A quick smile slashed its way across Cassie's face.
"Well you've earned it," she replied. "Hell, we both did. I'm glad I'm here to share this with you." The words leapt from her mouth unbidden, though that made them no less true; if anything, it made Cassie realize she was getting too close to people again, and all she could do was remember what kind of heartache that usually brought. But here she wasn't running from slashers or doing whatever she could to keep her friends alive. Here everyone was on their own; here, people helped each other when they could, but it wasn't any one person's job to make sure everyone kept on breathing.
She leaned back, looking out into the black expanse before them. "This is almost like leaving Naboo for the first time, back when I got here. Kinda crazy." Cassie fell silent for a moment, then leaned forward.
"OK, how about you show me a few more things? It's good that we've got someone else on the crew familiar with the controls, but in the slim chance I get put in charge, it'd be good to know how to do the basics."