"Anythin' you want to know, I'll try to go in more detail with you, but I'm warnin' in advance - I'm a pilot. I know enough about engineerin' to help out when shit goes wrong, but in the end I'm just supposed to fly the damn things."

He gives her a moment, watching her close her eyes tight, and his expression when she opens them again is pure sympathy.

"Been in space most my life, that's right." His voice is almost gentle - he's trying to be reassuring. "Tried to go back to planet life after I was done my twenty, but just couldn't do it. Got pulled back out to the stars. It really ain't all that bad, once you get used to it."