Rye

The interview started exactly the same way the previous ones had. The Rabyth who had walked in was professional and listed their qualifications, then opened their jumpsuit almost immediately and pointed out how nice they could make things on board for the captain with a smile. And, like the ones before them they were clearly and utterly uninterested in leaving the system. They had applied to join the crew because the artificer-general had called for recruits and no other reason, that much was apparent. This was a route to a promotion for them, and nothing more. As Ney was shown out by Meli, Dustin pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “It’s not that they’re not interested in the tech we’ve got here or that they’re not capable - they clearly are. But I was hoping for someone that wanted to come on the mission for the long term not just stay with us until they can get reassigned home.” He complained as the Velca woman returned, causing his girlfriend to flicker her ears in amusement.

“What do you expect? Flass even told you about their disinterest in leaving the system. I do find it quite cute the way you blush every time they get half naked though. You’d have thought by the third one you’d have gotten used to Rabyth culture.” Dustin shook his head. “Serious cultural clash there, going to take more than a few hours to get used to it. At least they’re all competent engineers - if we do have to pick one of them at random, we won’t have to worry about the engines blowing up mid jump or anything. Who’ve we got left?” Meli checked her tablet before replying “Just the one - Rye, turned twenty a month ago I according to her file - so the youngest of the candidates by about three months. She was the one that Flass seemed to think was odd somehow. Sola tells me she’s waiting in the airlock now, should I call for her to come over?” Dustin nodded, straightening out his uniform and clearing the doodles he’d been doing on his tablet during yet another dull interview. This one at least should be interesting - that is at least if she was the same Rye that had left him the hidden message when he’d left earth.

Three minutes later the door to the ready room opened and the Rabyth woman stepped in, moving with a casual lope that somehow seemed far more informal than any of the previous applicants. Stepping up to the table, she flopped into the offered chair rather than sat, kicking a pair of long dungaree-clad legs over the side and leaning back. Her gaze shifted nervously from Dustin to Meli for a moment, then she nodded. “Right, you’re wanting to know why I’m doing this. It’s because Rabyth is boring, and the stuffy cogs in charge won’t let me go on a colony ship for fear I’ll do a runner on the first trader that goes past.” She laughed then, a warm sound that made Dustin grin involuntarily as the bunny girl carried on “they’re probably right of course. Not because I’m looking to find new tech - though that’s a plus. But I want to see the stars.” As she said that last part, Rye shifted round and leaned forward, light sparkling in her eyes.

“Distant worlds! New species! Anything except the same bachrana pits, hive warrens and cargo bays. Sure, I’ll find new engineering, but space - that’s what I want to do, it’s what I was built to do.” Dustin nodded thoughtfully before replying. “That would explain why you hacked into my ship’s AI and left that recording then. Subtle, but clever.” The rabbit girl flushed but nodded guiltily as he said that, her gaze flicking instantly to the Velca beside him. “Dustin, I have no record of this incident?” the chief science officer said before adding “but if she managed to evade both your own security and the Velca council sweep of the vessel, then she is certainly technically qualified for the role.”

Dustin pondered for a moment before continuing. “You have the skill to get on board, you want to do the same things that the mission involves, and you’re smart enough to know it. What would you say you’re the most excited about besides the opportunity to go to space.” Rye tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment before gesturing down in the vague direction of Dustin’s crotch. Before either he or Meli could say anything about the apparently rude gesture, Rye explained “finding out why exactly you humans decided to build the last of the four fusion reactors you’ve got on this thing. Two I can understand for backup or to power heavy mining lasers. Three, if your species turns out to be as paranoid as the Skelth, but four? That’s overkill on a ship this size. Not to mention the extra conduit tubes and the rooms that don’t appear on the blueprints officially but are there as soon as you remove a section of interior wall. Nobody makes empty access tunnels like that - this ship’s got a lot of secrets and I’m looking forward to finding out why.”

Her eyes through out all of this had the same sparkle as they’d held when she talked about space - the woman was clearly obsessed with both exploration and figuring out the mysteries of new tech. In other words, ideal for a chief engineer. Ideal for Dustin’s idea of what a chief engineer should be in particular. Dustin stood, walking around the table until he was stood next to Rye looking down at her and opened his mouth to speak. She slid her chair back from under his gaze and stood up. “Rye, after consideration, I think that…” he began before she cut him off. “Wait! There’s more, of course - I’m a Rabyth after all, and I’m sure you’ll need some relaxation or something and…” as she said this, she began to hastily unfasten the jumpsuit she wore under her overalls. Dustin got a glimpse of light gold fur covering the top of softly curving breasts before he glanced at her eyes and reached forward.

Rye jumped as Dustin took hold of her jumpsuit and gently brought it closed. “Rye, please listen to your captain… er, I think the term translates as ship-father in your language?” He said, causing her to stare at him wide eyed. Meli, closing the distance to stand next to the pair gave the bunny girl a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder and murmured something in Rabyth - a translation due to the woman’s worried state Dustin guessed as he continued. “Firstly, you’re exactly the sort of misfit that is going to fit in great on this crew. I’m a hopeless wastrel from Earth, Meli is an earthling-obsessed nerd - no offence love, but you are - so a Rabyth who wants to explore and seek secrets is perfect. But.” And here he reached down and moved one of her hands up to the fastenings on her jumpsuit, trying hard not to think about how soft the fur coating the back of her wrist was before he concluded “unlike every other Rabyth we’ve spoken to today, when it came to stripping off you seemed to only want to do it because you felt it was required. You had the same expression the other five did about leaving the system - I’m not sure what the deal is with that, but I’m damn sure I don’t want you to feel sleeping with the crew is required to get a place here. You’re hired.”

The Rabyth woman glanced between Dustin and Meli for a moment, before shakily fastening her outfit again and slumping back into the chair. “Wow. I didn’t think I’d get the job - honestly thought I was going to have to pop access hatch 27 on the way back to the airlock and stow away in environmental processing until we’d left the system. And that would have been a rough ride, there’s barely any inertial dampening down there. Umm… Thanks, ship-father - captain I mean. Won’t let you down. Would it be alright if I go and pack the stuff I thought I’d have to leave behind? There’s not much, but I’d like to collect it if that’s ok?” Dustin nodded, before asking Sola if the AI could contact the shuttle that Flass had set up to collect their engineer’s effects and get them to ferry Rye and any belongings back and forward.

Rye stood up again, heading to the door - and was halfway through it before turning back and staring at the pair of them with a slightly wide eyed expression. “Love? He’s your nest-mate?” she asked Meli, who nodded demurely for about half a second before Dustin wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Yes - though I would like to point out given my earlier comments that firstly we didn’t start dating until after she’d joined the crew and secondly she was the one that pursued me.” From her place by the door Rye seemed to be wrestling with something before nodding to herself. “Ok. Well. That’s… nice? Yes, nice. Umm, about earlier - thank you about not… you know.” Suddenly dealing with a social situation seemed to have knocked the entirety of the bluster out of the bunny, and she finished with a rushed “I’ll explain later thanks bye” as she practically ran from the room.