Yuki again looked at the portrait of her mother: “She caught a cold, the body could not cope with the disease due to a DNA anomaly and, despite the treatment, she died.”

“I sympathize” Said Tai and added, “A few years ago they came up with a drug that slows down the development of DNA anomalies”

“I know, I paid 1500 tal for an injection. And I honestly have a bewilderment about the medicine, where did it come from? Hundreds of years of unsuccessful attempts and suddenly a miracle! Yuki waved her hands. – Such a miracle is possible, but it usually does not happen from scratch, but is the result of many years of work.”

“I will say more that there is a cure for DNA anomalies. No, this is not a joke. The medicine exists, but, in a small amount, circumstances have developed so that it is still impossible to get the medicine. Another reason why they hid the cure is orgatox, as long as it exists, there is a danger of its revival.”

“That is, the medicine has always been!” Yuki was outraged.”And the pilgrims hid it. I am disappointed in the pilgrims, how many people died during this time!”

“I understand your feelings, but if these people had access to the cure, they would have died anyway.”

“But why?”

“Because they managed to create it only for pilgrims. The medicine restores the original code of the pilgrim's DNA, for other people it is poison. I am a descendant of pilgrims, but I am not a purebred pilgrim, for me this medicine is deadly.” Tai answered.

“This is hard to believe.” Yuki hesitated.

Tai stood up and wanted to leave, but he couldn't move. He understood that if he left now, he would never meet Yuki again. During a short conversation with her, he experienced feelings that he had never experienced. It was like waking up and it was all this girl's fault.

“Listen, I have a business proposal for you. I have an incomplete crew on the ship and, according to the rules of the emergency rescue service, we should have a ship's doctor, but he is not. I can take you on an internship for two months. Until we finish our shift. And then you decide to stay in the service or move on. The salary for the first time is 50 tal, plus bonuses from insured events. The work is certainly risky, you will not be bored.  Now with your documents you will not be able to leave the station, you have no citizenship, only registration. And in two months you will be issued documents, you will become a real Seo Yuki, a member of the Guild of Insurers, with clean documents and no more questions.”

Yuki remained silent, ignoring Tai.

“If you decide, come to the seventh airlock compartment of the administrative block. I'll give you a pass. Only you have time to think until four local time, then we fly away.” Tai got up and left.

Tai returned to the ship and told Seo Yuki's story. Everyone expressed their opinion. Mey and Tan drew attention to some questionable moments in her story. They concluded that Yuki could very well be a smuggler and knew Mo Gong, otherwise why would she linger in the airlock and then drag the hopeless Mo Gong to another ship. In addition, there was a suspicion that she was looking for something outside the station, since her lips were chapped, and this is a characteristic sign of a long stay in a spacesuit, and her current work has nothing to do with spacewalks. But all this was not so important, the main thing was that they found out what happened to the Sauter crew and that Yuki was not infected.

Tai also warned that he had offered Yuuki a job. Tai and Mey were clearly dissatisfied. Although no one knew if Yuuki would agree or not. This became clear three hours later, when the rescue tug was ready to undock from the station. Yuki entered the airlock. All her luggage consisted of a single small backpack.

Tai told the truth, Yuki was not bored. It seemed to her that a whole year had passed in a month and a half. She could not imagine how often accidents happen and how important the emergency rescue service is. Technique improved, flight safety was given great attention, but comfort dulled vigilance. While working as a doctor, Yuki most often had to deal with frostbite, burns and compression injuries of varying severity.

Yuki has participated in several rescue missions. She went out into outer space and, together with Tai and Tan, made her way aboard the ships that were wrecked. She saw such that even bonuses with four-digit zeros did not compensate for the stress of what she saw. Yuki began to regret accepting such a job. The only thing that kept her on the rescue team was getting Citizenship from the Underwriters Guild.

The rescue tug's medical bay contained four medical pods and a surgical robot. After the operation of the surgical robot, Yuki had to clean up the compartment for a long time. Mey occasionally came to Yuuki to help her clean up. They rarely talked about abstract topics, more about work. One day, when Mei came to help, Yuki asked how Mei met Tan.

“We have known each other since childhood.” Mei smiled. “We lived on the same street two houses down, and our parents were friends and colleagues. They also worked in the emergency services in different positions, Tai and Tan's parents worked on this tug. Tan and I are the same age and treated each other like brother and sister. We graduated from the same school and our paths diverged. Tang went into science. And I entered the flight academy. We lived in Ladakia and this is a tourist resort, a romantic getaway and all that. Snow-white tourist liners landed on the sea and magnificent pilots in white uniforms stood on the deck. I had a dream that I, too, would someday stand on deck in a white tunic and a blue beret with the rank of captain. I did everything to make this dream come true, one might say, I walked over heads. And in the end, I got my way. At the age of 18, I was already the captain's mate, on a luxurious galactic liner. Eh, if all those whom I knew would see me, they would probably envy me, I thought. And one day, watching the tourists fussing in the hall, I saw Tan. I went to him, to show myself in all its glory. But halfway through I stopped. I saw his happy face, friends and girlfriends who surrounded him. They were people from a completely different world. In my world, apart from me and people like me, trying to prove something to someone, there is no one else. We are strong independents, but at the same time we constantly seek the approval of other people and absolutely cannot stand criticism. When I went down from the captain's deck, down, I realized that everything that I do is of no interest to anyone but me, I am a lonely and unhappy person.

“Didn't you have friends?” Yuki asked.

“Were! Only these are just guests in my life, they came, ate, and I was left alone with a mountain of dirty dishes! I hope you understand what I'm talking about. They are friends as long as you can be useful to them, and I myself was like that. If not for this meeting with Tan, I probably would have become a lonely bitch!”

“How did you and Tan become a married couple?”

“I decided to appear before his eyes and in the end we met with him every day during the cruise. He introduced me to his friends and colleagues. They treated me with respect, but I understood that I was not worthy to be near them, and even more so with Tan. I smiled, laughed, but I felt very bad. Tan, in turn, was very sensitive to me. He no longer looked like the boy whom I considered as a brother. We admitted to each other at the same time that we feel. And at the first opportunity we escaped from the cruise ship. Traveled for a while, and then decided to join Tai's crew. ”

“And how did he react to it?”

“Silently. Tai is not rich in emotions”

Mey and Yuki talked for another half an hour and then went to their quarters. May traditionally went up to the bridge before going to bed and stumbled upon Tai. He sat in the captain's chair and studied something on his ditab.

“Tai, you're not doing the right thing to Yuki.” Mey said.

“What's wrong?” Tai asked.

“What?” May was outraged. “Do you think your brother and I didn’t understand why you hired Yuki? You liked her so much that you made a rash decision. You pulled her out of society and closed her in an iron can, in which she is slowly going crazy! Space is not her place. Yes, she lived for some time on the space station, but at least there is not such a closed space. She could talk to someone. Get it, Tai! She is a living person, she is not a cup or a prize that you can put on a shelf and admire.”

“What do you want from me!” Tai got angry. “You see how much work there was”

“Work is no excuse, you took the time to chat with your brother and me.”

Tai continued to read, ignoring Mey. But she snatched the ditab from his hands and threw it on the floor.

“Well, what's next!” Tai asked calmly.

“I understand you, Tai. You don't have Tan's talent to charm girls in five minutes. But at least you can be for Yuki not a boss, but just a colleague who can talk. Be her friend.“ Mey calmed down.

Tai didn't answer. Picking up the ditab and returning it to its owner, Mey left the bridge. Tai, even before talking with Mei, knew that he was doing something wrong. He could not find an approach to Yuki even after this conversation on the bridge. Tai decided to keep things as they were. Three days after the conversation with Mey, Tai was filing an accident report and lingered in the navigation room when the rest of the team had already dispersed to the cabins. Having finished the report, Ty went up to the dining room and made himself a dessert according to an old recipe, then went towards his cabin, passing by the engineering room, noticed a light in the door window. Tai looked through the window and saw Yuuki sitting on the floor in pink thick pajamas with funny ears on the hood. She sat with her back against the ventilation chamber from which warm air was supplied. Tai opened the door, entered the room and sat next to Yuki. She ignored him. He handed her dessert in a glass. Yuki silently took the glass, touching his hand.

“What is this?” She asked.

“Dessert made by myself.” He replied, then asked. “Your hands are cold. Are you sick?”

“After a long hibernation, I'm always cold now”

“I will add the air temperature on the ship”

“Thank you!” She thanked, continuing to hold a warm glass and warm her hands.

Tai knew this might be his only chance, but he didn't know how to continue the conversation. From under the lid of the glass came a fragrant smell, Yuki sniffed, then, as it fussily opened the lid and said in surprise:  “This is the famous imperial dessert! Oh, I haven't tried it in a long time. It is served in a crystal glass with a wide neck. What a gorgeous foam, how did you learn this, wait, you added something else!”

“I don't know what the imperial dessert looks like and how it is served in a restaurant” Tai answered. “ I have known this dessert since childhood as kaowine. My mother taught me how to make a dessert, my brother did not like this combination of flavors, although he was still small. I sometimes do it for myself when I feel tired, I add a strong marsang, this is my little secret.”

“Now I know your secret!” Yuki smiled.

Tai smiled back. He first saw Yuki's smile. They talked for three hours, inspiration descended on Tai, it’s good that he had a lot of funny stories from childhood and youth in reserve. Yuki listened attentively, and practically did not tell anything about herself.