@positronicminds
Perihelion has counted the containers that the clients have loaded on board, and it matches the initial arrangement. It’s ready to spend another long trip through space, bored out of its metaphorical skull, except for one thing.
The being that helped load the cargo on from the other ship is... still on board. Perihelion sends out a final departure warning, which doesn’t seem to bother the rogue stevedore, nor the other ship’s crew, some of whom definitely saw them board. Maybe this was their intention, or maybe they’ve forgotten; either way, it doesn’t feel particularly inclined to rat out the potential escapee.
Perihelion closes up and disengages from the other ship. It doesn’t detect typical life signs from the stowaway, which is even more intriguing, but it politely ups its life support to match their previous ship’s conditions anyway.
“Congratulations,” it says, when it’s been just long enough that speaking up would be startling (and ideally, ominous). “You’ve made it aboard. If your plans beyond this point involve any meddling, you are strongly advised to rethink.”