“Mmm.” Ivan looked around as a growl escaped his midsection. “Is there food around here that won’t cost me a month’s wages?”

“There’s a sandwich place spinward a half-segment. They use veat, but their stuff’s not terrible. I could eat, too.”

Well, vat-grown meat was becoming common on Earth. Given the cost of boosting the real stuff up, it would be even more popular on the station. Ivan took one last look at the giant ships, sighed, and followed Seth.

3.Financial Concerns

3.Financial Concerns

Captain Jennings looked up from the tablet in his hand. Lita Generus sat at her station, working through pre-departure diagnostics and carefully not looking his way. Her dark skin made her profile indistinct in the low lighting of the bridge. The other stations, all of which collectively formed a semicircle with the Captain’s Chair as the focus, sat empty, awaiting the arrival of the rest of the bridge crew.

Jennings took the opportunity to engage in a moment of weakness, rubbing his forehead. He looked up and admired the low glow of the overhead status monitors, readouts showing a healthy, well-prepared ship, ready to go out to chase dreams. Since the ship was at station-keeping with the habitation ring spun up, they were in the hab-ring bridge. The half gee gravity, normally an experience verging on luxury, wasn’t enough today to break his negative mood. He waggled the tablet in his hand. It wasn’t going to get any better if he just kept staring at it. “These are final figures, Ms. Generus?”

Generus turned to him and nodded. Like most spacers, she kept her hair in a short helmet-cut. Her tight curls were beginning to show gray around the temples, which seemed incongruous next to her unlined, youthful face. “Yes, sir. All numbers confirmed. The last trip was just one insult too many to the budget. Failing some kind of score, this tour will probably be our last.”

Jennings sat back and stared up at the bulkhead between the monitors and bridge stations. “By which you mean, I assume, that our creditors will call in our debts?”

“Almost certain, sir. The debenture agreement is pretty clear about when the foreclosure clauses come into effect.”

“How far ahead do we have to come out in order to avoid that?”

“Barely more than break-even, really. We’re just below the clause triggers right now.”

“And, statistically, profitable tours should happen about one in three. We’ve certainly had two very bad ones. We’re due.”

“You know it doesn’t work that way, sir.”

Jennings met her eyes with a small smile. “No, but leave me my illusions for the moment, okay?”