"Mike."
She grinned. "Okay—Mike. I'd like to see the ship when you've got time."
"I've got time now. Let's go."
They started at the prow and worked backwards. Her trip to Outer Port had been her first space flight, a fact that amazed Mike in this age when even the middle-class Terrans vacationed on Mars.
"We had so little time," Doree said. "And so little money."
He explained the working of the Space Queen, enjoying the chore, and they worked their way slowly backward. Amidship, Doree said, "I think I'll look in on father."
She went below and almost immediately, Nicko appeared at the after end of the companionway. "We've got company, Mike."
"What do you mean, company?"
"Ship winging to."
Mike scowled. "Out here? The radio hasn't spoken. Maybe they're in trouble and can't sound out."