Shreya shook her head in disgust, Tor was once again asleep at his desk with notes and bits of last night's dinner strewn all over. As she walked into Tor’s office the familiar aroma of stale air and burnt coffee assailed her. The window looking out over Saltec showed the rumblings of a blue storm outside, Tor was always in a bad mood when a blue storm came.

She shook her head again and got to work on making his office space livable. First things first, she opened the two air vents Tor always closed to conserve air and cleaned out the coffee pot. She wouldn’t wake the beast until she had a proper offering for him. When the small office was as tidy as she could manage she poured two cups of coffee and took one to him.

“Good morning boss!” She poured as much syrup in her voice as she could. Tor sat up with a bolt.

“huh? Good…morning?” Tor pulled a couple of sheets of paper off his face and looked outside, then at the clock, then at Shreya. He got up and went to the sink to wash his face and wake up. Shreya went to her neat and orderly desk and started going through her mail for the day. She knew it would be a while before Tor would be coherent enough to tell her what on Henear made him act so weird at the party last night.

She had heard a rumor that Tor had stormed out of the meeting as quickly as a storm comes and goes. He had more to drink than regular and Shreya thought she saw him talking to the Vice Regent Varnusha. Maybe Tor was taking her advice finally and doing business during the party like all the other sectors did. He was always dismissing her ideas and leaving her out of the loop. She had plans to be the next High Journalist, but he refused to actually mentor her or let her meet any of his contacts within the sectors themselves.

She loved the prestige that came with being the assistant to the High Journalist, but Tor required a lot more babysitting than actual editing. He was brilliant and rarely needed his work looked over, however, he often lost track of time, disregarded normal pleasantries, and had moments of intensity that made Shreya worry for him. When he was working on a piece that mattered to him he would immerse himself in it so much that he would lose track of all other things. He once missed his own birthday party to write up a piece on illegal dumping that was going on in Wilea.

There was a reason the people of Henear were completely devoted to him. They trusted him to a fault. It was the reason Shreya dropped everything to go work for him and the same reason she had been dreading coming in to work. When everything was important, nothing was.

A ding popped up on her computer. An email from Vice Regent Varnusha? Surely this was a joke. Maybe Pletaro was having a joke with her by sending her an email on his new boss’s computer. She opened it and laughed out loud. It was a job offer. A very good job offer. This had to be a joke. She was about to respond jokingly to it when Tor finally spoke, “What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing. My old friend is just playing a joke on me. He just got this job working for the Varnusha and sent me a fake job offer.” She replied. “He almost got me too. If it hadn’t been such a sweet offer, I might have thought it was real.”

“Wait.” Tor had rushed to her desk and gave her a serious look. “I don’t think it’s a joke Shrey.” He had a serious look that scared her.

“What makes you think that?” Shreya asked.

“A conversation I had with Varnusha last night. He seemed to think he needed additional help to manage Derensay with the gas fields and manufacturing. He mentioned he was looking for someone as talented as my assistant.” Tor struggled to get the words out as though they made him sick. “I thought he was just trying to threaten me. Shreya, I have a really bad feeling about this.”

“You mean, you knew he wanted to offer me a job? You didn’t think that was information I might want to know about? I almost rejected the best job offer I’ve ever seen!” Shreya was suddenly furious. This was so typical of Tor. Full speed ahead and hope everyone else catches up. He knows what’s best for everyone so why tell people their options?

“What? It’s not like you’re going to take it!” Tor matched her tone and intensity instantly.

“What makes you think that?” Shreya responded. Tor looked at her bewildered. It was as though the thought hadn’t even entered his mind.

“He’s offering to double my salary Tor. He wants me to live in his estate, which means no air bills, no utility bills for me. I would get to live in one of the most beautiful estates on Henear, for free. Why wouldn’t I at least entertain the idea?” She was standing now glaring at Tor. He stood there looking at her dumbfounded in his rumpled dirty suit. Tor had let his dark brown hair grow out a bit too long and it was greasy and unkempt. This man needed a mother, not an editor.

“Because it would mean going back to Derensay. I thought you hated it there.”

“I hate the manufacturing districts. I hate the slums I grew up in. But everyone knows The Estate has spared no expense and will most likely be the last place with breathable air when all of this mess is said and done.” Shreya suddenly made up her mind. She was tired of the strange hours Tor kept. She was tired of the stale air. She was tired of the constant worry for Henear’s future that Tor held. She was going to be one of the longest survivors of Henear’s air shortage and she was going to make some real money while she did it.

“Listen Tor, thank you for believing in me and hiring me when no one else would listen to a manufacturer’s daughter. You’ve changed my life and I will be forever grateful for it. However, I can not continue working for you anymore. I have a chance to make real changes for the people I grew up with and help them. This is exactly the type of thing you would do, go where you can make the biggest change, right? That’s what you’re constantly doing? This is my turn, my chance. I’m taking the job Tor.” The silence between them lingered. Shreya half expected Tor to stop her, but she could see his mind turning something over.

“No, you’re right Shreya. This way you can spy on Varnusha for me and see if his air shipment logs are being honest.” Tor’s eyes lit up as though he had been given a gift. "I've been suspecting Varnusha of illegal air stockpiling and you are about to get the inside scoop!" A smile spread across his face and he started pacing the few steps his office let him.

“No Tor, you’re not listening.” She needed to make this ultra-clear to him, “I am going to go do my job. I will not be a spy for you, this is not about you, this is about me. I want to do something different. You will need to find a new assistant because he would like me there as soon as possible.” Tor did not look convinced.

“Yeah, sure Shreya. Make sure you leave a forwarding number and address. Also, remember, as Henear’s High Journalist, I am allowed to interview anyone I deem necessary for a story and they are held accountable, to tell the truth, or face a tribunal. I’m sure Varnusha wouldn’t want his newest assistant to face a tribunal." He stopped pacing for a moment and turned and looked her in the eyes. Tor had a hard time with eye contact and it unnerved her.

“Shreya, you have been the best assistant I could have hoped for, and believe me when I say I will not leave you to the whims of Varnusha, but I will let you help me save Henear. He’s hiding something on that estate and this is our chance. He knows I’m on to him and he’s trying to cripple me by holding you hostage. I’m not going to lie to you, losing your presence here will cripple me, but having someone close to him and able to point me in the right direction could change everything.”

Shreya couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Tor had never mentioned needing her in all the time they had been working together. She knew he hated Varnusha, but not the extent of it. “I’ll find a way to keep you safe over there Shreya, keep a close eye on your air tank, and don’t trust anyone with it, even your old friend, Pletucho whatever.”

“Pletaro?” how did he know about him?

“Sure.” He walked over and put his arms around her shoulders, is he trying to hug me? “Stay safe Shreya. I could never forgive myself if something happened to you. No story is worth your life.” Before Shreya could even react to him, he was back at his desk and typing furiously as though she had already left. She packed up her few things and just as she left, she turned and thought she saw Tor watching her, but it was a trick. He was still working just as he always did.

Back on the Pytheas Keisha interrupted Fiolas and Carter in their usual game of cards. The two of them had become best friends over the past 25 years. They had all been so young when they started this journey, just out of academy really. With such a limited amount of crew members, everyone aboard the ship was close, and finding ways to deal with civil disputes had been a big problem. She appointed Carter in charge of civil disputes or mediating them.

Over the years he had proven himself to be fair-minded and efficient. There had been a few times when he had recused himself and let Keisha take over, but for the most part, he was a well-loved member of the Pytheas. He and Fiolas were like brothers. Keisha would catch them fighting but they never stopped being friends.

The third member of their group was Andromeda. The three of them acted as though they were siblings. Fiolas the older brother who was always trying to boss them around, Carter the middle peacemaker, and Andromeda the free-spirited youngest. Keisha loved the family they had built on this ship.

"You cheated." Fiolas sat back and threw his cards on the table. "The probability of you winning that hand is astronomical."

"Just because I'm luckier than you doesn't mean I cheat." Carter laughed and moved the tokens from the middle to his side. "Besides, I'm pretty sure counting cards is considered cheating." If Fiolas ever had to pay up for all the games they played, Keisha was sure it would be her entire retirement fund. Fiolas may be brilliant, but he was not lucky.

Keisha walked to the small table they had in the captain's room and kissed Fiolas on the cheek. "What's the trouble today boys?"

"Pretty quiet this week. Finally settled the dispute between the robotics team." Carter said.

"I checked in on the Mina's today," Fiolas said. "They're hanging in there but Doctor Svenson doesn't think they have much longer." The two Mina's became inseparable and had lived together these past 25 years. However, they had started this journey towards the end of their career, not the beginning. "He said he'd call if it looked like the end. I know you'll want to be there." Fiolas held out his hand and she took it for a moment.

"Thank you. I have tomorrow off duty, I'll go spend some time with them then." Keisha let go of his hand and walked to their small kitchen to start making some dinner. While she was chopping some veggies Andromeda floated in.

She looked the same way she had 25 years ago. Every few years she had tried a new look but always came back to the first one. The long flowy blonde hair with a smooth silky dress. While her real body was starting to show signs of aging, her holo looked like the same 20-year-old who had just saved everyone from Rigel's Collapse. Her face looked worried and contemplative as she came in.

"Everything OK Anj?" Carter asked as he looked up from his card game.

"No." Andromeda let a tear fall from her cheek and the two guys put their cards down.

"What's wrong Andromeda?" Fiolas wheeled around to face her.

"She's coming for us and I can't stop her."