I gave Gem a chance to splash water on her face and clean up before we emerged from the bathroom, knowing she hated people seeing her cry, but still, Cory looked concerned.

“Is everything okay?” He asked, his eyes fixed on Gem’s face.

“Yeah, fine. Come on, let’s go see the war rooms!” She smiled brightly as she manoeuvred the wheelchair so that I could sit down easily.

Cory didn’t seem convinced, his gaze not leaving Gem’s face until she strode ahead of him and pushed me from the room.

She wheeled me through the medBay and I felt my eyes go wide. I’d been in a private room before but out in the main part of it, there were rows of beds full of patients. Most of the white curtains surrounding the beds were pulled back and I could see endless injured patients. Doctors and nurses bustled through the room, checking on patients and talking to the ones who were awake but they all fell silent as we walked past.

Why are there so many people in here? Is that normal? I asked, trying not to stare.

Some of these people were injured in the protests but some are fighters who were injured getting us off Nova. Cas told me uncomfortably.

I swallowed, feeling uneasy and very aware that most of the people in the medBay were there because of us.

The room felt huge. Row after row of patients wrapped in colourful blankets watched us. MedBots stood scattered seemingly randomly throughout. Most of them looked new and modern like the one in my room but some were more like the ones we had on the base. Looking around, I realised that only a few people were hooked up to medBots like I had been. Most of them had old fashioned looking IV stands or strange white machines. Guilt ran through me as I realised it was likely that I was getting special treatment.

I didn’t deserve it. I hadn’t done anything special, the fighters and protesters were the ones who deserved private rooms and medBots to constantly monitor them and adjust their medication.

“Doctor Cory?” One patient called hesitantly, struggling to push herself up in her bed.

I smiled slightly as Cory strode over and began conversing with the woman in a low tone. Even with his back to us, I could tell he looked confident.

So, he’s been working here too? I asked.

Yeah. He didn’t like being away from us at first but I think knowing there were so many people in here and not enough doctors to cope with it was driving him insane. He fully stopped sleeping. Gem thought, smiling lovingly at him.

“Alright, I’ll be back to check on you later tonight. Make sure you get a chance to see the physio later, okay?”

“Yes, Doctor,” She said, nodding enthusiastically.

Cory returned to where we were standing, his shoulders rolled back and clearly in his element.

“Sorry about that. Shall we?”

We continued through the mostly silent room, passing through the doors at the end and out into the corridor. For once, I wished we didn’t have our mods because the whispers that broke out in the medBay could be heard clearly. They weren’t angry or annoyed at us. They were fascinated. It was like they’d just seen an animal in a nature reserve and they couldn’t wait to study me more.

I pushed down the queasy sensation that followed and forced my eyes to focus on the path we were taking. I felt a little lost without my wrist monitor which would have normally been able to display a map of the ship so instead, I tried to focus on the route.

We turned left again and continued down the steel-walled hallway. Every turn we took brought us to another identical corridor and quickly, I became lost. Panic gripped me but I pushed it aside as best I could. I was with my crew, I was safe. Everything would be okay. It had to be.

Gem pushed me into a spacious lift and my crew stepped in behind me. I glanced upwards quickly at the screen above the door. We were on floor 19. According to the guide on the large screen built in to the wall of the elevator, this floor mostly hosted the medBays, the garage and a couple of training rooms. It made sense to have the garage on the same floor as the medBays. We’d come back from missions injured very often and the trip across the base to the Bay was always a nightmare. Far too frequently, we’d had to carry an injured crew member (usually Gem because she always jumped in front of us at the first sign of danger) and that made the journey take at least double the length. Especially that time we were all injured by mislabeled cargo that ended up exploding before we could get it onto the ship.

The doors opened into a much busier corridor. This one was carpeted with a strip of worn navy fabric and the walls were painted cream. It seemed much more lively than the lower floors. People roamed around leisurely in blue jumpsuits just like the ones we were wearing but still, the second they noticed who we were, they stopped and watched at us.

Tension rose in me and I realised I was clenching my jaw. I tried to relax it but people’s stares were prickling into my skin. My hands clenched into fists and I hid them under my thighs so the people wouldn’t see.

Don’t worry, we’re almost at the war room and most people don’t stare at us there. Cas thought to me with a gentle smile.

This is horrible. Has it been like this since you all got here? I tried to keep my eyes fixed forward so that I couldn’t see the extent of everyone’s stares but I could still hear the whispers.

“I thought they’d be older,” One person remarked quietly.

“Yeah, me too. They don’t look like anything special.” Their friend replied.

Yep, Gem thought back grimly. It’s been pretty hard to get used to.

I swallowed. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to it. It was horrible.

The closer we got to the war rooms though, the quieter it got and I was very grateful. I couldn’t bear the attention for much longer. It made me want to claw my skin off or shout something at them.

We stopped outside a door and Cas stepped forwards to scan the chip in his hand.

Oh, you’ve recoded the chips already? I thought, watching the scanner flash orange as it processed the information.

Yeah. We’re in here so much I thought I might as well. I can redo yours once we get back to the medBay, if you want?

That would be useful, I think. I thought back as the scanner finally flashed green.

The thick doors slid open slowly and the sight of the room took my breath away. Screens lined every single wall and people sat in individual cubicles with complex looking data flashing up on the screens in front of them. The brightness and noise shooting around the room was overwhelming and I found myself wanting to escape. The endless chatter coming from the speakers and the typing of the workers felt deafening as the cold air stung my skin.

A few people glanced up as we entered but most went back to their typing after watching us for a few seconds. One person performed an elaborate salute but I sat staring blankly, clueless as to how they wanted me to respond. That didn’t seem to phase them though, they just continued staring at us and grinning.

Yeah, I don’t know either. They salute every time we enter the room and it’s always slightly different. Gem thought, obviously noting my discomfort.

It’s weird but kind of nice, I guess. I think the one he did three or four days ago was my favourite. He did this kind of swooping motion with his hand a few times. Cas thought with a smile.

That one was more fun. We’re going this way.

Gem pushed me towards another thick looking black door. It had giant reinforced hinges and multiple cameras that swivelled to point at us. Gem pulled me back out of the way as it swung open slowly to reveal a much less overstimulating room. The walls were dark and only one of the walls was a screen but it didn’t flash with information like the ones in the room before, it just had a feed of a podium. It was muted, thankfully, and low murmurs filled the room. I found myself breathing a sigh of relief that not a single person looked up at our entrance. Weirdly, this was the most peaceful place I’d been on the ship, outside of my medBay room.

My eyes scanned the room, taking in the dark brushed metal table with comfortable white plush chairs placed around it, the unused medBot gathering dust in the back corner next to a vending machine and a table with coffee making equipment. I immediately recognised the woman in the light blue jumpsuit talking to Andy. Captain Aquila looked exactly as she had when we’d first met her however many months before. She was locked in an intense discussion with Andy who was also now wearing a light blue jumpsuit, like most of the people in the room. He typed something on the large screen on the table in front of him before leaning back and gesturing.

Movement behind him distracted me. A light-haired guy with a brutal scar running across his forehead, over his eye and onto his cheek took a large gulp of coffee before sitting down next to Andy and pointing at something on the screen. Andy glanced up at him for a second, his eyes crinkling around the edges before he looked back down. His hand reached out for coffee and he took a sip.

Gem pushed me further into the room but I still felt out of place. The blonde guy placed a hand on Andy’s arm before cocking his head at us.

Andy looked up, his face breaking into a warm smile.

“Ah, there’s my favourite crew. Come! Sit down.”

Captain Aquila stood and strode across the room to meet us, holding her hand out to me.

“Welcome back to Freo, Captain Aries.”

Her use of my title almost made me well up. I deserved to keep it. I had to force myself to meet her gaze and shake her hand.

“Thank you for having us. And for everything you’ve done for my crew.”

“You’re welcome. Come, you’re just in time. A Council press conference is starting shortly.”

Anxiety shot through me at her words but it was soothed slightly by Andy’s presence. He was always in control and he’d protect us. I knew it. He continued smiling as I was wheeled over to the table.

“Welcome to the heart of the war rooms, Aries. I’d like you to meet my husband Elliot.”