Passersby were stopping and gathering at the view windows as the behemoth slowly moved past, heading for a docking beacon. Ivan could hear muttered questions and complaints. Relations between the Sino-Soviet Empire and the United Earth Nations government were frosty at best, and adversarial the rest of the time. While it was unlikely any SSE personnel would actually be at liberty in Olympus Station, even the possibility created a significant level of public tension.

Within a minute, the ship had drifted out of sight and the crowd began to disperse, to occasional loud commentary about unwelcome visitors. Seth and Ivan settled back in their seats, both enjoying the changing view as ships continued to move in and out. After a few minutes, Seth broke the silence. “So what’s your story?”

“Eh?”

“Why asteroid mining? Lost at love? Adventure? Money? Joining the Foreign Legion? Fleeing the law?”

Ivan looked at Seth, frowning. “What? You’d get stopped at Customs.”

“I was kidding about the last one.”

“Ah.” Ivan was silent for a moment. “Money. You know what it’s like.”

Seth nodded. “Yeah, good old reality. More people, fewer jobs, fewer resources, less and less room.”

“What about you?”

“The same, mostly. It’s the most common reason for being up here. Of course, if you like it and can make an adventure out of the whole thing, that’s a bonus. I think I fit in that category.”

Ivan realized that he and Seth were going through the too-casual probing for common attitudes and opinions, the cautious circling of two people who might end up being friends. Well, a friend was never a bad thing to have.

“I have a family to support, so the adventure angle isn’t really on my radar.”

“That’s too bad.”

“How do you mean?” Ivan turned to Seth, frowning.

“The family. I don’t have one. My pay goes straight into my bank account. A little spending between tours or on Olympus Station doesn’t make much of a dent, and you can’t do much with your money on board. Unless you play poker.”

“You’re inviting me to a poker game? I guess you guys are all terrible, but you’re willing to learn from me?” Ivan tried to keep the sarcasm from dripping too heavily.

“Me? Hell no, I’m warning you off. Do not get involved in Tenn Davies’s poker games. Those guys are sharks. The regulars are about evenly matched, so the money really just sloshes back and forth most of the time. But a fresh piece of chum like you? They’ll strip you to the bone. And they won’t feel the slightest bit bad about it, either.”

Ivan grinned. “Noted. And thanks. Do you play?”

“I did, once. Lost half my pay from my first tour. Since then, I’ve made it my mission to steer people clear.”