The Invincible II’s engine room was already humming with pressure from the failed coolant valve, but the real heat came from Mack’s voice cutting through the chaos. “If you had bothered to follow the system protocols instead of your ‘gut feeling,’ we wouldn’t be one power surge away from a full meltdown.” Mark stood across from him, arms crossed, grease on his cheek and a cocky grin barely hidden beneath his irritation. “Relax, Mack. I caught it in time. You act like one mistake means the ship’s going to implode.” Mack slammed a wrench onto the panel, his pale face flushed. “It’s not one mistake, Mark. It’s every time. You swagger in, half-prepared, and people cheer. I follow every rule to the letter, and somehow I’m the asshole.”

Mark’s smile faltered. “Maybe if you didn’t treat everyone like they were three IQ points away from blowing us all up, they’d stop walking on eggshells around you.” Mack’s dark eyes narrowed. “At least I care whether this mission succeeds. You’re too busy playing space cowboy to do your actual job.” The silence that followed was thick, charged, almost unbearable.