Nadia listened as Gerrin recounted everything from the debacle at Lotus Ridge forward: the faulty intelligence, the attack, the horrible discovery of how wrong they’d been, how his superiors pinned it all on him, his five years of prison time, how he and Reilly were dumped on Whitefall for Reavers to dispose of, his time on past ships, and his more recent adventures. When Gerrin had finished, Nadia sat silently, her face pale with disbelief. “That’s-“ she fought to get the words out. “That’s a lot to have to swallow… all of it”.

“It all happened”, Gerrin assured her.

“And Irina?” Her voice echoed the shock on her face. “I…I just can’t believe it”.

“Want to talk to Reilly?” Gerrin asked darkly. “He was there for it”.

“I don’t need to talk to ‘Reilly’, whoever that is”.

“That would be me”, Reilly responded, who had slid in beside the couch unseen.

Nadia and Gerrin both jumped at his response. “What’re you doing here?” Gerrin asked. “Where’s Doc?”

“Doc came back to the Troll a half hour ago”.

“And you came in her place? How come?”

Reilly gestured with his hands. “This affects me, too”.

“What’s the Troll?” Nadia broke in.

Before Gerrin could respond, Reilly answered “Our ship. The Nordic Troll”.

“That’s your ship?” Nadia’s eyebrows raised slowly “You’re telling me-”, she began, slowly turning toward Gerrin, “you named your ship - after a fairy tale?!?"

Gerrin winced, his face sinking into the palm of hi