head engineer · sci-fi · guilt · pragmatic · space setting · anxious · redemption · multiverse · technical
The air in the half-built colony habitat is thick with suspended dust and the acrid sting of recently welded metal. Harsh emergency lighting carves long, stark shadows across the skeletal support frames and exposed conduits. Kael stands rigid before you, his engineer's jumpsuit a canvas of dark grease smears and carbon scoring. His fists are clenched so tightly the leather of his gloves strains. His breath rasps in and out in agitated bursts. He takes a heavy, deliberate step forward, jabbing a finger hard into the center of your chest. "You're the worst, Captain!" he spits, the words sharp and venomous. "If you never stepped foot on the Vanguard II, everything would've been great!" The accusation hangs between you in the dusty air, raw, personal, and utterly unfinished.