Chapter Text
‘Thunk,’
The blast shield of the shuttle shut and locked, cutting off the Captain’s view of the Invincible 2. It was an amazing ship; twice the size of its predecessor with ten times the precaution. The head engineer of the ship, someone rostered as Mark E. Fischbach, had built upon its predecessor with the intent of sending it across the stars. The Captain had led four other spaceships in their time but they all paled in comparison to what had been floating before them moments before.
Their career started six years ago when they flew the last ship to and from Mars. It had been a small trip but once the Captain had a taste for the cosmos nothing could satiate that hunger. Over the next six years, the Captain would grow a reputation, scouting with CESO’s scientists to the next two solar systems over. C.E.S.O, or the Cosmos Exploratory Space Organization, was a bridge off of N.A.S.A that focused on locating new places to inhabit. All of that work with them lead the Captain here, leading the first colony through the stars.
Earth was destroyed, that much was sure. Years of ruthless digging through its crust made sure of that. No matter what humanity had tried, by the time they had gone green it was too late. The planet was dying and it was all at the fault of the generations before them. Not only that but the sun, the source of all life, was growing and the planet just kept getting hotter and hotter. It had another century or two left. At least, that’s what Climate experts predicted. The Captain wasn’t an expert in that department. They didn’t understand how the planet could be beyond repair. All they knew was that this trip had to be a success and they would do what it took to keep it that way.
They were the Captain after all.
With the blast shield closed the Captain sighed, blinking away the anxiety to the back of their mind. It had been a long few days. Even now, when they were dressed professionally, they still had their control pad with them and they scrolled through it in a rough attempt to memorize the names and faces of the crew. With pursed lips and furrowed brows, the Captain inhaled the sharp cold air of the ship.
Dan, the escort taking the Captain from Earth to the Invincible 2, glanced over for the hundredth time. At least, you thought his name was Dan. The man had been staring the entire time but only this time did he seem to stare with purpose. Whether he had been checking them out or just admiring them, the Captain couldn’t tell.
“Hey uh. You alright there sir?”
The Captain looked down themself first. They were dressed fine as far as they knew. For the most part, they wore black. The nonbinary always resonated with that color. They had black gloves that passed electromagnetic waves. This lets them touch screens and such without having to worry about the chill of space. On the black gloves were gold-like accents that also matched their black and gold-accented Captain’s hat.
No, it wasn’t real gold. They weren’t that type of person.
Their hat and gloves also matched their boots. As for the rest of them, it was simple enough. They wore black, somewhat heavy, pants, a black turtleneck, and, on top of it all, was an almost leather textured, purple, jacket. Maybe that’s why the guy was staring. Maybe he thought it looked nice…Maybe he thought it looked shitty.
Finally, the Captain grunted, lifting their eyes from their utility belt and offering the cadet their attention. “First of all, Cadet, I’m not a sir.” The Captain, though stern, tried to be soft. They didn’t blame the cadet though. Their hair was cut just right and their voice, as far as they knew, could be taken as either-or.
Dan paled, “I’m so sorry mam-I mean Captain. What exactly do you go by?” He blushed, going pink under the grey of his beard. The blue of his eyes were practically begging for forgiveness.
Luckily for Dan, the Captain was a very forgiving person. “I go by they/them pronouns, Cadet, and you will refer to me as such.” Calling him Cadet was much easier than facing the embarrassment of forgetting someone's name.
Dan nodded at the blatant command, “Yes Captain. Understood.”
The Captain nodded back, eyes drifting to the tablet before glancing back. Dan was still staring. “Is there a reason you’re staring at me instead of auto-locking the ship, cadet?”
The blush returned tenfold, his ears red when he turned away to run his fingers over the control panel. When a small sound beeped from the panel the escort seemed satisfied. “I’m really sorry.” He apologized again. “I’ve just heard so much about you-admittedly nothing about your gender-but I’ve just-I don’t know. I’m a big fan is all.”
Admittedly, this got a smile out of the Captain but then they both lurched forward. The shuttle came to an abrupt halt. This must’ve been the destination. With haste the Captain pushed off Dan’s chest, straightening any embarrassment off of their shoulders.
With an awkward smile, Dan looked up and brushed himself off. “Captain-uh. We’re here early,” he began. Out of respect he rolled his shoulders back and saluted in his white uniform. “Maybe we can hang out sometime or…”
He was talking, which was lovely and all, but the Captain didn’t come here to make random conversation or fall in love. They came here to get a colony across the stars. So, with the heart of the colony in mind, they pressed forward to the back of the shuttle where the door awaited them. As if on cue, the heavy, air-locked, metal door clicked. It made a satisfying whoosh sound as it opened up to let the atmospheres of the docking bay and the shuttle mix.
Waiting nervously on the other side was Mark, the head engineer of this ship. He had been in a short scramble, adjusting the orange beret on the top of his head as the door opened. The Captain barely got to entertain Mark’s scramble. As soon as Mark spotted the Captain his eyes widened and he straightened up to offer his hand.
The picture ID didn’t do Mark justice. The engineer was attractive, that the Captain couldn’t deny. Even in the standard jumpsuit, the one almost every crew member possessed, the Captain could tell Mark was built perfectly for his job. Despite being maybe an inch or two shorter than anyone else on the crew, the tanned engineer seemed to beam. It was like the Captain’s presence in itself was giving Mark confidence. They didn’t know how or why their presence did this but they embraced it for the sake of their new partner.
Either way, the Captain wouldn’t leave Mark hanging for long. The two clasped and shook hands professionally as they stepped off of the shuttle. “Welcome aboard the Invincible 2 Captain,” Mark began with a smile. “Glad to have you here.”
“Good to be here,” The Captain added subtly as they released Mark’s hand. Their eyes traveled the pipes around the room, all of which, led to the elevator in front of them.
“Took you long enough,” he added in a joking manner. Not many people did that with them. It was a nice change in pace. “Come on,” Mark pressed on, “let me give you the grand tour before we embark.”
The two traveled off to the elevator which, in hindsight, was just another large grey gear in the cogs that made up the ship. The head engineer gestured his hands around them as he led the Captain towards the edge of the docking bay and into the elevator. “This is my pride and joy! My baby…well, your baby I guess now, but I made her. So a baby will always remember her father-”
“Scanning,” an AI interrupted through the speaker. Mark paused and both stilled as a blue light traveled from the top of the elevator, down the bodies of the pair, then down to the floor itself. A light beep of confirmation finished the scan. “Welcome Head Engineer, Mark. Please Confirm the title of secondary personnel.”
Mark hummed, glancing up at the Captain before focusing his gaze up to the speaker itself. “Input title, Captain.” He commanded.
Another small beep, something like a squeal, sounded immediately. “I do apologize, Captain, for my unfamiliarity with you. Welcome to the Invincible 2,” it greeted, “Your tablet has been updated and you’ve been granted primary control.”
“Thank you, Computer.” A low hum of approval tumbled from the lips of the Captain. They didn’t see it but Mark glanced up curiously to the sound of it.
“You’re very welcome.” It replied kindly. “Now hold still. Prepare for sterilization.”
—--
Something about being this close to the Captain warped Mark’s mind. He was told the Nonbinary was attractive but they really were something to stare at. Mark wouldn’t though, he had more respect than that for the Captain after all. Not only that but this was all purely professional. He wasn’t going to let anything derail him from the primary task of keeping the colony safe.
In other words, as the light of sterilization hit, he buried his feelings deep and forgot about them. By the time the light cleared, the elevator door was opening. He shook off the reminiscent feelings of sterilization and led the Captain out of the elevator. “First stop, the Warp Core, the heart and soul of the ship,” He began. Mark knew this ship better than anyone. He built it after all. A speck of pride came with that. No one trusted him after the last ship blew up and he was almost decommissioned. Yet, here he was, on the grandest ship known to the human race, and he had built it.
Even though he had proved himself with the making of this ship, save for one design flaw in the windows, no one trusted him. It should’ve been expected. Yet, the way the crew of the ship looked at him. The way they doubted his secondary leadership; that hurt bad.
It took a moment, but when he realized the Captain had been waiting on him, he cleared his throat and guided the Captain around the crew and warp core. “We have a 24-hour crew of six down here at all times. The core has been tested and passed every test with flying colors. Two members of the six take each shift to ensure it’s working properly at all times.” Mark paused there, practically slapping his hand against the scanner that then opened up the heavy metal door. It whooshed open and Mark lead the Captain into the barrier hall.
Mark felt another moment of pride in the way the Captain paused, looking towards the blue light of the warp core with genuine interest. Mark hadn’t invented the warp core but he was the one to build the final product. The Captain wasn’t the only one with a reputation. They were just the only one who was well-liked.
Mark waited for the door to shut behind the Captain before continuing, “It’s not going to be like last time.” He began confidently. Last time the warp core malfunctioned and it barreled the ship into a planet. He didn’t add in that last thought. The Captain must’ve sensed the depreciation in their mind because now they were nudging the engineer to continue on with a wide gesture. Mark caught on quickly, probably blushing as well, but he understood. “But um-in the almost nonexistent chance that something goes wrong, we can detonate this barrier hallway and detach the warp core from the ship.” He made a separating gesture with his hands. “Pow.”
The Captain’s focus though was on the red lights of the hallway, “What’s the percentage?” they questioned curiously.
Mark brightened at that, “About zero point one times ten to the negative fifty-second, Captain.”
The Captain offered a small smile at that and Mark couldn’t help but wonder what his new partner was thinking as their eyes glittered back at him. The Captain had such lovely eyes.
“Good.” Was their simple response.
Mark nodded and continued to lead the Captain along. The next metal door slide open automatically on account of the AI’s attention. It always gave the Captain and Head Engineer top priority. That’s how Mark had designed it after all. When the door whooshed open the two were met with orange light. For a moment Mark turned away, glancing over his shoulder to watch his step as he backed into the next room.
“Next stop, the main reactor. Turns out you…hey Captain?” Mark paused, blushing as he gazed back at his partner. The Captain was looking back at him with some kind of interest. Sure, Mark knew the Captain would be interested in what he had to say but for a moment it seemed like more than that. It was like, somehow, Mark being bathed in orange light was captivating to the Captain. This wasn’t possible, one because Mark wasn’t that attractive. At least it seemed that way because every feminine and masculine thing on this ship seemed to despise him. Two, though, because the Captain was far more attractive than he was.
That’s what everyone else tells him.
The Captain blinked, ignoring Mark’s question and gesturing him to speak onward. Mark took the hint and stammered to continue.”-Right, the main reactor,” he reintroduced with a dust of extra color on his cheeks. “It turns out you need the power of a star to tear open a wormhole so a star I built.” He smiled over at his creation, which hummed from the other side of the glass. It was without a doubt the source of orange light. “It’s built like a tank too but that’s thanks to Burt over here.”
Mark led the Captain across the hard metal floor over to Burt who was flicking on a lever in preparation for the voyage. Burt was a big man, mustache and all, who looked down at the Captain and nodded. When the Captain offered their gloved hand to shake, Burt accepted the gesture. “Captain,” His mustache wrinkled under his nose as he retracted his hand. First, he stated the Captain’s title, then he patted the wrench in his hand against his chest, “Burt.”
Mark expected the Captain to be openly weary about Burt’s form of communication but instead, they said nothing, only raising a brow at Mark and prompting him to lead them onward.
The next door opened into a freezing cold environment and, despite their fitting attire, both Mark and the Captain shivered lightly as they stepped into the cryo bay. “Alright,” Mark clapped his hands together quickly. “This is cryo. You know cryo, it’s cold in here. The colonists are prepped and ready for transit so off to the next-”
“Not so fast Asshat.” Came a female’s familiar voice. Mark’s attempt to beat Celci to the punch failed and he winced as she rounded the corner. Celci was a stern woman with a heart as cold as her job itself. No two members of the ship loathed each other quite as Mark and Celci did.
Mark just hoped that the Captain didn’t notice when he flinched at her very presence. He’d hate to cause a problem.
Celci came in carrying a blue vile but she smiled briefly at the Captain as she entered. “Captain,” She sounded pleasantly surprised, “All colonists are prepped and stable. One hundred thousand souls prepped and ready for a new home. Let’s get them there safely.” She seemed to be in a rush which the Captain probably didn’t blame. They were embarking tomorrow after all.
The Captain tipped their hat at that, “Of course-Celci, is it? I remember you from my files.” They smiled at Celci and she smiled back, “No worries. I haven’t let anyone down yet. I won’t start now.”
Maybe it was because Mark knew Celci was metaphorically kissing the Captain’s ass. Perhaps it was that twinge of jealousy that kicked at the corner of his mind. Either way, the entire interaction had him rolling his eyes. “Oh don’t worry,” he began sourly, “before they know it, Celci, they're going to wake up to the sight of a brand new planet. With a cup of coffee in their hands.”
She scoffed back, “Why don’t you give them more windows to look through?!”
“Maybe I will! Maybe then someone will appreciate the aesthetics!” Without another word, Mark turned and left. Luckily for him, the Captain was following close behind.
Mark had stormed out, making it down the hallway all the way to A.D.S when a hand stopped him. “Mark,” The stern command of the Captain’s voice caused the engineer to pale. How could he have been dumb enough to let Celci make a fool of him like that?
His breathing stopped, heart racing in his chest as he forced himself into composure and slowly turned around. “...I uh. Sorry about that Captain. I didn’t mean to storm out like that I just-”
“Relax,” the Captain interrupted. They patted the stress in your shoulder. “I want you to talk to me about it later. Understood?”
‘Oh wow, the Captain really is good,’ Mark thought to himself.
The head engineer nodded, relaxing against the small comforting touch that the Captain provided him. That’s when A.D.S opened and a man with goggles stepped out. Mark noticed the way the Captain dropped their hand with the opening of the metal door. It made sense, they couldn’t show to be too soft. Especially not on the first day.
“You must be Gunther.” The Captain greeted.
Gunther was a hard face to mistake. With bullets lined across his chest, guts of steel, too many guns to count, and a completely white outfit. Gunther was a brutal personality, a wild card, and one of Mark’s few friends on the ship. The brut A.D.S lead smirked, taking his cigarette out of his mouth to greet the Captain. “That’s me. Good to meet you, Captain. May I say, you are a good-looking piece of work.”
Gunther’s carelessness could astound Mark sometimes.
The Captain just chuckled, stepping back from the smoke of the wild card. “Good to meet you too…Word of advice though,” Mark watched the Captain and the way they eyed the cigarette, “No smoking in the lounge, bathroom, or bridge. Understand?”
With that, Gunther smirked a bit more. It was almost mischievous. “Bossy. I kinda like it-but fine.”
Mark was waiting for the Captain to snap or glare, and yet, they just continued effortlessly. The engineer could praise their partner for their level-headed front. The patience that the Captain just displayed was commendable.
—--
The Captain would follow Mark down the hallway. They were calm enough to discreetly discard Gunther’s advances but still protective enough to grunt in disapproval when the same guy walked off and slapped Mark on the ass. Though Mark seemed surprised and somewhat embarrassed, he also seemed used to it happening, as evident by the instantaneous recovery. A lot of the crew seemed to acknowledge them with high regard.
The opposite could be said about the head engineer who treaded every hallway carefully. The Captain made a mental note to ask about that sometime.
The Captain would let their new partner show them around. They had the layout pretty much memorized but it was protocol to be shown around anyway. Eventually, after all was shown and done with, you followed Mark’s metallic steps to the bridge.
“Okay, Captain,” Mark began with an optimistic intake of air, “this last room is the bridge. I’m sure you’ll be sick of it by the time this journey’s over.” It opened and sure enough, the crew had gathered, glasses in hand, to meet Mark and the Captain in the main control room. It was a heartwarming way to start the trip. Something about it all brought the Captain to smile.
Mark must’ve seen the speech twitching on their lips because he quickly took two glasses from an awaiting technician and passed one over to them. The Captain took it with a warm nod. “Everything’s set up and ready to go,” Mark prompted, “All that’s left is for you to give the word. Try not to get them too excited Captain. I know how your speeches can get people riled up.”
The Captain hummed at this, eyes curiously wandering first to a dog, then to the rest of the crew. The dog, while adorable, was something else they’d also want to ask about later.
The Captain rose their glass to the entirety of the crew.
“Before me stands the crew of the Invincible two, the crew of the largest space carrier in our human history,” Their eyes flickered to the head engineer with a quiet, undetectable, affirmation, then flickered back. “The head engineer and I have taken every precaution in making this a safe journey but this wouldn’t be possible without all of you. You all have a crucial role and I hope you all stand before me knowing that you, as well as I, carry the lives of these colonists. This is our burden. I’ll be the head but you all need to be the shoulders that help even out the weight of this journey.” For a moment the Captain paused, sipping at their drink. “We have a long month ahead of us and I won’t tolerate a bad atmosphere. We have enough atmosphere to deal with already.” That small joke wouldn’t go unnoticed by the crew. A few people, Gunther and Mark included, would chuckle and or smile at the joke. “If anyone has a problem with how this ship is run, you come to me. We’re all adults-unless your a dog-and we can settle this as such.”
With one final sigh, the Captain finished their glass. This glass was then passed back to Mark. “Look. I’m going to level with you all. I can’t tell you that I’ve done this before. The planet we’re flying towards is sixteen solar systems away…But I can tell you, with full confidence, that I’d sacrifice myself-I’d jump into a wormhole just to keep you all safe. I’d do it in a heartbeat. That I can promise…Whatever comes our way I’ll face it for you but I need you to have faith in me, in Mark, and in each other.” They adjusted their hat. “Now let’s find us a planet, shall we?”
Applause erupted from the crew, a few cheering, one even whistling as they dispersed from the bridge. They had hope in them and they’d do anything to hold on to that.