Zhang MinPiazzi Station, dwarf planet Ceres in the main asteroid belt. 24 hours earlier.
“Where you headed?”
I did my best to ignore him, the stocky man with the beard, sitting two seats to my left. I focused my attention on what was left of my eggs and coffee on the counter in front of me, but he was persistent. Some people get that way, far from home, out here among the inky blackness of space, with the point-eight artificial gravity, powdered egg omelet, and instant coffee only serving as a reminder that you’re not home. Not on Earth. I am not one of those people. I don’t get creeped out staring into the void, and I like to eat my powdered egg omelet in peaceful solitude.
I tapped at the earbud resting in my ear canal. He got the hint and went back to staring at the news cast on the
