Drake had only been on the bridge for five minutes but that was enough to marvel at the change in atmosphere. So much of the recent worry and tension was gone, replaced by a form of giddiness. It felt like a bunch of school kids who’d been allowed out on a trip.
For Drake only having to focus on keeping his mental defences up to avoid accidental nudges was a huge relief. He was no longer having to shield the crew from their link to him and to each other. In fact those links were turning out to be positive.
For the moment, at least. He still remembered Sonia picking up on Jensen’s unspoken thoughts and knew there would be risks of that happening again. But for now the crew were enjoying the link and testing its limits.
Drake was happy to allow that to continue until they drew close
