It is a terrible joke, but Ari seems to appreciate that sort. She chuckles when she hears it, anyway. It's nice to have things to laugh at anyway.

'Astrogators handle L-space flight, flight in ordinary space, maintaining charts and plotting courses. Those are my primary duties - I get to do a lot else besides, but astrogation's most important. It's hard at first, until you get used to it.' This is something of an understatement; no need to bring up how many would-be astrogators don't make it through training. Instead he gets a steady smile. 'Once you can do it, though? It comes natural. There's something intuitive to it. But I don't blame you for wanting to stand clear! Space sickness is rough.'

He won't have been to space, but she has to ask: 'You ever flown? In atmosphere, I mean.'