“Between you, me, and the wall, I don’t know what to do!” Kiara slammed her fist onto the table, instantly regretting it as the metal sent shockwaves through her gloved hand.

“Hey, hey,” Asher lifted his hands up calmly, though he took a small step away from Kiara. “I get that you’re stressed, but-”

“Oh, yeah, I’m sure you would!” Kiara seethed, holding onto her wrist tightly, but her expression showed no sign of pain. “Because you do so much work, hiding away in the hull like the rat you are!”

“Okay!” Asher shoved his hands in his pockets and turned around sharply. “I’ll, uh, leave you to it, then!”

Asher left Kiara to deal with whatever she was upset about, stepping out into the ship’s hallway. As the door slid shut behind him, Kiara’s string of threats became muffled and Asher could almost pretend they weren’t directed at him. He sighed, then noticed the captain, Lionel, leaning against the wall with an amused expression.

“Oh, captain,” Asher gave the man an awkward salute, silently cursing himself for the mess he had just walked away from. He still hadn’t had a real conversation with the captain since he had joined the crew, and it was something he had been doing his best to avoid. “Kiara’s… busy.”

“Of course,” Lionel nodded, standing up straight. He stuck his hand out, and it took Asher an embarrassingly long moment to realize it was for a handshake. “I haven’t had the chance to properly welcome you to the crew. It’s good to have you with us.”

“Yeah, I always seem to just miss you…” Asher mumbled, shaking Lionel’s hand with as much officiality as he could manage. “Speaking of which, I really should get to-”

“I insist.” Lionel’s tone was kind, but Asher could tell that there was no chance he’d be able to brush the conversation away. “I’d like you to join me in my office, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure,” Asher felt panic begin to build in his chest, but he forced a smile onto his face. “Lead the way, captain!”

Lionel turned without another word, and Asher followed. Asher’s fingers tapped against his leg while he walked, a nervous habit he’d failed to break. Lionel was the only member of the crew to have an office; from what Asher could tell, everyone else just had the rooms they were in charge of and a bunk in the cramped bedroom next to the storage room that doubled as a kitchen. The door they stopped at was one Asher hadn’t been through quite yet, and he held his breath as Lionel showed his badge to the scanner.

The door opened to reveal a remarkably normal-looking office. Asher had been expecting something a bit more dramatic, or at the very least, something that looked like it belonged on a spaceship. Instead, a quaint desk stood, bolted to the floor, covered in folders and small boxes. Filing cabinets lined the walls, halving the size of the room, and each drawer was held shut with a sturdy lock. Behind the desk, another door stood, and Asher assumed it led to the captain’s own bed.

Lionel took a seat behind the desk, leaving Asher to stand before him with a feigned sense of calm. Asher, after a moment of checking to see if there was anywhere for him to sit, resigned himself to standing, and he made sure not to slouch. He had been prepared to do anything to get away from Europa, where he had joined the crew, and now he was terrified that he was about to have that ripped from him.

“Well, Asher,” A sickeningly pleasant smile bloomed across Lionel’s face, and Asher shifted his weight between his feet anxiously. “How are you liking the ship?”

“It’s, uh, it’s nice.” Asher glanced around the room again, trying his best to avoid direct eye contact with the captain.

“I’m glad to hear it.” Lionel nodded. “I hope the rest of the crew hasn’t been giving you any trouble, Kiara’s temper aside?”

“No, they’ve been fine,” Asher said hurriedly. “Everyone’s fine. I’m fine.”

“Good.” Lionel looked apologetic for a moment, and Asher could tell that he was doing a terrible job at hiding his worries. “Now, you signed on as a technology supervision assistant, which as far as I’m aware, is not an existing position.”

“That’s… strange.” Asher looked down at the floor quickly, then back to Lionel. “That was my title on my last ship, so I assumed it would transfer over just fine-”

“I don’t take kindly to liars, Asher.” Lionel’s tone shifted from bland corporate kindness to practiced seriosity. “I’ve been in this business long enough to recognize a would-be stowaway from anywhere, let alone when one makes their way into my crew.”

Asher didn’t say anything. All of the sentences he wanted to start died before they became anything close to coherent. If they abandoned him back on Europa, it could take him years to find another ship he’d be able to forge an application for. Lionel sighed before continuing to speak.

“You did, however, work remarkably well with us when the explosion happened shortly after our departure from Europa. Jay came to speak with me afterwards, and spoke very highly of your practical skills.” Lionel paused as Asher took in what he had said. “And based on your lack of any belongings and connection to any criminal organizations on Europa, I’m guessing that your attempt at escape is not from anything nefarious.”

A heavy silence hung over the pair as Asher’s panic started to settle. He took a long moment to consider what to say. It felt like Lionel was offering him a chance, and he settled on honesty as his approach.

“I just had to get out of there,” Asher finally looked back to Lionel, who folded his hands and listened. “I’ve been stuck on that moon for three years, after being brought in as a prisoner of war from the Callisto conflict. As I’m sure you know, the return rate from that slice of hell was very low. Once all of the fighting stopped, I was released, but without a way home; if your crew didn’t come back to get you, then you ended up as a citizen on Europa instead. I’ve been stranded without any way to contact my city, the rest of my cohort is likely dead, and none of my work experience has been exactly transferrable to all the fancy ships they’ve got passing through Jupiter’s system. You all were the least official ship I’d seen in years, you can’t blame me for taking that chance. I can’t offer you money, or high credentials, but I’m not here to drag you all down or steal anything, I promise.”

“I see.” Lionel leaned back in his chair thoughtfully. “Jay joined us from a similar situation, actually. If I had to guess, that’s why he’s vouched so heavily for your place here.”

“Oh.” Asher was genuinely surprised to hear that. He’d gotten the sense that Jay didn’t particularly like him.

“So I suggest you thank him,” Lionel smiled again, genuinely. “For your place aboard The Rising Titan.”

Asher couldn’t stop himself from grinning. The weight of his situation seemed to evaporate on the spot. He was actually free. The next time the ship stopped at Earth, he would find his way back to the simple life he’d left behind all those years ago. Lionel took a key from his coat pocket and unlocked one of the drawers next to him, and pulled a small golden badge from it. He slid it across the desk to Asher, who took it gingerly and held up to examine. The image of a hand reaching upwards into a starry sky was engraved onto its surface, and Asher fastened it onto his jacket with a dull sense of pride.

“Thank you, Lionel.” Asher looked back at the captain gratefully. “I’ll do my part while I’m here, it’s the least I can do.”

“It’ll be nice to have you here for as long as it takes to get you home, Asher.” Lionel locked the drawer, tucking the key back inside of his coat. “And, if you ever decide that space travel is your speed, I’m sure there wouldn’t be any objections to you joining us for a more permanent stay. Provided you do good work, that is.”

“Yeah,” Asher took a moment to consider that offer. He didn’t have much to go home to, really. And while running through smoking hallways with Jay desperately trying to find what part of the wiring system had caught fire had been stressful, it had helped him to feel something he hadn’t experienced in a very long time. Comradery. “I’ll think about it.”

Asher stepped out of Lionel’s office and started down the hallway towards the main room, where Jay should be working, and traced the engraving on his badge. However he decided to go about this new position, he wasn’t stuck anymore. He was free to make his own choices now, and he planned to take full advantage of that.