Cohost writing prompt: @make-up-a-starship-pilot — Starship pilot who wishes you had just a little bit of faith
"Listen," Dulac says wearily, running with sweat and engine grease, "I know this is difficult, but the shielding around the drive ruptured when we crashed. I wouldn't normally ask, but right now it isn't protected from you, and the small god inside the engine isn't very robust at this drive size."
"I know," Zilys whimpers. "I know what you're going to say." She thumbs unhappily at the edge of the slowly staining bandage around her thigh. "If I don't believe it'll work, then—"
"I'm not asking you to convert or anything," Dulac says. "I know they tell all kinds of stories, but that's really not — you just need to stop believing we're stuck here. Just — distract yourself, even, that'll do."
Zilys makes a very expressive hangdog face.
"Yeah, I know, the ship shakes like a runaway vibrator and the lights go out every time I try to jumpstart the drive," Dulac says. "Distract, she says, like it's easy, right?"
Zilys manages to conjure up a watery giggle, and Dulac leans in and lowers her voice.
"Can you," she says, "never mind the drive and the god and all that, can you manage to believe that I'm doing the absolute damnedest I can to get us out of here?"
"I can...I can try that," Zilys says.
"Okay," Dulac says. "So next time, I want you to remember that, as hard as you can, when I tell you I'm starting the engine: I'm doing my best, and I'm going to get this thing running, and fly you straight to a doctor to check your leg out, and it'll all be over. Yeah?"
"Promise?"
"I wouldn't lie to a pretty lady," Dulac says earnestly, and Zilys manages another weak laugh.
"I bet you say that to all the terrified atheists jinxing your ship," she says.
"Well, yeah." Dulac finds a grin for her. "But I take every one of 'em out for dinner afterwards, so it all evens out, right?"
"Oh, a girl in every crater, is it?" Zilys reaches out, grabs the engineer's hand, squeezes harder than she means to, unable to stop herself. "Go on, try her again," she adds, jerking her head towards the hatch down into the ship's guts. "While I still feel lucky."