She nodded. “You’ll hear him on the intercom after he’s organized, he told me.”

“Hm. He might have observed the courtesy of notifying me of his arrival.”

“He’s in a foul mood. Sulked the whole way from ground. I don’t know why. Does it matter?”

“We are going to be together in this hull for quite a while, Ingrid,” Telander remarked. “Our behavior will indeed matter.”

“Oh, Boris will get over his fit. I suppose he has a hangover, or some girl said no to him last night, or something. He struck me during training as s rather soft-hearted person.”

“The psychoprofile indicates it. Still, there are things— potentialities— in each of us that no testing shows. You have to be yonder—” Telander gestured at the hood of the optical periscope, as if it were the remoteness that it watched— “before those develop, for good or bad. And they do. They always do.” He cleared his throat. “Well. The scientific personnel are on schedule also?”

“Yes. They’ll arrive in two ferries, first at 1340 hours, second at 1500.” Telander noted agreement with the program clamped to the desk part of the console. Lindgren added: “I don’t believe we need that much interval between them.”

“Safety margin,” Telander replied absently. “Besides, training or no, we’ll need time to get that many groundlubbers to their berths, when they can’t handle themselves properly in weightlessness.”

“Carl can handle them,” Lindgren said. “If need be, he can carry them individually, faster than you’d credit till you saw him.”

“Reymont? Our constable?” Telander studied her fluttering lashes. “I know he’s skilled in free fall, and he’ll come on the first ferry, but is he that good?”

“We visited L’Etoile de Plaisir.”

“Where?”

“A resort satellite.”

“Hm, yes, that one. And you played null-gee games?” Lindgren nodded, not looking at the captain. He smiled again. “Among other things, no doubt.”

“He’ll be staying with me.”

“Um-m-m…” Telander robbed his chin. “To be honest, I’d rather have him in the cabin already agreed on, in case of trouble among the, um, passengers. That’s what he’s for, en route.”

“I could join him,” Lindgren offered.

Telander shook his head. “No. Officers must live in officer country. The theoretical reason, having them next to bridge level, isn’t the real one. You’ll find out how important symbols are, Ingrid, in the next five years.” He shrugged. “Well, the other cabins are only one deck abaft ours. I daresay he can get to them soon enough if need be. Assuming your arranged roommate doesn’t mind a swap, have your wish, then.”

“Thank you,” she said low.

“I can’t help being a little surprised,” Telander confessed. “He doesn’t appear to me as the sort you’d choose. Do you think the relationship will last?”

“I hope it will. He say she wants it to.” She broke from her confusion with a teasing attack: “What about you? Have you made any commitments yet?”

“No. In time, doubtless, in time. I’ll be too busy at first. At my age these matters aren’t that urgent.” Telander laughed, then grew earnest. “A propos time, we’ve none to waste. Please carry out your inspections and—”