The VR Science node activates an auto-forensic program.  Ledo watches the inside of a small glass cabinet as various robotic arms tweeze fibers, scan the Bugee with various lights, and spritz it with fine sprays of chemicals.

A screen to his left flashes and the report rolls up.

Object is made of a combination of polymers, natural fabrics, and low grade plastics.

All components are legal.

No traces of combustibles.

Radioactivity within safe limits.

OBJECT PRESENTS NO THREATS

The VR Scientist is giving the Bugee a pass.

---

"So do we address you as 'Mister' Typhin?  Or 'Captain' Typhin?" Sylvia Antwhite looks Ledo up and down.  Her attention mostly stays on the 'down'.

"Mother."  Ada Antwhite blushes as she pokes her mother in the side.

"What?  I'm simply asking a question."  Sylvia looks back at Ledo and smiles.

The Antwhites are the family of Regis Antwhite, Minister of Export for the Jone Bureau of Interstellar Trade.  Here on Karin for holiday, it's time for the Ladies Antwhite to return home.

Minister Antwhite must do quite well for himself.  A trophy wife like Sylvia isn't cheap.  There's a little tarnish on her plaque now.  The surgeries aren't tightening out the wrinkles as well as they used to.  But there's still enough gleam to make her a prize worth taking the field for.

Ada takes after her mother and does the best she can to hide it.  She wears her thick black hair up in a tight, unappetizing bun.  She wears glasses that don't fit her perfectly symmetrical face.  And the baggy sweater doesn't cover up a very pleasing form.  The only part of the act she seems to get right is the fidgeting.  From the time the Antwhites came onboard, she's been rubbing her finger tips together, looking everywhere except at her mother, and bumping into the bulkhead and stairs.

The three of them stand near the entrance of hold, speaking, when below Tepha walks the low berth passengers towards the cold tubes.

"Mother.  You're staring..." Ada whispers.

Sylvia blinks.  She had been watching the low berthers with an intent look.  "Oh.  Sorry.  I was just thinking how brave some people are.  I'd be too worried about dying to properly ice up if I went that way."  She shakes her head.  "Now Captain.  Will we be joining you for dinner?  No?  Well.  Feel free to let me know if you'd like me to join you with anything."

"Mother."

Sylvia sighs.  "Yes dear.  Sorry for having a sense of humor." She smiles at Ledo.  An open smile.  A very open smile.  "Until we meet again."

Ada nods at Ledo and herds her mother towards the cabin.

---

Rig reaches down and pushes the next to last crate against the wall.  Almost done.  The set up with the inflatable tank might work out better then he'd hoped.  It was just getting everything tucked in tight that was turning out to be the problem.

Turning back, he thumbed the remote, bringing the crane back around to the last crate.  Rig moved to secure the straps around the crate so he could get the crane on it.  As he pushed against it, the lid moved.

Rig pushed and the lid slid back a centimeter.  He didn't know if it had been unsecured to start with.  Silver had moved these crates in.

Looking inside confirms it's still filled with Bugees. Ones dressed like marines.  One dressed like geisha.  One dressed in Glisten style prisoner clothes.  And one with a thick beard and bald on top.  That one looked oddly familiar somehow.

Should be easy enough to secure the top.

Vitals Normal.

Starting Anesthetic Course 1.

Tepha watches the Autodoc run through the Low Berth settings.  The screen pops up a dashboard of each passenger's status, asking her to approve.  For some reason the program, which runs completely automatically, won't unless somebody touches the screen here and here for each passenger.

She waits, tapping the screen in the required places as a bioscan and photo of each passenger pops up.

Aldon Oszicks. Yikes.  He might want to get that tumor looked at.

Sedonna Blik.  Well. Maybe she'll look less tired after this much beauty sleep.

Blah.

Blah blah blah.

This guy.

Another one.

Galt Topher Wow.  Mrs. Topher must be one happy woman.

Blah blah.

Onyx Plages

Onyx is a young, beautiful dark skinned woman that Tepha feels like she's seen before.

When the low berthers had stood around, listening to Tepha's instructions, none of them had said much.  Honestly, they looked depressed.  Maybe it was fear, although it's not like this is really all that dangerous.  But the group of them had all been quiet.  Sort of downcast.  Except Onyx.  She had held her head up and nodded, listening attentively to what Tepha and the onscreen safety video had said.

But the others...

like whipped dogs

The thought just came to her. But it fit.  Even looking at the pictures of each passenger that flashed up, Tepha could see it.  A look of defeat in their eyes.

Deep Sleep Confirmed.

Commencing Temperature Adjustments

Now a bar appeared with each passengers name next to it.  Tepha had to monitor until each bar went from light red to deep blue.  The last one, Topher's, took five minutes.

Cycle Complete

The first official low berth passengers aboard Tia were frozen.

I'll give you a chance to react to any or none of these before moving us to pre-Jump status.

Thanks

Ledo felt his heart skip a beat. He was a faithful man but he was still warm blooded. He returned Sylvia's smile with a broad grin of his own.

"Just Captain is fine. Or Ledo if you'd prefer. As for dinner keeping you two safe and sound will be a full time job but I'm sure I can arrange some time. I'm sure Tepha would love to join you as well."

Ledo put a bit of a lightness in his voice. Just a bit though. He figured a little harmless flirting was just that, harmless. In fact a woman like Sylvia could open up a lot of doors and it didn't hurt to pander a little. Ledo figured he was safe by making sure to include Tepha's name every now and then so there wasn't any confusion. Overall he was in a great mood. His reputation and the armed nature of the Tiamat's' Flight had all but guaranteed they would have a steady supply of mail which, while bulky, was quite lucrative. Half a months's payments with just a couple days travel. It wasn't exciting and running mail wasn't what anyone had signed up for but it was a nice safety net. Finding out the Bugees were harmless had also put him in a good mood.

"I hope you can spend some time in our "garden" as we've been calling it. One of the previous owners of the ship was very big into self-sustaining environments and while it isn't much it's nice to have a bit of greenery even on these short trips."

He smiled and led them to their rooms.

"Down in the hold our engineer Rig is storing your supplies. If you need anything midtransit we can escort you down there but I hope you brought your carry on. If there is anything else just ring us on your room's comms system. Anything at all, you just let us know. We appreciate you trusting us to carry you back home."

Another flash of the pearly whites. He had wined and dined with the elite and the admiralty before and that included being sociable and friendly (without being too friendly) to the admiralty's spouses and offspring.