Excerpt:

“Let me be more specific.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Who gave you my name and contact information?”

“Emily Battalya.”

Dr. Draper raised her eyebrows. “Really? How do you know her?”

“It's an embarrassing story, really. I was about to board the ship when I was returning from vacation on Marlonia, a planet that everyone should visit at least once, and I wasn't watching where I was going. She had bent down to pick up something, and I ran right into her. We both ended up on the floor, and to apologize I tried to offer her dinner. Not the smartest thing to do, in retrospect.”

Smiling, Dr Draper nodded. “She was more than likely insulted.”

“Indeed she was,” Harlan laughed. “But arguing with her about how to repay my stupidity ended up being worth the effort. In the end I discovered your service.”

Dr Draper glanced at the clock on her desk and noted that she didn’t have much time before her meeting was to start. She was very curious to hear about Emily, however. She could spare a few minutes. Her colleagues would want to hear this information, as well. “I do not hear her name very often anymore, and I have not seen her in many months. How is her appearance? As I have been very determined to make clear, this does nothing to slow decay.”

“Well, normally I don’t like to comment on something like a woman’s appearance, I can understand your question.” Harlan cocked his head to the left when he spoke, something he did frequently when trying to recall details. “What I remember first is the colorful scarf. It wasn’t so much wrapped around her head to cover anything, more than draped around her shoulders. If I remember right, she had on a black dress and boots. Her hair was cropped short, and for the life of me I can’t remember the color. She has vibrant green eyes that danced with life. Which is rather ironic, when you think about it.” Harlan smiled and paused. “She did a very good job concealing what decay she did have. I wouldn’t have thought her body had anything wrong at first glance.”