"Back there," Trudy said, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at the Obs deck they had just left. "After I fell out of my pod all slimy and covered in goo. It's only fair I'd return the favor for one of his own, right? Kang's been a good friend to me, and a good Councilman for the ship."

Stacy's hallways felt familiar after all this time, but coming to a podpop always brought back how new it had all felt when she first arrived. The misty, humid tunnels reminded them that they were crawling through a very living ship. "And he doesn't run the thing by himself. Kaylee runs it when he can't," she added. "And all of us keep an eye out for trouble."