“Why do you want to go?” Janice said. “It’s a big reward, sure, but it’s a big risk too.”

“You know me, Janice. I just do stuff. As a policy it’s worked out well for me so far.” Callie could come up with rationalizations: this was the big score, and worth the danger; they could discover something of vital importance for the future of humanity; rescuing a stranded crew was the right thing to do, both objectively and because, if they were ever lost, they’d want someone to do the same for them. Those were all true, but they just lent cover to her real reason: she wanted to spend more time with Elena. She wanted to help Elena. She wanted Elena to think she was brave and resourceful and kind. She hadn’t wanted to impress anyone that way since she met her ex-husband. Callie wasn’t silly enough to call it love, not at this point, but whatever it was, it met the necessary preconditions to become love, in time. “I’ll give Elena the good news.”

Chapter Nine

“That’s amazing!” Elena grabbed Callie in a hug, then suddenly let go and stepped back. “I’m sorry, I… Do you still hug in this century? Is it outside social norms?” What if there’d been some terrible contagion, and humans had stopped hugging? Embraces were already wildly variable in terms of appropriateness, depending on culture and upbringing…

Callie seemed amused. “No, it’s OK. We still hug. In theory, anyway. Conditionally. I don’t get hugged very often in practice.”

“It’s because you’re very intimidating.” Elena looked the captain up and down. Intimidating or not, there was something appealing about her – a sense of complete ease and self-assurance that she’d always found attractive. It was the same quality that had drawn her toward Sebastien. “I thought it was the boots – they are very butch boots – but really it’s just your whole air of command. Comes from… literally being in command, I suppose.”

“Ha. The boots are pretty great. They’re real vat-grown leather, black, covered with a transparent protective resin the Liars developed, all over an under-layer of steel-composite mesh. They’ve got electromagnetic soles too. They’re good for stomping around, crawling on the hull in space, and kicking smugglers in the guts. We can get you a pair if you want. I bet you’d look good in them.”