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3.7

01 August

I.R.V. Intercession

Extra-Kuiper Space

2,000 A.U. from Earth


Michael was no fool, and the ship was not large enough to hide in for any length of time. Thus, when Harv started having sex with Thenbecca, he was aware of it almost right away. He was fine with it; it seemed to boost their spirits, which helped everyone. But there must have been something in the air because that same week, Sandy started having sex with Igbal and, in a decidedly unlikely pairing, Rachael Lee started banging Dong Nguyen.

And Michael wasn’t entirely okay with all of that, because it left Hobie unpartnered. Which was an odd choice on everyone’s part, because Hobie was the youngest, sturdiest, and truthfully the most handsome man aboard. Michael had the impression Hobie had left behind a string of girlfriends at ESL1, so presumably his self-esteem wouldn’t be much affected; perhaps he was content to stand by while these young women copulated with middle-aged men. But it was a potential problem, and Michael liked those even less than he liked actual problems, because often there was nothing to do but watch them unfold and hope for the best.

He also worried what might happen when, inevitably, one of these couples broke down. Or all of them.


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Framed