My dear Gale,

Rituals keep us well rooted to the here and now. They grant us a sense of stability where there hardly is one. So, following that, I have come to start a new ritual. The first cup of tea in the morning is with you. Today it is somewhat stale and cold from last night. I forgot to take the bottle with me when I left my office. Perhaps this, too, was to teach me a lesson.
Life on board is anything but boring. From the sidelines I can see the best in people and sometimes the worst.
While a young man who travelled with me here to the Iason, coming from the slums of Scorpion, fights to better the world, he does so with the motives and manner of speech that he knows. For that, he gets ridiculed by others. I cannot help but feel sympathy for this man. I truly believe he wants to achieve the right thing. But to see him for what he is must be hard for people constantly under heavy fire. I think I may even have found a friend in him.
When I came on board, I had a walking cane with me. The top has the shape of a lion, making people think I am from Leonis. While it certainly is pretty and warm, it barely helps me get around. So I asked a local merchant to find something better for me. In her former life, she used to be a teacher on Picon. Now she scrapes by through acquiring and selling things as best she can. She recently lost her business partner. Truth be told, she seemed entirely shady to me when I came here. Maybe she is. Maybe she had to become that way. But she, too, is genuinely watching out for me. Even started reading the newspaper to me. I have not read news for three months now. It feels interesting and good and bad at the same time. To some small degree, I admit, bitter.
There are other things I should write about. I know this, from a psychological standpoint. But I can’t get my fingers to do it.
I love you.

– Caden –