Morn and Nick have been intimate for hours in her assigned cabin, and finally Nick has passed out. Morn is thinking at first that Nick has too much power over her mind if he can elicit such moments of euphoric ecstasy from her. But then she realizes her control of the zone implant makes her the one whose endurance is more powerful , and makes her to some extent an orchestrator.
When reading this for the first time, I couldn't help but fear for Morn that her advantage over Nick was a fragile one, dependent upon her ability to keep the zone implant a secret.A little while passed before she understood what had happened. When he slumped beside her, her first reaction wasn't satisfaction or even triumph: it was disappointment. The need which drove her couldn't be satisfied by anything less than a kind of neural apotheosis. She wanted to ride the zone implant's emissions until she went nova.
But short of suicide he was the one who had limits. She didn't.
Because of that, the entire experience was an illusion.
And the illusion was aimed squarely at him. She performed it for his benefit: he was its victim. The appearance that she abandoned herself, that she was wholly his, was false.
She had that much power.
It might be enough to protect her. The thing she'd dreamed and prayed and suffered for when she accepted the zone implant control from Angus was starting to come true.
Switching off her zone implant gives her a heavy dose of weariness and grief, followed by an equally powerful amount of rage and revulsion. It's easy for me to pity Morn here, for she's been trapped in one horrible situation after another ever since the gap-sickness overtook her. And she's tormented by an avalanche of questions.
Morn wonders why Security favors Nick over Angus, and why Nick was allowed to take her, when she's a cop. Her deep trust in the UMCP is shaken by thoughts like this, for it's not possible for Security to have allowed Nick to take her away without UMCP Enforcement Division director Min Donner's permission.There were too many unknowns. She only knew one thing about Nick, had only that one lever. Everything else was blank. How much had he learned about her through his contact in Com-Mine Security? What had the UMCP told Com-Mine? How many of his secrets did he share with his crew? What was their loyalty to him based on: personal gain? success? reciprocity?
Who was he, that he could get Com-Mine Security to help him betray Angus Thermopyle?
She's frozen in thoughts like this when the intercom sounds off command second Mikka Vasaczk's voice. Mikka is telling Nick he's wanted on the bridge. Nick wakes up, acknowledges the message, , dresses, and warns Morn that on this ship immediate obedience is expected whenever the word "want" is used.
After Nick leaves. Morn hides the zone implant control at the bottom of the first-aid kit in the cabin's bathroom, selects a shipsuit to wear, puts the suit on, and heads via a lift to the next level up on the ship.
Entering this higher level, she follows the smell of coffee to the galley, where she encounters one of Nick's crew.
His manner is disarming, and he invites her to enjoy a cup of coffee, then introduces himself as Vector Shaheed, ship's engineer.The man had his hands wrapped around a hot mug as if he wanted the warmth. His fingers looked fat because they were stubby, and his face looked fat because it was almost perfectly round; nevertheless he was only compact, not overweight. Like his face, his eyes were circles. They were a gentle shade of blue Morn had never seen before. Combined with his fine, sandy hair and steady smile, they made him look friendly.
Vector's logic convinces Morn to sit down and have a cup of coffee, and she starts to ask questions. Her first question, about where they are going, is one Vector refuses to answer. But her second question, concerning how badly the ship's (Captain's Fancy's) gap drive is damaged, gains Vector's reply that it's too dangerous to use the drive, and that they can coast at the current slow speed for about a year before running out of food."That's not a reason to trust me, of course," he continued. "We're all illegals, and you're UMCP. You would have to be crazy to trust any of us. But we're alone here and I'm willing to talk. You really can't afford to miss an opportunity like this."
Vector assures Morn this simplifies her situation. He says the crew follows Nick because "he never loses". The intercom than broadcasts Mikka's announcement for Morn to come to the bridge. Morn doesn't acknowledge, but Vector does it for her. He and Morn head to the bridge, with his hand on her shoulder. He tells her Mikka would hurt her if she could, and that they all would if they could . I find this last statement of Vector's tends to undermine his earlier attempts to put Morn at ease. All the same, he seemed to me to be a pleasant encounter to read about, and reading about him made me more eager to meet the rest of the crew.Vector watched her think for a while. Then he started talking again. "I offered you a reason or two to be less scared. I can see that wasn't one of them. Let me try again.
"There are twenty of us aboard, and from your point of view we probably all look like reasons to be scared. But that isn't true. I don't mean you can trust us. I mean you don't need to worry about whether you can trust us. The only one of us you need to worry about is Nick. You see"--Vector spread his hands--"he isn't just the captain here. He's the center, the law. None of us is a threat to you as long as he's happy.
"And I'll tell you something else about him. He never gives away his castoffs. You don't need to worry that he'll get tired of you and pass you off to one of us. You're his. On this ship, you're either his or you're nothing.
"That's why it doesn't matter whether you can trust any of us. We're no danger to you. We never will be. All you have to worry about is Nick. Everything else will take care of itself."
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though in rl theres not always a just or satisfying ending and lady karma does not always show up to make things right 
