Ivy Hendricks rose from her desk as Strike came into her Engineering Office. There was a smile on her face as she extended her hand.
"It's good to see you again, Strike."
Strykalski studied her. Yes, she hadn't changed. She was still the Ivy Hendricks he remembered. She was still calm, still lovely, and still very, very competent.
"I've missed you, Ivy." Strike wasn't just being polite, either. Then he grinned. "Lover-Girl's missed you, too. There never has been an Engineering Officer that could get the performance out of her cranky hulk the way you used to!"
"It's a good thing," returned Ivy, still smiling, "that I'll be back at my old job for a while, then."
Strykalski raised his eyebrows inquisitively. Before Ivy could explain, Cob and Celia Graham burst noisily into the room and the greetings began again. Ivy, as a former member of the Cleopatra's crew, was one of the family.
"Now, what I would like to know," Cob demanded when the small talk had been disposed of, "is what's with this 'Project Warp'? What are you planning for Lover-Girl? Your techmen are tearing into her like she was a twenty-day leave!"
"And why was the Cleopatra chosen?" added Celia curiously.
"Well, I'll make it short," Ivy said. "We're going to make a hyper-ship out of her."