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“Yes?” Quinn answered and while they headed down to check on Alec he said out of nowhere, “I had fun on the bridge with you and Morgan.”
“I did as well.”
They were alone, so when he leaned over to promptly kiss her, she did not resist. They wound around one another, making out like teenagers under the bleachers until they hit their floor, disengaging and straightening themselves into presentable members of the crew.
Alec crawled down from the cockpit of one of the mining drills, using some very colorful language. He saw Quinn and the Captain and complained to them as well, “Bloody set these things up to work remotely, but I don’t ken why they wouldn’t leave room for ya to run them manually.”
Kira covered her mouth with her free hand before saying, “You’re not meant to go down on the surface in these places.”
“Well, of course not. It would be incredibly dangerous.” Quinn blinked.
“Oh, yes, it’s dangerous.” Alec rolled his eyes as he hit something on his pad, his annoyance fairly clear. His not caring about the danger was also fairly clear.
Kira tried to hold back her amusement at his irritation, a quiver at the corner of her lips giving her away. It was hard to not hear it in her voice when she said, “You can still take down one of the shuttles.”
“Why do so many people on this ship want to eschew basic security precautions?”
Clearly, Quinn was keeping track. First Kira and Rick, then Morgan, if in jest, and now Alec. It was like they chafed at any restriction that kept them safe if they did not agree with it.
“Why is it so bad to avoid injury? I really do not understand.” Quinn questioned.
“You’ve never lived boy, living comes with danger,” Alec informed him. His eyes narrowed at something on the tablet.
Kira did not comment on that one, but her expression shifted to concern and she redirected Alec. “What else do you need done?”
“I... You know that I have been living in the constant danger of being recaptured since leaving Paradigm, right?” Quinn quickly betrayed her, even if unintentionally.
“He means that in order to do things worth doing, sometimes it’s dangerous,” Kira supplied. She knew Alec’s explanation was going to be less than kind. “Mountain climbing is dangerous and yet people still do it.”
Alec nodded before handing the pad to Kira. “These are the ones left. I just need everything routed to the primary controls.”
“Ah.” Quinn had a blank look on him, indicating he was conferring on his net. He glanced off to the side as he read out the inputs that were given to him. She’d grown so used to it, she barely paid attention anymore as he did so.
They broke apart from Alec and she tried to explain further, “Quinn, there is.” She hesitated. “There might be things I do you may not understand. Things that put me in situations that make you uncomfortable.”
She didn’t wish to do so, but she knew she would, especially with unfamiliar territory coming up. Going down on a planet’s surface because she would not subject the rest of the crew to things she wasn’t willing to do was one.
“I mean, I don’t understand why you would make choices that increase your chance of risk.” Quinn’s expression was unreadable, as if he were trying to sort out how to feel. “I really don’t think there is an explanation you can give me that will make that make logical sense, but I am not upset. If that is what you want to do, you will do it. I have no desire to change that part of you because without it, I wouldn’t be here with you now. However, just because I will not object to it doesn’t mean I will like it.”
“I understand.”
“Thank you.”
Kira stole a kiss after assuring they were out of Alec’s range of vision.
“You are terrible at following your own rules,” Quinn wasn’t arguing, his grin enough to say he didn’t care.
“Remember, I don’t follow safety regulations.”
Kira started crawled in and out of the mining equipment. They resembled classical skid steers, large attachments able to be placed on a slotted section, heavy treads over the thick wheels, allowing it to move. Thrusters came installed on the bottom and sides for movement in space. Magnetic locks allowed it to travel on the outside of a ship.
Manual calibration typically wasn’t necessary, but the physical checking of all the components, the walk around, and reaffirming the systems readings was a tried-and-true way to catch any last-minute issues.
Kira wiped her hand across the side of her face, a dark substance akin to grease smeared over her cheek. The engine on Kira’s craft needed a replacement filter. She’d launched right into fixing it.
“Do you want to go up to the galley and eat lunch with me?” Quinn’s voice called up to her.
“Is it that time?” She popped up out of the hatch.
