Echoes of the Forgotten Star

Previously

…Jian turned, his face pale, his eyes wide and shadowed. He looked like a hunted animal. "Dr. Thorne. I… I was just finishing up here." "I heard you earlier," Thorne said, stepping closer. "You sounded distressed." Jian’s hands trembled as he wiped them on his trousers. He avoided Thorne’s gaze. "It was… nothing. A personal matter." "On this ship, Jian, during a mission of this importance, there are no purely personal matters. Especially not when they cause such evident distress." Thorne’s voice was firm, but not accusatory. He remembered the Oracle’s words. Shadows amongst the light. Jian finally met his eyes, and Thorne saw a profound weariness there, a burden carried for