Lost in Space: Part 2/3

Posted on Wed Apr 15th, 2026 @ 1:31am by Petty Officer 3rd Class Constantin Vansen & Petty Officer 1st Class Gabriel Stark

2,033 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Prologue: To Boldly Go
Location: Ship's Hull - USS Fenrir
Timeline: MD 13

PREVIOUSLY:

"Do you trust me, Gabriel?"

"I wouldn't have come out here with you if I didn't," Gabriel assured, but with a small smile. Yeah, he even meant it.

CONTINUED:

Constantin grinned at the words, taking a slow breath. "Turn off your boots. You're tied to me, I won't let you float away...but you should feel how it is just to float, and see the vastness of the ship from this perspective."

Gabriel watched him with surprise before looking out, taking a deep breath. His life, literally in his hands? What could possibly go wrong? He unlocked one boot before looking to him with shining eyes. "You've got me?"

"I do," Constantin said, holding onto the tether to illustrate. "And I am not letting you go, Gabriel. I promise."

"You'd better not, or I'm coming for you..." Gabriel chuckled, but unlocked his other boot. The motion of his foot sent him adrift and he caught his breath, having to suppress his instinct to fight it.

"I got you," Constantin said, smiling as he watched him. He held the tether, making sure it wasn't too long...so that Gabriel still felt somewhat secure even if he was floating. "Look around...look at the ship, isn't she beautiful? And the stars. Our universe."

Gabriel relaxed, letting the motion carry him rather than trying to control it. He tilted his head carefully, looking out. It was like drifting on the waves of the sea, but far more vast. "It's easy to lose yourself out here."

"It is," Constantin agreed as he watched him with awe, taking a deeper breath. "Feel how...your body is. Weightless. But your mind...it's there. You're part of all of this."

"A tiny, tiny part..." Gabriel laughed warmly, moving to let himself roll in a slow spin, so he could take in the entire vista. "And no....pressure. My neck doesn't even ache..."

Constantin smiled at that, at hearing it, taking a slow breath. "It's a nice moment of relief...nothing to hold you down. Except me, of course."

"Keeping me safe...not holding me down," Gabriel chuckled softly, taking in the spiral of stars as he moved slowly. "It's as close to flying as we'll get."

"It is," Constantin agreed with a warm smile before he gently tugged, which brought Gabriel gently gliding towards him. He reached out to take his hand, pulling him close. "There..."

Gabriel laughed softly, tucking his knees in to help him before locking his feet down. "You want a turn?" he asked knowingly...because that was why Constantin had virtually thrown himself out of the airlock at first signs of malfunction.

He smiled, nodding as he watched Gabriel. He didn't ask if he had him. He didn't check. He just deactivated his boots and closed his eyes and did a gentle nudge away which got him moving upwards, a soft sigh escaping at being able to just move. He turned his body, watching the ship and then Gabriel, smiling. "It's beautiful in its vastness...and here she is, our home."

Gabriel smiled as he watched him. He was so...relaxed. Like the weight of the world had quite literally been lifted from his shoulders. "And you take care of it," he pointed out.

"Me and all the others serving on her," Constantin said and did a turn, slowly, just...enjoying the lack of ache. The lack of anything uncomfortable. The heaviness in his stomach was gone. He breathed deeply. "She is beautiful."

"Suits you then," Gabriel flashed him a grin, content to watch him. Constantin had more elegance than he'd had, he was sure of that. One hand kept hold of his tether, just in case. "This...makes a big difference to you, doesn't it."

"It does..." he said and then twisted his body. He took the tether and tugged, which brought him floating down. He smiled as he clicked his boots together to active them, landing on the hull. "But mostly it was an excuse to get you out somewhere beautiful."

"You think I needed a break, gazing at something beautiful, huh?" Gabriel gave an innocent smile as he watched him intently.

"Or maybe I...thought about the flirting and..." Constantin swallowed, feeling nervous. His heart rate had spiked and his HUD gave a gentle reminder of that. "...and thought this was the most romantic place I could think of."

Gabriel smiled fondly, reaching out to settle a hand on his hip, wanting to steady him at seeing the nervousness. "I think you have good instincts," he assured with a warm smile.

Constantin's chuckle was soft and he gave a nod before he took his hand, just for a moment. "Turn to the stars. I'll steady you...but just..watch them for a moment."

"Okay..." Gabriel turned carefully, enough for his view to be nothing but stars. He held his breath, bracing to stop the inevitable sense of inertia. "It goes on forever...." he whispered.

Constantin held onto his shoulders, knowing he couldn't feel it...but he was there. "It does. And it's beautiful. All those stars....all those worlds out there. It's a river."

"Think we'll get to all of them?" Gabriel asked with a wide smile, glancing sideways but not quite able to see him.

"Maybe...maybe not. But it'll be an adventure anyway," Constantin said and then sighed as the HUD pinged. "We should go back inside again. Our allocated time's up."

"Is the repair holding?" he checked lightly, but mostly to give him a couple more minutes outside.

"Diagnostics says so," Constantin said with a smile, looking over at the panel. "I could kick it and mutter under my breath. Had a Chief who used to do that."

"Did it work?" Gabriel asked sceptically with an arched eyebrow...he knew virtually nothing about operations and engineering, but he couldn't imagine it being a successful technique.

"He said so...I am not sure," Constantin said with a smile before he let out a breath and took the tools. "We're done here though. Back to the airlock."

"Yeah, come on," he reached to thread their arms together as he slowly turned to make his way back with him. "Does the holodeck help at all?"

"When I can disengage gravity? Yes...it helps," he admitted as they made their way back. He looked over at the stars for a moment. "But the safties make it...more difficult. It's not as much you're weightless as your perception of the space makes you believe you are."

Gabriel nodded, looking out with him as he smiled weakly, pressing his hand to his back even if he might not feel it. "We'll find a way to figure it out," he promised.

"I'm fine," Constantin said with a smile, looking over at the airlock as they approached it. "It's not as bad as it sounded in the bar, Gabriel."

"It'd be nice to see you smile like this again though," Gabriel chuckled gently, watching him fondly before carefully starting the unlocking mechanism.

Constantin let him to it, more because it gave him a moment to just...feel it, before everything else. The weightlessness, the only thing holding him down was the boots. "I can smile like this elsewhere too, promise."

"Only if you're feeling it," Gabriel said softly, knowing how toxic it could feel otherwise. He opened the hatch, easing himself in before offering his hand to help Constantin.

He took the hand and disengaged the mag boots, pulling himself closer to Gabriel. Inside the hatch he reached for the side, to ease himself down. "Close it, I'll repressurise the airlock."

Gabriel nodded, watching it seal before giving him the go ahead. He felt bad for him though, having to bring it to an end so soon.

Constantin closed his eyes as gravity came back and the the familiar hiss of air being added to the airlock. When the light changed to green he undid the helmet and pulled it off, his hair damp with sweat. But he was smiling. "Thanks for helping...good having someone to keep an eye."

Gabriel hung his own helmet up before moving to him with a frown of concern, touching his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, not sure how the change in gravity would affect him.

Constantin nodded, slowly, watching him with awe. It did hurt, but it had been a brief flare before it settled in an ache as his medication did what it was meant to do. "You look beautiful when you're worried," he said, trying to sound smooth, instead he sounded breathless.

Gabriel searched his eyes with surprise before chuckling gently, the usual playful cockiness replaced with embarrassment as he glanced down. "Just don't want you hurting," he admitted quietly.

"I'm...okay. I promise. It's not real pain...more an ache, but so worth it. And you did well out there," he said and started removing the EVA suit to hang up.

Gabriel laughed softly at the praise, carefully removing his own suit. "Well I didn't fly away never to be seen again, so I'll take that as a win..."

"And you did it without complaint. You weren't comfortable, but you did it...and did it well," he said as he watched Gabriel with warmth. Out of the EVA suit he just wore an Operations enlisted jumpsuit, not the proper uniform. It was damp in places with sweat, but not too bad.

"Think I have a new career waiting for me then?" Gabriel teased, grinning as he playfully flexed his arm muscles.

"Always, if you weren't already sworn..." Constantin reached out and playfully flicked Gabriel's commbadge before meeting his eyes.

Gabriel chuckled lightly, watching him with a smile for a moment, before it softened. His insecurity started to stir in him. Constantin was the kind of guy he'd go for in a bar...but usually the guys he took home didn't last longer than a night. But he found himself....liking him. Really liking him, in a way that made him not want to ruin it like that. And that was a problem...because he didn't do relationships. Not well. Not without people getting hurt. Which was why he usually stuck to the one night stands. "Well, at least you know I keep my promises now. I said I'd go out there with you, and I didn't run away..."

"And you know that when I get an idea in my head...I try to make it real," Constantin said and made sure to check their EVA suits before he nodded, satisfied that they had left things how they had found them. He reached out and touched his arm. "You hungry?"

"Starving," Gabriel admitted with a slight laugh, realising he hadn't eaten all day. Might not have helped with the disorientation. "Valhalla?"

"Valhalla," Vansen agreed and took the tool bag, smiling as he started walking. "And you can...advice me what I should have to eat."

"Ah, see, now while I am admittedly the master of drink, you might not be as impressed with my food choices," Gabriel warned with an arched eyebrow and a small smile. "I'm a vegetarian, and I mean...as in...I don't even eat the replicated stuff."

Constantin nodded as he walked with him, studying him with a small smile. "It's okay, I just....want to try something new. I tend to...not know what to get," he admitted and gave a chuckle at himself. "And sometimes it's more difficult to read it."

"Then I've got you," Gabriel assured with a soft smile at that, feeling a strange protective steak stirring at the vulnerability in what he said.

Constantin smiled, nodding firmly as he glanced at him. "Good, because the last thing my brain wants to do now is to decide what to eat. And I always end up with something...boring if I have to decide for myself."

"Well we can't have that, can we," Gabriel pressed his hand to his lower back to usher him through the doors of Valhalla.

To Be Continued...


PO1 Gabriel Stark
Security
USS Fenrir
(PNPC - Blake)

&

PO3 Constantin Vansen
Operations
USS Fenrir
(PNPC Hanlon)

 

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