Chapter XVI: Boredom

The Ravenblade sliced through the vast expanse of slip-space, the blurry streaks of stars and light creating an otherworldly cascade outside the viewport. The faint hum of the ship's engines reverberated through the small cabin, steady and unchanging, a quiet companion on their long journey.

Crystal lay sprawled across the small couch in the break room, her arm draped over her eyes as she exhaled a heavy sigh. She'd lost count of how many times she'd flipped through the datapad resting beside her, her earlier resolve to study the ship's systems eroded by the crushing monotony of deep space. The Ravenblade, for all its sleek design and efficiency, lacked the homey quirks of their last ship. There was no space for idleness, no clutter to make the environment feel lived-in.

She groaned quietly, shifting her position on the couch before letting out another long, exaggerated sigh. "Nothing," she muttered to herself. "Nothing to do, nowhere to go, no one to talk to."