"Final stop, Lady," the flight attendant said gently. A middle-aged veteran, gray-haired and scarred, Vole figured he'd seen enough not to judge her.
"Right. I'm going." She didn't.
He peered at her kindly. "When was your last planet run?"
"It's just been a while since I was around so many...people...at one time." Her hand released its hold on a strap.
The attendant kept talking in a soothing voice. "So many civilians, you mean?"
Of course, he'd pegged her as former military, too. She was only two years out of the service and still working at a Command-financed facility. And her bearing probably gave her away as well, how she rarely smiled, and reflexively scanned the horizon for threats.
"I live on Lafford. I'm used to seeing all sorts. Just...not without ceilings...or walls."
"There's been no security breaches on Bilioth, don't worry." He put a gentle hand on her arm, hazel eyes meeting hers. "Give yourself a couple of hours. Grab a drink. By tomorrow, you'll wonder why we don't all live on-surface."
Vole Ublion will go into the depths of a wild, mysterious world to find patient zero.
Discovering herself is an unexpected bonus.
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