Early the next morning, Anja waited just outside the range of the ship’s proximity warning. She stood next to a levcart piled with boxes. I wouldn’t have known she was there, except I did a visual sweep of our surroundings as part of my morning routine.

I remotely lowered the cargo ramp and spoke to her over the intercom. “Park your stuff in the cargo bay. I’ll meet you in five.”

I finished getting ready and then went to meet her. She stood at stiff attention next to the levcart. She didn’t look like she’d gotten much sleep.

“How long were you waiting?”

She glanced away. “Not long.” When I raised my eyebrows and waited, she conceded, “A while. I didn’t want you to leave without me.”

“I promised you a job. I wouldn’t leave you behind,” I said as gently as I could, then I clapped my hands and changed the subject. “Let me show you to your quarters and then you can decide what you want to keep with you and what you want to store here. Is the levcart a loaner?”

She nodded, and I waved for her to follow me into the ship. Once inside, I kept a sharp eye out for Luna. I’d left her sleeping on my bed, but there was no telling where she was now. I didn’t want Anja’s first meeting to involve claws.

I slid open the door to the cabin I’d mentally assigned to Anja and led her inside. “It’s not much, but you won’t have to share.”

She looked around, her face expressionless. Her voice, when it came, was very quiet. “It’s more than I was expecting.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll earn it. You saw the state of the ship. We haven’t had a mechanic in over a year. I’m pretty sure we’re running on hope and composite tape at this point.”

Finally, she laughed. “I’ve seen worse. Not much worse, mind, but some. Don’t worry. It’s nothing I can’t handle.” She looked around again. “Do you care if I stack a few things on the other bed?”

“Nope. It’s your space. You’ll have a woman across the hall once we arrive at Bastion, but the cabin next to yours is empty. The Valoffs will be on the other side of the bathrooms. No one should have to double up unless we have to take on rescues.”

She nodded. The one law that both the Valovian Empire and the FHP had easily agreed on was the obligation to pick up passengers from ships in distress. With the vast distances in space, no one could afford to ignore a distress call, no matter how far out of the way it was. Ships were required to carry extra rations for just such an emergency.