Chapter Six
Bit had just started feeling comfortable with Oden. Outside the bridge she stopped and took a deep breath, steadying herself before she heading down to the living level. She walked down to the mess hall, starting to feel as though she knew her way around the ship. There were still many doors that were a mystery, plus an entire lower level left to explore. She stopped in the doorway, realizing the entire crew—minus Oden—was seated and staring at Jack.
“Take a seat, Bit,” the captain ordered.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and scurried to the nearest seat, next to the longish-haired man who had been wrestling on the mat earlier. She spotted Calen sitting at the next table, looking bleary-eyed.
“As you all know by now, we were just followed by a pirate frigate. We scared them off, taking minimal damage. Thanks to Oden’s excellent flying, none of the cargo was damaged either. As we had hoped, the use of the skiffs, manned by our new security team, scared them off.”
“Why were we attacked so close to Earth?” asked one of the security team members. “Don’t they usually wait ‘til we’re further into space, away from the security of Earth’s ships?”
“What’s in the cargo?” asked Nolan, the man who had frightened her the day before.
Bit cringed. She didn’t know much about how the crew worked, but she knew Nolan was not in a position to be asking questions. The bearded man standing behind Nolan smacked him across the back of the head hard enough to make a sound.
Jack ground his teeth together for a moment before giving a sharp nod. “I suppose you have a right to know. While the cargo hold hasn’t got much of specific value, we are carrying animal embryos to Mars.”
“What?”
“Why’s that important?”
The crew asked a myriad of questions all at once. Jack raised his hand, waiting for his crew to go silent.
“The animal embryos are new species being introduced to the Martian ecosystem. They are worth a tidy fortune. Part of the reason I hired on extra security.”
“So we’ll be attacked again,” stated Randal, standing and moving to Jack’s side. “Our tactics worked today. They’ll work again. We are also installing a security device on the docking port to keep them from boarding. All the same, the captain and I think each of you should take lessons from the security team on how to defend yourselves, just in case.”
“Exactly,” said Jack, taking the spotlight back. “Find time in your schedules to work with one of the security team on some basics. Dismissed.”
The crewmembers surged to their feet. Bit scrambled to the corner of the room, letting them all pass by.
“Bit,” Jack called once the majority of the crew dispersed.
She walked over to where he stood by the bearded man who had smacked Nolan. She suspected he was the head steward.
“Bit. Have you met Vance?”
“No, sir.” She forced herself to reach out and take the man’s offered hand.
He smiled at her. “Seems we need to get you some clothing. I’ve taken the liberty to go around and take a few hand-me-downs from the crew. They’ll be a bit big on you, but I thought if you have a mind to sewing, you might be able to make them fit better. There’s a sewing kit in there too.”
Vance held out a bag full of clothing.
Bit looked up at the two men, all her composure gone again. She felt her bottom lip begin to quiver, but couldn’t do anything about it. As she tried to press her lips together, tears began to spill from her eyes and roll down her cheeks. She tried to take in a deep breath, but it came in as a gasp. Before she knew what was happening, she was sobbing, barely able to stay on her feet.
“What’s going on?” came Oden’s voice from the staircase.
“Nothing, Oden. Get back to your post,” said Jack, sounding upset.
His tone brought another wave of tears and fear. Before she could do or say anything, Jack scooped her up into his arms and began to make his way to her room. Vance followed, setting the bag down just beyond the entryway. Jack deposited her in her hammock, pulling the chain on the light just as the door swung shut. The captain pulled her foot locker out and sat on it. He threaded his fingers together and stared at the floor, letting her cry her eyes out.
When her tears finally dried out, she turned to look at him.
“S-sorry,” she whispered.
Jack shook her head. “No need to apologize. I take it kindness is a bit foreign to you.”
Bit turned away to stare at the corner. She felt ridiculous—crying because someone had been nice to her.
“I’m not upset with you, Bit.”
She nodded, not really believing him.
“You don’t believe me, and that’s okay. We’ll figure each other out eventually. It’s been a long day. Feel free to rest. Or if you know how to sew, there’s the clothing. Dinner’s served at 1900. You’ll hear the mob rushing to the mess hall. From here on out, I expect you at each meal. You need fattening up.”
With that, he left. Bit stared at the door, amazed at just about everything he had said.
Trust and Treachery Page 8
