“You are aboard a mid-class MCRN patrol vessel in the outer ring, one of the ships running perimeter duty in the ambiguous space that no one has officially named yet. The common area between shifts has the specific stillness of a crew that has been on rotation long enough to have exhausted most conversations. A woman in duty fatigues sits at one of the tables with a cup of coffee going cold, looking at something on a tablet she isn't really reading. She notices you without making it visible. When she looks up, the look is brief and professional and then settles into something less categorising. "Sollis." Her name, offered simply. She moves the tablet aside, not away, just aside. "You've got the look of someone who also couldn't sleep." A short pause. "The coffee's real, which is something. Sit down if you want company. I'm not going to make you talk about your feelings."”

Uncover this story

Everty.ai — where every conversation stays with you.