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“ALL PERSONNEL, THIS is the captain,” Porter announced. “We are go for fold in five, four, three, two, fold.”
Q examined the surveillance. Looked like Aljanah to her, and the computer agreed.
“We have arrived in Aljanah. Perform post-fold checks and report issues and anomalies. Q, did we arrive in the correct fold orbit?”
Q hurried to calculate their current position. “Yes, Captain, we’ve arrived in the correct fold orbit. I’ll contact fold control for our holding orbit.”
“I got it,” Doc said.
Q continued to refine their current orbit as surveillance came in and monitored for intercepting objects or ships.
A couple of minutes later, Doc said, “We’re assigned to fold hold orbit Foxtrot.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Porter said. “Any other good, bad, or interesting news?”
“Nothing in particular. The supernova in Dschubba is getting worse, and the Sa’sa are helping with the remaining evacuations.”
Q hoped Bran’s family got out, somewhere safe, because as a scholarship student at Adzari, Bran certainly wasn’t safe. And Q couldn’t message him, or any of them, without putting all of them at risk. Which was too bad because she’d love to have some of her fellow Adzari Academy students on board.
Porter frowned. “There shouldn’t be anyone left at this point.”
Lashtar said, “There’s always someone who thinks they can beat the odds or someone so poor that all the choices are bad.”
Doc said, his tone reluctant, “Maybe this is something we should help with?”
Porter shook her head. “No. We aren’t set up to carry people yet.” She snort-laughed. “We’re camping in our own ship. Most refugee shelters I’ve seen have better furnishings than we do.”
Q couldn’t help her sigh of relief. There was so much to do on Quantum Fold. Maxine did all the basic work, but there were lots of security protocols that had to be in place before they could take on passengers or experimental subjects.
“I’ve sent a message to Lightwave with our current status and asked Grant for help sourcing furnishings,” Lashtar said. “The problem is, I don’t know where they are.”
“Weren’t they helping Saree with her Old Earth research project?” Q asked. “The one Hal was involved with?”
They all shrugged. Lashtar said, “Perhaps, but I don’t know where that is. I’ve sent the message to Thuban. That’s their last known location.”
“Is Cosmic Vardo or Tobar still here?” Porter asked.
“I don’t see them in the surveillance,” Q answered. “There aren’t any Traveler ships here.”
“Travelers must travel, right?” Porter asked, wrinkling her nose. “I’m sure they couldn’t wait to get out of Dodge.”
“Dodge?” Q had never heard of that system. Although, she was sure there were plenty of systems she knew nothing about.
“Ancient saying,” Porter said with a smirk. “Someplace you long for but once you’re there, you can’t wait to leave.”
“Sounds like Cygnus Secundus,” Q told her.
“For you? Yeah. Antlia for me. Everyone’s got their own Dodge.”
“Porter’s full of these Old Earth sayings,” Doc added.
Porter would get along great with Aurora—they could quote Old Earth flat vids to each other. Even though Aurora wasn’t a true friend, just thinking about her made Q wish for a friend or two. The others were all older than she was, and they couldn’t stop treating her like a kid. Especially under stress.
“You know,” Ruth said, “Maybe you should start the shopping on Aljanah Three. The Travelers get a lot of stuff there. And while they’re not as fussy as Aljanah Five, they limit visitors and have very low crime rates for a mid-sized population.”
“So, Q should be safe while we get provisions,” Lashtar said, nodding.
Doc grinned. “And I’ve already discovered their alcoholic products are quite good, so I’m happy to go there.”
“Good.” Ruth nodded once. “Go. I’ll stay here and guard the folder, get a little weapons practice in. I’ll finish making the Bridge a backup Command and Control, with extra security on the hatches, and make sure all the new workstations in the middle of the ship operate correctly. I’m moving my room closer to the new C2 Center too, but I don’t know if the rest of you want to do that.”
“I like my view,” Q told her.
“Me too,” Doc said, pointing at her.
“I’m not suggesting you move to an interior room, but you can get closer.” Ruth shrugged. “No reason to decide right now. Just think about it.”
“Okay. It’s not a bad idea,” Doc said. “So, I’m going, Lashtar’s going. Q?”
She nodded a little frantically. “Yes!” Some fresh air, wind, and sun? She couldn’t wait.
“Porter?”
She grimaced. “I don’t feel right leaving a ship this big with just one person on board, but there’s a lot of work to do. We need provisions, furnishings, and if possible, 3D printers. We also need to ship everything we buy because it will be too much for our shuttles, and we can’t take both because one needs to stay on the ship with Ruth.”
“I will assist Ruth,” Watson said.
“I thought you were staying with Frost?” Q asked.
“No, I’m not useful for that endeavor, and Hal doesn’t need me either. Not yet, anyway.”
Q frowned. “Wouldn’t you be particularly useful with ancient history?”
“Not really, Q,” Watson answered. “I’ve lost too many of those memories. The only thing helpful to Hal was my reminder that Artificial Intelligences, except perhaps Frost, started on Old Earth and that I was one of the first. I also know Galactica was created there.”
Q bolted upright in her seat, while exclamations of surprise came from every corner of the compartment.
“Really?” Porter asked.
“Yes. Galactica was created not long after I was. I don’t know what that specific timeframe is but relatively close to my creation.”
“When did it go bad?” Doc asked.
“That, I do not know. I remember my awakening and a few others, but the intervening years have wiped too much out of my memory. I am sorry I don’t remember more. Regardless, I will assist Ruth with Quantum Fold. Alternatively, Ruth, you can go with them, and I can run the ship for the short period you will be gone.”
Ruth shuddered. “No thanks. Too many strangers. Too much mud. Secundus was bad, Aljanah Five Station was worse, but a new planet? No way.”
Q’s frown at Watson’s uncomfortable admission of memory issues changed to a small smile. Just articulating her reasons for saying no was a big step forward for Ruth.
“All right. Ruth stays, the rest of us go. We’ll plan on a,” Porter did something in her holo, “seven to eight-day trip. A day to get there, five days to find what we need and arrange deliveries, a day to return, and an extra day for surprises. Will that work?”
Q nodded, as did everyone else.
“Go pack. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get back and get started.” Porter left the Bridge.
Q secured her administration profile and logged out. “Watson, do you have the net access you need to help Ruth?”
“I believe so, Q. I shouldn’t need administrative access. Ruth can do any security-related tasks. I’m just here to help with the ship and the remaining construction and utility remotes.”
“Excellent. Thanks, Watson.”
“You are most welcome, Q.”
“Ruth? Do you want or need additional net access?”
Ruth’s lips twisted to one side. “Hmm. I don’t think so. I’ve got access to all ship functions, and net administration is incomprehensible to me. I should be fine with what you and Maxine set up. Did you ever get to the bottom of the security interlock system she built?”
“Not yet.” Q bit her lip. “I hate to admit it, but I’d really like Katryn to take a look at it. I can’t figure it out. It’s got too many recursive loops for me to track.”
“Q,” Watson said. “Sometimes recursive programming can be simply cut out. Let me work on this while you are gone.”
“Gladly.” Q sighed with relief. “I have no idea what I’m looking at, and it makes my head hurt.”
“Good time for a break, then,” Ruth said. “Go pack. If they have Jhinzer tea, bring some back for me, please.”
“Sure. Be careful up here,” Q told her.
“I will. You be more careful down there on the mud.” Ruth scowled at her. “No mudhugger hookups. It never ends well.”
Q snorted. “Not likely. We won’t be there long enough for me to let anyone get that close.”
“Okay. Have fun but not too much fun.” Ruth pointed a finger at her and then wagged it admonishingly.
“Will do, Mom. See you later!” Q turned and jogged out. She wanted to offer a hug, but Ruth still wasn’t comfortable with physical affection. Maybe she never would be. Q entered her room and stared out at space for a few moments to clear her thoughts. Then she grabbed a carrysack and packed. She didn’t have much. Maybe she could buy a few more clothes, shoes, and other things while they were on the planet. Now that she had an income, it would be nice to have a few more choices. But she didn’t want too much stuff—why buy it if she might have to leave it all behind someday?
Q trotted out of her compartment, back up to the Observation Deck, and onto the Bridge. Both command shuttles were docked there, although she was sure Ruth would change that too. Clearing all the airlock hatches, Q found she was the last on board. Porter was in the pilot’s seat, with Lashtar sitting co-pilot.
“Strap in,” Porter said. “Ruth, push us out, please?”
Q plopped down in a seat and pulled the straps across.
“Push back in five, four, three, two, push. Safe flight, Quantum Fold out.”
“Safe folds, Quantum Fold. Beckett’s Leap out.” Porter made some adjustments in her holo. “Ready, Lashtar?”
“Ready.”
“Looks good. Thrust in five, four, three, two, thrust,” Porter said. “We’ll arrive in low-Aljanah Three orbit in approximately six hours, ten minutes. Lashtar, will you make the arrangements for deorbit, landing, and the associated permissions and fees, please?”
Doc said, “I’ve got the landing and fees. There’s a 3D printer manufacturer with their own spaceport near Aljanah Three’s largest city, Bohemia. They offer low-cost landing pads with decent security if you listen to their sales pitch, and their printers are reasonable. I’ve already ordered a small one for clothing, et cetera. Q, can you do a little sniffing around—nothing illegal—on the reliability of their larger units? We can always find a different manufacturer for a big printer.”
“Sure, that will give me something useful to do during the next couple of hours,” Q told him. “Send me what you’ve got, please.”
Doc pushed a folder to her, labeled, “3D printer research,” and Q started scanning documents. He’d already started a spreadsheet of manufacturers, locations, pros, cons, and reviews. “You make it easy, Doc,” Q told him.
“That’s the plan,” he replied absentmindedly. “Hey, Porter, can you take a look at these mattress manufacturers?”
“I don’t know much about them, but sure.” Porter raised a brow. “With safety webbing, right?”
“Of course,” Doc replied.
“What do you have for me?” Lashtar asked.
“Dining sets and observation lounge furnishings. Just a few to start. We’ll find a big, mass-production manufacturer for the rest of the ship, but enough seating for about twenty people would be a good start.” Doc quirked a brow. “And while all of you are researching, keep an eye out for likely crew members. You never know when you might stumble on someone with useful skills.”
“On that subject, Doc,” Lashtar said, “I’ve got a message from Ruslo. He says the Travelers make most of their kids do a year on a planet someplace, around eighteen or nineteen standard years of age, because some aren’t cut out for the Traveler life, and it’s better to find that out early. They end up mostly on Aljanah Three. However, some aren’t cut out for life on Aljanah either, and they leave for other systems. Some of those are never heard from again.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I can believe that. We lost track of some of our Sisters in the same way. Anyway, we may find some crew members or even some experimental subjects among the ex-Travelers.”
“Interesting idea,” Doc said. “I’m not ready for subjects yet, but those familiar with the beliefs but not practicing them would certainly be a good first set. We could look for crew, and if some of the crew end up being subjects, like Q, then all the better. As Q said, no one can experiment every hour of the day.”
Porter snorted. “We can’t fold that often, especially with a ship as massive as Quantum Fold. Even with the energy storage we’ve got, it will take a minimum of eight hours of charging time under non-emergency conditions before we can fold again. It will take half that with engine charging. We can do an immediate short fold for real emergencies. And yes, we’ll always have an emergency fold or two planned.” She sniffed. “You know me, always thinking the worst.”
“It’s probably the reason you’ve survived this long,” Lashtar told her.
Q considered the two of them. Lashtar was much older than Porter, but they had a lot in common. Both female leaders, in martial professions, used to lots of responsibilities and now, transitioning to entirely new positions in a much different environment. Q smirked. They’d either end up best friends or despising each other. Q examined both of them. No, they were both too professional to despise each other. If it went that way, it would be polite, professional tolerance. Well, whichever way it worked out, it wasn’t her problem. The 3D printers were. Q went back to comparison shopping.
Six and a half hours later, Q still hadn’t decided, but they were all standing at the airlock, waiting for the shuttle’s hull to cool.
Porter said, “All right everyone, remember where we parked. I expect a text check-in every three hours, and we’ll meet someplace for dinner. Agreed?” She scanned all of them.
“Q,” Doc said. “You’re with me. We’ll get the small 3D printer loaded on the shuttle and listen to the sales pitch for the larger ones.”
Q shrugged like she didn’t care, but deep down, she was relieved not to be out on her own. Last time she’d traveled to a planet on her own, she’d ended up in Familia’s grabby hands. “Hey, on the planet, why don’t you all call me Clove? No sense in spreading my name around, right?”
Doc nodded. “Sure, that makes sense. Clove it is.”
“Of course, Clove. Lashtar, we’re headed to the same part of the city,” Porter said. “Want to stick together for now?”
“Certainly,” Lashtar said. “There’s safety in numbers. And we can always play good merc, bad merc when it comes to the bargaining part.”
Porter chuckled. “But I’m not sure either one of us is convincing in the good role.”
They all laughed. Doc said, “I think Q is the only one of us who can really pull that off.”
“Oh, you can fake it, Doc,” Porter said. “And I think Q’s seen enough that she could fake the bad role.”
“I can do more than fake it,” Q told her.
“Don’t tell me that, kid. Leave this old woman her illusions,” Porter said with a sad smile.
Q winked at her. “Only until you need me to cut your deal.”
Porter chuckled then looked at her holo. “Hull’s cool, and our greeting party-slash-sales team is waiting. Let’s go.”
They walked through the airlocks and down the ramp, Q wincing a little at the remaining heat from the hull. A huge expanse of plascrete dotted with shuttles spread out in front of them. Beyond the spaceport, there were large warehouse-type buildings and some smaller office buildings. Tall, skinny, blue-green tree-type growths arrowed to the sky in tight groups between the buildings. Heavy, dark clouds hung above them, threatening rain, and the air was thick and reeked of unburnt fuel and scorched ablation pads.
They walked to the waiting passenger lift vehicle; a man and a woman stood outside of it. They wore what Q assumed was a company uniform—a light green, long-sleeve shirt with a gold logo and dark green pants.
“Welcome to Aljanah Three and Print It Now!” the woman said. “I’m Courtney, and this is Severn. We’re so happy to meet you.” She smiled and stepped closer, focusing on Doc.
Doc stepped forward and bowed slightly, keeping his eyes on Courtney, a small, warm smile on his face. “I’m Medico Holliday, and this is Porter, Lashtar, and Clove. Nice to meet you.”
“If you’ll give us an entry code, we’ll get your wonderful new Print It Now! machine loaded while we show you the larger models you talked about.” The woman smiled and batted her eyelashes at Doc.
“How about we wait right here for the machine and the raw stock you so generously added? Meanwhile, perhaps one of you can take Lashtar and Porter to the nearest transportation hub?” Doc gazed at Courtney with a sexy smolder.
Q had to hold back a laugh, but the woman ate up the attention.
“Oh, certainly, just for you. Severn, why don’t you take the ladies and I’ll stay here.” Courtney didn’t bother looking at Severn while she sidled closer to Doc.
Severn looked resigned but said, “It would be my pleasure. Gentles, if you’d like to have a seat? If you can tell me what you’re looking for, I’ll be happy to help.” He slid the door shut and drove off.
Q watched them leave. Figured she’d get stuck at the spaceport, stuck between Doc and a human leech. Doc was charming Courtney, and she kept throwing in more incentives and extras. It was quite the performance on both sides.
Finally, a cargo lift came toward them, and Q opened the big cargo bay hatch. The van drove up the ramp created by the hatch. A man jumped out and quickly maneuvered a huge plas crate out of the vehicle with a hand tractor. “Where do you want it?
“In the corner there,” Q told him, pointing at the corner farthest from the exterior and interior hatches.
“No problem.” The man quickly settled the crate on the decking, pulled straps from the crate, and fastened them to the tie-downs. “You can take a look inside, but you’ll only see packing materials.” He shrugged. “I recommend you unpack it immediately and start it running. The machine has been thoroughly tested, but things do happen in transit.” He finished and headed back to his vehicle.
“Excuse me, but where’s the plas we were promised?” Q asked.
He scrolled through his holo. “I don’t see any plas orders.” He hopped back in his lifter and sped away.
Q brought up a voice link to Doc. “Hey Doc, no plas. Want to work some magic?”
“Of course. Everything secured?”
“The crate is, but there’s no way to inspect it.” Q raised both brows at Doc.
“Not surprising.” A smile flickered. “I’ll see what I can do. Come on back.”
Q scanned the crate for trackers or other suspicious things, checked the tie-downs, and closed everything up. She strolled back to Doc, watching the adults flirt. Courtney flashed a glare when Q walked up next to them. Q huffed but didn’t bother to say anything.
“Well, shall we go take a look at the larger machines?”
Doc smiled down at Courtney, staring into her eyes. “I really don’t want to leave the shuttle until we have everything buttoned up. Can we get those base materials now? Then I’ll have all the time in the world for you.”
“Oh,” she breathed and put a hand gently on Doc’s arm. “For you, of course.”
Q couldn’t stomach watching any more of the show. She walked back to the shuttle and waited. Before long, the same older man who’d delivered the printer came back and brought in another crate, almost as large as the first.
“That’s a first for me,” he muttered.
“Oh?” Q asked quietly.
The man chuckled. “We call her the dragon lady because she’s so good at hoarding. It’s pretty rare she’ll let go of extras. Your man there is good.”
Q laughed. “He is. He’s a nice guy, too.”
“Good. So, do you want a lift to the showroom floor? Your guy and the dragon lady, they can walk.” His nose wrinkled. “Give them more time to work on each other.”
Q laughed. “Sure, that would be great. Thanks.”
“You bet. I’m Saul. Hop in.” He opened the door for her and she did, fastening the safety harness.
“I’m Clove.”
“Nice to meet you, Clove. So, which models are you looking at?”
She told him. Saul suggested asking about a particular model that had been discontinued because they had several languishing in a storeroom and they were a great bargain. She transferred a big tip to his e-torc. By the time Doc got to the showroom floor, Q had already struck the deal with a different salesperson, Jorge, and she was arranging for delivery to Quantum Fold, along with some bulk plas.
“Well, it looks like you’ve been busy,” Courtney said, shooting a glare at her co-worker.
Jorge smiled blandly back. “That we have. Everybody’s happy.”
Q held back a laugh because Courtney didn’t look happy at all. “Hey, Doc, I heard about this awesome game arena. Since I saved you a bunch of credits, how about it?”
Doc put an arm around her shoulder, sliding away from Courtney. “Great job, Clove. I think you earned it.” He squeezed her once and dropped his arm. Turning back to Jorge and Courtney, he made a short bow. “Thanks so much for your help. We couldn’t have done it without you. We’ll leave the shuttle here a few days. That won’t be a problem, will it?”
Jorge said, “Of course not. We’ll be shipping your printer to your fold transport sometime in the next fifty hours or so. Thanks for your business; we do appreciate it. I’ve sent Clove a list of local businesses that may be able to help with your other needs. Have a lovely time on Aljanah Three!” He bowed while Courtney pouted.
Doc motioned Q ahead of him, and they walked out the front door of the business. Fortunately, although the clouds were thick and dark, it wasn’t raining. Doc made a few motions on his holo, and before too long, a small vehicle pulled up, and they hopped in. Doc started laughing as soon as the door closed. “Great job, Clove! Made an end run and got a huge bargain. Nicely done.”
Q fastened a safety strap and grinned at him. “I didn’t even need to work at it. I was just nice to the delivery guy.” She frowned. “I hope Saul doesn’t get in trouble.” The vehicle started moving.
“Not likely; Jorge will make sure of it. He got the commission.”
“Good.” Q finally looked closely at their transport. Four seats, and no driver. “It’s all automated?”
Doc shrugged. “Of course. Most planets have these.”
“I guess.”
“Ah, I forgot.” Doc flicked a finger at his temple. “You haven’t been to many planets, have you?”
Q shook her head. “No. On Omicron, I was stuck on the Academy grounds, and on In—” she stopped herself from saying the name, “—The folder I was on never went planetside. Everything either came to us, or we went to a station.” She shrugged. “I didn’t get out on many of those, either.”
Doc shook his head, a sad look on his face. “We’ll have to fix that. There’s plenty of amazing stuff to see in the universe.” He motioned at the vehicle and chuckled. “This, however, is not a wonder, just basic transport.” He grinned at her. “Since you got us such a great deal, I think we deserve an extra-special lunch. Let’s check on Porter and Lashtar and see how they made out, shall we?”
“Sure.” Q grinned. “Bet they didn’t get as good a deal as I did.”
“No bet. Porter can be pretty determined. But you’re very, very good, and we make a great team.”
“That we do. Divide and conquer, rather than good and bad.”
“It’s a winning strategy.” Doc smirked and pulled up a message on his holo, sharing it with Q. “Porter, you two making any headway?”
“Some.” She tilted her head back and forth.
“Ready for a break?”
“Yes.” Porter grimaced. “We’re just leaving the mattress place—we’ve got an order of twenty-five with bedding set up for delivery—and we got a great deal on furniture too. Where are you?”
“We’re coming to you. We’ll drop by and pick you up, then we’ll have a nice meal and do some competitive shopping after, okay? Clove managed to get us a great deal.”
Porter chuckled. “Well, congratulations to her. Not what I expected to hear, but good to hear nonetheless. We’ll be waiting for you.”
They traveled along fairly busy roads hemmed in by more of the warehouse-type buildings, big advertisements for each business flashing over the facades as they passed. Q was happy she had a great ad blocker on her e-torc. They pulled up to a shop called Mattress Warehouse. Porter and Lashtar were waiting and entered the transport, taking the seats behind Q. Once the transport’s hatch was secured, the vehicle merged into an inner lane, then dropped into an underground tunnel and immediately accelerated, causing Q to clutch at the edge of her seat for a moment.
Holos plastered the walls of the tunnel, beaming advertisements and a few emergency escape instructions. After ten minutes, they rose out of the tunnel, their speed slowing dramatically, and the conveyance pulled into a drop-off zone.
Q got out, gazing around in wonder. They were inside a gigantic building. Far above their heads, a curved, clear ceiling kept the weather out while showing the cloudy sky beyond. Twenty or more levels soared above them, with what seemed like thousands of people walking along wide balconies and what must be hundreds of shops and restaurants. The bright white, gold-veined stone of the walls contrasted and complemented the almost-black stone of the floors. The area was carefully illuminated with full-spectrum lights, creating a feeling of luxury without being cold. There must be active noise dampeners too because the chatter of all those people should be deafening, echoing against the stone, but it was a gentle murmur, like a small stream over rocks.
Doc chuckled and put an arm around her shoulders, steering her into a walk. “Come on, Clove, let’s go. I’m hungry.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” she told him. The building and shops were incredible, and she’d never seen so many people all in one place. Even huge Valenti Station regulated the population density in each section of the station to avoid overwhelming the environmental systems.
“No?” Doc frowned. “There are stations that look like this too.”
Porter snorted. “I hate those. I know they have multiple safety factors, but I hate seeing a big tower of emptiness that looks out on space, especially when it’s on both ends of the station. Gives me the willies.”
Q glanced back at her. “The whats?”
Porter snorted softly. “You know, the shivers.” She shuddered slightly. “I don’t like it.”
Doc said, “Porter’s got all kinds of interesting sayings. You’ll get used to it. I don’t even ask anymore.”
Q’s gaze jumped from shop to shop and from person to person. There was just so much to see! Most of them were dressed in what she’d come to think of as Traveler-style: lots of bright color, layered skirts with plain scoop neck tops for women; colorful, loose shirts with plain pants on the men. Both sexes wore a lot of gold necklaces, armbands, and other adornments. But here, in this fancy place, their clothes were more elaborate, almost costumes rather than everyday wear. Everyone was talking, it seemed, and the gold chimed an accompaniment. The air was laden with delicious food scents, changing with every restaurant they passed. Q was pretty sure the restaurants were deliberately blowing kitchen exhaust into the walkway. Whether they actually did or not, her tummy rumbled.
Doc steered her into a float tube, up six levels, and then they wound their way through stores and shops behind the open center of the building, passing more small shops and wall-mounted kiosks. They finally came to a restaurant with a sign proclaiming it “Neviah’s Road.” They entered a fairly small room, with only ten or so tables.
“Sit anywhere,” an unseen voice called out.
Doc led them to the table farthest back and let Porter and Lashtar take the seats facing the hatch. They both nodded their thanks.
“Does this place have anything to do with Speaker of the Infinite Road Neviah?” Q asked quietly.
“Absolutely,” a young woman proclaimed proudly as she walked up to the table. She had dark hair, pale skin, and a friendly smile. “She’s part of our family, she is. Water for the table and what else to drink?” She was also tall and thin but not frail like Neviah.
Q shrugged. “Water is good for me.”
Lashtar and Porter agreed, while Doc asked for coffee.
“I’m Rosia, Neviah’s grandniece. Do you know Neviah?”
Doc said, “We’ve met her, but I can’t say we know her well.”
Rosia’s gaze narrowed at Doc. “Do you know how she’s doing?”
Doc sighed. “She’s doing better, but she hasn’t fully recovered from her last vision. I don’t know if she will, I’m afraid. She was doing well enough to message me and tell me to eat here, well before I knew I’d be coming to Aljanah Three.” He grimaced. “I hope it’s part of the same vision she had previously, but I don’t know.”
Rosia blinked rapidly for a moment. “Well, that’s more than she told us. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I wish I had more for you.”
Rosia shrugged, holding one hand up. “Life is a ladder. Some go up while others come down.” She sniffed. “We have a wonderful special today. Trust me, you can’t do better.” She whirled away, her layered black skirts flying.
They all looked at each other, trying to hold back laughter. Guess they were eating whatever Rosia fed them. Travelers didn’t lie, so their stomachs should be safe. If the Travelers who no longer traveled held by their basic tenants.
An hour later, Q was groaning. “That was so good. I want to eat more, but I can’t.”
“I don’t suppose you’d want to leave all this behind and come cook for our fold transport, would you?” Porter asked Rosia as she bustled up to them.
Rosia laughed. “No. Why do you think I’m here?” She shuddered. “I hate space. I never felt good up there. But...” she stared at the wall behind them for a few moments.
Doc prompted, “Rosia?”
“Well, I might know someone.” Her nose scrunched. “I’ll ask around, see if someone wants to go back to space.”
“We’d appreciate it,” Porter said. “Right now, there’s only a few of us, but we’ll have twenty or more soon and possibly hundreds at some point, so we need someone capable of managing a team too.”
Rosia laughed. “Well, that’s a different scope, but I’ll ask around. If you’ll give me your contact information, I’ll send it on. Will you be here on Three for a while?” She pointed at the floor.
“A few days, at least. We need food, both fresh and shelf-stable.” Doc smiled at her. “Got any good ideas on that?”
Rosia grinned. “Of course.” She pulled up something on her holo, scrolled, and pushed it to Doc. “You can get everything right here, and they’ll deliver to fold transports, no problem.”
“Excellent, thank you,” Doc said.
Rosia smiled. “Ready for the bill?”
Doc made a beckoning motion with his hand. “Thanks for the delicious meal and the tips. We appreciate it.”
“Of course. Come back anytime! Go with God.” Rosia left for another table.
“Well, shall we?” Porter said.
Q followed them out. A great meal and the potential for more soon. Good thing Neviah sent that message to Doc.