Callie got into her good suit, the prototype from a TNA research-and-development program that was scrapped because the cost was exorbitant. The suit had active camouflage – handy on bounty hunting missions – but was currently in its neutral state, a bright electric blue, easy for her crewmates to spot. “Elena, you stay with me at all times. Ashok, you keep an eye on Lantern. You’re still a prisoner, Liar. Don’t run off without permission. It’s best if you don’t do anything without permission. Mmm, and on second thought, Ashok seems a little too fond of you. He might hesitate to shoot you if you misbehave. Ship, you’re Lantern’s guard dog.”

“Ship?” The hull repair drone lit up and rose, three meters high, on an array of robotic legs. “Shouldn’t you call me something differently insulting, like maybe ‘bot’, in my current circumstances?”

“I’ll call you ‘Shall’, then. OK?” With Elena sidling into her heart, Callie found thinking about her history with Michael less painful, and as a result, her irrational but potent resentment toward his computer doppelganger was somewhat diminished. The ship hadn’t done anything wrong. Shall was basically the good parts of Michael, without the parts that liked to wander off and sleep with other people despite their promise to be monogamous when she was home from space.

“That works for me,” the bot said. “Shall I shall be.”

“Did you pack guns?” Callie asked.

“Enough for us and any friendlies we need to arm once we get on the station.”

“Into the canoe, then,” Callie said.

The floor slid open, revealing a small coffin-shaped landing ship big enough for seven people to fit in if they squeezed, so three people and a little Liar would fit fine. “I can ride on the exterior,” Shall said. “We’re not taking the canoe into atmosphere, so it’s not like I’ll mess up the aerodynamics.”

Callie helped Elena climb down into the canoe. The interior was bare-bones, just six jump-seats and a pilot seat placed before a rudimentary control panel. “What is this ship?” Elena asked as they all strapped in, the Liar doing her best with a restraint system designed for humanoids.