The inspection was over, but Valorie sensed the distrust that followed her like a haze. No one was outright mean, well, except Serge. She had never needed to repair a relationship before. It was easy to be ignored on a ship the size of the Anderson. There had to be something she could do, but right now she was at a loss.


    Valorie looked up again when a plate clicked on the table. Serge had placed a plate full of food in front of Yulia.


    “Dinners ready, unless any of you want a repli-meal.” He said.


    “Aw, where’s mine?” Leon asked.


    “You can get up and get it yourself.” Serge pointed to the counter.


    “Terrible service.” Leon grinned as he stood up. Yulia poked at the grains on her plate.


    “What if I want a repli-meal?” She asked. He frowned.


    “At least try it first.” He said, straightening up.


    “Wait, isn’t this the stir fry from yesterday?” She said, poking at one of the mushrooms this time.


    “This is my take. Mine is better.” He said. She frowned and took a bite of one of the meat strips. Contentment spread across her face as she chewed.


    “Fiiine, I guess I’ll have this one.” She said. He rolled his eyes and she laughed as she took another bite.


    The atmosphere reminded Valorie of breakfast. There was an ease in the air that she found calming. She waited to get food, hoping she could stay out of the way. When it was her turn, she realized Serge was at the counter helping distribute food. She couldn’t look him in the eye for the glare she was receiving. She looked down at the three dishes instead.


    “A little of each, please?” She held out her plate. She was afraid of what he might say but, without a word, Serge took her plate. When she got it back, there was a portion of each as she asked. She looked up to thank him, but he had turned away. Her shoulders sank a little, but at least it was over.


    Quiet fell as everyone settled into their seats. Valorie tried a piece of the vegetable first. With the sauce, the texture was very creamy. She was halfway through biting into it when Serge spoke up. His plate and utensils were untouched.


    “So, this is a dinner for the crew, right? Should she be eating with us?” He said indicating Valorie with one hand.


    “She is, at present, a member of our crew,” Gareth said, putting down his fork. Serge frowned.


    “After all that, you’re gonna keep her on board?” Serge said.


    Quinns interrupted. “What? You’re still on about the inspection being her fault? She warned us about it. She coulda let us get caught real easy. Seriously.” Quinns’ outburst gained looks from everyone in the room. He sat down quickly, but Serge wasn’t done.


    “Yeah, Yui said that, too. But it could’ve been a trap to see what we hide. Easy way to net more than some fugitives.” Serge said. Quinns looked up from his glass, face indignant.


    “Well, that didn’t happen either.” He said. As Quinns spoke, Allan stood up and joined them at the main table. He leaned forward over the end of the table between Quinns and Serge.


    “Are you arguing about Ms. Davis? What is she accused of?” He asked. His entrance surprised everyone except Gareth, who answered in a calm tone.


    “Acting as a spy by tipping the Empire off on the whereabouts of the fugitives,” Gareth said. There was an uncomfortable air in the silence that descended on the room. Even Shayla and Margarita and stopped eating to listen. Allan tapped his chin with a chuckle.


    “Is that so? Well. I am pleased to inform you, I already know the real culprit.” He said. He looked to Valorie with raised eyebrows, “As does she.” He added. Valorie’s brow furrowed. She didn’t like the looks that turned on her.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    “I do?”


    “Yes.” He walked over to the table where Rep Shayla and her assistant were seated. Shayla’s face turned bright red as he approached. She looked ready to start yelling. The fear Valorie had sensed in her at the emergency meeting was back. Margarita looked up at Allan warily, but she was calm.


    “Excuse me, ladies. May I ask a question?” Allan asked.


    “What?” Shayla asked. She met his eyes with a dare.


    “On Luxe station, when you were searching for the gate, you asked for directions. What ship did you ask for?” He smiled. It was that same cold, professional smile Valorie had seen before. As he asked, she remembered first meeting Shayla and Margarita at the gate. Shayla had been talking about getting directions. Valorie’s eyes widened.


    “The FL Helianthus, obviously.”


    “And there you have it.” Allan said, returning to the main table.


    “Lorrie, you didn’t.” Margarita’s voice was thick with disappointment. Shayla’s eyebrows furrowed as she turned to her assistant.


    “I didn’t what?”


    “You didn’t think they might report you?” Margarita asked. Shayla’s eyes widened, but she bristled. It seemed the more her fear grew, the angrier she got on the outside.


    “Oh that. Of course, I thought about it first. He seemed like a man of worth.” She said. The look Margarita gave her silenced anything else she had to say. Margarita sighed as she stood up, and walked over to the edge of the main table.


    “I am deeply sorry for the trouble we put you through.” She said, bowing her head. “We shall take our leave for dinner.” She added.


    “Regardless of why it happened, the danger has passed,” Gareth said. Margarita raised her head but remained quiet. “Nothing was lost but time. This is a good chance to celebrate, so enjoy your dinner.” Gareth said.


    Margarita nodded and met his eyes with a sincere smile. “I will discuss the matter with my commander. I think he will appreciate the lengths you and your crew went through to keep us safe. Really and truly, thank you, all of you.” She said bowing first to the Captain, and then again to the rest of the main table. It was quiet for a moment. No one had a response for such sincere gratitude. Sachi spoke first.


    “You’re very welcome, dear. Now, do as the Captain asks, and enjoy your dinner.” She said. Her voice was friendly, but the hint of scolding was still there. Valorie was beginning to think it was her natural tone.


    “Yeah, Serge’ll get mad if the food gets cold, you know,” Yulia added, waving her fork loaded with a piece of the creamy vegetable. Talk resumed as the hold on everyone’s excitement broke. Margarita bowed once more before returning to her place across from Shayla. When Quinns spoke, it drew Valorie’s attention back to the main table.


    “I told ya it wasn’t her,” Quinns said.


    “Doesn’t prove anything,” Serge grumbled, but his eyes were focused on the plate in front of him. Curious, Valorie reached out and found embarrassment, avoidance. She felt an empathetic twinge in her gut.


    “Hey Serge, don’t you have something to say to Valorie?” Yulia said, her tone stern. His eyes narrowed at his sister. She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. He rolled his eyes and turned to Valorie. She met his gaze as she had faced Dupont. Serge seemed to be scrutinizing her, really looking at her. Yulia nudged him, and he huffed. Valorie’s heart raced, readying for the next onslaught.


    Serge stood, his chair scratching across the floor as he did so, and ducked into the kitchen. He returned in only a moment with a tray in his hands. He set it down in front of Valorie and crossed his arms. It was a white cake, neat frosting unadorned except for a phrase written across the top.


    Valorie Davis, Welcome to the Helianthus in pink frosting. Her eyes watered as she read it. Tears? That could not be the right reaction. She nodded and tried to thank him, but the words stuck in her throat. He met her eyes, and she could swear his expression softened. His crossed arms eased and his hands went to his hips.


    “Eat your dinner first.” He said and returned to his seat. Yulia laughed.


    “Don’t worry. He’s always like that.” She said. She smiled as she spoke, her tone easy-going, but Valorie still felt discomfort behind it. Valorie stared into the cake, trying to think of a response but she was relieved when Gareth spoke up.


    “Perhaps to his dismay, Serge’s cake is correct. Valorie, you are welcome here. Do you still wish to join us?” He asked. She looked up from the cake and met his eyes.


    “Yes, if I may.” She smiled. Gareth stood up and held out his drink, and everyone followed him. Valorie saw this and raced to raise her glass of water. She had only seen this once before.


    “To our newest crew member, Valorie.” He said, clinking his glass against the ones closest to him. The others did the same, reaching out to tap her glass specifically. The sound tickled her ears. Then they drank. She followed, enjoying the cool clean water even more this time. The shared moment filled the room with a warm feeling that reminded her of the feeling she got in the Gardens. Once it was over, everyone got back into their seats.


    “With the theatrics complete, can we finally eat?” Leon said. There was laughter and chatter as the meal commenced. When it got quiet, Yulia started a conversation about what was in the storage room under the Gardens.


    “You won’t guess.” She said.


    “Dust.” Her brother said.


    “Okay, there was a lot of that. But, no. All the containers I checked were filled with kid’s toys and clothes.”


    “Ah, so that is where it all ended up. I always wondered about it.” Gareth said, and Yulia nodded as she described the little time capsule. Valorie found she was content just to listen as she enjoyed her meal.