Taban: It’s a funny thing, HARE. We talked about religion. But whatever you believe—every single creature in this universe dies alone. That’s a fact. No matter where it is or how or what or who’s with it at the time. It’s like this quote I heard. Death is like a door. It’s one person wide. When you go through it, you do it alone. Whatever’s on the other side is—whatever. But the crossing over, you do alone.

HARE (processors whirring): . . .

Taban: But . . . I don’t know. I was just a kid. I didn’t like to think of it like that. I thought, ‘I could at least watch it go. Acknowledge it, instead of just letting it vanish into the void like it was nothing. Someone should.’ I don’t know. Like I said, I was young.

HARE: I understand.

Taban: . . . Anyway. Enough of my babbling.

HARE: I do not think it is babbling.

Taban: Why don’t you play us some music?

11.

After she broke off from Fulbreech, Park received an alert on her inlays: METIS informed her that Commander Wick had summoned her to his quarters. He had tagged the summons as a “mandatory check-up.”

As if he would put a suppressor on her tongue and make her say “ah,” Park thought as she diverted from her route to her own bunk. The term did give her a sense of dread. It was too clinical, too sinister. Had Wick somehow found out what she’d been doing? Had Fulbreech told him?

But Wick is a reasonable man, Park told herself. He was always so patient, so paternally reliable. She didn’t have to worry about him shooting her or freezing her—did she?

Maybe she ought to bring Jimex with her, she thought, thinking of him still standing inert in her office. For insurance. But then again, Wick was commander; his orders took precedence over hers. Jimex would ultimately have to obey him. He would bundle Park into a coffin and nail her inside, if Wick told him to. Her stomach sank. She really had no one to count on in this place.

On her way to see Wick, she ran into Natalya—who was doing lazy cartwheels and somersaults down the corridor to Wick and Boone’s bunk. Park slowed as she approached the surveyor; she could see a little flask glinting at Natalya’s belt.