With things as chaotic as they’d been of late, Autumn Belfontaine had been ordering most of her meals sent to the newsroom. As a result, being able to actually go to the dining commons was something of an Occasion.
As she walked past one after another table, looking for familiar faces, she noted the tension like an electric charge in the air. The stiff postures, the tight gestures, the voices that didn’t quite rise yet were oddly hard. Yes, everyone here was on edge, and who could blame them? Anyone with strong ties to people back on Earth had to be struggling with anxiety about the ever-increasing uncertainty about their safety as communication became more difficult. As if that weren’t enough, now they had the possibility of an extended period of bad space weather, depending on which solar astronomer’s interpretation of the data you believed.
She was so deep in thought she almost didn’t hear the familiar voice calling her name. When she realized that Spencer Dawes had saved a seat for her, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“Sorry, Spence. I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.”
“No problem. I think everybody’s carrying a pretty heavy burden right now.” Spence looked around the table, which was occupied mostly by his friends. “Right now, let’s concentrate on having a reasonably enjoyable meal.”
Autumn recognized the signal that conversation should be kept to pleasant subjects. Which meant right now she’d just as soon let someone else take the lead.