“They’re destroying everything I’ve ever sacrificed to protect,” Eric said. “There is nothing in this universe that can stop me from doing just that.”

She smiled at him. “I know. Why do you think I came to you? You have a nicely developed sense of vengeance, Captain. Hone it well.”

He nodded curtly, not knowing what else to say.

Gaia looked about. “This is a good ship, Captain. Better, I think, than the one you left below. She will serve you well.”

“She’s not my ship.”

Gaia just smiled, ignoring him. “Good bye, Captain . . . and good luck.”

She stepped out of space and into time, vanishing from the room.

Eric considered what had just happened, wondering not for the first time at the state of his sanity, or lack thereof, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. He pulled on his uniform, or what now passed for it, and tried to make it look right. The cut was off and the colors bothered him, but at least it was clean and comfortable. He hadn’t had either of those in a while.

He looked in the mirror, actually a piece of smart glass, he supposed. It listed information about him, some of it surprisingly personal, and most of it more than a little creepy. He ignored it and focused on how he looked.

Almost professional.

Probably the best he was going to pull off with short notice.

Alright. Fine. Get to work, Eric. There’s too damned much left to do.

He steeled himself and stepped out of the room, turning left as he headed for the lifts.

The main bridge was buried in the depths of the ship, as it should be in any sane design, so he had to take the lift “down” into the core levels. The gravity felt . . . natural. That was the first thing he consciously noted about the Odysseus. There was none of the bizarre, often motion sickness–inducing tidal shift that came from the Odyssey’s centrifugal gravity.

He walked through the corridors, pretty sure he was heading the right way, and tried to ignore the shocked looks that followed him. Whispered words, sharp exclamations, and pointed fingers made it clear that it was him that they were talking about. He ignored them. He’d probably be just as shocked if someone he knew had returned from the dead, though he hoped he’d be a little less obvious about it.

He found the bridge with a minute and a half to spare, not bad given that he’d had to get quarters assigned, wash up, talk to an entity he barely recognized let alone understood, and then get dressed and find his way back to a room he’d only been to once before.

He could do better next time, he was sure.

“Captain on the bridge!”