Status Updates From Potential Energy

Why are so many main characters alcoholics!?

I really dislike when my main characters use brothels/prostitutes. It makes me dislike them as a person.

Still standing at the sink, he looked down at his open palms and thought about the things those hands had done. The weapons they’d wielded, the ships they’d steered, the lovers they’d caressed. Unlike his brain and his leg, his hands had never betrayed him.

MY HEART

"that's not optimism, that's obstinacy."
"Maybe those are the same thing."

okay that should not have hit me so hard wtf

Genre-wise this feels closer to Winter's Orbit, in that the romantic elements are merely present rather than primary, with the sci-fi elements and politics forefront. Well, less aristocratic politics and more smuggling revolutionary politics. I find myself slowing down a bit in this section though, because after finally having the characters figure things out, tension has dissipated on both fronts.

Generally having a good time, so hate to nitpick, but I can't help myself. Must... correct... grammar.

"But we can't attract that kind of numbers."

Those. Those! I don't think I've ever seen this particular variety of grammatical disagreement. With a demonstrative adjective? Is that a thing now?