<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Amongst the groans of the other men and an amused smile briefly quirking Maggie’s lips, Curtis wove an almost moon-eyed tale of love between two stars. It was an interesting way of looking at the pair of celestial bodies, one that had her attention until the other two men blew off the explanation of the planets’ orbit and their dance amongst their starry parents. Neither Moore or Andrijan seemed all that sentimental, so Maggie was not at all surprised to hear them both object to their companion’s explanation. What did surprise her was the captain’s steer into his native tongue before he caused the console to set up a display of the stars.<br/>
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Briefly her green-eyed gaze rested on the man instead of the technology while she silently considered what language he spoke and whether the other two men could comprehend it or just listened to the context in his voice like she did. Maggie decided it really didn’t matter and dutifully averted her gaze from him to the console when Andrijan pointed out the simulation. She watched curiously as the planets wove around the two stars, as the white dwarf drifted away and returned to the red. To get a better view, she rose from her chair and abandoned her tablet in her seat to take a few steps closer. Boots tapped against metal while she crossed her arms beneath her breasts and she studied one of the gas giants spin across the simulation. Curtis might have been spouting tales of love and loyalty, but Andrijan was showing beauty in a different way.<br/>
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Wasn’t it a shame? They were only getting a snapshot of the stars and their planets’ lives. These bodies would far outlive their own, yet were still young compared to some stars in the galaxy. It was perhaps what Maggie struggled with most when it came to space travel. Every planet they passed, every star that illuminated the windows, they would all far outlive her, her family, the future generations. If only there was a way to remain around long enough to get a good view of the lives of the stars. These were the thoughts that conflicted her while the men joked about dwarfs looking like wives and her hands slid down to push into the cargo pockets of her pants. They hung somewhat low on her hips, a byproduct of needing clothing quickly, but the length of her long-sleeved, dark blue shirt kept her midriff warm.<br/>
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While her musings were taking up most of her mind, she had learned from growing up in a large family how to remain attune to a conversation happening around her. Maggie was able to look back in time to catch the laughter, to note the way Moore looked her way with a droll expression that immediately had a grin flitting to her lips. She did not know these men well, but she could already see what was coming. The casual shrug of her shoulders was her initial response before Maggie rolled up onto the balls of her feet and dropped back down. “The minutes were going to pass by anyway,” she answered good-naturedly, “I might as well get a little entertainment outta them as they go by.”<br/>
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A glint of mischief crossed her gaze then, and Maggie conspiratorially leaned closer to the mechanic with her voice lowering, “Shall I ask Curtis his thoughts on the relationship between planets and moons next?”</span>