She walked alone through the empty halls. There was something about this ship that fascinated her. She’d heard it was a Corvair. The name sounded familiar, though she couldn’t bring up the memory.

Mrill tapped on her wristpad and it displayed some basic information. It was an old, and short-lived model of high-speed and high-quality spaceships that was discontinued because of flaws found in the navigation system.

She frowned at this.

Slowly, it came back to her. A story she’d heard as a child. The only time she’d heard of a Corvair. One had come to Vron, close to two hundred years ago. Or, rather, it had drifted by close enough to raise alarms. Her people had not joined the Imperium at the time, so they were not yet familiar with human-designed ships. When they boarded it, all they found were corpses. The boarding party had thought it cursed and departed immediately, letting the vessel drift away.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned her expressionless face toward the sound.

Kesh nodded when he saw her.

“Did you get lost?” he asked.

“No. Did you?”

He chuckled. “Just heading for the mess hall to grab something to eat before all hell breaks loose.”

She fell into step with him. “You expect trouble on Ovkan?”

“You never know with the Impies. They were already trigger-happy after that whole mess with Qevahr, so imagine now.”

“You seem rather cheery for someone who’s afraid of what is to come.”

He grunted. “I’m not afraid. Well, not exactly. It’s just...” He frowned. Glanced at her sideways. “Why are we having this conversation? Do you even know what emotions are?”

“Of course.”

“One wouldn’t think so from looking at you.”

“Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there.” The rebel looked dubious. “I am not human, Kesh. Unlike your people, my emotions do not show on my face. They show on my fingers and on my toes.”

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“Really?”

“And on other, more intimate parts of my body as well.” She paused. “Should I show you?”

Kesh looked away, blushing. “Uhm, no. I’m good, thank you.”

“That is fortunate, for it is quite cold here.”

“Was that a joke?”

“Do you think it was?”

“I think it was a joke.”

She bowed her head. “Then I shall defer to your wisdom.”

He stopped walking and stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing.

“That was another joke! You crack me up, girl.” Mrill stood there, staring at him blankly. “Come on, I’ll buy you a drink.”

“Everything is free here.”

He shrugged. “Just a figure of speech.” He started walking again, and she followed him into the refectory. “So, can everyone from your world read minds?”

“No.”

His eyes drifted to her twitching fingers.

“I see what you meant,” he said thoughtfully. “Though I’m not sure how to read that.”

“Which is fortunate.”

There were a few people in the room, who nodded at them as they sat at an empty table.

“Why?”

“I dislike showing discomfort.”

“Oh. That bad?”

She said nothing for a moment. “My people frown upon otherness.”

Kesh tapped at the air, wiped through the choices, and made his choice. Then he leaned back in his chair, observing her.

“Why do I feel like that was an understatement?”

Mrill held his gaze for a moment, then turned to the floating display to pick a drink. Too bad there was no avanthnar. Then again, it might have made her too vulnerable.

“You know,” Kesh said, “discrimination is nothing new. Or, rather, I should say, it is not exclusive to your people.”

“I have noticed.”

He grimaced. “I imagine you have.” He sighed. “You’d think we’d have gotten over it after who knows how many millennia... But no. People are still afraid of what they don’t understand.”

“And you are not?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it. “Okay, I get your point.”

“Do you?”

Their drinks materialized on the table before them, as did a plate of food that Kesh had ordered. He snorted.

“I was thinking of those alien invaders. If we weren’t afraid of them...” He frowned.

“Then what?”

“Well, I don’t know. I suppose we could see things more clearly. But it’s not the same thing, is it? I mean, they attacked us. They gave us reasons to fear them. To hate them, even. But you?”

“I read minds.”

“Yes. Right. But...” He scowled. “Are you defending those who discriminate against you?”

Her fingers tapped on her glass as she lifted it.

“The problem is not the feeling, it is the response.”

“What?”

“It is normal to fear what we do not understand. It is not to vent anger and hatred on it, let alone to destroy it.”

“That’s a fair point,” he said as he started digging into his food.

The speakers crackled and Val’s voice came through.

“Everyone! Ovkan’s within sight, but we have a problem. Impies are requesting to board the ship.”

Kesh grimaced as he swallowed his mouthful and dropped the fork.

“Well,” he muttered, “there goes my appetite.”