After a glance around the room, Tayrey makes a quick decision. 'We'll step out,' she says. To her knowledge, half the people in there are from Earth. Gaeta's the only spacer, but he's out-of-sector too, she can't count on him taking her side. (She knows, too, that it wouldn't be fair to expect him to even if he agrees. She's the one who made the careless error, spoke too freely.)

The air outside is fresh without being too cold. Tayrey walks a short distance from the door, stands with her back to the outer wall. 'I forgot,' she admits. 'It felt enough like home that I forgot we're that different. That Earthers can react badly to what's normal for my people.'