“That’s what I want,” she said gently. “And now I can get it without putting the burden on you.”

“That ship’ll be burning out to Jupiter at one full g, y’know,” George said. “Six times heavier than here.”

“I’ve put in tons of hours in the centrifuge, Daddy. I can handle it. The station orbiting Jupiter is one-sixth gravity, just like here.”

George nodded absently. Deirdre thought he had run out of objections.

They felt the slightest of tremors and the speaker built into the overhead announced, “DOCKING COMPLETED.”

George looked almost startled. “I guess I never thought about you leavin’.”

“I’d have to go, sooner or later.”

“Yeah, I know, but…”

“If you don’t want me to go…”

“Nah.” He shook his head fiercely. “You don’t want to get stuck here the rest o’ your life, like me.”

“I’ll come back, Dad.”

George shrugged. “It’s a big world out there. Lots of things to see and do. Lots of places for a bright young woman to make a life for herself.”

Deirdre didn’t know what to say.

His scowl returning, George said, “Just don’t let any of those sweet-talkin’ blokes take advantage of you. Hear?”

She broke into a giggle. “Oh, Daddy, I know how to take care of myself.”

“Yeah. Maybe. But I won’t be there to protect you, y’know.”

Deirdre grabbed him by his unkempt beard with both hands, the way she had since she’d been a baby, and pecked at his cheek.

“I love you, Daddy.”

George blushed. But he clasped his daughter by both shoulders and kissed her solidly on the forehead. “I love you, Dee Dee.”

The airlock hatch swung open with a sighing puff of overly warm air. A short, sour-faced Asian man in a deep blue uniform trimmed with an officer’s gold braid stepped through and snapped, “Deirdre Ambrose?”