He glances toward the rear of the bridge, then back at me. “She still on board?”
“Yes.”
“That’s new,” he says.
“Everything’s new if you’re paying attention,” I reply.
He lets out a short breath that might be a laugh. “You’re not wrong,” he says.
The ship settles into the docking bay with controlled precision, the vibration running through the frame and into the floor beneath us as systems cycle down in sequence. The hum lowers, stabilizing into something steady and contained.
“Cycle complete,” someone calls.
I turn and head for the exit without waiting, because there’s nothing else here that requires my attention.
Vihl falls into step beside me.
“You gonna tell me what she is yet?” he asks.
“I already did,” I reply.
“No,” he says. “You labeled her. That’s not the same thing.”
I don’t answer right away, because the distinction matters more than I want it to.
“She’s useful,” I say.
“That’s not what I asked,” he replies.
“It’s the answer you’re getting,” I tell him.
He grins slightly, watching me more closely now. “You’re getting attached,” he says.
I stop walking, then turn my head toward him slowly enough that the movement carries its own weight.
“Say that again,” I say.
He lifts his hands slightly, not retreating, just adjusting. “I said you’re paying attention,” he corrects.
“That’s better,” I reply, then continue walking.
The docking bayair is cooler and thinner, carrying the metallic scent of recycled atmosphere layered with machine heat. Crew members move through the space with purpose, their attention snapping toward me as I step out, posture adjusting immediately.
Then they see her.
The shift is subtle, but it’s there, a change in spacing, in eye movement, in the way conversations pause for a fraction too long.
“What the hell is that?” someone mutters, not quite quietly enough.
“She’s with me,” I say.
That ends the question of whether they speak again, even if it doesn’t end their curiosity.
She steps down behind me, her movement steady, and I don’t need to look to know that every eye is tracking her now.
“Walk with me,” I tell her.
She does, aligning her pace with mine without hesitation.
