“The last couple of tours have not been good to us, and we’ve not achieved break-even. If we fall short this time I’m afraid it will be the last trip for the Mad Astra, at least under my command. All we need is a little more than break-even. I am therefore asking you to approve a potential tour extension of one to three months. I know it’s a hard thing—you’ll effectively be working for free for the extra time. However, if we return empty-handed and the creditors foreclose, you will get back at most a fraction of your share purchase. I will leave you to discuss and ponder, and we will have a vote in a week. Thank you for your time.”

The captain looked around again, nodded to the crew in general, and walked out. A buzz of conversation immediately rose in the room.

Ivan hung his head, balled his fists, and fought back tears.

“Hey, Ivan, what gives?” Seth asked.

Ivan rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands before answering. “It means I’m effectively making less per month than I was in my previous job. This was supposed to be a step up, not down. And there’s still the chance of losing the share price in the end.”

“Yeah, trying to provide for a family puts a whole other level of difficulty into the equation. Look, kid, I already mentioned my money just goes into the bank. I can give you a loan against either your share, if you sell out, or future profits if we hit it. No interest, no obligations otherwise.”

Ivan felt himself tearing up again, but got it under control. “Thanks, Seth. I appreciate it. And I don’t have the luxury of being too proud to accept.”

He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Tenn had overheard at least part of the exchange. The normally acerbic crewman didn’t comment, though; he met Ivan’s gaze for a moment, then looked away.

Ivan frowned. It seemed out of character for Tenn to have passed on an easy setup like that. Perhaps there was more there than just a loud-mouth.

* * *

Ivan kicked himself expertly up the axial passageway. It was a matter of pride that he could now go from Engineering all the way to the hab ring entry without touching the sides. He glided slowly past the various exits—shortcuts to different zero-gee areas of the ship.