had finished. 

Her brow shot up. “Can we have a do over?” She reached for the crown. 

Mina dodged under her arm, catching herself before she fell to the floor.  “No need, this is official enough.”

“Agreed,” Sana chimed. 

Nayeon shook her head. “Since you’re literal royalty, I’ll accept it.” She sank back onto the sofa. “Anyone hungry?” Her feet rose and tapped Mina’s legs. “Does Her Cosmic Majesty have any requests?” 

The rest started a group match. The Balloon Battle. 

Mina knew she was smiling and likely pink as well, but that was alright. “You really are a sore loser.”

“Yep.” She flashed a toothy grin her way. “And I’m a terrible winner.”

“Agreed,” Dahyun said. She’d leaned her head on the other sofa, right by Sana’s. Her cheeks were tinged pink.

Mina felt comforted by the sight. Perhaps what had happened today was all just driven by alcohol. 

That meant that when Sana rested her head on Dahyun’s shoulder again, Mina wasn’t as discouraged as she had been. Maybe common sense would kick in tomorrow. 

_____

Sana curled up on the sofa. Sitting on the floor all night had been fine, but she appreciated this all the more now. 

“You have two choices,” Dahyun leaned over the back, “peppermint or peppermint.”

She smiled at that. “Surprise me.” 

The mechanic grinned right back at her before going to the kitchen. The water was boiling. 

Sana watched her. She still walked with one crutch, but could do without it. The healing factors had worked well. 

Dahyun tapped on the counter, waiting. Two cups were by her. The rhythm of the tapping was that of the game. 

She looked over then, giving her a wink and a small smile. 

Sana didn’t look away, but she felt warmth rush to her face. 

Jeongyeon and Jihyo had gone to the cockpit. Apparently, that was their favourite place to be. Jihyo had also assured her several times that she would not be touching the steering controls. Their comms was still on dark. Sana had really been slow on picking up on them. 

“And now we wait,” Dahyun sat down beside her, “you look like you’re thinking hard.”

“I’m not,” Sana admitted. She closed the distance between them. This evening that boundary had been crossed. She really appreciated the change. 

"Disappointed that you didn't get the crown?" 

Sana laughed. "Nope. I knew Mina would win." 

Dahyun nodded. Then her gaze turned thoughtful. “Can I ask you something?” 

Sana nodded. 

“On a scale from one to you can’t even tell me, how restricted is your life at home?” Dahyun clasped her hands together. “Is that an okay question?”

Sana nodded again. “My parents never really put any bars around me. Not as you'd think,” she said. “But the public perception brings all of it to a good twelve.” 

“So you’re watched by the press?”

“And other larger, but also smaller, families and companies,” Sana replied. “We did a daily search of the house and meeting areas. Every other day we’d find something.”

Dahyun tensed. “And none of you wore masks, right?” 

“It’s illegal.” 

“No offence,” she started, “but it sounds like a ty place.”

Sana laughed. “It’s not that bad. Really.” She looked up at her. “I found the right people and I know my way around verbal politics." It was usually enough.

“And you know secret passages?” Dahyun asked. “You probably snuck out a couple times.” Then she made to stand. “Tea’s ready.” 

Sana put a hand on her leg to stop her. “I’ll get it.” She walked around the sofa. When she reached the kitchen, her waist collided with the corner of the counter. She swore softly. 

“What was that?” Dahyun peered over the back of the sofa, a grin already gracing her features. 

“Nothing.” Sana brought over two cups of tea. 

Dahyun accepted hers. She’d brought up her knees. That, her glasses, and her loose clothing made her look very endearing. It only added to it when she brought the mug up to her lips and her glasses fogged up. 

Sana found herself giggling softly. 

The mechanic smiled, averting her eyes. 

“How about you?” Sana asked. “How’s life in Kepler?”

“You’ll be surprised,” a pause, “but it’s actually pretty great.” She took a sip of tea. “For starters, it’s not as brutal as Earthers think and it’s definitely not like it was on—” Dahyun looked at Sana then, her eyes searching. “Artemis was worse,” she said. 

“On a scale from one to unbearable?” Sana asked. 

The corner of her lip tugged up. “Fifteen.” Another pause. “It was still home for the time I was there. Things worked until they didn’t.” She shrugged. “Then we made it work again. Repeat.”

“How old were you when you left?” Sana faced her properly. “Can I ask that?” 

Dahyun nodded. “I'm twenty-seven now,” she tilted her head to the side, “so it’s been about eight years since I left.”

“And,” her voice failed her. She was asking too much, wasn’t she? Her face might have been warm and her head a bit light, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t control . She could stop probing if Dahyun wanted her to.

“Why did I leave?” Dahyun's brow rose. Then she fully smiled, but the expression appeared slowly. “I can tell you, don’t worry.” A pause. “You look a little on edge. Don't be,” she winked, “I don’t exactly have a sob story. My life was pretty great with my family. Most problems just came trying to make ends meet.” formed a frown then.

Sana sipped her tea. It was still warm. She watched as Dahyun’s mind worked behind her eyes. She was torn between what to say and what not to. 

“I was born on Artemis, grew up among incoming and leaving ships, helped with repairs." She shrugged. "That's about it. At some point my tinkering went to the smaller stuff, energy cells,” she waved her scarred hands, “weapons too."

“Like MZ stuff?” 

Dahyun nodded. “The first gun I ever took apart was one of yours. It was on its way to the incinerator.” She gave her a small smirk. “Guess that’s how I first learned your weapons needed work.” 

Sana pouted. “You’re mean.” But there was no hesitation to prod on that subject. 

“You would’ve been like eight or something. So unless you were designing weapons for long-range delivery, I’m not attacking your personal brand. 

“No, it’s my mother’s.” She stuck out her tongue. 

Dahyun’s smile widened. 

“What?” Sana asked. 

“Nothing.”

She let her pout return.

“Nice try.” Dahyun looked away again. “Anyway, we realised that my knack for figuring out the pieces of weapons could be a big help. It genuinely changed our lives for the better.” The smile didn’t disappear, but her eyes were thoughtful again. She did look back on her life in Coruscant fondly. 

Sana wondered when the story would stop. She wanted to hear all of it, but she couldn't ask for that. 

“As always, skill means opportunity,” Dahyun said. “I got something like an apprenticeship for a small business. Was kinda like what do now. You're on the go, carrying out deliveries, picking up supplies, and smuggling when the money's tight.” Her brow furrowed. “Also when it wasn’t. It kept going like that until they tangled with the wrong people.”

“You don’t have to explain.” 

Dahyun nodded. “Thanks, but it wasn’t that bad, not a total disaster or anything. Just showed me I had to get out,” she sighed, “that mix up got me my ticket outta there. They didn’t want to keep the ship, so I offered to take it off their hands. I quit, but traded all the Odin line designs I hadn’t given them yet and took the ship.” She chuckled. “They thought I was an idiot.” 

“Wasn’t it your job to give them everything?” Sana asked. “How did you already have extra plans?” 

“I was fast with my work. My dad gave me the best piece of advice. Save enough to give them a short term benefit. It’ll distract from the long term loss.” She glanced over at her. “Not that I use that in every aspect of life! It was just really good for that one.” 

“Understood.” The corners of her lips twitched upwards. “But why change systems? Was it the brutality?”

“More or less,” she shrugged again, “I wasn’t exactly on Aphrodite’s hit-list, but I was a long way from being on their good side.”

“And Kepler was the escape,” Sana said. “Easy to start again?”

“Yep!” She drank more of her tea. Then set the mug down on the floor. “I met Nayeon around that time and a—we left together. She knew a lot of stuff I had no idea about, while I,” she waggled her fingers, “had the technical know-how. Meaning I knew how to get the ship in shape for long-term distances." 

“And the rest is history?” Sana put her own mug away. 

She nodded. “Yep.” 

The topic was closed then. At least for now. Sana still had questions. Did Dahyun ever plan on going back? What did ‘a long way from being on their good side’ mean? Did it have to do with how scared she was of Aphrodite being involved? And how did the rest of them meet? 

Of those questions, only one seemed to be one she’d be able to ask in the next few weeks. She wondered why Dahyun had even told her the rest in the first place. 

“You should probably go sleep,” Dahyun said. “You’re zoning out a lot.” She grabbed Sana’s hand, got to her feet, and gently pulled her up. 

They were close now. Sana wanted to be a little bit closer. 

“Are you even going to go to bed?” Sana asked. “Or is it straight to the workshop for you?”

“You bet, but it’s not to build something this time.” She started walking to the door, letting go of Sana as she did. “I’m strategising.” 

So that was how she'd been spending her days. 

“For what? Aphrodite?"

"Not exactly." Dahyun stopped by Sana, Mina, and Momo’s room. “So I guess it’s goodnight?” 

Sana didn’t want to go yet. “What needs a strategy?” 

That same deliberating look returned. A few seconds passed. “I need to figure out what we do when we’re finished.” 

“After this?” Sana pointed to herself. After. It reminded her that this was a journey with two destinations. She felt something in her deflate at the thought. 

She nodded.

"And how do you plan for that?" Sana asked. The captain had been working on it for days if that was the case. 

Dahyun chewed on her lip. "I could, I guess, show you how I did?" She sighed. "It's not the final product, but it's a start."

"Show me."

They continued on to the workshop.

“With the money, we really can pay everything off,” Dahyun said, opening the door. “And as tempting as it is to buy a whole lot of real foodstuffs, we need a proper plan to follow.” She sighed as she sat down at her bench. 

Sana sat down beside her. She took in the state of it. The parts had been cleared away, but the plans were all there. When Dahyun her tablet, a spreadsheet appeared. 

“I mean, there’s room for wish lists,” Dahyun chuckled, “I’m not gonna block anyone from splurging a little bit.” 

“You used the official reward,” Sana said. “But we are going to adjust it.” And then they'd have even more opportunity.

“I know,” she replied. “And it’s not that I don’t trust you, I do, really,” she looked at her, “but I don’t know what factors into that. We’re six people, your parents are expecting one, maybe two.” A pause. “And not from the Kepler system.” Her eyes scanned the screen. “Because what I’ve already factored in is pretty amazing.” Her face lit up. “Our production can increase, so can the deliveries. There’s a chance of getting legitimate on Kepler, but that’s a reach. Still, once we get the profits of the other changes in, I think we’ll be ready for moving up to ships.” 

The enthusiasm was contagious. When Sana glanced back at the spreadsheet, she recognised some of the companies that were potential suppliers. 

“But there was one thing I wanted to ask you about,” Dahyun said. “I’ll repeat it tomorrow if you forget, and a couple times after, because this is really important for any of this to work.” Her shoulders had tensed.

“What is it?” Sana asked. There was the potential that Dahyun would make the request that lumped her in with everyone else. More money than was already being given. Supplies that weren’t a part of the reward, but could be added to it easily. Things that weren’t outrageous, but would still quell Sana’s expectations about the mechanic. And turn her away for this journey. 

“I don’t want our names or faces to be associated with this,” Dahyun straightened, a certainty entering her voice, “of course we’re bringing you back and all, but no can know it was us.” 

Sana understood immediately. She remembered the state of T16. If they knew who had claimed the reward, Dahyun and the rest would be targets. 

“You won’t be,” Sana replied. “I’ll tell my parents and Mina. We’ll handle this.” It was a promise she fully intended to keep, but they had to be realistic as well. “But you’ll have to cooperate with the plan we make. You know Kepler better than we do, so we’ll take your input for how to do this, but if one ship from Kepler comes in and out in the same time-span where I come back, the connections will be made.” 

“I know.” Dahyun had visibly relaxed. “The group we saw at the border, those five will probably connect the dots too. They're not gonna attack us, but if we don’t give them a share,” she scrolled through the list, settling on the point, RV crew, “they’ll be pissed.” 

“But you'll give them a good pay after,” Sana said. It reminded her that Dahyun and her crew led a quasi-business. One that had been built during those eight years after leaving Coruscant.

“And a raise,” Dahyun nodded, “so we'll keep 'em happy.” She pulled over one of the plans. It was for the storage area of a ship. “And if these sell half as good as I want 'em to, we’ll all be in good shape.” 

“That could be a big if.” Many times had Sana seen a specific weapon or device fail completely, bringing them a sizeable loss. They had enough variety and capital that it wasn’t the worst of blows, but it tended to be more embarrassing than anything. 

Dahyun laughed. “A lot of life is a big if.” She peered at her from the corner of her eye. “If I remember correctly, I think we were a big if for you.” 

Sana smiled. “And you turned out to be a good one.”

She looked away then, but Sana saw the smile grow. Dahyun took a deep breath. “I don’t like ifs,” she said. “But if this trip works out like I think it will, a mistake or hurdle comes up, the fall’s not gonna be that far.” Pause. “Hopefully.”

Sana now knew why the Breakthrough had two captains. Where Nayeon might have been conflicted, Dahyun made the decisions. Where Dahyun was conflicted, Nayeon stepped in. These plans would be discussed at length with the rest. Dahyun would share the spreadsheet, leave it open to corrections and criticism on any holes or stretches within it. Yet she didn’t leave the brunt work to the rest. All the decisions were reached in her head with the results relatively set, while still being left up for discussion. There was a lot of room to be ‘defied’, but that was because Dahyun wasn’t ruling over the rest. She was working with them, sometimes taking decisions based on her core beliefs, other times letting the rest convince her otherwise. 

Sana had her own plans for how she'd handle things when she came to power, one of which included properly collaborating with people like Mina and even people like Ramon. Her parents did well with keeping the peace, but with tensions rising and what Sana had only just started learning about other systems, changes needed to be made to how they ruled. 

“Hopefully,” Sana echoed.

Dahyun’s head lifted then. She met Sana’s eyes. Behind her glasses, they were questioning. Sana had been staring. 

“You’re zoning out again,” the mechanic teased. “I’m starting to think I’m boring.” 

“Not at all,” Sana said. She inched closer to Dahyun, making it very clear that she was doing exactly that. 

Dahyun didn’t move away, but she watched her. There was a bit of hesitation. Sana didn't blame her. 

It was enough for Sana to ask, “on a scale from one to get the hell out of this room?” She pointedly let her eyes wander. Dahyun’s mouth was usually angled in a tiny smile, as if always ready to break into a wider one. 

She gave her that smile now. “I guess," her eyes also drifted elsewehre, "negative sixteen?” 

Sana felt a tickling sensation in her chest. She wanted Dahyun to close the distance. 

“Are you sure?” Dahyun asked. “This isn’t stepping over a lot of lines?”

“Not for me.” There were a few people she could name who'd have a problem with this. 

Her movements were still cautious, but Dahyun did lean forward. One hand came to cup Sana’s cheek. The fingertips were calloused, as were spots on her palms. Sana found herself leaning into the touch. 

“And what—“ 

“Dahyun?” Sana tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You can kiss me if you want to,” she said. “I want you to.”

“Just making sure.” She smiled. 

Sana couldn’t help but laugh. She heard her low chuckle. 

“Okay,” Sana brushed their noses together, “come here.” 

Gentle lips met Sana’s, moving ever so slowly. still cautious, but that was slowly fading. 

It was clear that this wasn’t a first kiss for either of them. It wasn’t desperate for either of them. It was just a kiss. One where they enjoyed a moment of silence and being close to one another. 

Dahyun pulled away first. She didn’t say anything. 

Sana opened her eyes to see dark ones looking right back at her. 

“Would it be cheesy if I said I’m kinda starstruck?”

Sana felt the strength leave her jaw. “Starstruck?” She tried to hold back her laugh. 

She laughed. “Yep.” The hand on Sana’s cheek fell away. “I really know how to ruin a moment, don’t I?”  Her eyes looked to the ceiling. Her face was reddening again. 

“It’s not ruined.” Sana slipped her arms around her neck. She pulled her in for another kiss, not being able to stop her smile as she did. Then she couldn’t stop herself. “Starstruck,” she giggled, “that’s very cheesy.” 

Dahyun laughed again, but it was more comfortable. 

“So,” Sana smiled at her, “tell me more about your plan.” 

_____

Author's Note 

I may have a bit too big a love for Nintendo. However, a spaceship isn't just going to have one way of entertainment. Though with Jihyo also loving comics, this crew will continue with being a bit on the retro side of things. 

Going back to the plot, Mina and Nayeon are their usual competitive selves, Mina's been crowned the winner, and Saida get closer. They bonded over their shared passion for machinery/engineering/weapons and now it's over leadership. So while it's on a smaller scale, Dahyun has got experience over how to deal with that, while Sana's been trained for it and is set to become a literal empress. 

I hope you enjoyed the more light-hearted chapter and the game night that took place. Let me know what you think about the most recent developments. Situation considered, are they the right ones? 

See you in the next one!