The interior of the space station might have been filled with electronic beeps and bleeps; instead, the last notes of a Vivaldi composition for two mandolins died away as Petal put her head into the control room. nn"Quiet shift?" she said, as she swung through the hatchway. On the other side of the control room, Arky Del opened one eye and gave a satisfied nod. Arky had had enough excitement in her life in the last year and gave thanks each time nothing unusual took place on her shift. Petal Smith, however, was still new to interstellar travel and was always looking for something dramatic to happen. nn"All systems running in the green," said Arky smugly. "Not a malfunction or a warning light to be seen." She stood up and stretched like a cat that's just decided to go out to the kitchen for a saucer of milk before its next nap. Mental attitude wasn't the only difference between the two young women: Arky's fair hair was cropped short and her slim figure was almost boyish, whereas Petal had a bob of red hair above her forever-twinkling green eyes and her young body was still inclined to wobble in interesting places whenever she moved faster than a dignified stroll. nnPetal slipped into the duty officer's chair and ran her eye over the panel. Just as Arky said - completely normal. Arky was watching her and said dryly "Try not to have any galaxy-class emergencies before you sign off. It might hold up your trip to the surface tomorrow." nn"Mmmmm, I can't wait," sighed Petal. "It's only the third time I've been down to an extra-solar planet. Maybe I'll meet some dashing extra-terrestrial Romeo."nn"Don't forget these guys are aliens!" cautioned Arky. "You might not want anything to do with them in a romantic sense.