Cosmos is dangerous.

We were taught this in the space school, we were warned about this in Transgalactic Spacelines.

“Your profession is one of the most dangerous on our planet,” said our instructor, a funny old man, who loves to swing his arms and goggle his eyes before the first flight. - Most earthly professions have existed for a long time, and the risks that representatives of these professions have to face are well studied. Imagine a miner going down into the ground, a fireman entering a burning building, or a military man heading for a hot spot. They all know what they are doing: the miner understands that the mine may collapse, and it can be crushed by debris, or he may die under them from lack of oxygen, the fireman realizes that he may die in the flame or die from asphyxiation, the military man knows that he can be killed. These professions are hundreds and thousands of years old, and all the dangers associated with them have been studied, classified, laid out in shelves. Constructed complex mathematical models describing the risks of each such profession. You, ”the instructor bulged his eyes and slowly circled the audience with them,“ but this is far from you.

We entered into the first interstellar contact a little more than thirty years ago, and began to engage in interstellar transportation only seven years ago, when we joined the Galactic Commonwealth and obtained a license. We are just starting to build relationships with other galactic races, and our knowledge about these races and their habitats is still limited by the general data provided to us in the Galactic Commonwealth, and from time to time by increasing reports on the flights of our ships. Therefore, you should stab yourself on the nose: you should always be on the alert! Remember? Always be on the alert! Watch out! Do not relax for a minute! Wait trick from every even the most harmless creatures! Clear? Can you be sure that, say, a good-natured Rigelian with whom you started a conversation will not smash your head against a wall the next second, taking some random gesture of yours as an insult or an attempt to attack? Or that the drink that your new vegan friend treats you won't eat your stomach? I repeat: do not relax and be on the alert!

I remember that looking at this ridiculous old man and the way he furiously waving his arms and running around the audience, I barely restrained myself from bursting out laughing.

- I wonder if his profession is considered dangerous? - I turned to the girl sitting next to me and outlining everything in a large notebook.

- What? - she was surprised.

- He tells so emotionally that all the time it seems to me that he will have an attack now.

The joke did not pass. The girl looked at me very strangely and began to write something down again. Yeah, I thought, I think I’m going to have to work among these boreholes. It is generally a miracle that they took me here. If they called the space school, they would have told me a lot about them. Such that even my diploma with honors would not help me.

Tired of the constant movement, the old instructor leaned on the table and stood for a minute, catching his breath.

“You, of course, understand,” he continued more calmly, “how important it is for us now to create a good reputation in space.” I must admit that not all of our employees are making this effort, ”he cleared his throat and seemed embarrassed. - There are, in general, just blatant cases. Last year, for example. Transgalactic Spacelines employee became pregnant by a vegan. Naturally, she had to be fired.More recently, the captain of one of our starships was fired for using the services of women who ... who ... provide a certain kind of service for money ...

- Women dugouts? - asked one of the board-conductors.

- No, these were women from Procyon. He raised them from the planet to the ship.

“Tell me,” said the same girl. - But if he himself went down to the planet, and used their services there, in a specially equipped place for this, would he have something for that? I mean, in his personal time, in the hours that he is entitled to rest.

“Girl,” an evil light flashed in the instructor’s eyes, “I do not resolve such issues.” But I can assure you that if the board of Transgalactic Spacelines considered that something threatened the company's reputation, it would have been fired.

“Thank you,” a mocking smile appeared on the girl’s face. The instructor was about to continue, but she interrupted him again: “But imagine a different situation.” On my day off, I go to one of the planets, and I meet a local man there. We talk, he invites me to drink. What can I do with it, and what can not?

I smiled, I liked this girl.

- Sorry, I'm not sure I understand your question ...

“I meet a man from another planet,” she repeated. - It seems that this is my business, to what stage our relationship will reach, right? Or is this also somehow regulated by our company?

In the audience whispered.

“Have you heard that I just talked about a flight attendant who got pregnant from a vegan?” - the instructor was getting annoyed.

- Yes of course. But pregnancy is an extreme case, here I understood everything. Getting pregnant isn't necessary, is it? - she continued with a brazen little smile, - There are various means of contraception, and indeed, in most cases they are not needed, as far as I know, because the human genome is incompatible with ...

- Oh, how much you know! - the instructor lost his temper. - So you have already learned everything for yourself on this subject ?! It's amazing how you all went on an interview with our company! What is your name?

- Rita Morton, sir. But I'm afraid you misunderstood me. I am interested in the purely formal side of the question. When I read the charter of our company, I didn’t find anything there about this. That is why I ask if this is regulated by the company, then it would be good to find out somewhere that you can and can not. Just to be aware.

The instructor calmed down a bit, but now he was breathing heavily. Yes, apparently, his profession is also dangerous.

“I have been talking to you here for an hour about how to be prudent and vigilant in space, and you ask whether it is possible to meet men there?” What do you want adventure? Fly to Earth, and meet your men, how many fit. There they why you? Who will search for you if you are kidnapped? Have you heard that in the Galactic Commonwealth there are cases of trafficking in humanoids? Do you really think that the company can afford the cost of your search if something happens to you?

- Thank you sir. Once again I say that I ask just to better understand the rules - one would believe in the sincerity of her words, if not for a cheeky smile on her lips.

After the briefing, I caught up with her in the corridor. We met, and she said that her young man was a pilot on one of the ships.

- If you knew how what he tells me, does not correspond to what we heard here.

- True? - I was surprised. - And what does he tell?

“I think we'll see soon,” she smiled. - Are you leaving tomorrow?

- Yeah. I can not believe it. First flight.

- I, too. Looks like we're on the same ship.

We made good friends with Rita and since then have always worked together. During the first year, we changed several starships, until finally we hit the Murakami, the largest passenger ship in Transgalactic Spacelines. Since then I have seen a lot of newbies, and now I understand how I looked then, three years ago, when I stepped aboard a starship with frightened eyes.

The newcomer, getting on the ship, simply is horrified by the fact that the situation on board is not similar to what he expected to see. With bewilderment, he looks at his colleagues, who work a little longer here, who on every planet go to local cereal places, where they drink strong drinks in an embrace with local drinkers and take pictures of local girls. He asks, are not afraid ...