Jamison looked back at Stockton. “Let’s move it, Lieutenant. Orders.” He turned and walked toward the door.

Stockton pulled up his shirt to hold his chips, and then he followed behind, hurrying to catch up. Once they were outside, he hustled up alongside Jamison. “What’s going on, Kyle? What’s the alert about?”

“I don’t know, Jake…but its priority one, so it must be something big.”

Stockton frowned. “Somebody’s probably lost a dog.” A few second later, he added: “We’re not leaving Archellia, are we?” He looked down at the makeshift pouch in front of him. “I have to cash in all these chips…”

*   *   *

“But you’re not even part of the crew anymore. You already had your sendoff.” Lise Varov was upset. It wasn’t anger, and certainly not directed at Sam. But damned if that wide-eyed dedication of his wasn’t infuriating at times…

“Lise, you know it doesn’t work that way. I’m still on Dauntless’s crew roster, officially. My transfer doesn’t take effect until my leave is over.”

“That’s a technicality. You know Captain Barron will excuse you from duty if you ask. After all, he helped you get the assignment here in the first place.”

Sam looked at her, a pained expression on his face. She knew just how he thought. Damned if it wasn’t one of the reasons she loved him so much. But it was inconvenient now, to say the least.

“I can’t do that, Lise. You know that. They were supposed to have a month of maintenance. My replacement isn’t even here. If I don’t go, they’ll be shorthanded.”

“Dauntless has a crew of over nine hundred men and women, Sam. One can’t make a difference.”

He shook his head. “Are you saying my job isn’t important?”

She winced. That hadn’t been what she had meant at all. She knew he was one of the best at his job. “No, of course not. But you’re not the only engineer. I just meant they could do without you, that one empty roster slot isn’t going to hurt them.”

“Lise, those nine hundred people are gunners, bridge officers, ship’s services, and an entire fighter wing with all its associated staff. A ship like Dauntless is incredibly complex machine…and everybody has a place within it. In a fight, at battlestations…everybody has a job to do.”