Page 63 of Silver Slayer

"There she is," Brooke said.

She and Erin were standing directly underneath it, both in kilt-dresses. Necks had been craned back, looking up.

"We were starting to wonder if you were coming down at all," Erin said.

"Sorry, the loodfall was amazing."

"Look at this thing." Brooke gestured upward with both hands. "How did they even get it in here?"

"One crystal at a time," I said, and Erin let out a short laugh.

We stood there for a moment, all three of us looking up at it. Standing beneath it was like standing inside a prism. The silence settled between us the way silence only can when it doesn't need filling.

"Is your room okay?" Erin asked, breaking the silence.

"Better than okay." I exhaled, pondering the good night's sleep I had coming in a real bed. "Yours?"

"Can't complain."

"Mine has a window that looks directly over the fountain," Brooke said. "I watched it for twenty minutes. The water just — arcs. Over and over, like the Bellagio in Vegas, except smaller.”

“Let’s go eat, ladies.” Erin started for the back of the palace.

I glanced around the foyer. "Shouldn’t we wait for Lila?"

"Nope. She's in the medical bay," Brooke said. "Supposedly checking on Mara."

"Mm-hmm." Erin's eyebrow went up. "We all saw how she was looking at Nullar. That girl has exactly zero shame."

"Good for her." Brooke was unapologetic about it. "If the death planet taught me anything, it's that life is too short to play hard to get. Just as soon as I find Truxxet, I intend to make that very clear to him."

“When in Rome…” Erin let out a low whistle.

“So, you all have resigned yourselves to never seeing Earth again?” I shared a look of shock between the women. “I’m the only one wanting to go back?”

“Go back to what?” Erin gently challenged. “My mom passed away last year. I rarely talk to my sister since our falling out.”

“What about your work?” I figured out of all the girls, Erin would be with me on this. “A 911 dispatcher is an important job.”

“That someone else can do,” she stated flatly. “I’ll choose here over working nights until I’m old enough to retire and pray Social Security will be there when I’m old enough to collect? Pass.”

“It could be a lot worse,” Brooke said, tracking two Valosians who sauntered past. “We could still be in the hands of the Xegnot. I, for one, am happy to be here in one piece and unmolested. We can’t say the same for Dana and Tessa. They’re buried in alien soil back on that scary ass planet. I’m just grateful we made it here.”

“It seems safe enough with the dome and the planet shield thingy.” Erin waved her hand toward the ceiling. “I’ll take safe.”

“Me too.” Brooke nodded. “And all the guys here are hotties. Who’s up for sitting at the fountain all day tomorrow and drooling over the indigenous populace?”

“Count me in.” Erin raised her hand.

“See, Quin, even Erin wants to take in the sights.”

“What do you mean, even Erin?” Erin scoffed.

“I didn’t mean anything bad by it. I’m just saying you’re always the voice of reason, the one who keeps us all straight. You’re like our mom.

“I’m not that damn old!”

“No, but you are the oldest one in our group,”Brooke pointed out.