There were setbacks and failures in my life, and I experienced a lot: betrayal, loneliness, poverty. However, so far nothing has succeeded in shaking my confidence in my happy future. In the most difficult moments, I repeated to myself: “Nothing, but I have my space. No one can take it away from me, no matter what happens. ” From the very young age, I firmly knew that I would fly, and this knowledge helped me through all adversity, as a religious person is helped by the thought of reward in the afterlife.

Cosmos was not something tangible for me. He was my myth, not requiring expression in a concrete form. The realization that I would go there, all my life was for me almost a sacred feeling. And the cosmos was my religion.

And here I really flew there. She graduated from space school with a good result, was interviewed for the position of stewardess. The competition was great - about ten people per seat, and everyone who got a seat felt wildly lucky. At first, I also thought that I was lucky, but then I suddenly realized: it could not be otherwise. Just not with me.

The thought of space was my last support, the bottom, on which the sinking pushes off in order to rise again to the surface. Whatever failures would not fall on me, I knew that there is this bottom far below, and everything will be fine, one has only to sink deep enough. The foot will find support, and I will rise to the surface again. But for the first time I was visited by the feeling that my foot was frantically trying to grope at least something, but did not find anything, and I plunged deeper, deeper ...

***

After captain Dan found me in Garch’s room and took me aboard a starship, events developed rather quickly. I was out of the way for a short time and woke up in the infirmary when there was still about six hours before departure to Earth. It took some time before the events that preceded my swoon lined up in memory in one chain, but when I remembered all the details, an incredible longing gripped me - I remembered Trichet. Where is she now? Did the captain catch up with that brown reptile, and did he find her?

My face and hands were bandaged - see, broken glass well wounded me. I was lying on my bed, looking at the white ceiling and not daring to call anyone. After some time, the doctor came in:

“Oh, Zoe, have you already woken up?” I'll call the captain now.

- Wait a minute ...

She stopped on the way to the door and turned around.

- How much am I already here?

- About two hours.

“Trisha on the ship?”

“The captain will tell you everything,” she left the room.

Captain Dan arrived, sullen and angry. He did not find Trisha, as I assumed, and looking at his mood, I realized that there was almost no hope of finding it. Before flying to Earth a few hours, and during this time he is unlikely to have time for something. I told him everything that happened on the planet. When I got to what happened between Garch and Trisha, Dan straightened up in his chair and asked:

“And you didn't try to stop them?”

I said nothing, dropping my eyes.

- This is very bad, Zoe. If we do not find Trish, you will have to report your actions to the management of the company, and you can be sure that they will consider it a crime. You know what strict rules we have. Trisha is an intern, and the responsibility for her is on your shoulders. And on mine, of course, - he angrily hit the table. - I think we all get it. Keep going

I told everything to the end, until the moment Dan found me in the bedroom of Garch.

- And who was it with you? I asked, remembering that the captain was accompanied by some kind of protioner in a blue cloak.

- A friend of mine.But Zoe, all the questions later, he roughly cut off. Then he sat for a minute thoughtfully. - Well, the problem you asked us.

- Dan, I'm sorry ...

He glanced at me slightly and said nothing. I felt a lump approach my throat and must have sobbed so that Dan heard.

“Okay,” he relented. - I went, go down to the planet again - I will try to look for your aldebaran. Do not kill much. You, of course, should have been more careful, but we are all not without sin, and sometimes in space we completely forget about caution. So pray, if there is someone to Trisha found. Then we will not record this incident in the flight report, and just forget about everything. Otherwise, we will all be bad. The loss of a crew member is a serious matter. It threatens you with dismissal, and me, at worst, even with a criminal case.

Dan returned five hours later. By that time, the doctor, having examined me, came to the conclusion that I had nothing more to do in the infirmary, and they discharged me, ordered me to come to the dressings every day. The bandages were removed from the face and hands, leaving only patches in place of the cuts.

“You have six stitches on your cheek and four on your forehead,” she told me. - And a lot of wounds without seams, but still deep enough. There will be scars. So, when you get to Earth, go to a plastic surgeon.

Dan was out of sorts. I met him immediately, as he returned, but he only dismissed me:

“Then, Zoe.” I need to rest.

- Tell me, is there anything?

“I took a photo of Trisha from the apartment where it all happened.” In addition to this - almost nothing. I'll call you later and tell you everything.

It was of course impossible to delay the interstellar passenger flight, and we flew away from Zalona with nothing. I was standing near the porthole, looking at the receding planet, and my soul was disgusting. There’s almost no hope of seeing Trish, I understood that. My space career ended, and what else can I do? How can I make a living? I’m probably fired, and what should I do next? To wash the floors? I didn’t even save money for three years, and I have nothing to live with. We'll have to go back to my parents, probably. And then my mother will have another reason for gloating, and my pervert brother will have a new reason for jerking. I do not even know if I should return. Father probably won't condemn me, but he pinned such hopes on me! Or maybe he will help me with the work? He has connections, and he seems like a respected person in space circles. Although he does not fly for a long time, and does not even communicate with anyone from the space community, as far as I know. But maybe he can, if he does not save me a place, then at least help me get somewhere else in the space profession? I have a good diploma, and a wealth of experience. I can be a guide, a translator, but anyone! But how you don't want to ask him anything!

An hour after the departure, Dan called and summoned me. When I arrived, he had already gathered three: the captain himself, the same protioner in a blue raincoat who, together with the captain, saved me from the clutches of a brown reptile and the assistant captain Steve is a very young, but reliable and experienced guy.

“Here it is, the culprit of our troubles,” Dan said, raising a glass of whiskey in my direction. Dan had one peculiarity: when he got tired, he became terribly angry and rude, but as he relaxed for half an hour and missed a glass or two, he immediately got sick, and then he could be asked for anything. And now he, apparently already rested, and now seemed quite friendly.

I nodded to Steve and said hello to an unfamiliar procion.

“This is Guuk, my good friend,” the captain told me. “You must not remember him?”

“I remember, I remember,” I said. “You were with the captain then?”

Guuk nodded silently, and Dan continued:

- We were just sitting with him in one bar in Załón, when you called me on the communicator. You're lucky I was close then. Your communicator quickly became unavailable, but I managed to record your coordinates.

“Thank you for your help,” I said to Gooku.

Guuk was an elderly, yellow-skinned humanoid, with a courageous and thin face, flecked with a network of deep wrinkles. Dry skin covered his prominent cheekbones, his eyes stared intently, gray, slightly curly hair fell on his shoulders. He was tall and slightly stooped, his eyes seemed tired, ...