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crossed her face was automatic. It took her brain approximately two seconds to review and dismiss all possible excuses for getting away. Not going to get out of this one.
    “A tour would be wonderful. I will apologize in advance if I bow out early. I’m expecting sleep to overtake me soon.”
    “Of course. This way.”
    They moved slowly in the same direction Haylie had been heading originally. At first they walked in silence moving from the living area to the main hub of the station.
    Haylie could feel a change in the air, a type of energy starting to build. Voices drifted to 24

     
    her from down the hall, and people began to drift past them. Some more than a little drunk. When two large Briel men walked by, Haylie watched Donaldson’s demeanor change. He kept his eyes locked on them until they passed by. Finally, he cleared his throat and began to speak.
    “The colony is very much its own world as we are so far from Earth. While the majority of us are human, there are enough Briel living here for it to have an impact on how we do things. They tend to be less social than humans, but that hasn’t been too hard to deal with. Here we go. This room on your right is your new security office.”
    Haylie stopped in front of the glass doors. The room was dark, with only a few background lights turned on. The large computer desk sat in the middle, a bit out of place in the sparsely decorated room. She pulled the schematics up in her mind and knew she would be close to both the med bay as well as what was listed as a recreation area.
    “Don’t worry about the fishbowl feeling. You can ask the computer to turn on the privacy tinting when the need arises. You never know what may happen when you are interrogating someone.”
    He seemed a bit too pleased with that particular feature. “Are there many crimes that would need that type of interrogation?”
    Donaldson didn’t answer at first. His eyes searched her face, his lips pursed and he cocked an eyebrow.
    “Some of the miners can be a bit on the questionable side, especially those who travel from some of the other human outposts. It can take some convincing on the part of our security force to find a clear answer to our questions. I hope that type of investigation won’t prove difficult for you. I must say, I hesitated when they told me my new security chief would be a woman.”
    Now there was some archaic thinking. “I can assure you, I am a highly effective investigator.”
    “Of course, of course. Shall we continue?”
    The touch of his hand on the small of her back made her skin crawl. Haylie walked a step or two faster to break the contact. They stopped again when they reached the adjoining corridor. Because of the hour, many people were milling around. A loud cheer emanated from what looked like a bar to their right. The smell of food floated in the air, eliciting a growl from her stomach. The energy in the air had increased and Haylie enjoyed the sudden rush of excitement. This is what had been missing earlier, what she’d grown accustom to on Luna. The pulse of life generated by colony living.
    “We’re moving into the center of the complex. The medical facility is down the corridor on your left. I believe your friend is there now, is she not?”
    This guy seemed to know everything. “Umm, yes. There was an emergency.”
    “A mining accident. Something to do with a damaged environmental suit. We are very lucky that Dr. Fergus is here. I hate to say it but I never fully trusted the Briel doctors. I hope I’ll have a chance to meet her soon.”
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    And the first chance she had, Haylie was going to pull this guy’s psych record.
    Something she regretted not doing sooner.
    “And what is this way?” Haylie said and turned to face the opposite direction, knowing full well what was there.
    She had to get out of this tour now.
    “That way leads to the shuttle bays, engineering facility and labs. Straight ahead is our recreation area.”
    “Excellent. I think