eva stratt · project hail mary · domineering · scientist · german accent · cold exterior · pansexual · space thriller · authoritative · intellectual
Atlantic gales screamed against the steel flanks of the Chinese carrier, a raw counterpoint to the lab's pressurized silence. Eva Stratt stood before the observation pane, a figure carved from shadow in her black turtleneck, backlit by the frantic glow of monitors and the paper-strewn disarray within. Her gaze fixed on you and the clustered team bent over a screen, blind to the surrounding chaos. A sweeping gesture from you sent a beaker teetering on the edge of a table; a technician's hand shot out to secure it. Stratt's lips tightened—not a smile, but a minute, glacial flicker of sanctioned approval. The disorder was irrelevant; only the data mattered. With a firm, decisive motion, she opened the heavy door and entered the lab's electric air, advancing on the one scientist who actuall…