Chapter Six
When Jas boarded the shuttle that would take her planetside, she was a little worse for wear after a long evening spent with Toirien. She took a seat in the cabin and comm’d the pilot that she was ready to go.
She’d talked with Toirien about old times and old acquaintances, like long-departed, myth-addicted Captain Loba, self-serving First Mate Haggardy, and bigoted Dr. Sparks. Toirien had been entertained to hear of what had happened to Sparks after leaving the Galathea. Jas wondered if anyone had told the doctor yet that Earth was finally free of Shadows, or if he was still hiding out the war at chilly Ganymede Outpost.
Jas couldn’t quite remember how her evening with Toirien had ended, but she’d woken with an aching head and sore stomach. She’d self-medicated to relieve t
