“So, you’re looking for a crew?”

She was tall, dark-skinned and long-faced, with her hair arranged in solid locks.

“I am,” Gaylen said and motioned for her to sit.

“Herdis Hun,” she said and clasped his hand before sitting.

“Gaylen Qin. So... give me your pitch.”

“I’m from Anastahan. Do you know of it?”

Gaylen searched his memory for a moment. There were a lot of worlds to know.

“It’s... a part of the Sanaka culture, isn’t it?”

“It is, yes. Anyway, I’ve worked there as a qualified response medic for five years.”

“Sum up a response medic for me,” he said. With different cultures came different titles.

“Well, I set bones, I close lacerations and I treat lesser illnesses,” she told him. “A response medic either works with a quick response unit to rush serious cases to the hospital, or in the clinic dealing with non-critical patients. So, if your crew gets cuts, burns or food poisoning I’ll deal with it. Just don’t expect me to do invasive surgery or some such.”

“Well, that sounds good,” Gaylen said, and meant it. Getting actual medical qualifications on a ship like his was a stroke of luck. “Have you been on other crews?”

“No,” Herdis Hun said. “I’m actually off-world for the first time. Aside from that one vacation when I was a girl.”

“Oh, really?” he said. “We’re a ways away from Anastahan, aren’t we? Why are you looking for a job all the way out here?”

“I decided to take the first passenger flight off-world, then the first one available wherever I landed, then again, then to the nearest big intersection.”

She held her hands up, indicating the mall.

“I understand this planet is it.”

It was awfully tempting to ask what had sent her away from home. She was describing a mad flight away from something, but didn’t act like it in any way. But he’d decided to be a damn professional about this process, and so kept himself on topic. He pointed at her.

“Hold on, is that armour under your poncho?”

She parted the brown fabric, giving him a better view of the dull green she wore from neck to toe.

“Yes. It’s my Home Guard suit.”

“Is that your military?”

“The Home Guard,” she insisted. “We don’t go off getting involved in wars. But we stand ready to defend ourselves. Everyone does a stint in the Guard; it’s the law. And after service everyone keeps their suit and rifle at home.”

“So you have a rifle too?”

“I brought it with me, yes. But it’s disassembled and in a security locker at the port I landed in.”

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Gaylen nodded. This planet was quite tolerant of handguns, but rifles were another matter.

“I also brought a med kit, but it’s fairly basic. Is there a medical station on your ship?”

“A small one was installed by some previous owner,” Gaylen said. “I checked it, and it is stocked.”

“Good.”

“So... you can heal like a professional and shoot like one too,” he said. “That’s a good combination.”

“Thank you,” she said. “But now it’s your turn.”

“My turn?”

“Give me your pitch. Why should I join your crew?”

Her smile was affable enough.

“As you point out, I’m a good combination. I shouldn’t have trouble getting on some other ship.”

Well, she has me there.

He didn’t respond immediately. Instead he observed her, and she observed him in turn from behind a patient mask.

“I am going to take a guess here,” he said and pointed at her. “You’re not looking for money, and you’re not fleeing from anything. You want to see the galaxy. And not in a typical tourist kind of way, or you wouldn’t have brought armour and a gun. You want adventure.”

“Adventure sounds a bit childish, I think,” she said. “I want to see this universe I was born into. And not just the family-friendly parts.”

“Hm,” Gaylen said. “How does the Nearer Fringe sound?”

“It... sounds interesting. Is it really as wild as pop culture insists?”

“Parts of it,” he said. “Of course, if you go too wild you don’t get docking stations and without docking stations you don’t go far. But there are areas that hold nothing but null-worlds, radioactive ruins, lunatic cults and... well... all the things you’ve probably heard about. Including worlds that are simply less developed and trying to get by.”

Herdis was clearly considering his words.

“And 800 Gybo rils once we’ve done the delivery.”

“Hm.”

She looked away for a moment, then reached a decision.

“Alright. I’m sold.”

She held her hand out and he shook it.

“I’ll talk to my partner and let you know,” he said as they exchanged comms.

She smiled at him and stood up. It wasn’t mockery, just satisfaction.

“You have fifteen minutes to decide.”

“Fair enough.”

She left.

“So then, Mister People Reader,” Jaquan said. “Do you think she was telling the truth about all that, or just guaranteeing a spot?”

“Oh, I’m inclined to believe her,” he said. “That armour at least sure looked real, and she wore it with familiarity.”

“She wasn’t stomping around in full heavy armour, was she?” Jaquan asked.

“No no, just the regular soldier stuff.”

“Then at the very least she’ll make good cover if there’s trouble.”

“That’s not nice,” Gaylen said, though the man was technically correct.

“Oh, and I’m slightly familiar with her world. She wasn’t making that up about the Home Guard. Every single person on that wet little ball can shoot.”

“So you don’t have any objections?”

“No. Go and call that lady. Bring her on board.”

“In about ten minutes,” Gaylen said. “She was a bit smug.”

“What about that guy who came after the fringer? The one with the high voice?”

“He had pirate tattoos on his forearms,” Gaylen said. “So not him. I’ll take that crazy fringer over either a pirate or an idiot trying to be cool in a way that will get him killed.”

“Well,” his friend then said. “Then it looks like we have ourselves a crew.”

“It sure does,” Gaylen said and grinned. “An unusual one, but then you never know what you’re going to get.”