I lay on my back as I read a book on the couch. The doorbell chimed, and I didn't even need Starsong to tell me who it was.

"Come in," I called.

I remained lying on the couch as a somewhat wound-up Cynthia swiftly entered the room. Logan passed through the doorway more slowly, never having been in my sitting room before. Cynthia was quite familiar with it and had no reservations about charging right in.

Cynthia waved a book in the air. "Rachel, I really need your help!"

I glanced over at her without putting my own book down. "With what?"

"Someone left this book outside my door, and I really, really need to know who left it there."

I still didn't sit up. "Oh? It isn't like you to forget who lent you a book. Not many people still read the paper ones."

"Uhh... Yeah, it wasn't Tammy or Stephanie, but I really need to find out who left it for me."

I continued drawing it out as I lowered my book slightly to gaze at her. "Okay... You seem kind of flustered. Let me guess, it ended with a cliff-hanger and you really want the sequel?"

She nodded enthusiastically with her new excuse. "Yes!"

"Ah, I see." I lifted my book back up while pointing with my thumb to the other side of the room. "The sequel is on the end table in the corner."

Her jaw dropped. "You did that! You are the one who put this book there!"

I never looked away from my book as I replied, "Of course. Did you think any differently?"

It was a struggle to keep from snickering. Cynthia had found the book and assumed that Logan had given it to her, and with the tag attached declaring it was from someone close to her heart, she hadn't thought any differently. She had given him a big hug and a thank you the next time she saw him, which lead to some confusion. She had explained how she found it, then both of them took a closer look at the note, which only resulted in yet more confusion.

Logan had followed her as he tried to find out if he had some unknown competition. Cynthia was clearly unaware of any other possible admirer, and since they spent most of their free time together, Logan knew it wasn't just an act on her part.

Cynthia was still silent, and I turned my head to look at her. She was staring at me, unable to speak and partially refusing to believe that all of her panic had been for nothing. My response had also left her floundering.

I innocently inquired, "Is something wrong?"

She stammered, "You- Why! But- Ugh!"

I put a bookmark in my book and closed it before sitting up. I gave Cynthia an odd look before asking Logan, "What has gotten into her? You would have thought that I spoiled the sequel's ending or something."

Logan had his wits about him, unlike Cynthia, and he walked over to pick up the sequel. In an attempt to help Cynthia maintain her excuse, Logan replied, "The book got her really excited. I think she just needs a moment to get over her shock."

I pretended to look mystified. "Alright..." I was fighting hard to keep from grinning – and I was starting to lose that battle.

Logan passed the book to Cynthia before taking her shoulders and steering her out of the door. Her dumbfounded expression was still on her face, making it harder to keep my composure. Just as the door started to slide closed, I lost my battle and burst out in laughter. Cynthia whirled around as she instantly realized that I had set the whole thing up and then had pretended to be naive.

The door closed, blocking my view of her vengeful expression. I leaned back against the couch, laughing too hard to speak. 'Please tell me that you locked the door...'

"It would never open for anyone unless I opened it or you touched the manual override button. I believe Logan is correct; she probably needs a moment."

That set me off in gales of laughter once more. I knew my door was soundproof, which kept her from hearing my laughter and also prevented me from hearing her threats. Logan was going to have his hands full for the next hour or so until her volatile energy wore off or subsided.

It took me a bit to get myself under control. I hadn't laughed that hard in a very long time. I finally caught my breath enough to ask, "Did she leave, or is she still pounding on my door?"

"Logan is just dragging her away now. I knew her threats weren't serious, and she is lucky that I disabled the security protocols on that door, otherwise, she would have been waking up in the Medical Bay."

I winced slightly. "I wasn't even aware that the door had automatic security defenses..."

"All on this level do. And speaking of the Medical Bay, Gabriel is just leaving after a rather heartwarming reunion with Natalie. I have made arrangements so they can have video calls while I secure the connection. I can ensure that no one can tap into the feed, as well as block any attempt to record it."

I smiled in satisfaction. "I assume we will be seeing more of him, then?"

"He has our tentative schedule, and I suspect that we will be seeing him fairly often. Both are more than excited to get to know one another, so I will likely be guarding video calls every evening for the foreseeable future."

As far as I was concerned, it was a good thing for both of them and they would be much happier now that they were able to be in each other's lives, even if they had to keep it hidden.

* * *



I sipped my tea as I looked around, but it was pretty early for most trade suppliers to be showing up in the trading hall. 'Is Ronan as bored as I am? The suppliers in this port are the most boring and laidback bunch I have ever seen...'

"Ronan is busy trying to keep himself from standing out. Or so I assume from his actions. I agree though; the suppliers that are currently present are those you have either already spoken to, or they are specialists who do not have anything we particularly want. You might as well return."

I finished my tea and left the trading hall. The docking station on this planet was fairly small, and I only saw a couple dozen people on the entire platform. I smiled in satisfaction when I saw that the docking station Overseer had given up waiting to escort me around.

Word of the Starsong triumphing against two Elite Destroyers had spread, although Starsong had stifled the kidnapping part, keeping that rumor contained to Sceltar. The last two ports we had stopped in had tried to pretend that I was as important as an Elite Destroyer Captain, and their overly welcoming greeting and attempts to escort me around had been somewhat annoying.

I was getting better at dodging them while making it appear unintentional. Starsong's occasional assistance didn't help their interception efforts either. Apparently, I was somewhat hard to predict since I played things by ear. It had given the Officer on the last planet a splitting headache as he tried to predict when I was going to leave the trading hall or finish my meetings.

Starsong seemed to find my exasperation with their actions somewhat amusing. I really didn't see the point in having the officials escort me around. I knew it was a token of deference and respect, but it wasn't as if they were doing anything to help me, and it just screamed to those passing by that I was someone important. And at my age, that simply confused people more than anything...

"It does prevent any unprofessional guards from annoying you though."

'You have to admit that the tractor beam was very efficient. It attracted far too much attention for my tastes, but it did wipe the smirks off of the guards' faces.'

He sounded amused. "Considering that you prefer to avoid the spotlight, it may be best if we avoided such actions. Let the crew enjoy at least a month of peace and quiet before we attract that much attention again."

He did have a point. The crew was still getting used to the routine and technology on the Starsong. We traveled faster than other trade ships, so there wasn't as much travel time between the hectic stops in port.

They were all willing to learn though, and it wouldn't take long before they were seasoned crew members. They were still trying to master the unique technology that the Starships used. It would take some time for them to become a tightly knit crew that served on the Starsong with one accord, but we would reach that point eventually.

There was plenty of time for me to surprise trade suppliers and confuse those who weren't quite sure if I was actually the Captain. There was time to prove that I was, indeed, a Starship Captain.