"Oh it's all about being nautical. When you're on a ship, you stay in a cabin, not a room. Left and right are port and starboard. And we didn't steal Orlando, we commandeered her. Very important distinction."
Seabourne stopped for a second and looked around. A few spins of his eyeballs and some facial twitching later, something clicked and he took a quick right.
"After all, grand theft is usually only punishable by fines and jailtime, but piracy! That's a whole different kettle of fish. Steal $200 million credits from Orbital while wearing a suit on some online exchange and LPI will slap you with 20 years in some low security luxury resort on Houston. We should be so lucky! Did you know they get conjugal visits?
Seabourne stopped long enough to raise and lower his eyebrows a few times in what would normally be a suggestive manner. On the captain, the effect took on many adjectives, none of which could be charitably mistaken for being in the same solar system as proper innuendo. He continued down the corridor.
"But you take one vessel and all of a sudden it's a capital offense."
Seabourne stopped again to take his bearings. He licked a finger and held it up as if determining the direction of the wind. Looking as if he didn't get what he wanted, he plugged the finger into an ear and tried again, as though he were experimenting with various orrifices to see if any offered any new insights. Fortunately, the earwax seemed to tell him something the saliva didn't, eliminating the need to go down the list.
"Cabin 308 should be three decks above us, more or less. We can take the scenic route this time."
The two men turned a corner and saw a large, majestic double staircase. Orlando's was done in a sleek, modernist style in brushed aluminum and frosted glass. Geometric patterns on the flat surfaces looked like nonsensical dazzle camoflage up close, but from where the two were standing it gave an impression of movement, like the stairs were actually escalators. The steps zig-zagged from deck to deck, alternating being next to each other and being separated by open air and glistening mobiles.
Race you there!
Seabourne dashed up the stairs, oblivious to the green, faintly smoldering webbed footprints on the steps he was taking two at a time.
