Starmuse Station
Auricle Alliance Science Council
in close orbit, Alpha Orionis A (Betelgeuse)
Date: 13/9/178
SHE WAS IN the control room when the message arrived. “Thalia, a priority on your screen,” said one of the tech-aides, passing behind her as she leaned over the gensat programming board.
“Mm?” She glanced up, then walked over to her own screen and tapped in her security code. A message appeared, under the screenhead of the Station Communications office: “Memo just received, as follows: ‘Departing Kantano’s World. Expect to arrive Starmuse Station by 24/9/178.—Willard Ruskin.’ No other information provided. Hope this cheers you. Com-Chief.”
Thalia drew a slow breath. The twenty-fourth. That would give them practically no time at all to bring him up to speed. Damn it—hadn’t he gotten their update? Well, never mind; at least he was coming. She could forget her nightmares that he had been kidnapped by enemy agents. Now, just don’t give him a hard time when he gets here, she thought. He’s going to feel strange seeing you, and there’s no telling what he’ll be feeling about the project. So go easy; don’t make a fuss.
She chuckled silently. But not so easy he doesn’t know it’s you.
Realizing that she had a silly grin on her face, Thalia carefully replaced it with a frown, then blanked the screen. She looked up and caught Snyder’s eye back at the gensat programming console. She gave him a brief thumbs-up gesture, then let her smile out again, just for an instant. Snyder’s eyebrows went up; then he, too, grinned and returned to his work.
Thalia gazed up at the enormous image of the billowing sun on the front screen. And for the first time in weeks, her heart lifted with genuine hope.