Cynthia and Logan headed in my direction as I sat at the supper table. They acted like they always did, as bantering friends. They spoke with other people in a similar fashion as they passed by them. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary – other than the fact that the image of them engaged in a heated kiss was still unwillingly branded into my mind...

The food on the Starsong didn't worry me, and I freely tried anything new, knowing that it wouldn't potentially poison me. And considering the number of different plants and animals that were edible on every planet, the menu could change pretty drastically depending on which port we stopped in. That was one reason for the agriculture area, not only did it give us a natural source of oxygen, it allowed us some staple foods.

Cynthia and Logan sat down across from me as Cynthia happily greeted me, "Rachel, how did your day go?"

"Pretty good. Quiet though. How was yours?"

"Good, it is quiet in Agricultural as well, so I managed to complete a few more of those advanced training modules. My Overseer let me go early, which was really nice of her."

We glanced at Logan, who responded, "I almost finished all of the training modules, so I asked Starsong if he had more, and he said that another training program will appear shortly. It will cover more theory and practice than basic usage. I am looking forward to it. I actually enjoy this job more than my last one, which is quite surprising since I had liked my old job so much."

Cynthia perked up. "Oh, excellent, I was wondering about that the other day. I really enjoy the training modules, so I am glad that there are more coming."

A few other people joined us at our table, and it didn't escape my notice that Ronan was a few tables away, just close enough to hear us. He didn't have to keep an eye on me while we were on the Starsong, but he tended to show up in the area occasionally. Had he been younger, Cynthia probably would have said that he had a crush on me, but he was at least a decade older than me, so the only crush in the immediate vicinity was between the two across from me.

One of the people who was just sitting down at our table was from the Medical Bay. "Good evening, Captain."

Starsong murmured, "Lexy."

I hadn't quite memorized everyone's names yet, so Starsong's help was welcome. I smiled kindly at the woman. "Good evening, Lexy. You don't have to address me as Captain when it is just our crew around. You can call me Rachel."

She smiled in return. "Thank you, but the title fits, so I shall continue using it out of respect. May I ask a question?"

She was one of the handful of people who insisted on calling me by my title. Most of the other people I had worn down within a week, but I was pretty sure this persistent and old-fashioned Overseer wasn't going to give in anytime soon, if at all. "Certainly, what question do you have?"

"This ship seems to dock more frequently than others I have served on. Would there perhaps be a possibility of us scheduling people to come in for a routine checkup on a monthly basis? Our doors will always be open for anyone at any time, of course. The Medical Bay can set up and maintain the schedule, but we want to ensure there aren't any policies against it that we may not be aware of."

This was another good opening to make people think I had an earpiece. I put two of my fingers by my ear and tilted my head slightly as if listening. Starsong played along with my act. "There are no such policies that prevent the monthly schedule. She can send a message to each Overseer to determine what days work best for their area."

Most who were watching me didn't seem surprised by my actions, although I did see a few blink in realization. I lowered my hand back down to my fork. "There aren't any policies that impact this. Contact the other Overseers to set up days and times for the people in their area. The days may have to be changed if our destination is altered. For the Officers, please contact them directly for their own preferences."

The woman nodded, "Thank you. I will do that, and I understand that they may need to change the days we arrange. We will keep the scheduling flexible to accommodate everyone."

I ate a slice of some sort of meat in a sauce as the talk at the table went over what their plans were for their next ship-leave. It didn't surprise me that news of the change of our next docking destination was already well-known.

'Starsong, will the medical scanners detect the chip?'

He knew exactly what I was thinking about. "If I activated a certain software during your checkup, it could show it, but unless I specifically activate it, it will not show up. No one else can activate it."

That had been my only real worry. I had been waiting for the Medical Bay to ask me to stop in for a checkup, and I wasn't entirely sure if they had realized that I hadn't been in for an actual checkup yet. I did stop in to visit them every day on my walk-abouts, so perhaps they assumed that someone else had been doing it.

"The Medical Bay software shows them who visited and when. It also creates a list of those who are the most overdue for a checkup. You are one of thirteen people who have not had a checkup so far. The Medical Bay Overseers and Officer had a long discussion before deciding that this would be the easiest way to get you and others in for a checkup on a regular basis."

'At least I wasn't the only guilty one...'

"If you count the days spent on the ship, then you were the most guilty."

Cynthia interrupted my thoughts. "Just what has you looking so amused?"

I glanced over at her and realized that I now had most of those sitting at the table looking at me. "Starsong informed me that he is aware of my usual procrastination in visiting the Medical Bay. He has also told me that such regular checkups will apply to me as well."

Cynthia started snickering, "I could have told him that a long time ago."

She jumped slightly, her snickers cutting off rather abruptly. I raised an eyebrow in inquiry, but she just shook her head without responding, suddenly intent on the food in her plate.

"The Medical Bay Overseer just kicked her under the table." I suppressed a smirk at Starsong's comment.

Cynthia started up a rather enthusiastic conversation with Logan and one of the young women from the janitorial area about what they could do tomorrow night during ship-leave.

I listened as I continued eating my supper. The Medical Bay Overseer was fairly silent, although she occasionally offered a suggestion, idea, or caution to their giant list of possible entertainments. From the occasional glance she gave Cynthia, I had a feeling that she was going to track her down later for a quiet word on how one talked about a Captain, even if she had known me before I got that title. Although, to the best of my knowledge, only the original crew were aware of my previous position.

After supper, I headed to my room for my normal evening video call with my brother. I would head down to the exercise area afterward to see what sports or games were going on.

I still sat on my bed for the video calls, just in case his wife or one of his friends happened to walk into the room. They knew I worked on a spaceship and that the rooms were small. It would be much harder to explain why I was in a fancy sitting room as opposed to on a neatly made bed.

I tapped the screen a few times as I started the call before backing up to sit on my bed, waiting for him to answer. It didn't take him long to answer, and the screen activated as it showed him grinning at me. "So, what is new, little sister?"

"Not much. What about yourself?"

Apparently, both of us lived a fairly boring life since we had nothing new to share. We still managed to talk for about half an hour. Neither of us mentioned any of my duties, just in case someone attempted to eavesdrop on his side. I wasn't worried about someone recording the call since I knew that Starsong would be protecting the connection.

Once the call ended, I headed down to the exercise area. Cynthia was currently on the sidelines watching a basketball game. I walked up beside her. "Who is winning?"

She continued watching Logan with a dreamy expression. I chuckled as I reached over to snap my fingers in front of her face. "Earth to Cynthia. Are you in there?"

She jumped and gazed at me in shock, as if trying to figure out how I had simply appeared beside her. Her expression was priceless as she just stared at me with wide eyes, still unable to process my presence.

I attempted to begin a conversation again as a grin appeared on my face. "Well? Are you just going to stare at me or do I have to drag Logan over here to kiss you again?"

She started sputtering as her mind finally started functioning. "What- No, that won't be necessary- Wait- What do you mean again?!" Her eyes somehow grew even wider as her jaw started to drop.

I patted her on the shoulder sympathetically. "Relax, Cynthia. Not much happens on this ship without me hearing of it, especially when it looks like the beginning of a rather serious relationship."

"But- How- When- Who told you? We were sure that no one was around!"

I shrugged. "Starsong mentioned it. Don't worry too much about it. I do have one request though."

She looked somewhat relieved, but still embarrassed at getting caught. "What kind of request?"

I smirked slightly. "No babies for at least three years."

She promptly buried her face in her hands as she turned beet red in embarrassment. "Ack! You did not just say that!"

I glanced up to see Logan approaching now that the current game was over. Logan came to a stop beside her and scratched his head while watching Cynthia in curiosity and faint confusion, since he had only caught her last words. He asked Cynthia, "What did she say?"

And that is my cue to leave... I commented, "I am going to join the new game. Have fun."

I fought to keep from grinning as I walked away, leaving Cynthia to choose whether or not to reveal my last comment.