“It was a way for us to be together instead of you running off on deployments while I watched from a chair. I’m tired of the endless fighting. For what? So some protes can make a buck for their cause? We can have a better life up there.” He pointed a finger at the ceiling. “No gigs. No fights. No tips. Real work, like our grandparents had. And they’re looking for people with cooking skills.”

“I like the sound of that,” she admitted. She hated the piecemeal nature of micropayment tasks, and she lacked expertise for the more in-depth jobs. Slow fast food in space—had a nice ring to it.

“Plus, Eko-Yi is now governed by Neo-Buddhists. I’ve been listening to their abbot’s talks, and she’s amazing.”

Welga groaned. “You and your Neo-Buddhism. I don’t even believe in god, much less the Buddha.”

“It’s not that kind of religion. You don’t have to convert, though we would have to follow their way of life. Ao Tara has a vision for the future that we could be a part of. Equality for all, dignity in work.” His words spilled in a rush of enthusiasm. “She opposes the use of pills and mechanical enhancements in the labor force. Everyone on the station helps keep things running. They don’t eat meat. They treat each other with respect, no matter what their skills or expertise ratings are. I think we could be happy there. Now you really should listen to some of her talks. I’ll send you my favorites.”

Welga held her hands up in surrender and laughed. For Connor to get this excited about something, he had to love it to the core of his being. Her leg trembled and shook the bed.

Connor frowned. “You asked Nithya about that, right? Did she say anything?”

“See for yourself.” Welga subvocalized to her agent, “Por Qué, send Connor a copy of the last conversation between me and Nithya.”

She propped herself on an elbow and watched his expression as he reached the end, the part where Nithya had advised her to stop using zips. She read his face like a card, the implied you should tell our boss and you should quit now. Her own nonverbal response was: no fucking way, and don’t you dare tell him yourself.

Aloud, she said, “If the Machinehood makes good on its threat, we won’t have a supply of pills to take anyway, which is a bigger problem than mine. If we do stop them in time, then I’ll consider quitting. Okay?”

“Does Olafson know about your tremors?”

“So you were paying attention to me in Phoenix.”

“I noticed that he came to see you. He’ll make a good liaison.”

Her throat went dry. “I’m the liaison. Surprise?”

Connor’s jaw worked up and down for a few heartbeats. “You rejoined the agency? What the hell, Welga? I thought we swore—”