Chapter 06: A Rift Between Us
The hours stretched on, and the hum of the ship’s systems became a constant companion in the otherwise quiet, claustrophobic space. Lena sat at the navigation console, staring at the screens as Rian worked beside her in the engine room, his face etched with concentration. Their progress was slow, but steady. The ship was coming back online, piece by piece, like an intricate puzzle.
Lena kept glancing toward the rear of the ship, where Rian had retreated to address some of the more technical issues. A part of her was restless—she wanted to be out there with him, helping him fix the ship. But the other part of her recognized that she had her own role to play here. And she had to focus, for both their sakes.
The air was thick with tension, the unspoken thoughts hanging between them, each aware of the weight of what was at stake. And yet, neither of them had voiced the one question that had begun to gnaw at Lena’s mind.
Could they really save Aurelia? Could they really accomplish what seemed impossible?
As the ship finally powered up, Rian entered the cockpit, wiping his hands on a rag. His eyes met Lena’s, his usual cocky grin nowhere to be found. Instead, there was something different in his expression—something guarded, almost… wary.
“Navigation’s coming back online,” he said, his voice low. “I can finally access the long-range sensors. We’ll be able to track the Arkanite crystals.”
Lena nodded, but the words didn’t comfort her as they should have. There was a heaviness in the air between them, a silent barrier that neither of them seemed ready to cross.
She couldn’t ignore the feeling that something had changed. The connection they’d built over the last few days was shifting, and she wasn’t sure if it was for the better or the worse.
“I’ll start plotting a course for the nearest rift,” she said, her fingers hovering over the controls. “If we’re lucky, we might be able to cut through the interference and find the source of the crystals.”
Rian’s eyes flickered to her, but he didn’t respond right away. Instead, he sat down in the co-pilot’s chair and leaned back, arms crossed. His face was unreadable, a mask she couldn’t decipher.
“Lena,” he began, his tone different now, more serious. “We need to talk.”
Her heart skipped a beat at the words, and she turned her gaze to him, suddenly nervous. This wasn’t the playful, confident smuggler she had come to know over the past few days. This was something else entirely—something far deeper, far more vulnerable.
“What about?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
Rian hesitated before speaking again, his eyes never leaving hers. “About us. About this mission. And what happens after.”
Lena felt her breath catch. She had been avoiding this conversation—avoiding the truth of what was happening between them. It wasn’t just the mission, not anymore. Not with the way their chemistry had shifted from simple partnership to something… more. Something dangerous.
She leaned back in her seat, folding her arms across her chest as she processed his words. Her instincts told her to shut it all down, to push away the feelings that had started to develop. This wasn’t the time for distractions. The fate of Aurelia was at stake.
But then she saw the look in Rian’s eyes—the vulnerability behind his cocky exterior—and it made her heart ache. He wasn’t just worried about the mission. He was worried about her. About them.
“What happens after?” she echoed, her voice quiet, almost trembling. “Rian, we’ve been over this. After we save Aurelia, we go our separate ways. That’s the plan.”
Rian’s expression hardened, the vulnerability replaced with something else, something Lena couldn’t quite place. “Is it? Or is that just what you want to believe?”
Lena opened her mouth to respond, but the words caught in her throat. She knew what she wanted. She wanted to focus on the mission. She wanted to save Aurelia. She wanted to do what she had trained her whole life for.
But there was a part of her—a part she didn’t want to admit—that was drawn to him. To Rian. He wasn’t just the smuggler who had gotten them into this mess. He was someone who had stood by her side when things got tough. Someone who made her feel less alone in a universe that had felt too vast and too empty.
“You don’t get it, do you?” she finally said, her voice quieter now. “We can’t afford distractions. We have one shot at this. If we fail…”
Rian’s gaze softened, but he didn’t look away. “I get it, Lena. More than you know. But sometimes, what we want doesn’t come at a convenient time. Sometimes, we have to take risks. Otherwise, what are we really doing all this for?”
Lena bit her lip, feeling the weight of his words. She didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. They were already risking everything. And yet, there was this undeniable pull between them, a force neither of them could seem to escape.
For a long moment, there was nothing but the quiet hum of the ship as the two of them sat in silence, neither willing to break the fragile barrier that had formed between them. Finally, Rian spoke again, his voice low and almost resigned.
“We’re both scared, Lena. We don’t know what’s going to happen. But I can’t pretend that I don’t care anymore. I can’t pretend like this… us… doesn’t matter.”
Lena swallowed hard. The room felt smaller now, the walls closing in. “I can’t afford to care. I can’t afford to let my emotions get in the way. Not with everything on the line.”
Rian’s eyes softened, and for the briefest moment, Lena saw something raw, something real. But it was fleeting—like a shooting star across the inky expanse of space.
“I understand,” he said quietly. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll stop fighting for us. Not yet.”
Lena’s heart thudded in her chest. She didn’t know how to answer him. The future seemed so uncertain. Aurelia. The mission. Rian. All of it was tangled together in a mess of emotions, each one pulling her in different directions.
With a final, lingering glance, she turned back to the controls. There was no time to figure it all out now. They had work to do.
But as she plotted their course through the rift, her heart couldn’t help but wonder if the most dangerous force in the universe wasn’t the unknown dangers of space. It was the feelings she was starting to realize she might not be able to outrun.
“Let’s save this planet,” she whispered to herself, more to convince herself than anything else. “Let’s just save Aurelia.”
