The makeshift bunks aboard the Vessel weren’t luxurious, but then again, neither were the Padawans’ quarters in the Temple. Reath noted the small cot, the thin partitions, and the bare-bones ’fresher without complaint.

Nor could he complain about the Vessel itself. All right, its crew was…eccentric, and maybe it was more ramshackle than the average ship that landed on Coruscant. However, the engines hummed along easily. The internal temperature remained within a range comfortable for humans and most near-human species. The Jedi had plenty of room to relax, either in solitude or with others in the mess.

Was there any information center? Any way to access histories or fiction? Of course not. It would be silly to expect anything like that on a small transport. But Reath noted it anyway, as the first sign of the deprivations he’d no doubt face on the frontier. Probably it was better to go ahead and get his sulking done now, before he made it to Master Jora and had work to do. Reath still had hopes of changing her mind, but he would rule out that faint possibility before he’d even started if he showed up at Starlight at anything less than his best.

So he wasn’t in the mood for company. However, he was in the mood to eat, as usual. Growing as fast as he was—twelve centimeters the past year alone—sometimes it seemed as if it were physically impossible to stuff in as much food as he actually needed.

To Reath’s relief, the Vessel’s mess was completely silent. He could have privacy and lunch. Under his breath he muttered, “The best of both—gahh!”

At the far end of the mess stood Geode. Had he moved from the cockpit? Had Leox and Affie moved him? Did he walk, or crawl, or roll, or teleport? Reath squinted at the rock, trying to determine whether the being was friendly, irritated, or even awake. Trying, and failing.

“Sorry,” Reath began. “You, uh, you startled me there.”

Geode made no response. Reath felt silly for expecting one.

“Oh, hey,” said Affie Hollow as she trooped into the mess. “So, how do you like her? The Vessel, I mean.”

“She’s perfect for what we need,” Reath admitted.

The word perfect made Affie’s face light up like a Naboo lantern. “I love this ship. It’s my favorite in the whole fleet.”

“What fleet?”

“The Byne Guild,” she said, opening up a packet of pale pink powder and tapping it into a small bowl. “Scover Byne is the owner, and she says she’s grooming me to help take over someday. If I take on just a little more responsibility, she’ll give me a ship of my own—I just know it. And I’d pick the Vessel.”