Reduced Impact

They board quietly. I set the course.

Cabin pressure stable. Artificial gravity within range. No fault detected.

She does not sit.

Contact. Floor. Pause. Shift.
Again.
Not correct.

Her hand finds the wall. Holds. Releases. Moves.
A correction that does not complete.

The daughter follows. One step behind. Reduced impact.
Breath minimized.
Prediction without effect.

The aisle contains them. The pattern repeats.
No location satisfies.

The window remains clear.
The daughter changes vector. A small pull forward.
Stops. Waits.

The nebula emits low light. Diffuse.
A brief alignment crosses the glass.

The mother stops before it.
Turns inward.

Fabric. Fastenings. Seam. Dust. Mark.
Finger pressure against the panel. Measuring.
Resistance unchanged.

The daughter remains at the glass.
Still. Facing outward.

The light passes.

I carry people. Their words travel with them.