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My need to move around overrode my worry about their next overreaction. I tapped the door display, and it opened to show Tolly and Lexarit standing across from my door and talking quietly. They both looked up and purred.

“Opal, you should be resting,” Tolly said. “Are you in pain?

“Do you need more water or sopa?” Lexarit asked.

“I’m not in pain or thirsty,” I said.

Reassured that I was fine, Tolly took in my outfit. “What are you wearing?”

I shrugged. “What I could find. My clothes are drying in the cleansing unit.”

“Did you forget to take them off when you went to bathe?” Lexarit asked, sounding a worried rumble.

I couldn’t help the laughter that erupted from me. “No, I didn’t forget. My clothes were dirty, so I washed them by hand.”

“I didn’t think of that,” Tolly said. “I’m sorry, Opal. I should’ve asked if you wanted me to launder your clothing. I can fix this.”

He rushed past me into the room. When he came back, he had my wet clothes in his arms.

“I’ll be right back,” he called as he rushed down the hall.

“I’m going to want those back,” I muttered.

“He’s going to put them in the laundry unit. They’ll be done within half a mark,” Lexarit explained. “I recognize the pants, but where did the top come from?”

I was tempted to lie, but Tolly probably saw the ruined sheet. I should’ve shoved it down the waste receptacle.

“I made it out of a sheet,” I said.

Lexarit looked closer. “I can see that now. How did you cut the cloth?”

“I pulled the automated biopack cutter out of the room’s air-balancing unit,” I explained. “I was able to use that to make rough cuts, but I promise I put everything back the way it was.”

He didn’t say anything or make a sound for almost a minute. Maybe I shouldn’t have confessed. Was the nice-guy act about to end?

I opened my mouth to start apologizing and promising I wouldn’t touch anything else, but Lexarit finally spoke up to ask a question.

“Did you work on air balancing units before?”

“No, but I’ve seen the schematics," I said. “And I’ve walked by a few that were being repaired or refurbished. They’re not that complicated.”

“Ours are unique,” Lexarit said. “We had them specially designed in case there was a fuel-containment issue.”

“Oh, that explains the extra sealant markers,” I said. “I swear, I put them all back exactly as they’re supposed to be.”

“But you couldn't have seen it before you took it apart," he said.

“No, you're right,” I said, confused about his continued questions. I was nervous about being punished, so I rambled on. “But there're only so many ways you can make an air-balancing unit, and almost all of them have pack cutters. If that one was designed with a crush applicator then I would've checked to see if there was a heat-transfer unit in the cleansing unit. They usually have a blade-like part too, but they're harder to get to because you have to lift up heavy floor panels.”

“I didn't know that,” he said, as if he should've. Maybe he was feeling defensive because he wasn't as familiar with the ship's systems as he could be.

“Most don't,” I assured him. “There's no reason to know because heat-transfer units almost never need to be repaired or replaced.”

Lexarit seemed like he was going to ask me another question, but Tolly came rushing back down the hall.

“Everything should be clean and ready to wear within the mark,” he declared. “I'm sorry I wasn't prepared with suitable clothing for you.”

“Prepared?” I repeated, unsure how to interpret his apology. “How long have you been planning this?”