“Hey man, I am Rusty, nice ta meet ya. You been roped in too, eh?” Sam offers his hand in kindness and introduces himself, and the two of then unpack and chat as they go.
The rest of the day goes well and people are busy with general things. Megan puts in a few hours at the gym, but soon the need for food hits home, and one by one everyone heads to the kitchen. To everyone’s surprise, Rusty is cooking a stir fry and it smells delicious. Everyone rallies around, setting the table and making drinks, and all are seated when Pace walks in a little bit late.
“Captain on deck!” shouts Megan and everyone jumps up straight as a die.
“At ease everyone, at ease, it’s dinner time. Oh, can you set another place, we have another guest. Everyone, I would like you to meet Nova Lee. She is our pilot and very important for our venture. She has flown a lot of crazy missions and knows how to handle a ship.” Nova enters the room and sits at the table. Her eyes just visible under the rim of her baseball cap, she takes off her thick leather jacket.
“Awe, thanks Cap,” she replies looking around at everyone.
Megan corrects her quickly, “It’s Captain to everyone. He has earned that title and just to let you all know, I too can pilot ships like most people can, but welcome Nova.” A plate arrives piled high with food under Nova’s nose and putting a mouthful in and chewing a moment, Nova looks at Pace and grins.
“Hey Pace, I think most people can’t fly inverted in the tunnel out there for long, without the law catching you, while you hang upside down with your hands bound and your top covering your eyes, flashing your bits to the world and living to tale the tale, eh?” Quickly smiling over at Megan, Nova feels very smug, so carries on with her banter. “Nor can most people navigate through an asteroid field, with no instruments or point of origin, while being pursued by pirates wanting your cargo of extremely explosive material, with half your ship on fire. But lady, if that is most people, I guess I’m most people too.” Nova carries on eating and everyone tucks in to their food.
Megan, now angered, has the final say or so she thinks, “Well as first officer, I expect you to do your duty and take orders. You are not paid to think, young lady, you are paid to do, it’s that simple, and you will not be risking this crew with schoolgirl choices, am I clear?”
Nova stops chewing, but not wanting to back down continues. “That story about my ship on fire, well the first officer was the one who almost got us all killed, by doing a deal and ordering us to go aboard the pirate ship and steal the goods back. It got him skinned alive and 17 crewmen dead. So yes, I will follow your orders if they make sense, but no amount of money can save your life. Now are we clear?”
Pace looks at the two women squabbling and decides he must put his foot down to make sure people know who runs the ship. “Enough! You are both here because I invited you to be here, remember that. It is me, who will be giving the orders around here, and anyone disobeying my orders will be shot, and you will float forever more in the cold of space. Please don’t test me, you either get on or you get off now, make your choices.” Slamming his human hand on the table in anger, Pace looks at them both and then gets up and leaves the room. The kitchen falls silent for a few moments. Nova looks up, and in a begrudging voice, apologies to Megan, and explains it is her way of healthy banter, as she is nervous around new people. Megan does not say sorry, but thinks a lot of Nova for her attitude in fixing the matter. Megan gets up and heads out of the room to find Pace. The crew happily carry on chatting and eating and getting to know each other better before turning in for bed.
Finally, Megan finds Pace sat in-between a stack of containers out of sight of the ship. She asks if she can sit and Pace dusts off a container for her.
“You ok, Pace, you seem a little different tonight?” Megan caresses the back of his neck with her hand. Pace’s shoulders drop and become relaxed and a sigh of relief echoes off the containers.
“Awe, that’s nice Meg, so nice, I needed that. I’m just a little stressed that’s all. It was easy when it was just me and you.” Megan climbs onto the container with Pace. She wraps her long legs around his waist, and begins to give him a proper massage to loosen up his neck and shoulders. Pace stares into Megan’s eyes, letting his mind wonder. “You are so beautiful, Meg. Why do you like me? I mean I’m half a man; I have a metal arm and blue skin, probably alien blood as well. Why?” Pace is enjoying Megan sat on his lap massaging him.
“Pace, you are a sweet man who cares and every time I look at you, I get butterflies in my tummy and I feel special around you.” She leans in and begins to kiss him and they both feel the warmth that only love can bring. They continue to kiss for some time, not saying a word, both of them wanting to go to bed with the other, but neither of them plucking up the courage to ask in case of rejection.
Chapter Fourteen
The lights come on in Dock One, and they are so bright that both Megan and Pace wake at the same time. She has been lying on his chest all night and there is a wet patch where her mouth has been drooling a little. Her hair is stuck to the side of her face, and her make-up is smudged a little too. She looks up into Pace's eyes and she feels great, achy but great. She kisses him once more and clambers off to freshen up. Pace is stretching on the floor thinking what a great night they had, and as she walks away he watches her, fearing to take his eyes off her for a moment, in case he wakes and this has all been but a dream.
She glides away swiftly out of sight and Pace decides to get shifting some crates. Today is Friday and he is expecting the security team to show up today as promised. He moves a few crates and then heads up to the canteen for some breakfast. He enters the room and everyone is sat already eating their food.
“Good morning all,” Pace says happily in an upbeat voice. Everyone greets him in the same manner, and he sits down and has some porridge with the others, and they all chat for a while about this and that. “Well everyone, today the security team arrive, and I just wanted to say before they come aboard, that given Eve Thorn’s previous track record with trust issues and tests, I just don’t like it at all. Now as your captain, my word is final and I want you all to be on your guard should anything happen, and I would appreciate your support and hope you all will have my back and each other’s too. If you notice anything strange or out of place, no matter how trivial it is, then you come to me or Megan with it. I will not tolerate insubordination of any kind, and if you feel that this is not what you want, then please leave the ship today, and there will be no hard feelings, because when we are up there, if you turn on me you will end up out the air lock. I have a bad feeling about this security team being on board. We all seem to get on so well, helping each other with things and taking it in turns to cook and things, so I have no doubt that we have gelled as a crew now and I will not let anything spoil that. I have put the security team at the back of the ship, in the rooms there, but depending on how many turn up, some of you may need to share, we will have to see.” Pace is now standing up and has a very serious face on.
Megan also stands up and looking at Pace, says in a clear voice, “Sir, I will not let you down, and I’m sure that we all will look out for each other. I agree that we should be careful, and to let the others of you know, in case they are wondering why, it’s because Eve, the Prime Lady almost killed us both testing us for this job. So thank your lucky stars you all were chosen by the Captain and not her. If I had my way, she would have had a slap that day for the treatment and threats that were made, but that’s another story for another day.” Megan lifts up her cup of coffee and makes a toast, as the others stand with their cups of hot drinks. “To the Captain and the Invictus. May he guide us true and may the ship hold us safe.” It was a good toast and everyone is up lifted by it.
Pace feels like he had got through to them. “Ok, let’s get to work; we have a lot to do today. I need the remaining crates stowed away, and I need salvage pods checked and runners too. Please make sure that enough supplies are on the runners to survive should we go down,
and that med systems are one hundred percent sterile. If you have anyone you need or want to say goodbye to, today’s the day. We are about to set off on an amazing journey, we will encounter many things along the way, some good and some bad, but the people need us to salvage. They need food and supplies, and these are the last two ships bound for space, so let’s make it a good trip. Dismissed.” Pace smiles and walks out the room and heads to the bridge.
People scurry about the place and the ship is a hive of activity for a few hours. Nova joins Pace on the bridge and sits in her chair and adjusts it to her liking. She pulls out a few little trinkets to put on her console, one of them being a small teddy bear. She smiles and starts to do her pre-engine start checks.
“Hey Cap, why do we have auto-cannons on board the ship, when we are a salvage operation?” Nova glances at Pace with a worried look on her face.
“It’s for safety, that’s all. We don’t know what we might encounter out there, and apparently some ships have already gone missing, and that is why we are also getting security along for the trip. Don’t worry, Nova, we will be just fine, and I’m sure if we run into trouble, you’ll get us out.” Looking at his monitor, Pace checks the rear cameras to make sure everyone is out of the way before they test the engines.
“Ok Nova, when you’re ready, start her up.”
Nova hits a switch on her console and calls down to Rusty who confirms he is ready too, before she turns the switch to start the engines. There is a slight hum from underneath them as the engine starts up.
“Power initialised, Cap. Burn on engine one, in five, four, three, two, one.”
The engine thruster lights up gold and burns hotter than any sun, and then engine thrusters two, three and finally four also light up. There is a lot of noise, and things are moving about a bit as expected, but nothing to worry about. In fact this will be a smooth ride once they are up, Nova thinks to herself, before powering down the engines once again.
“She is a beaut Cap, a beaut! I can’t wait to get her up there and flying now.” Nova is so excited it’s written all over her face like a love letter. Pace reaches over Nova’s shoulders and hugs her, and kisses her on the top of her head, before standing up and leaving the bridge. On his way through the canteen toward the lift, Pace’s gauntlet lights up with Megan’s face. She looks concerned.
“What’s the matter, Megan?” Pace’s stomach flutters with anticipation.
“Captain, you need to get down here now. The security team are here and there is a small problem.” Megan’s voice fades off.
Pace frowns. “A problem, what sort of problem?”
“Just get down here, sir.”
Pace runs to the lift and it can’t carry him fast enough to the loading bay. The doors open and he runs out across the ramp to where Megan is standing. She is pointing her finger and shouting at a tall man. He is in black and green metal body armour. Strapped to his arm is a large gauntlet device, such Pace has never seen before, and stood behind him are three other similarly dressed troops, not saying a word, but holding a large crate between them. Reaching the group and Megan, Pace composes himself because first impressions last.
“What seems to be the problem here, First Officer Frost?” Pace stands next to Megan, looking straight at the tall man in front of them.
“Sir, they want to bring aboard a large crate, but they refuse to tell me or show me what is inside.”
The tall man speaks, “It is a need-to-know basis, and you don’t need to know,” he sniggers. “It’s plain and simple. We are here to protect you and you will offer us some courtesy. Now move out of the way and let us stow our gear, and there will be no problems.”
The cheek of what the man had just said fires off anger in Pace’s head, and as the man tries to push his way past Megan, Pace steps in and puts his metal hand on the man’s chest to stop him.
“Where do you think you are going, and who are you to demand things on my ship? Now I don't know what world you seem to be living on at the moment, but carry on with that attitude and you won’t be setting foot on my ship, because it is my ship and what I say goes around here.” Pace is a little red in the face now, and he stands tall and rigid, showing strength through his anger.
The tall man stops dead in his tracks, he turns back and with an arrogant sneer replies to Pace. “I am Tom Mortis, Chief of Security. That is all you need to know, Captain. Now, I will call my superior and you can speak to her, if you wish. I am just following orders, but I think it may be best if we get the boundaries firmly in place before we go on.” After tapping a few buttons on his gauntlet, a large screen lights up and Eve Thorn’s face appears.
“Yes, what is it, Tom?” Eve asks in an irritated manner.
Tom stares down at the screen. “Well, Ma’am, I have encountered a problem, just like you said I would, and it needs clarifying please.” Mortis turns the screen around to face Pace.
“Ah, Pace. Now look here, you will let Tom and his men on board your ship with the crate, and no questions asked about it from you or any of your crew. That is an order and will not be contested. Am I clear?” At this point Tom has a smug grin on his face, knowing he has won this.
“You can take that grin of your face before I wipe it off for good,” Pace snarls at Tom, “and Prime Lady, I am the captain of this ship, I need to know what is put on her, so we can have this conversation in private if you like.”
Megan is wondering if it was such a good idea to have them aboard at all when the voice of Eve bellows out, “Do as you are told Pace. If you can’t, I will replace you, and you will suffer the consequences. Some things are none of your business at all, and I will get my men to put that crate on MY ship with or without your help.” Tom raises his gauntlet, along with the other three troops, and they all point at Megan and Pace. Seeing that he has lost this argument, Pace bites his lip and succumbs to Eve’s will once more, but this time vowing to get his own back.
Pace reluctantly points to a space in the loading bay where they can store the crate. Tom and his men walk past, laughing and sniggering at Pace until out of ear shot.
“Damn it!” cries Pace. “I knew it. I just knew it. They are a devious lot of politicians and can’t be trusted. Well if they want to play games, so can I.” Pace walks in behind the troops and watches them carefully until the crate is stowed. “Right, you lot may have got that on board my ship, but you will follow my orders here, is that clear. We all work as one here, no slackers, so I expect you all to pull your weight.” Pace, not giving anyone a chance to respond turns and heads to the lift. “I will show you to your rooms.” They all follow Pace with duffle bags in hand and they enter their rooms, the three men in one room, and the woman trooper in a room sharing with Nova. That will be a pleasant surprise for her, as Nova never gives ground and can fight better than most men can, thought Pace. “Dinner is at 1700 tonight, you can meet the rest of the crew then.”
Pace leaves the troopers to their own devices and meets up again with Megan, this time in med lab. “Hey Megan, we need to get the word around to the rest of our guys, about what just happened downstairs. I want to be honest from the start with the crew. They need to know what we will be living with, plus, I want to see what’s in that crate, but we will wait until we are up in space for that. Now here is my plan.” Pace spends around twenty minutes talking over a few things with Megan, and she then hurries off to inform the others of the plans.
Chapter Fifteen
In the loading bay, Anc is loading some supply crates when one of Tom’s men finds his way into the room via the lift. He is talking to someone on his gauntlet and half paying attention to where he is going and drinking a can of beer, he bumps into Anc.
“Get out my way, junk bot, and watch where you’re going.”
Turning around and looking at the man, Anc replies. “I’m sorry, sir, I believe it was you, obviously having had your senses dulled by alcohol, that walked into me. I, myself, have fully operational motion sensors, which can detect my precise
movement and direction. I don't believe we have met. I’m Anc, pleased to meet you.”
“I’m Briggs,” replies the man, looking at Anc with hateful eyes. “What! Anyway, why am I talking to a hunk of metal on my last night of RNR before we leave? Stupid robot.” Briggs throws his can, along with the last dregs of beer, at Anc’s head before laughing and walking out towards the door of the dock. Anc turns back and continues his work thinking. Why are some humans like that towards others? Is it their quest to be different, or to be considered a threat, or is it simply because they feel out of place in the world, so they create a new world just for them with their rules and ways.
Moving from out of the shadows Padley approaches Anc. “I am sorry for the way that man treated you, why did you not retaliate?” Padley touches Anc on the arm and turns him to face her. Anc’s sensors, taking in the view and fizzing a little, scan Padley’s body and although they had seen each other around the ship, this is the first time they had communicated.
“If I had chosen to fight him, he would have died, and wasting his life and his future would have meant nothing, and he would not have learned anything.” Still scanning Padley, Anc notices that Padley dresses similar to Megan. She wears a skirt and a short top and also has a bust, so whoever designed her must have had something pleasing to the eye in mind. With bright blue eyes and white coloured metal with vents of ears and a small mouth, Padley would be a good choice to sync with, if they were allowed, he thought and she seemed to like him, but robots on Foloss were not allow to sync, through fear that robots could become too intelligent and then control humans.
“That is true, Anc. I wonder after all the sick and injured people I see, why do they not learn from their mistakes. I guess we will never know. Do you need any oil?” Padley looks over Anc to make sure he is running well.
Titan Fleet: The Invictus Page 5