The mess hall was empty as the ship's hull was rocked by the impulse of cruise engines kicking in. The mooring platform of Planet Cambridge quickly slipped out of view of the window, followed by the planet itself followed as the vessel turned to course. A smooth sliding sound could be heard towards the back of the room, the only door opening to reveal a woman in her mid-twenties. She surveyed the room with unfamiliarity as a frown deepened on her face. It was empty save for a sole man sitting at one of the hall's three long tables, staring out of the window seemingly lost in thought.
"Hey! There a, uh, coffee machine in here somewhere?" The woman asked, waving slightly to catch his attention.
He turned his head towards her, his eyebrows raising. He tilted his head in a slight nod, and got up to open the respective cupboard in the mess hall's kitchen. "Coffee is in there, water from the tap of course." He said as he gestured towards a second cupboard. He settled, leaning back on one of the kitchen's counters. He glanced out the window once more, before shooting the woman a fleeting smile. "Are you here for long?"
The woman nodded as she went over to the counter. "Year's contract." she replied before pausing for a brief moment, looking at him in puzzlement. "How come you're here? Everyone else is on deck. Don't you slack, now."
"Not much use for a gunner here at the moment. The other two are probably in their bunks or in the rec room, too." He responded. His face flickered in thought for a moment, before adding "There'll be a fourth around somewhere, too. One of the new arrivals like you."
A grin broke out over the woman's face. "You've met her! You got yourself a name?"
"Theo." He chuckled. "How about you? Where are you from anyway?"
"Amelie!" She hummed brightly. "Cambridge, of course. I worked on small prison transports for the BPA. Just intrasystem work. Sometimes saw some action, though, or took people through to New London... Yeah, that about sums it up. I'm looking forward to seeing the more exotic vistas of Sirius, you know?"
"You cannot tell me you signed up just for a sightseeing tour." Theo laughed before cutting himself off and giving Amelie a more serious look. "Seriously, this is dangerous work. The contracts aren't long term for a reason."
"Well, yeah. Anyone who signs is either crazy, desperate, or me! Besides, I'll be rich in a years' time, hmm?" A glint could be seen in Amelie's eye as she sipped her newly made drink, her lips still curved into a slight smile.
Amelie took a moment to survey the mess hall once more. It was clearly lived in, with pictures of crew members pinned to the wall. Some she recognised from her tour of the ship when she first boarded, others she hadn't yet seen. The occasional personal message could be seen scraped into the ship's bulkhead. A mural was painted above the doorway she had walked through before, depicting a Defiant-class gunboat sailing through a star-filled night with the word "Vela" artfully painted underneath.
"Who drew that?" Amelie asked, pointing at the mural and still sipping her drink.
"Jaina, our chief engineer. She used to touch it every time she went in and out of this place. It was her little good luck charm, it kept her grounded during the long weeks and months hunting out there."
Amelie frowned for a moment, running through the list of people she'd met so far in her mind. "I haven't seen her yet, guess she's just knee deep in engine parts right about now?"
"Not really." Theo responded as his face fell into a poignant neutrality.
Amelie's face dropped from its previously sunny state as her head turned away. Her heart sunk with guilt for a brief moment.
They lingered for a little while as the window lit up with streaks of light from the trade lane the gunboat was now entering. The silence was filled with the hum of the ship's engine, and the occasional creak as the hull flexed under acceleration and deceleration. Both of them were used to this, they'd been in space before after all.
Minutes passed, and Amelie finished her drink and flickered another smile as she turned back towards Theo. "Hey, it was good meeting you. You never did tell me where you were from, though?" She implied, tilting her head a little out of curiosity.
"Cambridge, too." He responded. "I've been on this ship for a year now." He took a moment to gather himself, standing up proper. "It's good to meet you, too." He ended with a sigh.
Amelie was left by herself now as Theo left the room. The gunboat was exiting the trade lane, entering queue to jump to the Omegas. As she took one more look around the mess hall, Amelie made her way towards the door. Her eyes caught again on the mural. She lingered for a second, before reaching up and resting her hand on the ship's name. She withdrew her hand after a couple seconds and went through the door, departing for other parts of the ship.
