She sat in her cabin, reading lines and lines of text scrolling on her TriVid screen.

  “I never knew you had an interest in religion.”

  The familiar voice startled her. She blinked a couple of times as she glanced up at the ceiling.

  “What?”

  “You’ve been reading everything you can find on Saan... Isn’t that a god?”

  Val grunted. “I’m just trying to understand what is going on on this world.” She looked back at the screen and swiped through some of the text. “Specifically, I’m looking for any mentions of a connection between this Saan and Rimzana. Or, lacking that, between the Qevahri and Rimzana. But so far, nothing!”

  “Isn’t that exactly what they are looking for?”

  “What’s your point?”

  “Would they be searching the planet if the answers were so readily available?”

  She sighed. “I hear what you’re saying. But there still has to be something. I mean, why do they even believe there is a connection? There has to be something that led them here.”

  The voice remained quiet for a while, before it finally returned.

  “Why do you care so much about this, Val?”

  “Me? Care? I don’t care! I’m just curious. And bored. Got to keep myself busy, you know. What else would I do with my time?”

  “You could be speaking with Mrill or that stranger...”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “Rickert? He locks himself up in his cabin most of the time. The only times we see him are when he’s hungry. As for Mrill, she needs her alone time, she’s made that clear, and I’m fine with it. So I decided to do some research to pass the time. Is that so bad?”

  “No.”

  She leaned back in her chair and frowned as she looked at the wall.

  “What’s up with you?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Come on, I know there’s something on your mind. I can hear it. More in your silences than in your words.”

  “I don’t—”

  “Out with it!”

  “It’s just...” There was another short silence. “What are we doing here, Val?”

  “What do you mean? On Rimzana?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’re waiting for Kaine. I thought that was clear.”

  “But why?”

  She crossed her arms, her frown increasing.

  “He’s our friend, that’s why.”

  “When you first met him, you couldn’t wait to be rid of him.”

  “Well, he was an annoying stranger then. Things are different now.”

  Another silence.

  “Val... Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course, Nim! Always.”

  “Are you going to leave me?”

  Her heart started beating faster, and she felt tears welling up.

  “No!” she said, with a catch in her throat. “What... How could you even think that? Of course not! Never!”

  “But... he has a ship.”

  “So?”

  “You can’t be together if you’re on different ships.”

  She stared at the wall in silence.

  Together?

  This was ridiculous.

  But it did touch on something she hadn’t considered. If Kaine got his ship back, why would he go with her? And if he didn’t go with her, what was she doing here?

  And why would he go with her, anyway? Why would she even want that herself? She was a scavenger. She should be out there right now, working instead of wasting her time away.

  She cursed.

  “Val?”

  “Sorry, Nim. Too many thoughts in my head right now. Look, I don’t know what will happen with Kaine and his ship, but I want to make one thing perfectly clear: I will never leave you. Got that?”

  “It’s okay, Val, I’d understand if—”

  “Nim! I said never!”

  Another silence.

  “Alright. Thank you.”

  She thought she heard relief in her former lover’s voice and it drew a sob out of her.

  “Are you okay, Val?”

  Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she straightened and cleared her throat.

  “I’m fine. Now, how about you help me with this? I think it’d go much faster if you combed through the records with me.”

  “Okay. What are we looking for?”

  “Any mention of Rimzana in the same text as Saan or Qevahr.”

  The two fell quiet as they dug into the work.