The corridors of the Tabitha were rarely this silent. There was usually always someone coming or going in a hurry. Mayvheen walked slowly toward the rge viewing port, the reinforced gss cold against open palm. She stood there, a silhouette against the infinite bck, until the heavy tread of boots announced Veera’s arrival."Hey," Veera said, leaning with her shoulder against the bulkhead. "Any news on when the debriefing is happening?"Mayvheen didn't turn around. "No. Maybe after the rendezvous with the transport ship?"Veera let out a sharp exhale. "I'm not looking forward to that. It's always weird having all those civilians on board with us.""It'll be good to see some new faces, though, don't you think?" Mayvheen asked, with her usual optimism."No," Veera said ftly. "But it doesn't matter. They'll be gone again soon enough. Do you have any idea how many more of these escorts there are going to be?""I think this is one of the st ones. The whole restricted zone is pretty much evacuated by now.""Good," Veera muttered. "It's stressful having to keep tabs on all those idiots all the time."Mayvheen finally turned, a small frown on her face. "They're not idiots, and you don't have to watch them all the time, Veera.""Have you forgotten what happened st time?""Oh, Veera... that was an isoted incident. He was a troubled individual.""How do you know there aren't any more 'troubled' individuals on the Christopher?" Veera’s eyes fshed with annoyance."We've changed the protocols," Mayvheen insisted. "Tabitha will be monitoring all of them. No civilians will be able to get near an airlock.""I know," Veera said, crossing her arms. "Because I'll be watching them."Mayvheen sighed and turned back to the stars beyond the viewport. "I wonder where they are?"She leaned her hands against the gss, straining her eyes to spot the Christopher IV. She knew it was practically impossible to see it with the naked eye against the dark backdrop of space, but she looked anyway. Her thoughts drifted back to the dust of Khatsey and the terrifying encounter with the Cephilusk Speaker. She was gd to be back in the familiar, recycled air of the Tabitha.But then there was Katya. The girl.Could I have done anything more? Mayvheen wondered. Something different? The weight of the upcoming debriefing pressed on her. She didn't want her choices to tarnish Lochem’s command evaluation. She was so lost in her own worry that she didn't realise Veera was still talking to her."May?" Veera’s voice was sharper now.Mayvheen blinked, refocusing. "Mmmm. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realise." She forced a smile. "You have my full attention now. How are you doing? We haven't had much time to talk since... since we’ve been back.""I'm okay," Veera said. "Honestly.""Did Dr Amaya come to see you earlier?"Veera’s expression soured instantly. "Yeah. She agitated me more than she usually does.""You know she’s only trying to help, right?""That's what she keeps telling me," Veera said. "But May–" She paused, looking down at her boots."What is it?""It's nothing.""No, tell me, please? It's clearly something."Veera looked up, her eyes serious. "I don't trust her. I don't think she is our friend."Mayvheen’s eyes widened. "Why would you say that?""It's just a feeling I have. It’s probably nothing." Veera shook her head, as if clearing a bad thought, and joined Mayvheen to look through the viewport. "Do you want to tell me what you were thinking about earlier?""Oh," Mayvheen ughed softly. "Everything and nothing, all at the same time."Veera stepped closer, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her. "I can rete. There is something mesmerising about staring out into space like this, isn't there?""It’s so calm," Mayvheen whispered. "Tranquil. It's hard to believe there are trillions of souls out there, in the darkness, each one the protagonist of their own story. Everyone just... trying to make a living." Her voice faltered. "I wish Katya were here to see the view.""May– don’t," Veera said firmly."What?""Don't go there. It'll eat you up from the inside."Mayvheen bit her lip. "I... you’re right. It's just... I can't get over it. She was still so young, you know?""She is free now," Veera said, her voice unusually gentle. "No more suffering.""I don't think she was suffering before. I think she was happy for a teenager. Well, until she wasn't. You know, before everything happened.""Teenagers don't have happy lives," Veera countered."That's a harsh thing to say.""It's true. My teenage years were horrible. I won't compare them to Katya's, but still. I didn't enjoy them."Mayvheen looked at her friend with a newfound curiosity. "You grew up on Mars, right?""Yes," Veera said, her gaze fixed on a distant point. "Mars is a hard pce for an orphaned, teenage girl to grow up. But I got through it. Everyone does.""I guess," Mayvheen said, feeling a pang of guilt."What about you? Were your teen years happy?""I– no," Mayvheen admitted. "I mean, it was a breeze compared to what you went through–""Hey, don't do that," Veera interrupted."Do what?""Invalidate your own experiences through comparison. Sure, I had a tougher time growing up. But my experiences being worse than yours doesn't mean your feelings weren't real."Mayvheen looked at her, surprised by the insight. "It's just... I know I had it easy. Luna is a beautiful pce to grow up. I had loving parents and friends, but... I wasn't happy. I was angry most of the time. I was angry that Lochem left. I was angry about the war going on and on. Most of the time, I didn't even know what I was actually angry about.""Really? You? Angry?" Veera gave a small, genuine smile. "I almost can't imagine it.""Don't tease," Mayvheen said, also smiling."I'm not. Honestly. You are one of the calmest people I know.""I wasn't always this way," Mayvheen said softly. "When I was a kid, Lochem and I used to stare at Earth for hours at a time. 'Earth-gazing,' we used to call it.""I've heard Luna has the most fantastic views," Veera said."It does, especially from the spires. We had this huge viewing port in our home. Lochem and I would turn off all the lights and sit on these soft, comfy pillows, just basking in the Earth's glow. He would tell me stories of Earth... about foxes, or wolves, or other creatures I've only ever seen in holoflicks.""That sounds precious. You two were very close?""We were," Mayvheen said, the sorrow returning to her voice. "He was my best friend. But then he left, and I started to avoid outside viewports. I couldn't look out into space without being overwhelmed. Every time I looked into the bck vastness, I knew my brother was out there somewhere, fighting. I'm ashamed... but I hated him for it.""He didn't have a choice," Veera said. "The conscriptions were mandatory.""No. This was before the conscriptions. He decided to leave out of some mispced sense of duty."Veera paused, looking at Mayvheen. "I sometimes forget you are so much younger than I am. How old were you when he left?""I was still just a toddler.""I'm sorry. I can't imagine what that must’ve felt like," Veera said. "I've never had a brother or a sister... or even a friend to lose."Mayvheen turned to her, her voice earnest. "Veera, you know I think of you as a friend?""Sure," Veera said, though her voice had a tint of sarcasm. "We're best friends.""I mean it. I really do enjoy spending time with you.""That's just because you haven't spent enough time with me," Veera muttered. "You'll grow tired of me eventually.""I won't. I'm not going anywhere.""You say that now," Veera said, "but I like you, so I'll tell you this: You don't need to feel guilty when you do inevitably change your mind.""Veera, why would you say that?""Because it's true. People don't like me.""It isn't true, Veera," Mayvheen said, reaching out to touch her arm. "You are likeable."Veera became quiet and stared out into space. Her voice trailed off into a whisper. "May, have you ever–""Have I ever what?""There are things about me that you don't know about," Veera said, her eyes fixed on the stars."Same with me, Veera. We all have secrets.""I know, but not all secrets are equal," Veera insisted. "I'm not talking about a secret crush.""What kind of secret are you talking about?""The kind that can alienate people," Veera said.Mayvheen gnced over at her friend. She thought of the red pillow hidden in her own bedroom, a secret that carried its own weight and danger. She felt the truth of Veera's words.I'm intimately familiar with those kinds of secrets, Mayvheen thought. I would tell you, but... some secrets can do even more harm than just alienate those around you."Well," Mayvheen suddenly said aloud. "I'm here if you ever need to share with a friend."Veera nodded. Together, they watched the distant, flickering stars in silence, waiting for the ship that they would not be able to see.