The faint thump that echoed across the docking bridge was proof enough that Quinns was on his way back. Valorie confirmed it anyway. She followed a polite distance behind Gareth and Leon as they made their way back to the Helianthus. The inspection wasn’t over yet, but a good energy pervaded the air.

“What timing,” Gareth said, excited for Quinns’ return. His energy was back. “Leon, will Sachi and Serge be ready?”

“They got the message. They will be in the bay soon.” Leon said. He stretched his shoulders, still fighting with the uniform. “Think we’ll be good from here on out?”

“Dupont wasn’t happy with the result. He isn’t done yet.”

“Not done yet? What can he do?” Leon asked. He stopped playing with his sleeves and straightened.

“Well, if he doesn’t find-” Gareth began.

“When.”

“When he doesn’t find what he is looking for, he will start searching for other ways to bring us in. He wants the recognition so bad he is willing to risk the wrath of his superiors.” Gareth said. That behavior wasn’t uncommon in the empire. Promotion in the Imperial military would guarantee recognition for one’s family. Leon’s shoulders sagged as he listened.

“So what if he does that? What do we do?”

“Make sure he knows he will be wasting the Empire’s time. There can be no doubt in his mind.” Gareth said. Leon huffed.

“Is that all?” He asked.

“Yes. I mean, as long as Serge doesn’t haul off and punch one of them.” Gareth said. Leon glanced up.

“Oh, guess we’re screwed then.” Leon chuckled. Valorie stared at them wide-eyed. It was all too easy for her to picture Serge knocking one of the imperials out.

“Would he really…”

“No,” Gareth said, glancing at her over his shoulder. “Well, probably not.” He added, a smile playing across his face at her bewilderment. Leon said something, and Gareth looked away.

Valorie didn’t catch what they were saying. Her sister interrupted her thoughts by reaching out to her.

“Evie, that was…” Seda’s words filled Valorie’s head, “Exhilarating.” The memory of Valorie’s face-off with Captain Dupont replayed across their connection. Seda lingered on the moment Valorie stared him down.

“You enjoyed that?” Valorie asked. There was a pause and Seda refocused on their words.

“The command was sharp, I don’t think Mother would like it, but after that. When you stood up to my Captain. Ah, I relish the feeling.” She said. Valorie felt her satisfaction – warm and content. During the meeting, she had gone unnoticed. Instead, she experienced the excitement first hand through her connection to Valorie. A shared sense of newly found pride. “I’ll think of it any time I sense the Captain’s presence.” A spark of amusement.

“If you can not be serious, it will be hard to fulfill your role,” Valorie said. A warning Valorie had been on the receiving end of before, she felt a little silly sharing it now. Still, she did not want her experiences to cause Seda suffering.

“Yes, but I’ve never felt something so exciting.” Seda’s excitement bled into Valorie’s thoughts. Were new fragments always so excitable? Well, maybe the feeling went both ways. She watched Gareth and Leon walking ahead of her, and smiled. She focused on Seda again.

“Anything is fine, as long as you remember your Question first.” She said.

“Yes. Ah, but once I solve it, I will stand up to him as you did. Even if he throws me off the ship, it’ll be worth it.” Seda said. Valorie thought of the void beyond the ship’s hull and shuddered. Her sister felt the same, and followed her bravado with a sheepish, “Maybe.”

Valorie almost bumped into Gareth when he stopped at the entrance to the Helianthus. The door slid open before him.

“I need to focus. I’m sorry.”

“I will keep in touch,” Seda said and quieted.

There was a dual set of doors on this side of the docking bridge as well. Once the first door closed behind them, the one leading into the bay began to open. It revealed the two-story open space of the engineering bay. For all the time spent in the tiny equipment room, it felt even bigger than she remembered. She took a deep breath as she crossed the threshold. Everything was processed when you lived on a ship. In this moment, she understood the phrase “a breath of fresh air” for the first time.

Sachi and Serge were standing near the entrance, chatting. Serge was covered head to toe in smudges of dirt and sweat. His hands were on his waist as he listened. He smiled, but his posture was stiff. Sachi was also covered in dirt, but she was prepared for it. She had gloves and knee pads that protected her from the worst of it. She looked even tougher in her worn-out work clothes.

“They will be here shortly. Are you both prepared?” Gareth asked. Serge’s good mood vanished.

“Can’t believe they can search through our lives like this.” He said. Sachi patted his shoulder. Leon stretched his arms.

“Oh, no, the best part is this is all voluntary – we have a right to say no,” Leon said, his irritation getting the better of him. Serge’s brow furrowed.

“Then why are we letting’em -” Serge began but Gareth interrupted.

“Because saying no will get us marked enemies of the empire.”

“It’s such BS,” Leon muttered, looking around. “Where’s Quinns?”

“Crawling his way through maintenance as fast as he can, I bet,” Gareth said, glancing to Valorie for confirmation. She nodded. She was more curious about where Yulia was, but no one else seemed concerned. Valorie remembered the third light under the Gardens, and it dawned on her. A quick check told her all three lights were still there. Why was Yulia hidden away as well?

The office door opened on the opposite side of the bay, and Quinns came jogging out. He was in an EMU suit that left his prosthetics exposed. When he noticed everyone watching him, he waved awkwardly.

“Drop the helmet and the suit, Quinns, and hurry it up,” Gareth called. Quinns redirected towards the office but motioned his hand as if it were a puppet talking. “I don’t wanna hear it.” Gareth said, “Just go.” Quinns disappeared through the door.

Valorie glanced towards the docking entrance. The Hayes team headed towards them was about halfway across.

“The Hayes team is almost here.” She said, looking to her Captain. Gareth nodded, turning to face the entrance.

“Should we have a rifle trained on them, too?” Leon asked, his tone a shade darker then his expression let on. Serge perked up, but Gareth shook his head. The office slid open and Quinns exited. He was wearing a loose pair of stained slacks and a light jacket. Both worn with hard work, but they covered his prosthetics. When Quinns caught her gaze, he smiled. She could sense his gratitude. She nodded and smiled back. To her chagrin, he turned red and looked away. What had she done wrong this time?

The valve release of the docking entrance distracted her. The door slid open revealing Dupont, Jovic, and three other soldiers. In the open space of the Helianthus’ engineering bay, Dupont seemed much smaller. He stepped on board as his eyes traveled across the room. Calculating, sizing up the task ahead of him. She sensed he was not happy with what he saw. Good, she thought, resisting a smile.