Jaesa sat down across from Vette in the reading nook. "Hey. Vette?"

"Yeah?"

"When's the last time you saw Nalenne and Pierce?"

"Three days ago. They do have to walk from the bedroom to the outside door and back to get their daily allowance of killing in before they get back to…yeah."

"I never seem to catch them in passing." Jaesa sighed. "I'm caught up on Nalenne's hard-copy comic books around here. I really don't know what else to do with my time."

"You and me could go be heroic or something. You know, let Nalenne and Pierce and the big fuzzy third wheel – poor guy – go killing stuff at every port, and then go do nice things ourselves."

"That's a doomed effort," volunteered ghost-Quinn, stepping through the wall from the bridge.

"Be quiet," said Vette.

Jaesa looked up with her signature compassionate concern. "Since Nalenne started with him…this must be awful for you," she said.

"I really don't want to talk about it," said Quinn. "I just stopped by to make sure Vette realizes she's wrong even when the Wrath isn't here to say it."

"Go away," said Vette.

There was a loud shriek from the bedroom, followed by riotous laughter. Quinn winced and then pretended he hadn't. Jaesa blushed. Vette just looked curious.

Nalenne burst out moments later, belting a dressing gown around herself. "Guys. Guys. New plan."

"I'm all ears," said Vette.

"We're gonna get a new ship. A big ship. With massively overpowered engines."

"And guns," said Pierce, stepping out behind her, shirtless and sweaty and grinning like there was no tomorrow. "Lots o' guns."

"My lord," said Quinn, "your last concept sketch for an 'ultimate megapowered superboomship' would have torn itself apart within three seconds of engine ignition.'"

"Your complaints don't count," said Nalenne, "so shut up. Part Two of the plan: We all get on the ship, except Captain Annoying, and then, and then we blow the Helicarrier up."

Quinn turned paler. "You're going to destroy this ship?"

"Yup! And since your ghostly self is bound here, I bet it'll destroy you, too!"

Jaesa's eyes opened round. "I thought we liked Quinn!"

"Talked her out of that, finally," said Pierce.

"But what if-" said Vette.

"No time to lose," fizzed Nalenne." Let's go. Jaesa, make sure Quinn doesn't talk 2V-R8 into sabotaging anything."

*

The Tentatively Named Extreme More Better S.A.B.E.R. Helicarrier (Nalenne was in too much of an excited hurry to come up with a better name) blew hull-rattlingly powerful thrusters to turn around and face the old Fury-class S.A.B.E.R. Helicarrier.

"Pierce," said Nalenne from the TNEMBSABERH's main turret. "Missiles?"

"Ready, milord."

"Vette. Jaesa. Turrets?"

"Ready," the girls chorused.

"Broonmark. Lasers of questionable utility but undeniable visual awesomeness?"

"Brrrggg."

"Ladies and gentlemen, fire."

The lasers hit first, followed by elegant volleys of multicolored blaster cannons, followed by sleek shining missiles. The Helicarrier blossomed in two dozen places with hull breaches; then the whole thing warped, bucked, and exploded, its oxygen licking away in one bright flare before the entire mess scattered in tiny pieces.

Nalenne whooped and climbed back out of her turret to meet in the holo room. She jumped into Pierce's arms and kissed him, hard, thrilling with the glory of overkill. She didn't stop until Broonmark delicately cleared his proboscis.

"Right," said Nalenne, and unwrapped her legs from around Pierce's waist. He let her down to the ground. "Good job, everybody. Let's go someplace nice and beautifully Quinn-free." She darted ahead of Pierce to the bridge.

Where Quinn was standing, one meter behind and two meters to the left of the pilot's chair. Nalenne skidded to a halt and gawped.

Quinn shrugged apologetically. "I'm afraid I ended up transferring with you, my lord."

"That's not fair."

You can read the question as "What if Nalenne did just get with Pierce already?" or "What if Nalenne hadn't had the conversation that started her rapprochement with ghost-Quinn?" In which case, in time, unless Pierce made serious dodging efforts, she probably would've leaned his way.

To be honest, I only kept Nalenne away from Pierce because it annoys me when the author's character gets to get with all the hot boys, or in extreme cases, when she gets to get with anything in possession of a Y chromosome and recognizable lips. It just bugs me. So really, writing it as "Pierce is too smart to touch that crazy" was more fun.