Starcrossed || Forty-Two

Sean's shirt was patches with labored sweat in the humid container of the shuttle's hull. Kaye was leaning forward, eyes unwavering from the live, magnified camera feed playing on the tablet screen before her. They were moments away from having the tiny computer back in working order... Or they had another eight hours ahead of themselves, depending on how well the new part was received.

"This requires a gentle touch," Neburn murmured. "Stay steady Sean. Just insert the new silicon chip right above the first."

No pressure, Sean thought ruefully. His eyes were focused on the first silicon chip, and the opening above it. It looked so simple. The new chip, gripped delicately in his hand, would be a perfect fit. If he didn't rush or hit it at the wrong angle, at least.

He knew well enough that any setbacks could cost everyone dearly. The more time they wasted trying to fix the stupid ship, the more time Ambron had to track them down. Sean took a steadying breath and wiped his brow. No way I'm going back to being a lab rat, he told himself. His hands suddenly steady, he reached forward and gently nudged the chip into place.

A pause. Sean remained in place, staring at the labyrinth of circuits and wires, unable to tell if it was a working computer or a pile of scrap. "Well ... what do you think?" he called. "How do I tell if I broke it or not?"

"Well, try to turn it on for starters." Kaye prompted him. She and Neburn retained their reverent silence as Sean shifted around inside the small space craft. After carefully scooting back into the deconstructed main cabin, he approached the console and sought out the initial startup panel. He found a pale button, just waiting for him.

There was a pause, then a putting hum from the computer. Kaye braced herself for any number of outcomes- explosions, smoking mainframe, a crazy takeoff right there in the lab.

The console lit up and the windshield flickered with an idle blue projection. Kaye leaned right in near the open door, needing to see this for herself. At last, the screen turned white, and the Allied Planets logo appeared in the bottom right hand corner.

"Welcome. Proceed to setup?" a computerized voice with corresponding text prompted the next step.

"Yes!" Kaye leapt out of her seat, arms thrown over her head in exuberance. "Sean, you did it! You really did it!"

Sean stared at the screen, expecting it to fizzle out at any second. Despite it being downright primitive compared to all of the transparent screens and efficient glass devices on Tessira, it was a welcoming, fresh sight. Even this computer was more advanced than the one on his own ship. His eyes skated over the Allied Planets logo.

Kaye's loud shouts barely made him flinch. Sean took another deep breath and dragged a hand down his face in sheer relief. "Sure did," he answered, making his way to the door. He leaned out to look up at Kaye's beaming face, a proud smirk of his own turning up the corners of his mouth. "Not even a flicker."

He stepped out of the ship, some relief coming to his face as he realized just how stuffy it was inside. The air conditioning in the shop was a refreshing feeling. At least now, with the computer fixed, he'd be able to see about booting up the ship's internal temperature controls. But first thing's first.

"We'd better get Elise. She'll want to see this," he announced, the hopeful look in his eyes growing brighter. So close, he thought with no shortage of optimism, a feeling he hadn't let himself entertain in a long time.

---

Neburn, Kaye, Elise and Sean all gathered around in the living room with anorexic glasses of Neburn's strongest liquor.

"To progress." Neburn announced, raising his glass.

Kaye grinned down at Elise and Sean, touching her glass to Neburn's before getting down close enough to tap the rim of her glass to the humans'.

"To progress." She echoed heartily. She tilted back the swallow of alcohol, nearly coughing it back up. Neburn had no trouble on the other hand, slurping it down like water.

"Damn that's strong stuff." Kaye wheezed.

Seeing Kaye's reaction to the drink, both humans' smiles shifted to looks of surprise. Sean chuckled and agreed, "To progress," then shrugged and threw back his own shot of liquor. He grimaced slightly as the alcohol burned down his throat, leaving a pleasant warmth in its wake. "She wasn't lying," he commented appreciatively.

Elise chuckled breezily, eyeing her own drink. "To progress!" She didn't fare any better than Kaye when she swallowed it down. There was an immediate warm feeling in her stomach. She gave a quiet cough. "Wow."

She was in high spirits indeed. Other than a few hiccups and an insistent Biosuit malfunction message, the ship's computer was running without many problems. Things were actually going right. "I almost don't believe we actually did it," she said softly, beaming.

Sean couldn't help but remember Jared's insistence that this would never happen. He couldn't wait to see the look on the giant jerk's face. "Well, sweetheart, start believing," he answered. Seeing that Neburn was pouring himself another shot of the powerful drink, he smirked confidently. "Don't count me out of round two," he quipped, holding up his glass to request more. If there was ever a time to celebrate without reservations, this was it.

Elise laughed and shared an amused glance with Kaye. "I ... I think I'll wait a bit to have any more," she admitted sheepishly.

Neburn chuckled heartily, his cheeks rosy as he reached over to top off Sean's tiny glass with a splash of liquor.

"It's my good stuff," he reminded them. "Doesn't slack in the flavor or the burn. I don't break this out of the cabinet for just any old fling. But I can't imagine a better way to toast your future liberation!"

He downed another gulp straight from the bottle, his creaky hands steady on the throat of the blue glass. Kaye shook her head, grinning.

"You gotta teach me your secrets, Doc." She goaded.

"If you're not born with an iron stomach, I can't help you." Neburn countered, throwing a wink at Elise as he eased himself into a faded white armchair. His expression went blank without warning, looking over the edge of the couch. Alarmed, Kaye turned over her shoulder to see Jared standing awkwardly in the doorway. He held two flutes of Notiq in his hands and was looking rather on the fence about whether to come in at all.

Though startled, Kaye leapt upon the hopeful notion.

"Jay, come sit." She smiled and patted the seat next to her. "Is that for me?"

Jared hummed affirmation, handing off the glass of sparkling alcohol to her as he stiffly took a seat on the sofa facing the humans.

"It looks like you guys are getting out of here sooner than we thought, huh?" He pointed out.

"That's right," Kaye said, a bit louder from the strong spirits. She clinked their glasses together with an unstoppable smile. "And that's a reason to celebrate."

Thanks to Kaye's unflappable cheer, Elise recovered quickly from the surprise of Jared joining them. She glanced to the side and saw Sean scoff before throwing back his second shot of liquor. It didn't escape her notice that he resolutely avoided looking at the new arrival in the room.

In an attempt to keep the mood afloat (and aided considerably by the liquid courage), Sean peered over at Elise. "Well, sweetheart. I'd say you earned some vacation time after this. What're you going to do when you get home?"

"Oh, I'm not sure," Elise admitted. "I guess I'll visit my mom." The way the Ambassador had talked to Elise as if he was communicating beyond the grave made her think that her death certificate was printed as soon as he disconnected the call. She needed to see her family first.

Sean nodded, leaning casually against a thick, ornate glass vase that made up the centerpiece on the antique coffee table. "Me, I'm gonna see if my nephew's gotten any taller." His gaze became glassy for a moment as he tried to pin down exactly how long it had been since last he saw that kid. "Guess I'll have to make up for a few missed birthdays," he commented, his smirk returning.

Elise laughed. She looked over at the couch, where Jared still sat rather stiffly. "I'm glad that you came to join us, Jared. It ... it means a lot." Especially after his harsh insistence earlier, that she would be stuck here for good. "Even if you don't remember ... I can't thank you enough for everything you've done to make this possible."

She turned towards Kaye as well. "And you, too, Kaye. Without you, we wouldn't even have the ship."

"Definitely. Good spy work, darlin'," Sean cut in with a wink. His face was a little flushed, and he was definitely trying not to looke like he was relying on the vase too much for support.

Elise finally looked to Neburn, and she offered him a polite bow. "Of course I can't forget to thank you, Doctor. Without you ... well, I'd probably still be trying to put the levers back on the console."

Jared smiled weakly, rocking stiffly when Kaye slung a hand onto his shoulder. He still seemed a stiff, though in his defense that could have been in part from the borrowed clothes he was wearing. The shirts Neburn lent him were a bit small on him- most notably the sleeves that strained to accommodate the muscles of his arms.

Neburn beamed, his spectacles tucked into the pocket of his sweater. "It was a thrilling challenge, Miss Elise. A few more days and you'll be on your way out of the atmosphere."

He tilted back a deep sip of the harsh liquor and relaxed into his seat. So at ease, he looked like a different person.

"Someday, I'll join you up there in the cosmos." He drawled, eyes fixed on the ceiling. "I'll count the stars. Every one of them."

Kaye snorted, tipsy. "Good luck with that. There's a zillion stars up there."

Clutching her empty Notiq flute between her knees, she slumped her head against Jared's shoulder. He raised his eyebrows, smirking down at her softly.

"What are you, eight?" He chuckled. "Out like a light already?"

"Mmmnn." Kaye hummed drowsily.


Sean glanced over at Kaye, smirking at her sudden sluggishness. "To be fair, Kaye got into the notiq earlier, too," he pointed out. Even Sean was noticing that his earlier forays into Tessiran alcohol hadn't completely worn off. That, or he was so incredibly relieved that he was getting giddy just thinking about it. It was probably a bit of both.

"Well. Everyone has been working pretty hard today," Elise added. She only wished she could have made more progress with Jared before he'd stormed off. She wondered if she'd be able to get through to him before they ran out of time to escape. She was determined to try a little harder the following day, to do her own part in this. She felt bad that she hadn't been able to be of much help with the ship.

"I'm amazed that you're still standing, Sean. When did you last take some medicine for the pain?"

Sean snorted and held up his empty glass, shaking it a little. "Just a minute or two ago, sweetheart. Almost can't tell anything's broken," he answered with a smirk.

Elise smiled, her heart warmed by the lifted spirits in the room. Even Jared, no doubt feeling awkward, had decided to join them in celebration. And judging by Kaye's relaxed state and Neburn already nearly snoozing in his chair, everyone would sleep well tonight with their accomplishments in mind.


"I should probably get her to bed," Jared announced to the room not long after. "Come here," He hoisted Kaye to her feet, letting her lean on him. She wasn't completely intoxicated, but she was certainly wobbly on her feet.

"I'll see you guys first thing in the morning. Hope you're ready for liftoff!" Kaye beamed down at the humans, ignoring Jared's silent waves of skepticism.

"Take it easy," He muttered. Kaye waved a sleepy goodnight to Elise and Sean one last time before letting Jared lead her down the well-used corridors to her room.

Her bed was already unmade. She stumbled into it fully dressed, not even bothering to take off her iridescent ankle-highs. Jared sat down beside her, fiddling with the tangled knot of bedding kicked down at the foot of the bed. As he leaned over her to set her up, Kaye's inebriated gaze shifted, noticing him in a way she hadn't allowed herself for years. She tugged on his collar, urging him to look at her.

"We should kiss." Kaye practically whined.

"Yeah, cause that worked out so well last time." Jared retorted. He eased her under the covers, pulling them up to her neck.

Kaye sucked on her lower lip, mulling this over at a sluggish rate from her cozy position. "We were always good at the kissing part."

Jared smiled softly, allowing himself to reminisce on the few pleasant memories of their dating period. "But we kinda sucked at the rest of the stuff." He reminded her with an almost apologetic smile. Kaye took the bait and giggled heartily in agreement, all lustful thoughts abandoned.

"Go to sleep." he told her, shaking his head fondly.

He slapped the door panel as he left, letting it slide shut behind him as he exited. She was fast asleep by the time the door sealed shut.

His footsteps harkened his return to the living room long before Jared came back into view. He emerged from the dimly lit corridor, walking around the back of the couch to find the humans in roughly the same position as where he had left them. In the armchair behind them, Neburn was snoring softly, his head nodded to one side. Jared scoffed slightly.

"I guess you guys need a lift, huh?" He raised his eyebrows at the pair of them. Pushing the liquor bottle aside, Jared crouched down and leaned in close. "I'll walk you guys back to your room." he shrugged. He reached forward, hesitated, then committed to the movement.


Sean looked critical, and he eyed Jared's approaching hands as if they were about to lunge forward at any moment. Elise, however, smiled a soft, grateful smile and stood her ground. Being hesitant, she reasoned, would only make Jared even more uncomfortable with the task. He needed to be reminded that he could be trusted taking a human in his hands.

"That's very kind of you, Jared. We-" Elise paused to gasp when his hand reached her. It wrapped around her a little more snugly than she remembered. "We appreciate it," she finished, recovering from the surprise. It wasn't exactly his fault. He didn't remember handling humans, so there was no reason to expect him to be an instant expert again.

Sean was not so tactful. "Hey, man, be careful, wouldja?" he groused, noticing how Elise had stiffened. He stepped away from the vase, his footsteps surprisingly heavy. He released a frustrated sigh when Jared's other hand wound around him easily. At least he didn't grab him as tightly as the other day. "We're not action figures, buddy," he warned.

"It's alright," Elise insisted. She patted the hand holding her encouragingly. "You're doing fine. Thank you for the help."

Jared hummed in his throat, trying to hide the condescending smirk that threatened to flicker at hearing Sean's comment.

"I don't think anyone would want toys with such a mouth on them." He replied under his breath.

Though his Hazel eyes lingered on Elise several times, he still seemed to clamp up when he looked at her. He could only nod in reply to her gratitude, keeping his eyes forward as he retraced his steps to the bedrooms. His pace increased as he got closer to their room. His pulse pounded, his palms heating up around their bodies.

The humans' room automatically lit up from the motion sensor.

"Deactivate overhead." Jared ordered. The room went dark.

Groans and gasps of protest came from both humans when he smushed Sean into the same hand as Elise, freeing up his other hand. Jared snagged a pitcher of water off the nightstand as he passed, dumping the contents onto the floor as he continued forward. He had his eye on one of the most sturdy crates covering the window.

In a smooth motion, he placed the humans in the center of the chipped-paint top of the crate. Jared glimpsed their wide-eyed desperation in the glint of sunset for only a moment before he slammed the pitcher down on top of them. Residual water dripped down from the impact.

"Don't make yourself anymore pathetic by trying to escape." He patted the side of the glass irreverently.

Elise sputtered as water splashed onto her face from the jolt. The sound of the pitcher slamming down still rang in her ears, and she watched with bewilderment as Sean stormed toward Jared. "What the hell is this?!" Sean demanded, pounding on the glass with a fist. His other arm was curled weakly around his stomach. "Let us out, dammit!"

Elise swallowed thickly, searching Jared's face. She saw only cold condescension there. "Jared ... why did you ... why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice almost breaking. His taunting remark had not sounded like it even came from him. She heard no sign of the tentative friendliness that he had exhibited just that afternoon.

She thought she had been so close....

Sean glanced back and saw the confusion and hurt on Elise's face, and he scoffed. Turning back to glare at Jared through the glass, he spat, "Who cares why he's doing it? Probably just on a fucking power trip." He kicked the glass, his breathing becoming a little faster as the trapped feeling started to really settle in. "Let us out," he commanded once more.

Jared stared right back at him, unimpressed. "This is temporary. I just need to be sure of where you are when I get back." Without apology or explanation, he left the room, sealing the door shut behind him as he left.