“Why did she send you to get me rather than just messaging me herself?” I asked as I followed my roommate through the quiet halls.

  “She got a head start,” Tau answered.

  I sighed. “Is she drunk again?”

  He shrugged. “Yeah. I can’t blame her. You know how stressful her job is.”

  “I don’t know if I’m up for dealing with drunk Nova tonight,” I admitted.

  “Don’t be like that. Eric and Farim will be there too. You won’t have to babysit.”

  My ears perked up excitedly. “Yeah?”

  Tau shook his head. “So me and Nova aren’t enough for you, huh?”

  I remained silent as we took the lift down. “Since when do you care what I think of you?” I finally asked as we stepped out onto solid ground.

  “Look, I’ve been stuck doing grunt work for a quarter while you were off on some special assignment. Are you really that confused about why I’m salty? Are you that naive?” he demanded.

  I bit back a sharp retort, and we finished our journey in silence.

  The rec room’s ceiling may as well have been a window into the inky blackness of space, with clusters of stars here and there shining defiantly. The tables, except for the one at which Nova and my friends sat, were mercifully empty.

  Nova was the first to notice us, waving us over with a big smile on her face. “Hey boys!” she called. “Come take a seat!”

  I muscled my way in between Farim and Eric, across from my supervisor. “Hey guys,” I whispered happily.

  Nova gathered up the cards on the table, and began shuffling. “We were just playing some Drifter’s Dance,” she explained. “Are you down?”

  “I’ve never played,” I admitted.

  The rules were simple enough, and before long we were having a joyous time, passing the flask and playing hand after hand. It was largely luck based, so I didn’t mind losing often, especially as the drink made my head feel fuzzier and fuzzier.

  “You guys are like, my best friends,” I remembered saying at one point with my arms around the terrans to my left and right.

  “We love you too, cutie,” Farim assured me with a pat on the head. “So, Tau, Rook, what’s it like being the only two basts on a long haul like this? Must be pretty scary.”

  She was saved a lecture from Tau, or me if he didn’t speak up, by the grainy music of a transmission coming through. We turned to our communicators, but only Nova stood. She wobbled slightly. “Be right back, guys,” she slurred. “I gotta take this.”

  “Maybe that isn’t the best idea right now,” Tau warned, but she was already stumbling away.

  The four of us sat in silence for a bit before Eric spoke. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Tau. It’s good to finally meet you,” he said politely.

  “Sure,” he replied flatly.

  “Don’t be so sour!” I insisted. “We’re all friends here, right?”

  “Are we?” Tau asked. “Why am I even here? This is clearly just for Rook’s benefit.”

  “Because you know what kind of appreciation the Federation shows to high-performing engineers,” Eric responded. “We have to take care of one another.”

  Tau folded his arms, glaring at the two of them.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Why can’t we all just get along?” I groaned. “Tau, quit being a ding dong!”

  All heads turned as Nova slowly walked back to the table. Rather than taking a seat, she circled around to stand behind me, lightly placing her hands on my shoulders.

  “Nova, Tau’s being a ding dong,” I whined, then giggled as a pleasant wave of dizziness washed over me.

  “Is everything okay?” Tau asked seriously.

  “Yeah,” I answered quickly.

  “Not you,” he snapped.

  I felt her fingers tighten on my shoulders. “Ooo, a massage?” I purred. A moment later I was suspended in the air, before falling heavily to the floor.

  “What the fuck, Nova?” Tau demanded.

  “What did you tell him?” Nova asked in barely a whisper.

  “Ow,” I said indignantly, and tried to pull myself off the floor.

  Her booted heel pressed into my chest, keeping me pinned. “That was Harlyle, you little bastard. What did you tell him?”

  “Nothing, honest!” I protested. I looked to my friends for assistance. They looked away. “I said you didn’t say anything!”

  “No, you said I didn’t see anything!” Her hands balled into fists. “I told you what happens, Rook. I warned you what happens!”

  I shook my head. “He... he cornered me! He threatened to-”

  “I don’t give a flying fuck if he had a gun to your mother’s head, Rook!” Nova yelled, her heel pressing down even harder. “We do not tolerate rats. Farim, Eric... hold him still.”

  I felt relief, briefly. I looked up at my friends imploringly, and saw them exchange a look.

  “Sorry about this,” Farim whispered, before the two of them hauled me to my knees.

  “Please don’t hurt me,” I begged, struggling weakly against soberer hands. “I’m sorry. I fixed the fusion thruster!”

  “Good job,” Nova said coldly before reeling back and striking me across the face with a closed fist.

  The pain was immediate, as was the taste of blood.

  “Hey!” Tau protested. “This isn’t the way we do things!”

  “Shut up!” Nova shot back. Her eyes glistened with tears as she raised her other fist.

  “You’re drunk and upset,” he reasoned calmly.

  “Best time to work out the frustration, in my experience,” Eric said. “Rook’ll be fine. His fur will hide the damage.”

  Another fist connected with my cheek. I heard a crack. It sounded expensive. “But you said... powder socks?” I asked meekly, blood drooling from my lips.

  “Yeah,” Farim said uneasily. “Nova, we should pick this up later, when we have the proper tools.”

  “No,” she said, rolling up her sleeves. “I’m ending this now.”

  “Nova!” Tau shouted, stepping in front of her and absorbing a punch to the chest. “He’s had enough! You know what Harlyle is like to people like us. You’ve seen it before.”

  “I’m always covering for somebody,” she growled, seething with rage. “Always Nova, trying to make sure everyone’s okay, and the thanks I get? Slash my budget, cut my pay, turn my own engineers against me! I’m sick of this shit, I’m gonna kill him!”

  “I’m sorry,” I whimpered again.

  “Shut your fucking mouth,” Eric whispered in my ear. “The adults are talking, Rat.”

  “If you want to do this the right way,” Tau said calmly, “Wait until you’re sober, assemble the crew, and don’t leave a mark. This is just revenge, and you know it. You’re going to regret this in the morning.”

  Nova’s glare faltered, her eyes falling to the pool of blood forming under me. “Get out,” she ordered. “Both of you. Now.”

  I fell to the floor the moment I was released. My head was killing me, and the room was spinning. I felt strong hands lifting me off the ground, pulling me close to a warm chest. Without another word, Tau carried me from the rec room.

  “I’m sorry,” I whimpered again.

  “Ah, don’t be,” he said gently. “He got in your head. Now you won’t let it happen again, right?”

  As I nodded, my lower lip quivered. I tried to fight the tears back, but they came anyway. “They just held me there while she... she... why didn’t they help me?”

  “They aren’t your friends,” Tau said solemnly. “They’re coworkers.”

  “Are we friends?”

  Tau looked down at me and sighed. “I’m taking you back to our room. You’ll catch another fine if you show up at Laurie’s drunk.”

  I gingerly touched my swollen cheek. “Thank you. I’m sorry.”

  “I know you are, G,” he said tiredly. “Me too.”