Apollonia knew she was going to have to leave tomorrow.

This was her last evening on Earth. The word itself, 'evening', actually had a real meaning to it now. On station, it was only a term for a part of the day. Now, in her mind, it was tied to the end.

Idly, she wondered how many other words had just lost their meaning when away from the world that had spawned them. So many things just forgotten.

It was hard for her to be sad about anymore, though. She'd been feeling so much, that she was almost numb.

But she was still going to enjoy these last few hours.

For once, wasting an evening did not feel like wasting a precious moment of her life she'd never have back. For once, she was not simply sitting in limbo, unsure if anything terrible would happen in the next minute, hour, or day. Security wasn't going to kick in the door to this cabin, no mob was about to form and come after her.

She wondered why Guilli seemed so unbothered by her. Perhaps people in the SU just thought differently. Perhaps the fact that they didn't live in constant fear made them not react to her odd presence with aggression.

After she left tomorrow, she knew her ease might disappear. The tribunal for Brooks would begin, and she hated to think that he would have to pay for something that was not his fault.

And the possibility that the seeming perfection that was the Sapient Union might come crumbling down did not escape her. If they found Brooks guilty of . . . whatever they said he did, they might then look to her. Maybe she'd find out that they had dungeons, too.

But for the rest of this evening, she didn't want to think on those things.

It was a cool night out, and she had the blanket wrapped around herself. She was going to miss its warmth and softness. She had no idea how expensive they were - or honestly even how money worked in the SU - or how to get one. But she'd love to have one back on the ship.

"Guilli . . ." she asked. "How do I get a blanket like this?"

He was writing on a tablet, and merely glanced up. "You may keep that one. As a reminder of Earth."

She sat up. "Didn't you say they're expensive?"

"I said they're dear," he said, though she felt sure that had not been his wording. "But I know the man who makes them, and I can get another. So, please, take it."

She leaned back, shaking her head. "Why are you so nice?" she asked.

"Ah, well you're a special guest, aren't you?" he said, smiling. "And, truly, I like you. You are not like everyone else, and most of the time you keep to yourself and are quiet. It is quite pleasant."

"I'm a special guest?" she asked. "In what way?"

Guilli suddenly looked awkward, as if he'd been caught in something. "Well, the only tourist of the season, and an interesting person . . ."

"No," she said, frowning. "I don't think that's what you meant."

There was a steel in her voice that she hadn't even intended. But she felt a sudden dread that she was being . . . put on, somehow. That something or someone was manipulating her.

"I . . . was told not to bring up your VIP status," Guilli said. "But you seem to have guessed it."

"I'm a VIP?" she asked, eyes wide. "Wait, why am I a VIP?"

"I don't know," Guilli said. "But we are all our own VIP, yes? So that is not very odd."

She had the feeling he was trying to dance around the question again.

"What else do you know that you're not supposed to tell me?" she asked.

"You make it sound so bad," he replied, chuckling. "But I was given explicit orders by Brooks, my superior, to treat you-"

"You know Captain Brooks?" she burst out.

The man looked confused. "Captain? Oh - you must mean her brother. I am speaking of Maria Brooks. She is Deputy Director of Ecological Protection. I was contacted by her a few hours before your arrival and told to make you comfortable. But truly," he insisted. "Take the blanket. VIP or not, I would be pleased for you to have it. I understand space is very cold." He grinned again.

Apollonia felt very awkward, not knowing what to say. She felt a keen lack of the social graces she knew she ought to have.

How had Maria Brooks - was she really Brooks's sister? - have known where she'd been going? But then she remembered Norton.

Looking to the drone, she realized that she'd asked the drone to take her here. If everything was as open here as it was on the Craton, then it could have just messaged the woman.

"Thank you, Guilli. I'm . . . I'm sorry for being so suspicious," she said. The words were hard to find, and sounded stilted coming out of her mouth.

"You are quite welcome," he replied, waving a hand to lighten the air.

"I guess I owe Maria Brooks thanks, too. Could you tell her that for me?"

"You may tell her yourself," Guilli said. "She will be arriving here tomorrow morning, as I understand it."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. It is not that unusual - you are not the only one who enjoys this forest. I think, as well, that your Captain Brooks will be meeting her here. I imagine then you and he will leave together?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. Big important space things," she said.

Guilli put down his pad and leaned closer. "So what's it like up there? I rarely care to ask."

"Well, it's big and empty, of course," she joked. But as he stared at her, guileless, she realized it was a serious question.

"Haven't you been to space?" she asked.

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He shook his head. "No, no. That is no place for me! I belong where my feet are on the ground, and that is the end of it." He turned to gaze lovingly out the window, but then his eyes slid back over to peer at her.

"But," he added. "I admit sometimes I'm curious."

Apollonia leaned back. "I think I said I was from a colony far from here, didn't I? Well . . . to be honest, it was a real shithole. But I've been to other places, and . . . Overall, despite how it's this infinite blackness out there, you spend most of your time in small areas. I mean, sure, sometimes there are very big chambers. But almost all of your life is spent in a hallway, in a room about this size, or something like that."

She let her gaze unfocus, remembering so many rooms, the walls plastic or metal or smoothed stone or some combination thereof. "I never saw a tree before I came here," she said. "In the colonies I grew up in, wood was practically a legend. I remember one guy who had a tree branch. It was small and crumbling. He'd charge people a credit to touch it. To feel some kind of connection to nature."

Guilli was quiet for a time, contemplating that. "It is sad, no? I have heard of many colonies that sound like amazing, nice places."

"I just wasn't in that kind of colony," she said. "They're not all shit. At least, I don't think they are."

"And . . . how does it feel to float?" he asked.

She smiled. "It feels very normal to me. Walking in gravity? Now that feels weird."

He laughed and picked back up his tablet, but seemed distracted still.

She waited, happy for a silence, happy to just be.

Then he asked.

"I'll bet you have many interesting stories, don't you?"

Her face split into a grin. "Let me tell you about this one guy I knew who thought his brother was a computer . . ."

*******

"Y!" Apollonia cried. "You made it after all!"

"Indeed," the doctor said, his head moving back and forth to surveil the surroundings. "I realized that, well, I have not actually gotten a chance to see many planets up close. And I thought perhaps I might see yours with you. Forgive me for my tardiness."

"It's fine!" she said. "I'm just glad you're here. Isn't it great?"

Y hesitated before answering, sweeping his head back and forth. "It is very alive," he said finally. "Oh, yes. There are . . . lifeforms on every surface, it seems."

He looked down at the ground. "Absolutely . . . squirming with life."

She could tell he was uncomfortable, but she was still happy to see him. "Take a look at these trees!" she said, gesturing with one hand, taking his mechanical one in her other.

She tried to pull him along, closer, while he told her that he was already quite able to see them.

Apollonia had been so excited to see Dr. Y that she had scarcely taken notice of Brooks - or the woman that arrived two minutes later.

She was tall, like him, with the same dark hair and the same brooding eyes.

"Ian," Maria said. "It's good to see you."

"Same," he replied, smiling genuinely and taking her hand. Cupping it in both of his own, he glanced after Apollonia. "Thank you for arranging this for her."

"After what you told me, all she's been through, it was the least I could do. I always try to keep some VIP seats available, anyway. Never know when someone might want to drop down."

She smiled, but it faded quickly. "And an Ehni as well! I would have rolled out the red carpet if I'd known. Very few of them have ever been to our system. Even fewer have actually come down here."

"Dr. Y seems quite fond of her," Brooks said. "Ehni don't like going to planetary surfaces - it surprised me when he was on one of the shuttles. Apparently they keep some spare bodies in their embassy, and he just beamed into the inner system."

"An amazing people," Maria replied. "I'll be happy to speak with him if either of us have the time."

A silence fell between them, and Brooks watched Apple introduce Dr. Y to the forest Ranger. The man was bombastic and affable, and Y began to ask him about fungi he'd seen.

"Oh, there are many kinds of fungi to be found here," he said. "And some of them are quite delicious! Do you eat, my friend?"

As Dr. Y explained that he did not, Maria turned to Ian.

"You went home, didn't you?"

Brooks continued to gaze forward. "Yes," he said. "It's been a long time since I had the chance. I wanted to pay my respects."

"I wish you would have come to me first," Maria replied.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I know it's important to you, Ian, but you don't have to torture yourself like this every time you return."

"It's not torturing myself," he said dismissively.

"Then why? The dead are gone, Ian. Clemence doesn't know if you-"

"I know," Ian replied quietly. "And that's enough."

Maria took a deep breath, calming herself. Both of their emotions could easily run too high. But all the piss and vinegar and bile that threatened to rise in them had burned out. It had been long enough.

"Forty-four years," she said softly. Forty-four years without their youngest sibling. Forty-five without their mother and father.

She just wished she'd actually been home when it had happened. So that Brooks and Clemence had not been alone.

Ian heard her speak, but said nothing.

Maria finally broke the silence between them. "This inquiry, how serious is it?"

"Not very," he said confidently. "I don't even know why it's being done. I was asked something genuinely impossible - honestly, I don't understand what Director Freeman's endgame is."

"He's an unlikable man," Maria replied, disgust in her voice. "But he's got a lot of friends, somehow. It doesn't make a lot of sense. Perhaps he's just viewed as being good at his job-"

"Is he?" Brooks asked her softly. "In your opinion."

"Yes," she replied bluntly. "I think he is. Since he became Director of the Weird Lab eleven years ago, the rate of understanding of all this zerospace and tenkionic stuff has increased markedly. It's still all nonsense to me, but they've made predictions that have proven to be true - and he runs a tight ship. Even came in under budget a few years."

"That seems hard to believe," Ian replied. "Do you think he can push his clout for revenge?"

"I know the man has never supported you, but even with all the negative things about him, I don't think he's into vendettas. Not unless someone seriously wrongs him."

"He might feel that way. How much do you know?"

"Not much. Just the public information," she replied. "What can you tell me about the incident?"

"Nothing," he replied dourly.

"While you're here, you should come visit. Blake is always happy to see you, and you know Osei - he adores you."

Brooks smiled, thinking of Maria's wife and their son. The boy had already declared that he wanted to be a star-captain like his uncle.

"I brought him some travel logs and a Tedian Moon Fluff from the Begonia system."

"A pet, Ian? Really?" Maria clicked her tongue at him.

He laughed. "Don't worry, it's not actually alive. It just does a good job of seeming that way."

"I'm sure Osei will be thrilled with them," Maria replied, smiling warmly now.

Apollonia turned and saw them both, but must have seen the shadows on their faces, as she only waved.

Brooks waved back, and she began to tromp off into the woods, the ranger and Y both following her.

"The effect around her is not very strong," Maria noted.

"I think it's lessened here, for some reason. I don't know why, though. I could still feel it, back when we were at the edge of the system. But as we came deeper, she's seemed less . . . strange and just more like a normal girl."

There was a silence again, and their eyes simply remained where Apollonia had gone into the forest. Then Maria spoke.

"She reminds me of Clemence," she said softly.

Brooks did not reply, but his lips curled upwards into the barest hint of a smile.