So there was some Old Earthling, called Winestine, or something like that, who persuaded everyone - for a while - that faster-than-light travel was impossible. Scary stuff: you clamber into a deep-freeze and wake up when the human race has evolved into four-foot high mini-clones of unpopular politicians, who have rejected humour as "irrelevant and illogical" and whose preferred form of communication is in binary. Well, never mind all that, because FTL travel is perfectly feasible and there are the starlines to prove it. Star-travel does take time, certainly, and if you want a single occupancy for the voyage, well, you could get a pretty decent starship all of your very own for not much more. Sharing can be a bit of a lottery, too. Many firm friendships are formed, but, equally, it's possible to be allotted a cabin-mate who drives you frantic. On the longer voyages, there are regular opportunities to rotate occupancy, so that those desperate for a change have a chance to get someone less maddening with whom to share. This works much better than openly requesting a change. After all, if it becomes known that your cabin-mate's snoring is like the mating call of a Delurian Ultrabear, you won't get many volunteers to swap, especially since Delurian Ultrabears are not permitted in staterooms on most lines. Among the leaders in galactic travel, the Pygmalion line boasts of its robotic staff as its prime selling-point. The ones flying the 'ship are real people, but all the other service and maintenance are left to the super-reliable robots. Robots don't get into moods, don't form irrational dislikes of irritating passengers, don't deliberately spill soup on them. And you can speak freely near a robot, can't you, because what interest could a robot possibly have in the latest tittle-tattle (even if, by coincidence, the robot can make a fully accurate recording of even the most discreet conversation)? Jessi G2 and Sydney morphed by me. Gwenith Hair from RDNA/CP. Laques Hair from Renderosity free stuff.