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Hawk · (This post was last modified: 12-19-2010, 05:04 PM by Hawk.)

Jack Crow was strapped in to the command chair on the bridge of his ship as the cruise engines engaged and Rochester quickly disappeared behind them. He didn't usually strap in here but right now Mac was at the helm. Mackenzie Mason was one of the best freighter pilots he had ever met. She had great skill, but when flying something this big she tended to forget that she wasn't driving a freighter and the ride could get a little interesting. Her tricks had managed to get them out of trouble enough times in the past that Jack was willing to put up with this.

Sophia entered the bridge and looked right to Jack. 'Ok Jack, I've got your little princess put up in one of the spare racks down near the bottom. I picked up a few things on Rochester for her as well so she'll be as comfortable as we can make her which isn't going to be much out here. So, since when have we been a passenger liner?'

'Since today I guess.'

'Obviously. What I'm asking is why all of a sudden to you decide we needed to be in this line of work?'

'Since she seemed to be in a bit of trouble.'

'What kind of trouble?'

'I have no idea.'

'You have no idea. No idea and you brought her on here anyway. You really think that's smart?'

'I don't know what it is Sophia. I just didn't feel like I should leave her where she was. Stephen and I may have even gotten her into trouble when we tried to help her out. I felt I owed her just a little help. Besides, the money she offered us to do this will help us get just a little bit ahead in our payment plan so we won't have to sweat this one out so much.'

'You're the boss. I just hope you know what you're doing,' she called over her shoulder as she walked off the bridge.

'So do I,' he thought to himself as she left. With everything quieting down he turned to the man at the navigation panel. 'Jeff, you've got the bridge. Call me if anything exciting happens. Otherwise I'm going to sleep til we get to California.'

He walked out the back of the bridge into the day room. There was a table in the middle of the room and several small chairs. There was a data console in the corner capable of accessing the neural net like the consoles on the bridge. It was a small room set aside as a place for the crew to relax while being ready to go on duty quickly. It was also a place where they often shared meals together. From there he took the ladder down to the next level where his quarters were located. He entered his room which was barely more than a walk in closet. There was no furniture, only a closet and various drawers. A bed was set into a niche in the wall. He looked around the room. He thought about going to check on Maria and make sure she was settled in ok, but he was just too tired. He crawled into his bunk and quickly fell asleep.

Maria awoke feeling very refreshed. She fumbled around with her hands and found the controls to turn on a light. There was no clock in the room so she had no idea how long she had been sleeping. She got out of bed and walked to a mirror. She didn't have to walk far as small as her room was. She had never imagined a bed room this small in her life. She stared at herself in the mirror. She had managed to clean herself up a bit since coming on board the ship but she was still a mess. Standing there in an old jumpsuit, noticing what a mess her hair was. She pulled her back into a pony tail and moved to the door. Outside her room it was very quiet except for the hum of the ship's engine. It was loud but she was surprised at how peaceful it sounded to her. It was warm in the corridor. She walked over to a steel ladder near her door and started to climb. Three levels later she was at the top. She saw a table in the center of the room and a data console in one corner. There was a woman sitting at the table reading from a digital pad. She looked up at Maria as she came up the ladder.

'You must be our passenger.' The woman said to her.

'I guess that's what I am, yes.'

'I'm Mac, good to meet you.'

'I'm Maria.'

'Well don't just stand there, have a seat. Are you hungry?'

'A little yes, actually more than a little. I'm having trouble remembering how long it has been since I ate.'

'Well let's go ahead and fix that. You're going to be on board with us a while. We can't have you starving.'

'Thank you. Everyone has taken such great care of me so far, I don't know what to say.'

'Well, we're an interesting group on this ship. Most of what we do is frowned on among polite company. We do look out for our own however, and as long as you're on this ship you're one of us.'

Mac got up and punched some buttons on the wall. A panel slid open and some packets appeared. She grabbed them and brought them over to Maria. 'These should be warm enough once you open them,' she said, 'It's pretty simple faire, but that's what we get on a ship like this. Sometimes we get to celebrate our accomplishments with a fancy meal, but it ain't often.

'I'm sure this will be fine, thank you.' Maria tore the packet open and began to devour the contents. She wasn't even sure what she was eating. It was like nothing she had tasted before. She realized that anything could taste good when you were hungry. She was so caught up in her new surroundings and everything that had happened to her in the past few days that she hadn't even realized how hungry she was. As this strange food began to fill her belly it felt very satisfying.'

A door opened on the opposite side of the room from the ladder where Maria had entered. Jack Crow walked into the room. 'Well look who's awake.'

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