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as the young woman approached, he couldn’t quite remember where he knew her from. She wasn’t a member of his crew—or at least she wasn’t wearing a uniform. Then he noticed the partially healed scar on her forehead, and he remembered. He had helped her in the corridor after the battle with the first Ta’Akar ship on his way to see Captain Roberts right before he died. She had been injured herself, the gash on her forehead, and had been trying to help a badly injured man more than twice her size, despite her weakened state. And he had seen her later, running around the treatment area with a data pad, taking treatment notes for Doctor Chen.
    “Yes?” Nathan answered as the woman approached.
    “You probably don’t remember me,” she started.
    “The corridor,” he said. “You were helping an injured man to medical. You called for help. Yes, I remember.”
    “That’s right,” she said, surprised that he remembered her. “My name’s Cassandra. Cassandra Evans,” she told him, holding out her hand.
    “Nathan Scott,” he said as he shook her hand. “You’re on the jump drive project, right?”
    “The what?”
    “Oh, sorry. The superluminal transition something.”
    “Yeah, I guess jump drive is easier to say.”
    “What are you doing in medical?”
    “I’ve been helping out Doctor Chen. My job on the project was to study how the jump drive might affect human physiology. But with all that’s happened, it made more sense for me to help out here for now.”
    “That’s good of you. I’m sure Doctor Chen appreciates it.” Nathan looked around for the doctor. “Where is the doctor?”
    “She’s in surgery. She’ll probably be in there for quite some time. She said to yell at you for ‘ bringing a bunch of unscreened foreign humans on board without prescreening them for pathogens.’ ” Cassandra’s face pulled into a slight frown. “I don’t have to yell at you, do I?”
    “I’ll consider myself properly scolded.”
    Relief washed across her face. “She also said to tell you that everyone needs to undergo a full physical as soon as possible. That means anyone who went down to the surface and anyone new to the ship.”
    “I’ll see to it, but it may be awhile,” he explained. “Things are still a little hectic right now.”
    “Of course, I understand. I’ll let her know when she gets out of surgery.”
    “Great, then I guess I’ll leave you to your work then,” he said as he prepared to leave. “It was nice meeting you, Cassandra.”
    “You too, sir.” Nathan started to head back toward the entrance, when she called to him. “Captain?” Nathan turned back to her to see what she wanted. “I just wanted to say thanks.”
    Nathan looked a bit puzzled. “For what?”
    “Doctor Sorenson told us how you stepped up and took over when Captain Roberts and Commander Montero were killed. She says you probably saved us more than once already.” Cassandra looked a little embarrassed by her statement. “So, I just thought someone should thank you; that’s all.”
    Nathan was surprised, and at a loss for words, which was something that didn’t happen to him very often. “You’re quite welcome, Cassandra.” Nathan looked at her for a moment. “And thank you for saying so.”
    The young woman suddenly felt awkward. “I’d better get back to work now,” she said, taking a few steps backward before turning and disappearing into the utility room.
    Nathan turned and continued out the door into the corridor, thinking Sometimes this ‘captain’ gig isn’t too bad.

    * * *

    The musky, overpowering aroma of the molo struck Nathan long before he reached the hatch to the mess hall. If there was one thing he had learned from his dinner at Tug’s farmhouse, it was that molo smelled far worse during cooking than it did when you ate it. As he approached the hatch, he made a mental note to himself to make sure that all future molo cooking was done with the galley doors closed.
    Nathan was