Talk filled Valorie’s ears, and she soaked it in. The rest of the crew sat three to each side of the table, with the Captain at the head. He was still working on the star map, as he sipped the coffee Leon had brought him. On Gareth’s right, Leon was leaning back in his chair, yawning as he relaxed.

“Was there a reason you picked Gomori instead of Borwick. There are fewer jumps to Borwick.” Gareth asked. Leon nodded, sitting up, and clearing his throat.

“There is a higher density of systems around Gomori.” He said, before he really began to delve in, explaining the uneven pull of binary systems changing the distance needed to make a jump. She listened to his equations without understanding. Instead, she was captured by the way his eyes and voice sharpened as he spoke.

“All it boils down to is, fewer jumps don’t mean a shorter day.” He said, returning to his easygoing tone. She tried to follow but it was beyond her. Clones were only taught what was necessary to do their job. Ideas this complex were not considered necessary.

Gareth listened without interrupting, but Quinns piped up. He spoke despite the fork full of maroon scrambled eggs halfway to his mouth.

“It may be shorter, but extra jumps still take up more fuel and extra canisters.” He said. He was sitting across from Leon, on Gareth’s left. He smirked at Leon’s annoyed expression.

“This isn’t a trip to be taking slow.” Leon said.

“But it will wear Heli out faster.”

“Better it than our necks.”

“Enough. Both are good points, but Leon is right.” Gareth interrupted. Quinns focused on his plate, finally stuffing the fork full of food into his mouth. “How is she, Quinns? We’ll be making jumps in quick succession.” Gareth added. Quinns looked up.

“Of course, she can handle it. No sweat.” He said, spearing the eggs on his plate. “I’m only worried cause it ain’t good for her.” He added with a grumble. Gareth nodded, his eyes focused on the map, searching.

“I know, Quinns. I know.”

As she listened, Valorie forgot about the plate in front of her. When the Captain’s conversation died down, her ears caught on to Sachi and Serge across the table from her. Sachi seemed serious, while Serge was defensive. His speech was more careful with Sachi. It was so very different than the fiery attitude Valorie faced the first time they spoke. He could be pleasant when he wasn’t threatening to throw someone out of the airlock. A smile crept across her face. She found herself enjoying this new side of him.

“You must know better by now. You’ve had enough time to learn. It is not that you forgot, it is that you do not care.”

“I was in a hurry, Sachi. I will be more careful.”

“When you mix the wrong chemicals into the bio waste line, you set development back generations.” Sachi said. Yulia choked on her food.

“Generations?!” She tried to clear her throat, sipping her tea to regain control. Sachi only frowned at the interruption, so Serge spoke up.

“Bacterial generations are very short, Yui. I’m talking weeks. Days.” He said, and felt Sachi turn her frown on him. “Which does not make them any less important.” He added.

“Better. You should try handling a few life cycles. It will teach you to care.” Sachi said, poking at her granola and eating what stuck to her fingers. Serge cringed, but nodded.

“Soon as I have time, I will.”

“Excuses.”

“Hey, Valorie.” Yulia whispered. Valorie snapped her attention to Yulia. “You okay? You’re kinda spacing out. You should eat, you know. We have a long day ahead.” She said. Valorie realized that Serge and Sachi had overheard, and were staring at her as well. The sudden attention was unnerving. She had been far too engrossed in listening. Had she been staring, too? She focused on her plate.

“I’m sorry – I will eat, of course.” She said. Real smooth. She started eating as she promised. They watched. She couldn’t taste the food at all.

“Oh, I mean, it’s okay. You don’t gotta.” Yulia looked apologetic, and Valorie rushed to comfort her.

“No, I want to. I was just, uhm, daydreaming.” She said, her mouth still full.

“Swallow, and speak again.” Sachi scolded her. She nodded, and it felt like the red hot feeling in her cheeks was covering her entire body. She did as she was told, adding another apology for good measure. When she finished the meal, she dared to meet their eyes. She looked up, but they had lost interest. She took a slow breath.

After about twenty minutes the talk died down and everyone had finished their meals. Gareth called for attention, and the entire atmosphere changed. Leon sat up straight, and the rest of the table followed suit.

“Welcome to the pre-takeoff meeting for our flight between Luxe Station and Gomori Landing. We will be taking off this day, the 24th of January, with an ETA of four days.” As he spoke, he manipulated the star map hovering over the table. A path highlighted along the stars, showing the jumps they would be taking. Fifteen jumps in four days seemed far too high to Valorie, but no one made any objections.

“Regarding concerns for this flight, everyone should be aware we have a new crew member.” He gestured to Valorie, and smiled, “Welcome aboard, Valorie Davis. Would you like to share a few words?”

Valorie wasn’t ready to be the sudden focus of attention so soon, and buckled down to her roots when it happened. She bowed her head, focusing on the table in front of her.

“Yes, sir. Thank you, everyone, for the privilege to serve on the Helianthus,” She said. Despite her posture, her voice was clear, and her tone even with practice.

“Wow. She’s about as fresh as you were a year ago, Gary.” Quinns said. Valorie looked up immediately, curious what this meant. She noticed that Quinns was confident when he spoke with the Captain. When his eyes met hers, he always averted them. She felt Yulia pat her arm in comfort. Leon spoke next.

“Hey now, Cap was never that bad.” He said, but a grin grew as he glanced at the captain. “Well, maybe he was.” He added. Gareth raised his eyebrows at that, but moved on without losing momentum.

“Thank you, Valorie.” He said, “Another concern each of you should be aware of is our two guests. By the manifest, we have one passenger, but we will also have two guests. They have promised to be discreet. They will be staying in their rooms during flight unless escorted. Sachi.” He said. She sighed.

“You’re going to make me regret bringing this job to the table, are you?”

“Do you?” He asked. A smile spread across Sachi’s face.

“I’ll keep them entertained, don’t you worry.”

“Thank you.” The captain matched Sachi’s smile. They seemed happy, but Valorie didn’t understand why. Neither of their questions had been answered. Leon took the lull in conversation to share his concern.

“Fugitives. Cap, is it really a good idea bringing them aboard right now?” He asked, looking to Valorie for a moment as he spoke. Gareth followed his meaning and regarded the question. Sachi spoke up first.

“They were desperate – the rich and the desperate make for good profit.” She said.

“No one likes a trip with no money. I know that. Still, with a new crew member?” Leon said.

“Hey, we still have time to throw at least one of our problems off the ship.” Serge said. Valorie sat up a little straighter, sweat prickling at her collar. The captain shook his head.

“Valorie is a good addition to our team. Her skills and background present a rare opportunity for any freelancer. We have also agreed to help Rep Shayla and her assistant. The Union will not be happy if we go back on our word.” He said, the even tones in his voice lending strength to his command. “We have good reason to trust Valorie.” He added, looking to Leon for confirmation. Leon nodded. “Still, this will be a risky one. We want to keep the trip short, so be attentive to your hourly schedule.”

“So, while they’ve got us, did the Union want anything else delivered?” Yulia asked, changing the topic.

“To sell at Gomori? They only have the mines planetside – so basic stuff. We got a good supply of foodstuffs yesterday that they’ll like, and we still have the survival packs from Bulken. That will cover most of the trip.” Leon answered.

“Except the tea. Exotic teas are popular in higher paying circles right now. The trip to Luxe will pay for itself over 10 times at the next Guild station. We will not regret it.” Sachi said, her confident tone making it hard to argue.

“Considering our guests, let’s hope so.” Leon muttered. Sachi frowned at his low side comment, and he straightened in his chair.

“Worthwhile short term investments can be risky. We have a lot of potential right now.” She said.

“I appreciate your enthusiasm, Sachiko. Thank you.” Gareth moved to the next topic, “Quinns, do you have any report regarding resupply and waste?” Gareth’s quick transition didn’t seem to surprise Quinns.

“Ah, I didn’t do waste here – they wanted to charge a fee. No way. High traffic stations are always charging you for every little thing. Fuel was completed yesterday, and water normalized with no additions. Heli is ready to go.”

“Thank you.” He turned, readdressing the entire table. “We are scheduled for departure at 1000 hours. Luxe will shuttle us to the exit at that time. Final docking will be at 0930. Serge, when will the rest system shut down be complete?”

“0915, sir.”

“Good. Starting them early now?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Position Lockdown will be in place once we decouple at the exit. Make sure you are prepared. Gomori is fifteen jumps away, but we will be taking only three rest periods before the destination. I’ll see everyone on the bridge.”