“Your reassurance needs work,” Anja said drily.
“She should calm down once she gets to know you, but sometimes new crew members get extra attention for a while.”
I led Anja to my quarters. In the office, I saw Luna just before she jumped, but she was aiming for me, not Anja, so I let her land on my shoulder guard, used to absorbing her momentum.
Anja gasped, but didn’t move.
I turned, so Luna was closer to the MechE. I reached up and scratched the burbu under the chin. She purred in greeting. “This is Luna. She’s spoiled rotten, as you can see.”
Luna watched Anja with quiet patience. Anja reached out a tentative hand. “May I?”
“Of course. She loves to be petted. Behind her ears or under her chin are her favorites. Don’t pet her tail or belly unless she’s in your lap and very calm.”
Anja petted her for a few seconds, then froze and looked at me with wide eyes. “Did she just—?”
Luna butted her hand and Anja absently started petting her again.
“She mildly telepathic, if that’s what you mean. She can project emotions and simple pictures at you. Was it a picture of food? She hasn’t had breakfast yet and food is her favorite.”
“It kind of looked like a bunny.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, that means food. You’ll get used to it because you’ll see it a lot.”
“I saw a few burbus during the war, but I never got close. I had no idea.”
“I think they are protected in the Valovian Empire. The FHP had a shit fit when I told them I was keeping her, but after I showed them how I’d tried to return her to her natural habitat, multiple times, without success, they relented. Still, I would appreciate it if you didn’t advertise her presence.”
Anja nodded. “Of course.”
I led Anja back out into the hallway and Luna came along for the ride. “Might as well do a quick tour while we’re here. I’ll stop by the galley to feed this little mischief-maker, then we’ll carry boxes. Sound good?”
When Anja agreed, I pointed at the two doors across the hall from mine. “Kee and Eli. They’re both enjoying their last day of sleeping in, so I’ll introduce you later. Kee is my systems engineer and Eli is my first officer. If you need anything while on board, either of them can help you.”
This end of the hallway led to the bridge, so I started there and worked my way through the ship. We stopped in the galley to feed Luna. We left her with her food and continued with the tour. The ship had three levels, with the main level at the top.
The main level contained the crew quarters, bridge, galley, and garden. The middle level housed the medbay, gym, and rec room. The bottom level was the maintenance level with all of the mechanical systems that kept us alive and flying.
The gym took up around 40 percent of the middle level. Strength and flexibility made bounty hunting easier and burning off excess energy was good for mental health out in deep space. I had installed multiple cardio and resistance stations, and there was a large open space with a padded floor that we used for stretching and hands-on combat training.
The rec room was as large as the gym, but the room was divided into smaller spaces with lightweight, movable half walls. Comfortable furniture in various groupings gave everyone a place to relax and unwind, either alone or together. We spent a lot of time here, watching vids, reading, and just quietly hanging out together.
The last stop on the middle level was the medbay. It was relatively small, with four beds and an autostabilization unit. We didn’t have a dedicated doctor, but Eli, Kee, and I had all had extensive first aid and trauma training.
“Is that a third-gen autostab?” Anja asked, using the shortened name we’d all picked up in the service. When I confirmed, she whistled under her breath. “No wonder the rest of your ship is in need of repair, all of your money is in here.”
She wasn’t wrong. The tech was incredibly expensive. But when medical help was sometimes days or weeks away, an autostab could be the difference between life and death. It was worth it not to watch another friend die.
“Have you had to use it?”
I nodded. “Once.” Kee had caught a stray plas pulse during what should’ve been an easy pickup. I shoved down the memories of blood and fear. The autostab had saved her life, even if the slow journey back to civilization had taken a decade off mine. I swallowed and continued, “It paid for itself.”
Anja’s expression turned grim and her mouth tightened in sympathy. She, too, knew about loss.
I mentally shook myself. “Let’s skip the bottom level, since you already saw it yesterday. Any questions before we start carrying boxes?”
“What’s the ship schedule?”
“We usually run on a standard day cycle with everyone on a single daytime shift unless we’re in dangerous territory. You will be expected to help with general cleaning in addition to your mechanical duties, but everyone gets plenty of downtime. We’ll add you to the dinner cleanup schedule, which is shared by everyone who doesn’t cook. If you enjoy cooking, let me know, and I’ll swap days with you.”
Anja laughed. “You don’t want me in the kitchen.”
“Fair enough,” I agreed with a smile. “Dinner is communal, and while eating together is not required, it’s encouraged.”
“Will the Valoffs eat with us?”
I grimaced before reluctantly nodding. “I’d rather keep an eye on them, so yes. Is that going to be a problem?”
“No. I can be civil, but I doubt we’re going to end up best buds.”
“Civil is all I ask.”
By the time we’d moved Anja’s stuff into her quarters and returned the levcart, both Kee and Eli were awake. I found them in the galley. Kee sat at the bar while Eli worked the stove. Luna was nowhere to be found. She liked to nap after meals, so she’d likely be in the garden.
Eli turned to slide eggs out of a pan and onto two plates. “You want some?” he asked when he caught sight of us.
“No, thanks.” I’d grab something later when I got hungry. “Anja?”
Her stomach growled, but still she hesitated.
“If you don’t like eggs, you’re welcome to have something else,” I said. “There’s plenty of leftovers in the fridge, or we have meal bars.”
“Don’t listen to our fearless captain. I make a mean scrambled egg—far better than some tasteless meal bar.” Eli’s smile was warm and welcoming, and it took me a second to remember the effect he had on others.
Anja blinked and rallied enough to say, “Eggs would be great, thank you. I can clean up.”
“I’ve already volunteered,” Kee said with a bright smile. She handed one of the plates to Anja and kept the second one as Eli returned to cooking. “But I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to keep me company. I’m Kee, systems engineer. And that ugly brute is Elias, first officer, but we all call him Eli. Welcome aboard!”
“I’m Anja, mechanical engineer. Nice to meet you.”