Valorie paused at the bathroom door, and stared at the front entrance. The captain had instructed her to “act like herself” but she was still working out what that meant. Bile rose in the back of her throat, burning her tongue. Under the SCT program, she only had to pay careful adherence to the rules, and she was mostly left alone. On the Helianthus, everything was in the air.

Just act like yourself, the captain’s words were in her head. She took a steadying breath, and reached out. It was her first attempt since boarding the Helianthus, so her touch was cautious. Beyond the door was a single being, who was feeling excitement tinged with anxiety. There was some confusion – maybe because of the long wait. No malice, not on the surface at least. There was a familiar feeling that eased Valorie’s heart.

The buzzer rang again and she raced to the door. She fumbled with the settings on the front panel for a moment before she got open the command going. She needed to figure out how to connect her wrist PD. The door slid up and before her stood a tall, lanky woman with fire red hair.

“Ah! Hello there. Valorie, right? I’m Yulia – Sachi might’ve mentioned me. If you have time, you wanna go look around?” She asked, blue eyes looking Valorie over. Her quick way of talking was overwhelming at first. Valorie nodded, meeting Yulia’s eyes with ease.

“Yes, thank you, ma’am.” Valorie said. Yulia crossed her arms.

“Whaaat? No. Yulia. Call me that. Or Yui. Yui is good, too, I guess.” She waited. Valorie blinked, before it dawned on her that Yulia was waiting for a response.

“Uhm, thank you, Yulia.”

“Good.” Yulia grinned, freeing her arms. Each change in posture also changed her demeanor in ways Valorie couldn’t anticipate. It peaked her curiosity, and she smiled. Yulia rubbed her hands together. “Where to go first… You wanna grab a snack?”

The walk to the kitchen led along the belly of the ship in one long hall. Along the way, Valorie noticed Sachi’s all important meeting room and thanked Mother she had a second chance to memorize its location.

“Now, I wanna say, this might be the most important place on any ship.” Valorie grinned. “The kitchen. There is a dining hall attached to the kitchen and it’s a good place to relax.” She said, as she reached a set of double doors. They slid open as she approached, and a warm savory scent filled the air. The room was large, even from what little Valorie could see, and had several tables and chairs.

“Smells like Serge has something in the works,” Yulia said, but paused at the entrance. The sudden stop surprised Valorie, and she almost bumped into her. Yulia pointed at the main table inside the lounge.

Leon stood across the table from another man. His clothes were more casual today, including a worn flight jacket. Together, the two men poured over holo-displays laid out on the glassy surface. The other man was tall with long arms and legs, like Yulia, but thick with muscle. With short brown hair and icy blue eyes, he had a stern look about him. His eyes traveled over the displays, his fingers resting against the side of face as he thought. He lifted his hand and pressed down on one of the displays.

“If we strike here,” He said, sliding his finger to another location, “And here first we’ll have a better chance.” His eyes moved to Leon for his input.

“That would put demand in our favor,” Leon said. His voice was thoughtful, as if something was still missing. Yulia frowned and moved forward intending to get a look at the proceedings. Valorie followed out of reflex.

“I know what I’m getting. It’s a good plan.” The other man said. Leon rubbed the back of his head, and sighed.

“Just.. tell me where, and I can hit the next highest priority.” He said, tapping his finger on the map. Yulia peeked at the displays, and a grin spread across her face. She replaced it with a look of exasperation before resting her hands on her hips.

“Leon. Serge. Seriously? Those are the tourist maps of the Luxe Station Market. Not some battle plan.” She said. Leon looked up and leaned back in his chair, his eyes passed over Valorie for a moment, and settled on Yulia. Serge acknowledged her presence before going right back to the displays.

“Food supplies are a serious matter, Yui.” He said. Leon rolled his eyes, sitting up straight again.

“The budget is more important – which by the way, you will not be getting any extra by having my help with this.” Leon said. This got Serge’s attention and he glanced over with a glare.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

“You guys, you scared me with that talk – sounded like it was going to be something dangerous.” Yulia interrupted. They looked at her, surprised for a moment. Leon’s face broke into a wry grin.

“Will be, if Serge starts overspending.” He said, and Yulia couldn’t help a chuckle. Serge straightened, dusting his hands off on his thighs. He snatched up a cloth bundle from the counter nearby.

“Oh, I see. So, you will be making your own dinner tonight?” He asked, flicking the cloth open to reveal an apron. His movements were graceful with an ease that came from great dexterity.

“Hey now. Let’s not get hasty.” Leon said. A smirk tugged at Serge’s lip as he slipped the apron on. “I can – or better yet, I will help you stay on budget.” He grinned. Serge scowled.

“I’ll be right back.” Serge left without a hint of humor. When the kitchen door slid open, the savory scent washed over them afresh.

“Guess you aren’t eating tonight.” Yulia said, and Leon leaned back in his chair with a shrug, an easy smile spreading across his face.

“What’s up, Yulia?” He asked. She gestured to Valorie, pulling her to the forefront.

“I’m showing our new friend around the ship, introducing her to the crew. Valorie, this is Leon, our navigator and first mate.”

“We’ve met,” Leon nodded to Valorie. His smile reminded her of their first meeting and Valorie nodded back.

“Nice. The other guy is Serge, he’s my brother and he handles life support and maintenance. If you run into any issues, you can talk -”

“You can leave me a message. This is the imperial communicator, right?” Serge re-entered, drying his hands on a towel, “Don’t know how Captain can trust such a tool.” His scowl was on Valorie as he looked her over, throwing the towel over his shoulder. The scrutiny reminded Valorie of her time with the empire. She looked to the floor instinctively.

“Serge. Don’t be an ass.” Yulia’s voice was a warning. Serge turned his attention on her instead, and Valorie finally took a breath. She peeked up to see Yulia glaring at Serge. He continued despite her warnings.

“What? Such a tool will reveal it’s true colors and then out the airlock it goes.” Serge said with a dismissive wave. Yulia’s face turned red, but Leon spoke up first, keeping his tone light.

“Well, that’s messed up.” He said, meeting him eye to eye. Serge glared at him. “If she does cause any trouble – and that is if – you know I’ll help.” He added. Serge nodded, his glare easing as he looked over his maps again.

“Why even take the chance at all,” Serge muttered, but the fight was gone. The malice that put Valorie on edge settling back down.

“You guys are unbelievable.” Yulia grabbed Valorie’s hand, and left with a sharp turn, pulling her away. Valorie took the chance to look up from the floor, and met Leon’s eyes. They were thoughtful in a way she didn’t understand. She reached out to better understand and found fear with a little hope. Nothing like what she saw on the surface. Why? They were out of the kitchen before she could come up with an answer.