Engineering was at the opposite side of the ship. Valorie realized they would be walking from the very front, to the very back. Again. Along the way they passed the kitchens, offices, and garden.

“Any path you take to the back will eventually lead you to some part of engineering. There’s a bay area on the lower back. Quinns usually hangs out there. I would bet he’d even sleep back there if Captain let him.” Yulia said. The closer they got to the back the more Valorie saw many smaller hallways branching away. Glancing down the smaller hallways, she could tell she would get lost in a few turns. As long as she stuck to the main path, she would be fine.

“Here we are,” Yulia said as they reached the end of the hall. The doors to engineering were far less extravagant. She leaned over and scanned her hand, as she had at the bridge. The door slid open revealing a large docking bay. The ceiling was at least two stories high, with windows looking in from the upper level. A landing craft sat near the bay doors at the back of the room, but the room still felt empty.

Yulia went straight for a door on the far right side. Along the right wall of the bay, several tables were set up, with all manner of mechanical items laid out. As they approached, Valorie could hear someone speaking. She realized the sound came from an open holo-display propped up on one of the tables. On screen was a professor discussing the effects of stress on various metals. She searched for the listener, and almost crashed into Yulia.

“You’re gonna have to clean this all up before take off you know.” Yulia said, her hands on her hips. Valorie moved up next to her, and saw who she was talking to. A young man was working on a large drone that rested on the floor. He had a semi circle of tables around it, all covered in tools and scrap. His back was to them, and he didn’t turn at Yulia’s voice.

“Is somebody bored again?” He asked as he bent over for a closer look at the drone. He had black hair, and a slender build. He was a little shorter than Leon, but still a few inches over Valorie. His stance was a little lopsided as he leaned on his right, focused on the work in front of him. His right arm was a metal frame with hundreds of different tiny little wires running in and out of it. The frame continued under his t-shirt, and Valorie couldn’t see where it ended.

“Is that one of the old scout drones?” Yulia asked.

“Yeah. I thought I would mess with it, but it looks like fifty something years is too much for some parts.” He said. He still had not bothered to face them. He lifted his mechanical arm to inspect something, and Valorie saw that it ended in a drill bit. When she looked closer, she could see similar attachments along the table to his left.

“Wha- fifty?” Yulia asked.

“Right? Looks like when we make fun of Gary’s age, we should be roasting Heli, too.” He said changing out the drill bit before leaning into his work again. “She’s got at least a couple decades or so on him.” He said, following his words with the loud whir of the drill.

“Gary?” Valorie asked.

“Our captain.” Yulia clarified.

“We grew up together so it sounds silly when I call him Captain… Wait.” He interrupted his thought. When he turned around, he met Valorie’s eyes first. The moment seemed to last forever as she felt him work from surprise to embarrassment. His cheeks darkened, and his gaze jumped to Yulia. She grinned at his glare.

“Quinns, this is Valorie. I’m taking her around to meet everyone.” She said. He nodded but his glare did not dissipate. “Aren’t ya gonna say hi?” She asked. His eyes widened, and he immediately turned to Valorie and held out his right hand to shake. She followed suit but remembered the mechanical drill bit too late, and froze with her hand next to it. He looked down at drill at the end of his arm, and closed his eyes. The red on his cheeks deepened.

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“Oh, Quinns, you got your attachment mixed up,” Yulia reminded him. He looked at her without a hint of humor.

“Yes. Thank you, Yulia.” His voice couldn’t hide his annoyance as he withdrew his arm. His expression softened when he looked to Valorie. “Sorry.” He said, before fleeing along the tables to a door at the end.

“That is the engineering office and storage.”

Valorie stared at the door he disappeared through, wondering what she had done. When it opened again, Quinns stepped out with his sleeve up. The metal arm was gone, and he was attaching a new prosthetic. She could see where flesh met machine at his shoulder. A metal brace continued across the skin, under his shirt and Valorie wondered how far it went.

“He returns!” Yulia smiled. The new arm was designed to mimic a living one, right down to hairs along the skin. When he held it near the metal attachments, small clamps opened along the edge. He held it closer and the clamps latched on before pulling the arm into position. He pulled his sleeve back down, and dusted it off. He ignored Yulia’s comments, and held out his hand to Valorie.

“Welcome to the Helianthus.” He was still blushing, but he forced a smile despite his embarrassment. Valorie took his hand and shook it. The skin was smooth, lacking the calluses built over time, but otherwise it felt natural.

“Thank you.” She smiled. He nodded, his cheeks darkening once more as he released her hand. Yulia watched quietly with approval. Valorie wondered what she could be agreeing with. Once again, she wished her powers provided more explanation.

“Oh right! So, Quinns, you should have a message from the Captain. She needs connectors added to one of the stations on the bridge.” Yulia said. He went over to the display with the lecture playing, closed out the video. After tapping through a couple more screens he found the message.

“Right. Which ones?” He looked to Valorie. She held up the end of her wire bundle. He moved closer, trying to see it without being too invasive. She held it out closer to him, and he nodded his appreciation, stepping forward.

“You guys. You are so awkward.” Yulia said. Quinns sent a scowl her way, before holding out his hand.

“May I?” He asked. She nodded and placed the wire bundle in his hand. The room was quiet as he went over each one, gently moving the bundle for a clear view of each connector. She watched him as he focused, becoming very aware of his breathing.

“Nothing too strange. Ah, I mean, unique. No, what I’m saying is nerve to fiber connectors might be a little strange to most, but, as you might guess, not so strange to me.” He tried to explain, wiggling his right arm in demonstration. She nodded and he cleared his throat. “I should have somethings that will match in storage. The other three will have to be found.” He said, releasing the bundle as he turned to leave.

“Quinns.” Yulia said and he realized they were both still waiting for an answer.

“Oh, right. Yes. I will have the basic connections done before take off tomorrow. Might be a month for a complete install.”

“That works.” Yulia said, “Thanks.” She added. Valorie bowed her head.

“Thank you again.” She said. He waved as he went back into the office. Yulia grinned and turned back towards the entrance. Valorie was back to following her.

“So, that is everyone! Tour complete. Do you think you can find your room?” Yulia asked as they walked. Valorie nodded. “I’ll send you a friend invite, so look for that. Oh, and I’ll come by before the meeting tomorrow. Unless, well I mean, you’re most likely good with the ship by now.” Yulia said. Valorie felt the need to reassure her, and shook her head.

“I would be happy to receive your help. Sachi warned me many times about the meeting tomorrow. I was worrying about it.” She said, and Yulia laughed.

“Yeeah, she can be a little strict. Don’t worry, I got you covered.”

Before they parted at Valorie’s room, Yulia opened her PD and shared her personal net code. It was the second name on Valorie’s contact list after the Captain.

“Just message me if you need any help. I check it a lot when I’m bored.” She said, “You’ll get everybody’s code sooner or later. Hopefully sooner than later.” Yulia said, “See ya later.” She smiled and the door slid shut as she turned away.

Valorie looked around the room that was now hers. It did not feel real. She focused. She had to take this one step at a time. She looked at her contact list and smiled. The PD was a simple version she had gotten in hiding to use for identification. Then, the Captain had added her the evening after the interview, and the cheap PD had become more special to her. Her eyes caught on her duffel bag, and she knew her next step was to unpack. She could do that much.