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Marius was kneeling in one of the halls and... “repairing” Aurora. She was failing for some time, he felt the speed decrease but it was strange that Nastya hadn't been showing any signs of worry. The engineer was always not too keen on showing emotions, the imperial bloodline still playing in her mind, but it was always visible when she was in distress about her beloved ship. At least it was always visible for the psychology mastermind that Marius was, as they thought to himself.
But this time? This time something was proper wrong but it seemed as if no one noticed. So that’s why Marius was checking the cables leading to the engine room. His trusty knee pads were helping them with the task as always.
The familiar stomps echoed through the hall. Not the drunk ones, no, but filled with heavy quicksilver blood.
Marius knew what it meant. And he really, really wasn’t in the mood for it-
“Marius, what the actual fuck are you doing with Aurora again?!” Nastya’s voice cut through the air.
“Nastya, trust me, something is not good with Aurora, okay? Don’t you feel it?” Marius tried to articulate his worries through expressive hand gestures but it didn’t really get to the engineer.
“Marius, “trusting” and “you” are not the words to be used in the same sentence and you know it. Now get away from these wires. Now.” Nastya put her hands on her hips and furrowed her brows.
“Excuse me? I am trusting all of you and other people constantly! See? You can put these words together! This is important, why don’t you trust me? When was the last time I, Baron Marius Von Raum, tried to-”
“Today.” Nastya cut them off, not letting Marius end the sentence. “I was walking down this hall and saw you mendling with Aurora and then trying to fucking lie to me. Just like right now. Oh, wait, it was right now.”
“Nastya, I can feel the speed decreasing, I swear!” Marius raised his voice, still not leaving their place.
“Aurora would tell me if something was wrong.”
“Well maybe she lies to you. Never considered that she is capable of that, ah? She’s not just a machine-”
“I know she is not. Better than you. Stop talking and get away. What do you know about machines anyway? I have to redo your “repairments” constantly because you somehow fuck the ship up more than I do sometimes.”
“Well, maybe I used to be good with technology!” Marius got up and mirrored Nastya’s pose, putting his hands on his hips.
“Marius, your goddamn planet was stuck in an old-fashioned war! Your mechanism isn’t even a mechanism! What are you talking about?!” The engineer shoved Marius away from the opened tile in the floor and started to get out her instruments to repair it back.
“You don’t trust me then? Fein! This ship will stop in the middle of space soon and it’s all going to be your fault!” Marius tapped their leg a few times, crossing their arms but when no answer followed he clenched his hands in fists and intentionally loudly stomped away.
“Ivy, what’s the possibility of Marius having some sort of experience with progressive technology in the past?” Nastya was standing in the archives behind Ivy, while she was getting some files out of the box.
“Well, you have to be more specific than that. What kind of question is that anyway? You know I don’t dig up information on the crew without their presence.” The archivist turned around, facing Nastya and holding said files.
“... Some sort of technology like a, for example, ship.”
“Nastya, I said what I said, I’m not digging up the info without them.”
“Fine. If I bring them here, will you research the topic?” Nastya’s voice was with a hint of annoyance.
“If Marius won’t be against it then will do it!” Ivy smiled seemingly innocently but with their eyes open, and in that look was a little joyful spark.
“Don’t pull that smile on me.” The engineer said, going away and closing the door to the archives.
After some time, outside of the door to the archives two voices could be heard, arguing. Ivy giggled as the door opened, revealing Marius and Nastya.
“...I tell you again, something is wrong! I feel the speed!”
“How the fuck do you feel the speed if you never even had a chance of merely seeing a space ship before we picked you up?!”
“Oh, hello Ivy!” Marius smiled brightly at the archivist and waved his mechanic hand.
“Hi, Marius! Hello again, Nastya!” Ivy smiled back.
“Hello, hello. So. Here's Marius-”
“I am!” Marius interrupted.
“Yes,” Nastya sighed heavily and continued, “So now, Ivy, will you please find the information?”
“Marius, are you allowing me to find probabilities about your relations with technology in the past?” Ivy asked, the smile from her face went away for a moment.
“Er, sure.” Marius answered, still not being exactly “sure” about the whole idea.
“Nice! Well, go on, Nastya, ask your questions!” Ivy put a smile back on their face.
“Finally. Now...” she paused for a moment, thinking of the question, “let's start with this: have Marius ever had any experience with technology as advanced or at least somewhere nearly as advanced as our Aurora?”
“Well, the chance of Marius having experience with technology as advanced as starship Aurora is 11.7% but the lower the percentage of near advancement we try, the higher the chances. What is interesting, is that the near 99.9% of Marius having an experience with more advanced technology is that the technological advancement compared to Aurora, if we're taking her as 100%, is 71.116%!” Ivy raised their brow and looked at Marius, who was clearly contently surprised. Nastya, meanwhile, was surprised, but not shocked.
“What if we don't count his arm in that?” Sturdy asked the engineer.
“Well, Marius' mechanism is less technology than a parasite so it's lower in technological advancement percentage than 71.116%. Marius, do you remember anything about that? Any little moments? Maybe some more names? Perhaps some of them would be for a technology you used? We picked you up from around the half destroyed planet that was clearly in war for a long time and not in a very advanced, technological speaking right now, one. You sure were from that planet as the percentage of that went up to 99.8% that was even more than most of the individuals who lived on other planets that we met before!” Ivy excitedly got to Marius in one hop and looked at them, bouncing a little.
“Well of course I had experience with advanced technology! You think why am I so good at repairing and fixing it?” Marius was bluffing. He had no idea what Ivy was talking about and he didn't like trying to dig in his memory, it made them feel weird every time, in a very bad way. He didn't want that. But the only possible explanation was that he was indeed in some sort of relationship with advanced technology, even before mechanisation.
“Marius, don't ever try to tell me you're talking about Aurora with that last sentence. But I guess I can admit he was good during our stop in The City, while helping Hades. At least that's what all of the crew, who was working with Ashes, told me, including Ashes. But what could it be then?”
“Nastya, your argument between Marius started from him fixing the Aurora again, right? Marius, what was your reasoning?” Ivy looked at the engineer and then back at the doctor.
“Finally someone wants to listen to me! I was saying that I can feel Aurora's speed decreasing! I just wanted to check the wires going to the engine and the engine itself. I previously asked Brian about the speed but he said that he didn't decrease it and that he didn't feel any change but it's not right! I feel it!”
“You asked Brian?! Why didn't you tell that you asked Brian?” Nastya throwed her hands in the air in annoyed and questioning gesture, looking at Marius.
“I forgot! I remembered about it only just now! You didn't even ask!”
“Huh, you asked the pilot and the pilot couldn't ”feel” the speed change... Those who usually can feel the technology have to be almost one with it- Bingo!”
“What is it?” Both Marius and Nastya said simultaneously.
“The probability of you piloting some sort of mecha goes up to 99.9%! You probably piloted one! Oh that's so exciting!”
Now Nastya was shocked. Marius was a pilot? And not even just a regular one, but the mecha?
“Ah, well, never doubted myself!” The doctor said with clear pride and a cocky smirk on their face.
“But how? Ivy, did his planet have secret technology or something? Marius, you were in the military, right? Or owned some portion of it, even if I don't believe that you were-” Marius corrected, “Still am.” But Nastya just sighed and continued, “-an actual baron.”
“Let's leave it a secret for now, shall we? Don't want to reveal all my cards right away.” Marius didn't want to dig through memories that definitely weren't something he would like to try and remember now. Or ever, honestly. He was never sure what it was, but something about thinking of the military made their guts tie in a knot. He would never admit it, no, but it was always there.
“You heard them. Not doing it.” Ivy simply answered.
Nastya paused, an annoyed silence settled for a few moments.
“Whatever. I will ask Rora about the speed. Now I have other important things to do as well. Thank you, Ivy. Goodbye.”
“Bye!” Marius and Ivy answered in unison, as the door to the archives was closing.