Dawa kept one eye on her personal PADD’s chronometer as she meandered down the corridor. She didn’t want to be late for her counselling session, but neither was she in a hurry to get there.

“This isn’t your first rodeo…” she told herself, momentarily spiraling over the fact that she’d actually never been to a rodeo and had little idea as to what went on at one.

She physically shook the thought from her head. “Anyway, it’s just a basic wellness check. Answer the questions honestly, they’ll check your latest reaction stats, and you’ll be on your way. You’ll be fine. You’ll be fine.”

Maybe she shouldn’t have been talking to herself right before a counselling session. Or was talking to oneself considered healthy these days?

Before she could ponder the question further, she found herself in front of the counsellor’s office. Dawa steeled herself to ring the chime.

He had a few minutes before his next appointment arrived, so Ryke unfolded himself from his chair and stretched out. Folding his arms behind his head, he arched his back, groaning as he felt clicks in the small of his back as the tight knots eased. No one admitted Counselling was a high traffic area, but he’d felt like his ass had been glued to his chair since start of shift this morning.

And… he cast a glance at the small side table between the two easy chairs in the middle of his office. The last decent coffee he’d had was what… two, maybe three hours ago?

Running a hand over his jaw, he headed for the door. It swept open in front of him to reveal a woman on the other side. She looked familiar, and it took a second for it to click in his brain. Dawa Vlček. His next appointment.

“Commander,” he greeted her with a smile. “You’re a little early. I was just heading to grab a coffee. Would you like to join?” He offered. “Or would you prefer to wait here before our appointment?”

“Oh! Uh, I–” Dawa’s eyes darted from her PADD to the door chime to Ryke and back to the PADD. Finally, she punched the device with her finger and opened her calendar to reveal that she had misremembered her appointment time and was running 15 minutes early.

“Ugh!” She frowned at the traitorous calendar for a brief second before her brain rebooted and she realized that she’d been asked a question.

“Ha ha, sorry! I guess I could use some caffeine.” She stepped back a few paces and gestured down the hall. “Lead the way, Mr. Ashfield.”

“It’s just down here,” he said with an easy smile. “I tell you, this place practically runs on caffeine. I know I certainly do!”

He matched his longer stride to hers. He’d read up on her notes this morning, but he was really just in observation mode at the moment, even though they weren’t yet ‘on the clock’.

“How’s your morning been so far?” he asked as they reached the little refreshment area near the counselling offices. Extending an arm slightly, he indicated she should precede him.

“Fine, fine,” Dawa answered automatically. She nodded as she stepped past him into the alcove. “Finished my duty rosters for the next two weeks, so that’s a relief.”

‘And I’m the only squadron commander who doesn’t have to fill shifts for a pilot killed in action.’ Her smile faltered as the thought battered her mind for the hundredth time that day.

She pushed the thought from her mind and focused on the replicator in front of her. “Cà phê trứng?” It was more of an inquiry than a request, but when the delicate cup of egg coffee coalesced inside the device, she smiled in earnest again.

Dawa took her cup and stepped aside, and tried to discreetly study Ryke’s face as she waited for him to order. He seemed so familiar.

“Oh, that’s a new one,” Ryke commented, making a mental note to remember and try it himself. “Large black coffee, strong, please.”

He caught her eye and gave a little shrug. “Long day today. I’m going to be running on fumes before it’s over, I’m sure.”

Motioning to the few tables, all empty, in the little refreshment area, he asked, “Do you want to sit out here for a while before we start? Gives us time to drink our coffee?”

“Sure,” she said, following him to the nearest table. “And don’t worry, I’m not judging. They should really give you a replicator right in your office. Or at least have the decency to pipe it in so you can have it on tap all day!”

Dawa shifted her chair slightly so that she wasn’t directly facing Ryke, opting to sit at an angle that afforded her a view of the small trickle of people coming and going. She tasted a spoonful of the egg cream, then sipped the coffee.

“Pretty good for a replicator,” she said. “My auntie used to make it for us as kids back on Titan. Decaffeinated, though, heh. A family tradition from Vietnam, by way of Czechia… by way of Mars.” She checked off each location with her spoon in the air before plunging it back into her coffee.

“Where are you from?” she added, hoping the answer might jog her memory.

“Quite the family history there,” he commented. “I’m boring by comparison. Born on Earth, stayed there far too long, and then joined the fleet.”

He took a sip of his coffee, waiting for the caffeine to hit. “Should have done it far sooner, I’ve met a whole lot of interesting people. How about you? Been in long?”

“Not as long as some,” she said. “I joined up in ‘87, as soon as I could get away from the shipyard where my family worked. Those first two years after Utopia Planitia were rough.”

Dawa suppressed a grimace at the thought of leading the conversation down such a maudlin direction with a counsellor that she technically wasn’t even in session with, and downed half her coffee in one sip.

Then she said the first thing that came to mind. “I don’t think Earth is boring at all, though! People who grow up planetside always seem to take for granted how amazing it is to have so much nature around them. How could it be boring knowing that you share a planet with vultures and panthers and whales?”

Fearing that she might be coming off as judgemental, she added, “Though I guess if psychology is your passion, that might not be very compelling. Not a lot of people psychoanylising vultures, I guess.”

Ryke chuckled. “There wasn’t much nature where I grew up I’m afraid. Bit of a concrete jungle. I was more a music kid rather than an outdoorsy kid though, so I didn’t really notice.”

Not until he’d hit his teens anyway, and then everything had gone sideways.

Dawa lifted her coffee cup, but her arm froze just before it reached her lips. ‘Music’ triggered another flash of familiarity in her brain.

“Music, huh?” She put her cup back down without taking a sip. “Do you play any instruments?”

He nodded, leaning back in his chair, fingertips tracing the handle of his coffee mug.

“Several, but I’m a bit rusty on most. It was piano and classical instruments when I was a kid. My mom wouldn’t allow anything else.” The curve of a grin quirked the corner of his lips. “Now I get to pick, guitar… bass mostly. I sing, only occasionally though.”

“Bass, huh?” It was right on the tip of her tongue, but the more she tried to grasp at where she knew his face from, the further it slipped out of reach. Ah, well. “Do you play just for fun, or do you ever perform?”

His smile was slight, but mischief shone in his eyes.

“I may have been known to take to the stage from time to time. But shhhh… my bosses don’t know that,” he admitted with a wink.

Dawa slapped the table so hard that her cup rattled. “That’s it!!” she shouted, then immediately lowered her voice to a near whisper. “That’s it! The Screaming Helltoads! You’re the bassist! I’ve watched so many of your shows over subspace! …did you cut your hair?”

He sat bolt upright as he looked around quickly, but no one was paying them any attention. His grin was quick and wide.

“Yes, I am… and no.” He ran his hand through his short hair. “We wear wigs,” he admitted. “Well, Enna doesn’t. That’s her actual hair.”

Dawa leaned back in her chair and laughed. “Aaah, this is so weird!” she said, still laughing. “I’m gonna have to find some way to push this out of my head during our session. At least you look different without the wig and makeup. That’ll make it a bit easier!”

He chuckled. “Hey, at least it makes the scary counsellor less scary? At least, I hope it does? If not, I can always sing a few bars, although my voice is nowhere near as good as Theo’s.”

“He does have a very sexy voice,” said Dawa. She pointed at Ryke. “And you are more than welcome to tell him I said that!”

She chuckled again and reached for her coffee. “Nah, I won’t make you sing,” she said. “Congrats, though. You have not only made yourself not-scary, you’ve shed any hint of mystique you might have possibly had.”

Dawa swallowed the rest of her coffee in one gulp. “But don’t worry, I promise not to tell anyone on this station about your alter ego!”

He inclined his head, still smiling. “Thank you. It’s not a secret… exactly. But, yeah, I lose my shirt most shows… anyway, ready for this session?” He asked, taking a last sip from his coffee as he stood and holding out his hand for her empty mug.

Dawa stood as well, returning his smile as she handed him her cup. “I think I am, now.”