“Are you hungry?” Weston asked, glancing sideways at her.

Milla shook her head.

“I’m glad you don’t want to eat before your first transition.”

What is he talking about? Milla just shrugged her shoulders and looked around.

The ship’s mess hall was crowded, as many of the ship’s officers and researchers had decided to take the last hour in this system to refuel themselves before returning to their instruments and stations. Most of the crew had gathered in small groups and were engaged in some fervent conversation. Milla did notice a few who were sitting on their own, however. In one corner, Stephanos sat drinking something and staring at a large view screen.

“What is he doing over there?”

Weston followed her eyes to where the pilot sat. “Steph likes his moments of solitude. He’s probably trying to watch the video.”

“Oh.” Strange, I wouldn’t have seen him as the sort to be a loner.

Milla eyed the young pilot for a moment too long, but shook it off as Captain Weston led her into the rec hall.

Weston and Milla toured the room, drawing stares and hushed murmurs from the crew who recognized her. Milla’s eyes roamed the area, taking in the facilities as well as the crew, stopping at the viewer she had noticed Stephanos watching. On the screen, a man was firing some type of weapon at several assailants, managing to hit his targets in spite of the most ludicrous distractions.

Weston followed his guest’s eyes and barely suppressed a snort of disgust. “I wouldn’t put much stock in that, if I were you. It’s just entertainment. None of it’s real.”

“Entertainment?” Milla looked at the video again with new eyes. Watching death is entertainment?

“Just barely. This is strictly designed to hold the interest of the lowest common denominator of the population. Even people like you, who obviously dislike violence, have a hard time pulling their attention away.”

She had to admit to herself that Weston had a point; it was difficult to turn away from the continual action on the screen. Looking around, she noticed no one was really watching except Stephanos, and something about his face belied his apparent interest in the entertainment.

“This must be a rather large vessel, Captain. Most ships I’ve seen don’t provide as well for the after-duty time of their crews.”

Weston’s eyebrows arched. “This is only a small section of the Odyssey’s recreational facilities, Milla. About a third of this deck is dedicated to the recreation section. We have two full gyms, a small theater, half a dozen simulators, and a small library room.”

Milla did a double take. “That much? This must be a huge vessel to warrant that level of luxury for the crew.”

“That depends. We do build larger vessels, but they are primarily for cargo. The Odyssey is a carrier-class ship, designed with a large flight deck for the shuttles and the Archangels, as well as extensive research labs. Since we found it necessary to have a crew of about three hundred, we’ve included several amenities.”