[She's not wrong - this could very likely be the work of the commander and Viveca. The people who knows this station better than anyone. And who had the motive to keep them all desperate and in the dark.

They would work harder for it, certainly. Fear was a powerful motivator.

The fragile light shows him very little as the towel drops, except for the damp, dark hair cascading down her flawless back and the glimpse of tanned skin, flashing through the shadows.]

There is nothing I can do to help with mechanical malfunctions, and I can't die.

[Should the station fall, he would merely exist in the void. Trapped and barely breathing. Taking a step closer, Aleksander shrugs.]

We either fail and nothing was won from all our efforts, or-

[Inch by inch, he closes in on her in the dark. His voice low, not soothing or reassuring, but stating the facts of what they are in. Close enough to get another hint of the scent of her as he hovers behind her.]

this is resolved and we go back to fighting on worlds I care little about.

[Reaching out, he trails the tip of a finger down the curve of her naked spine.]