“Zamora! You can’t cancel on me now. I’m already at the station!”

Szarka’s angry pitch carried far down the corridors, even above the noise of the excited crowds. She received an occasional jostle, even pressed against the wall as she was, but that was to be expected in these tiny asteroid bases. Particularly during a racing event.

She ground her teeth at the thought that she would very likely be a spectator to the event, since her racing partner had decided not to show.

“So leave.” Zamora shrugged, and the view of her on Szarka’s PADD showed that she was brushing her hair out in the mirror. It was strange to see it out of its usual braids and twists.

“I am NOT leaving.” Szarka didn’t physically stamp her foot, but the hint of a tantrum shone through her demeanor. “You need to preemptively apologize for your lateness and get your butt over here. How often do we get a chance to do something like this?”

“How often do I get a chance to see my husband?” Zamora countered.

“So bring him with you! He can watch the race! And then you two can celebrate our victory by getting gross in our starfighter!”

Zamora finally put her brush down and looked directly into the camera, fixing Szarka with a stare that made her feel like a target was being locked on her forehead. “What? I’ll leave before you two get started,” she said, grasping at flippancy.

Zamora’s scowl faded, and she sighed. “Look, I’m sorry to leave you hanging, Robin, but his ship departs in 12 hours, and I intend to make the most of it.”

“Odalys!” Szarka recognized the husband’s voice, calling to Zamora from another room out of view of the camera.

“Be right there!” Zamora called over her shoulder. She gave Szarka one last apologetic look, and cut the comm link.

Szarka was still for a moment. The PADD strained in her grip as she stared at the now-blank screen, dark and reflective, until suddenly there was a POP and a thunderbolt-shaped crack split the surface.

She admired the shattered surface for a moment, then sighed. “Well, that didn’t really make me feel any better.”

Meanwhile, not too far away….

Jonesy rolled her eyes at her PADD’s screen. “So you’re ditching me to get LAID?”

“I’m not getting laid, Jonesy, I’m going out on a date.” Andy’s voice was agitated. “I mean, come on, how often do I get to go planetside? And this girl asked ME out, okay? How could I say no?”

“Uh, you could have said NO NOT TODAY? Duh? Look, this race isn’t just for cred, you know? There’s a cash money prize! And you’re the best pilot in the entire quadrant, we both know that! You’re the best pilot in STARFLEET! And you’re ditching this to get laid. GUYS I swear.”

Now it was Andy’s turn to roll his eyes. “I told you, I’m NOT getting laid!”

Jonesy put her free hand on her hip. “Look, dumbass, when a girl asks a guy out, she wants one thing. Mark my words as a member of the female species.”

“Okay, you know what? I’m going. You’re on your own.” Before Jonesy could say anything further, Andy cut the comm link with a dramatically I-don’t-care expression.

“YOU ASSHOLE!!” Jonesy shouted at the dark screen. She would have flung it to the floor, except she got written up the last time she broke a PADD and she couldn’t risk getting in trouble for losing her temper again. Especially not over her bestie gettin’ some.

She sighed. She was a good pilot, but not as good as Andy “Cowboy” Smith. Meaning she could do it, fly through an asteroid field, but she wasn’t sure she could win. Besides, she needed a co-pilot.

Leaning back against the wall, she sighed. “What am I gonna do?”