The rest of the evening passed without incident. During her time in hiding, Valorie had gotten used to waiting long hours with little to do and no one to talk to. Her body itched to move, but she could not leave her quarters. The excess energy manifested as a twitchy feeling in her legs. She tried doing stretches to shake the feeling, but it always returned.

Faint music drifted up from outside her window, drawing her to it. The group that had gathered around the tree had started whatever they were working on. Serge and Yulia were still there, but now she could see Sachi, too. She was pointing and talking as Serge and Yulia dug around the roots. Leon arrived last. He pulled off his jacket and slipped into the workflow without missing a beat.

The music was lively, and Yulia had her usual energy back, chatting as she worked. Valorie couldn’t see what they were trying to do, but she enjoyed watching. She could reach out, feel their excitement, their worries.

Negative feelings plagued each of them. There was an undercurrent of panic from Serge. The inspection made him very uncomfortable. Sachi had a growing fear, the deeper they dug into the roots. Fear also tugged at Yulia’s mind, while frustration took its toll on Leon. It amazed Valorie as these feelings faded with the focus of hard work. It replaced them with exhaustion and satisfaction. Valorie once heard someone say, you just need to work it out of your system. This must be what they meant.

Yulia paused to wipe her brow, sweat mixing with dirt on her forehead. She said something and grinned. Serge looked up from digging and tapped the smudge on her forehead, making her laugh.

The work made time go by faster, and soon they were finished. Serge and Yulia appeared first, packing up the digging equipment. The music cut off as they cleaned up. Sachi appeared next, overflowing with relief. She spoke with them, pointing at a few spots in the digging area, a smile on her face. Yulia grinned, nudging her brother as she spoke. He laughed and patted her back.

A sudden emptiness welled up inside Valorie’s chest. She was used to being alone. She lived vicariously through the crew around her. Sharing in their joy, worrying through their sorrow. Always a step away from any real relationship.

This morning had been different. She had become a part of their world. Breakfast was a rare treat, warm like nothing before it. Yes, there had been scary moments when Gareth called on her to speak. But to finally be a part of that which she observed. Finally grasping that feeling she had admired. It was only a small taste, but the scene in the gardens left her bereft.

They finished cleaning up and left the Gardens. Quiet returned and Valorie could not have been more disappointed.

She picked up her PD to look for something interesting to watch. Mother recommended studying in quiet moments. Valorie preferred the video programs she found on the network. Between dramas and documentaries, there was always something to watch. On the longer days alone, these stories saved her.

When she opened her PD, she found a new message from the Captain. Her shoulders drew together when she saw it. She took a deep breath and opened it with a quick flick. It was a short message and a link.

Thought you may find this worthwhile.

The link took her to an article in a scientific journal. It was about the issues with current life scanning models. A smile crept across her face. The Captain was still considering her a part of his crew. She sent Gareth a simple thank you and opened the article. She would protect the Helianthus and her crew, no matter the consequences.

***

Morning came, and Leon brought Valorie breakfast. He warned her there would be a jump first thing this morning. She knew she would not be resuming her duties until the inspection was over, if at all. She knew that, but she still felt the ache in her gut when he reminded her.

“Once it’s done, we’ll be meeting at one of the planets to dock. I will pick you up on my way to the bay. Be ready – formal attire. Gotta look convincing.” He looked her over. “Not that you’ve been anything but formal.” He added and left. She frowned at the door, still holding the food he had delivered.

She set it aside and spent what little time she had on grooming. She had gotten a quick bath after unpacking, but not the night before. She fixed herself up, braiding her long hair into a bun tied at the back. She spent more time caring for this body than any previous one. She wanted to preserve Valorie’s sense of style. Once satisfied, she sat down in front of her breakfast.

Sausages and toast – leftovers from the previous morning. She could tell because all reheated repli-food had the same grainy texture. She wondered if the reheating process disrupted whatever magic turned the gel packets into a recognizable meal. The Captain gave the 10-minute warning, and she started eating as fast as she could. She finished cleaning up as the gravity lifted. The jarring motion of the ship was further dampened closer to the center of the ship, so it was easy to move around. Drifting across the open space of her room was awkward at first, but she managed to buckle in for the jump.

The jump was short at a little under an hour long. During the wait, she noticed a strange movement in the darkened Gardens. When she focused, she saw several figures moving near the tree at the center. When she reached out, the lights were familiar. Two lights gathered below the surface, below the tree. She couldn’t recall seeing a door there, or any room in the schematics. A hiding spot? That could protect them during the physical inspection. Relief crept into her heart – she only had to worry about the initial scans.

The jump was almost complete when the Captain’s voice came over the intercom.

“This is your ten-minute warning for jump completion. We will be at the rendezvous point within the hour. Please make your final preparations. We will be under surveillance the moment we enter high orbit. Please remain in your rooms until the inspection is complete.”

***

Gareth closed out the intercom and rubbed his chin. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the armrests of his captain’s chair.

“Leon, pull up the original coordinates for our passage to Gomori. Yulia, act on those coordinates. Until we receive a hail from the MRH Hayes, we will follow our original course.” He said.

“Ah, so, we are acting surprised, then?” Leon asked, looking over his shoulder.

“Yes.”

“What if they do not hail in time?” Yulia asked.

“We’ll move on to the next set of coordinates to the same system. If they still fail to contact us, we’ll move on. We can not force their hand. We will have to be patient.”

“Gotcha.” Yulia said and checked the screen next to her.

“I don’t believe it will be an issue. Scouts are often looking to prove themselves.” Gareth said.

“Every single person on those ships is miserable. They just wanna pass their misery on to everyone nearby.” Leon interjected. He banged away at the keys as he worked. He was not gentle when something irritated him.

“Bitter much?” Yulia said.

“I have an ex.”

“From an imperial scout ship? Really?”

“Well, she wasn’t an ex before she started working on the scout.” He muttered. The rattle of a star’s gravity well dragging them from the space between shuddered across the bridge.

“Yulia, begin your deceleration.” Gareth said. Almost as a punctuation to his words, the void tore away into a bright star in the prime of its life. The ship dragged as Yulia pulled it away from the gravity well towards a new destination. There was some extra drag as a result of pulling too hard from the ship’s natural momentum.

“Easy, Yulia. We aren’t on a schedule anymore.” Gareth said. Yulia had a talent for using the natural flow to her advantage. When she was distracted, he felt the extra drag in his shoulders and back. Even when Yuila was distracted, her work was still better than the average pilot – better than his own piloting. He wanted to help her keep calm.

“Yes, sir. Takin’ it easy.” She said. Her words and her tone were mismatched, but Gareth felt the pressure on his shoulders ease. “Where do ya think they are?” She added.

“It will be about sixteen minutes thirty-two seconds before initial visual processing is complete.” Leon said. “They’ll probably see us first.”

“Surprising no one, that doesn’t make me feel any better, Leon.” Yulia said. She peered out the window as if trying to catch a glimpse of the imperial ship. Gareth looked, too, despite knowing he would see nothing by the naked eye.