He scrunched up his face, making his wrinkles deepen. “Not like you’re thinking. I want extra dessert.”

Seriously? This was about the disgusting food? “You can have mine.”

His mouth popped open. “Why would you do that?”

I didn’t think he’d appreciate that I thought all of the food here was foul and barely edible. And the things they called dessert? They were an affront to all things sweet. “I don’t care for sweets.”

“Ah. Watching your figure.” He gave me a long up-and-down look and the urge to wring his neck was back.

I forced myself to take a second before speaking. Otherwise, I might say something snippy. If dessert was what got me the test, yes. Yes. I was watching my figure. “I’ll give you all of my desserts for my entire one year sentence.” I wasn’t going to be here that long, but he didn’t have to know that.

He slowly stood from his chair, and I was torn between wanting to pat myself on the back and wanting him to hurry up. “No one’s ever passed you know.”

“I know.”

“So what’s a little thing like you doing even trying?” I didn’t care for the dismissive tone in his voice and the words he chose, but then again, I didn’t like the man at all.

“Does it matter?” Just give me the stupid test already.

He didn’t say anything.

I gritted my teeth to keep myself from saying anything rude, but my patience had run out a few minutes ago. “May I just take the test?”

“And you’ll finish thirty early?”

This time I rolled my eyes. “Yes. I’ll finish early, and you’ll get your desserts, but only if we get this rolling now.”

He finally pushed away from the desk, limping over to a door behind him.

Now I felt guilty for wanting him to hurry up. The table had blocked the poorly fitted prosthetic that stuck out from his shorts. I wondered how he’d gotten it, but that was none of my business. As long as I took the test, the man would get his dessert, and we’d both be happy.

The next room wasn’t as big as one of the bays, but it was still pretty sizable. Little ten-foot-in-diameter flight simulation pods took up the room. There were twenty in all.

The man lumbered to the closest one. “In you go.”

I didn’t hesitate to step into the pod.

He swiped a finger over a panel next to the door. “I’m taking the thirty off the test. You finish before, fine. You don’t, lights will come on. That means you’re done. Got it.”

“Got it. Anything else I should know.”

“SpaceTech only allows this test once for workers. You fail, there ain’t no second chances.”