Hutch had brought three suitcases with her, but only one was waiting in the hotel room when she walked in. She’d marked the others for the Eiferman. Everything she needed for the overnight was in the lone bag. She opened it and took out a change of clothes. Then she showered, dressed, and went back downstairs to the bar, where everyone except Derek eventually showed up. They settled into a corner and spent the balance of the evening getting to know one another. It was, she had learned, one of the most important aspects of prepping for a long mission.

•  •  •

All except Ken were veterans of interstellar flight. He’d been out only once, to take a look at Quraqua. It was becoming Earth’s first real colony, he said, and consequently it would occupy a major position in his upcoming history. Mars, he explained, didn’t count. It was an outpost. Nothing more. “I almost got left behind,” he said. “Blanchard apparently got bad information on me. He thought I’d been out on a few flights. When he found out there’d been just one, he was going to back off. He could have gone with either Yakata or Keller. Both would have been happy to provide the history he wanted. And they’d been out several times.”

“So why,” asked Clay, “did he stay with you?”

Ken grinned at Beth. “He also needed an MD. She let him see she wasn’t going without me.”

“Why would he care about the number of flights?” asked Walter. Walter Esmeraldo, introduced as Wally, was the final member of the team. “I mean, you’re not the pilot or anything.” Wally was two inches shorter than Hutch, with red hair and an easy smile. He’d been out on missions with her several times, and her overall impression was that if the drive unit or the life support system gave out, he was the guy you wanted on board.

“I think he was worried I might develop psychological problems. I guess he didn’t want to take a chance on somebody getting homesick.”

“How about you, Wally?” asked Clay. “Are you the Jack McGuire of interstellar techs?” Jack McGuire was the hero of an adventure series, a guy who was always able to defeat the bad guys and solve mechanical problems by coming up with duct-tape solutions.

“You could say that.” Wally delivered a wide smile. “Were you out on that earlier flight with your husband before, Beth?”

“Nope. This is the first time we’ve been together. I’m looking forward to it.”

“How’d you get the assignment?” said Wally.

“I’m not sure. I think Ken has the wrong side of this. I suspect they wanted him for the PR, and he probably cut a deal.” She flashed a smile in his direction while he managed to look shocked. “They needed an MD anyhow, so I guess that part of it was an easy call.”