Sarah and Jeffrey had decorated the upper deck beautifully with small twinkle lights and a birthday sign. Everyone had taken showers and gotten as pretty as they could get on board a ship.

At the agreed upon time they all clambered down the steps to the galley where Dan served heaping plates of orange pork with rice. Then they carried their plates to the deck to eat and drink in the moonlight with the open starry sky and the twinkly lights all around. They balanced plates on their laps and laughed and talked and Dr Mags turned on some of Rebecca’s music, a country musician named Pun Winston, causing Rebecca to clap happily.

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Again?”

Rebecca said, “My favorite — my birthday.”

After they were finished eating, Dan and Jeffrey took the piles of plates back to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later carrying a platter covered in a pile of small cakes with a candle burning in the middle. As soon as Dan’s foot hit the deck, he began singing a birthday song and everyone joined in, except Luna who watched, smiling, not knowing the words. Jeffrey begged everyone to use their hands to eat the cake because he, “Did not want to do this many dishes,” but Dan refused to, “Eat like barbarians,” and passed out more plates and forks, assuring everyone that, “Jeffrey will clean up everything. Don’t worry about it.”

After the cake, Dr Mags turned the music up louder, some fancy mixed shots were passed to everyone who wanted to drink, and the laughing grew louder. Beckett requested a song by Blaise Portnoy and held out his hand to Luna who took it with a grin, and they did their sexy dance from the Outpost but with a lot of giggling, because Jeffrey was dancing a jig with Rebecca beside them, Dan was dancing with Captain Aria, Sarah was dancing with Lenny, and Dr Mags was dancing around alone through them all. In between songs, everyone except Beckett and Luna drank another shot, traded dance partners, and danced again and again and again.

Finally exhausted, Luna collapsed in a deck chair and Beckett dropped into the one beside her. Dan dragged one across the deck, and he and Sarah dropped into it wrapping around each other. Captain Aria and Lenny took their leave to go to their quarters. Jeffrey grabbed a chair and Dr Mags returned to the radio and her DJ post. Dan said, “Rebecca! Birthday girl! Say a few words!”

Rebecca stood wobbling a bit. “My friendth, old and new.” She hiccuped. “I think I might be a bit tipshy.” She giggled. “But I want to say I love you and thank you for my birthday. It was awesome.” She looked at her glass and seemed to lose her train of thought, then she said, “This world sucks. Most days. I’m the last one left in my family.”

Dr Mags and Dan said, “Hear hear.”

Rebecca tossed her pony tail. “I just — I lost them all in the epidemic. And I don’t understand why I survived. It doesn’t seem fair. Like I shouldn’t be here.”

Beckett looked over at the side of Luna’s face. She was watching Rebecca her eyes wide.

“But then I have days like today, where it seems like there’s a reason why I’m still here. Because those whales.” She hiccuped and raised her glass toward Luna. “Thank you Luna. That was really good.”

A tear streamed down Luna’s face.

Rebecca said, “I’m shorry, I brought the mood down.”

Sarah said, “That’s okay sweetie, we’re most of us orphans, we’re all of us the last of our line. But we’re family now, and we adore you. Happy Birthday.”

Everyone raised their glasses and cheered Rebecca as tears spilled from Luna’s eyes.

Then Jeffrey said, “I have news — speaking of, you know, orphans and all. I—”

Dan said, “Out with it man, don’t leave us hanging here.”

Rebecca giggled.

Jeffrey said, “When I get back, I’m enlisted—”

Dan said, “What?”

Sarah said, “Oh no, Jeffrey, no.”

Rebecca said, “But you’re in school, right? You don’t have to go if you’re in school, what about your family’s land?”

Jeffrey said, “I was graduating from school this year, and I have this cousin, she’s got nothing, no land, no family. She’s really sweet, and they want to send her to the East. So I decided to go instead. I’ve had a pretty good time of it. I think it’s her turn to enjoy some—”

Rebecca threw herself on his chest sobbing. “Jeffrey, that’s the nicest thing I’ve ever heard, but the East?”

Dan said, “Why the East? Can’t you get a cushy assignment like Army here, sandbags?”

Jeffrey said, “I don’t have any land or connections to bargain with.” He shrugged and looked down at the full shot glass Dr Mags had given him. “It is what it is.”

Sarah said, “Jeffrey, you always have a place on our research team, when you come home from the East—”

Rebecca sniffled into Jeffrey’s shirt, “Absolutely.”

Dan said, “I want to joke something about needing someone to do the dishes, but man, this is tough news. You’ll be greatly missed.” Everyone raised their shot glasses. “Hear, hear.”

Rebecca sat up and sniffled. “Well, since the trip is ending and our crew is splitting up and it’s my birthday, and I’m super drunk, I say we must dance again.”

Dr Mags turned the volume back up and Jeffrey, Rebecca, Dan, Dr Mags, and Sarah all danced in one big circle with their arms around each other rocking back and forth.

Beckett whispered, “You okay?”

Luna nodded, “I didn’t realize how many people are orphaned. How sad they were. I guess I never thought about it.”

Beckett nodded solemnly. “I’m an orphan.”

Luna looked at him in surprise. “You are? Oh.” She looked down at her fingers. “I never asked. I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay, on land, most people you meet are. The Deep Flu, the one about eighteen years ago, took millions of people. So I guess I’m used to everyone being an orphan. It is what it is.”

Luna’s looked toward the group, singing a loud drunken song. Her eyes misted as she watched. “Oh.”

Beckett asked, “Luna, are you an orphan?”

She closed her eyes and nodded.

Beckett watched the side of her face. “I’m sorry that you are.”

Luna bit down on her lips, holding a cry inside. “I guess in the scheme of things it’s not that big a deal.”

“It is a big deal. It’s a very big deal. Thank you for telling me.”

The singing group finished their song. Dan slurred, “I gotsta head to bunks, coming baby?”

Sarah laughed, “Someone has to help you so you don’t get lost.” She threw her arms around Dan and they stumbled giggling to the bunk room.

Rebecca said, “G’night everyone.” She hiccuped again. “Dang blast it, that’s the third time tonight.”

Luna said, “My friend Xylo used to say you have to get hiccups three times before you’re done.”

Rebecca held up three fingers, lost focus, and slurred, “Magic number — going to bed.” She followed Dan and Sarah down to the bunks.

Jeffrey ducked his head. “I have to get to those dishes. It’ll probably only take me about two hours. Mind if I take the music down to keep me company?”

Beckett said, “Go for it.” Jeffrey grabbed the music and left for the galley.

Luna and Beckett drew their attention up to the starry sky. Luna said, “These people are really great.”

“I agree. without them I would have never found you — twice.”

Luna reached for his hand, raised it to her lips, and kissed him on the knuckle.

Beckett rolled on his side in his deck chair facing her. “I need to say something, and um, can you hear me out?”

Luna said, “That seems serious.”

“It is. I love you. It might not be logical because we just met, but I do. I know our future isn’t going to be easy, but whose is these days? But I’m willing to do the work. Maybe that’s the logical side of it, we have much to learn about each other, but I’m here, I’m not going anywhere.”

Luna watched him silently, her dark eyes reflecting the starry sky.

“My offer, that we live in my mountain house, that is always there. But I don’t want you to come unless you want to. You don’t owe me anything. If you said to me, Beckett, I can’t — we would figure that out. And if you can’t — with me, that’s okay. I will get you back to Sky. You don’t need to do this out of gratitude or indebtedness or anything.”

Luna let go of his hand and turned to her side facing him and smiled, curling her hands up under her face. “How would you get me back to Sky?”

Beckett said, “I don’t know, um—”

“I’m just asking what the plan would be.”

“I guess I would rent a boat.”

“You would sea captain a ship to take me back to Sky simply because I said, ‘I can’t?’”

Beckett nodded solemnly.

Luna shook her head and smiled at him sweetly. “Well, there, my love, it is, the best part about you — you jump, a quality that I happen to adore. If some hot, tattooed, dimpled, sweet-talking Stiffneck is going to put out his hand and say, ‘jump with me,’ I have no response but, ‘absolutely.’” She grinned, “But you probably won’t hear it because of my splash.”

He said, “You understand that I don’t jump literally, right?”

“Oh, I’ve seen you jump, literally.”

“I thought we established that was a belly flop.”

“It’s the splash that is important, not the style. And you splashed epically.”

“It’s a lot easier to jump when I don’t think about it first.”

“Exactly. Stop thinking, my Beckett, don’t try to logic all over this. We’re going to live in your mountain house. Because you asked. Because you said we. Because it means something all this finding. Plus I love you, how could I not. That’s why.”

Beckett said, “God, I want you.” He crawled from his deck chair across to Luna’s, bit by bit, nudging her onto her back, spreading her legs, laying down on her, kissing her —

The door to the steps opened and Sarah stepped out, “Beckett! Luna! Oops!” She covered her eyes and tipsily approached them feeling with her other hand. “So sorry to interrupt. Dan made me come tell you that you should use the Zodiac if you um, want to sleep somewhere, um for privashy, ‘kay?”

Luna giggled in Beckett’s ear.

Sarah said, “Take it from us, the deck chairs suck, we’ve tried ‘em all.”

Beckett asked, “The Zodiac’s not wet?”

Sarah said, “Dan is relentleshly hopeful, so he towels it down every day — in case.”

Beckett laughed. “I thought that was one of his chores.”

Sarah turned away, “I gotta go pass out, have fun kids.” She stumbled away.

Beckett looked down into Luna’s eyes, “Want to get more comfortable?”

Luna said, “Splash.”