“I was about to warn you about the passageway organics,” Tilliana said. “I was slow. Sorry.”

“So you did have a way out?” Uret asked her gently.

“She still doesn’t get any tonight,” Rello chided.

At least that brought a few grins, Dellian thought.

“No,” Tilliana said slowly. “But if the bioluminescence was dimming, it must mean the cells were diverting their nutrient energy for another function. And they were.”

“Hindsight,” Colian said regretfully. “Always the clearest.”

“All right,” Dellian said, making an effort to get them all back on track. “We’ll have a full review tomorrow before we go back in. It’s a wash for the rest of today. The Saints know we need a break after that. Maybe a drink.”

They agreed, their mood lifting slightly. The last connection pads were pulled off bodies. The squad started to air-dive toward the entrance. Uret drifted alongside Tilliana and gave her a soft kiss as they slid past the rim, both of them laughing at the jeers they received.

Dellian was just about to leave when Xante clamped a hand around his ankle.

“We’re not a team,” he said.

“What do you mean?” Dellian asked. He certainly wasn’t in the mood for this. He had a pleasant time all lined up, which he knew would ease him over his frustration. Then tomorrow they’d be back up here in the high-orbit station ready to kick the shit out of that bastard asteroid assault sim.

“Ellici and Tilliana are only two thirds of a team,” Xante said.

“Great Saints, rest this! It’s been years.”

“And she’s not coming back. I get it. But we need someone to replace her. Yirella wouldn’t have let us get caught with our asses hanging out like this. Fucking Saints, I thought I was going to die back there!”

“It’s a sim.”

“Yeah, like you were all relaxed and calm. We were a fucking shambles in there, all of us.”

“Overcommitted,” Dellian muttered. “They warned us about that. The sims are so fucking real, you cooperate in suspending belief.”

“Well, you’d better ask them for training to get over that, or therapy—or something.” He shook his head. “I’m actually nervous about going back in there tomorrow. And that’s ridiculous.”

“I know.”

—