“By rights, I should kick you off this ship as soon as we get back to Camrose.” I fixed him with my most piercing stare. “But I’m not going to do that. My parents died on a scouting mission. During the war, Clay crawled through the jungles of Pelapatarn. The Dog served on the front lines in the final weeks of the conflict, then resigned her commission.” I shrugged. “We’re all here because, like you, we have nowhere else to go.”

He blinked at me. I could see he didn’t want to get his hopes up, only to see them dashed. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“I’m saying you can stay, kid. I won’t report you, and you can be a part of this crew.” I held up a finger. “But there are conditions.”

He swallowed and sat up straight, flicking the tears from his eyes with quick swipes of his fingers.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Firstly, don’t call me ma’am. I don’t like the way it makes me sound like somebody’s maiden aunt. ‘Sir’ or ‘Captain’ will suffice.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“That’s much better.” I gave what I hoped was an encouraging smile. “Now, regarding your sleep problems.” I gestured to the ceiling and the metal walls surrounding us. “The Dog monitors everything. It’s always there, always watching over us. If you wake up in the night, you can talk to it. It might not be very sympathetic, but it will be there, and it will listen.”

“Thank you, Captain.” Preston stood as if to leave, no doubt wanting to scurry away from his embarrassment. I stopped him with a raised hand.

“But I still need a qualified medic,” I told him sternly. “So you have a lot of work to do. The Dog has all the medical texts you could ever need. I want you to study them. Every free moment you have, I want you at a screen or in the infirmary, studying.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“And don’t mistake any of this for softness on my part. If I think you’re skimping on your studies, I’ll dump you on the first world we come to.” I leant towards him and lowered my voice. “Do we understand each other?”

“Yes, but—”

“Good.” I sat back and brushed my hands together. “Now, go and get me some coffee.”

* * *