Amelia felt silly carrying her ball gown along the main passageway, and she ignored the smirks of the sailors over the deep green folds of the dress. She still loved the dress and couldn’t wait for a chance to wear it again, but it just seemed absurd in the utilitarian confines of the ship. It was with no small relief that she reached her new cabin.
Opening the door proved quite a fight as she tried to balance the dress and the two small bags holding the last of her things. One bag slipped free of her fingers but as she moved to catch it she tripped over part of the gown’s train that had dangled loose. Slamming into the bulkhead to avoid tumbling over completely, she was about to utter a most unladylike phrase when a strong hand suddenly stabilized her.
“I got you there, PO.”
Amelia looked up gratefully as Daring’s coxn, Chief Petty Officer Oliver Butcher, helped her regain her balance. The ship’s senior sailor was respected and feared by the crew, but in their time together Amelia had come to view him more as a stern uncle. His weathered face was topped by close-cropped silver hair and his eyes were always assessing. But there was a kindness beneath his gruff exterior, and even his grip on her shoulder had a gentleness unexpected from such powerful hands.
“Thanks, Coxn,” she said. “Could you get the door for me?”
He opened her cabin and she stepped gingerly inside, throwing everything down on the lower bunk with the rest of her gear. It frustrated her to be so disorganized, especially with her new cabinmate’s imminent arrival.
Butcher leaned his head in through the door, admiring the tiny space. “Can’t believe this was a storage locker when we sailed from port. Your storesies do good work.”
“Thank the hullwrights,” she said, running a hand along the stacked wooden bunks, the frames blotched with discoloration and fine joins. “They cut and carved these from discarded planks destined for the oven.”
“The ingenuity of sailors,” he marvelled.
“Sorry you had to move cabins, too. And get a cabinmate – I guess you thought you were done with those days.”
He shrugged. “Chief Sky is the same rank as me. She deserves her own cabin for a while.”
“At least she won’t have to fight her way past my ball gown anymore,” Amelia laughed, looking around at the close walls. “But I think it might be moving back to the stores office.”
“Your new cabinmate will likely have her own fancy wardrobe,” he said with a grimace. “You might want to save her some room in stores.”
“We’ll see.”
Amelia understood that Daring was bound to get new officers eventually, and that very few graduates from the Academy were commoners like Charlotte Brown. But she was annoyed at the sudden change in cabin assignments.
“Why isn’t the new officer going with Lady Templegrey?” she blurted in sudden frustration. “Me and Charlotte Brown would make better sense as cabinmates.”
“It helps senior mess unity by mixing noble and commoner as much as possible,” he replied carefully. “We have a unique setup here and we need to encourage a classless arrangement.”
If his slow delivery hadn’t tipped her off, the choice of words made it clear that Butcher, as the loyal coxn, was echoing the words of either the captain or the XO. Amelia suspected that his own opinion was something different, but if so he’d never let on.
It was a quality she knew she struggled with. Maybe living with a young, noble officer would give her a chance to exercise her professionalism. And she could start, she decided, by getting her stuff put away.
“Thanks for the help, Coxn,” she said, “but I need to start unpacking my things.”
“No problem,” he said, retreating through the door. “If you like, I can send my new cabinmate to help you.”
She looked up at that, but Butcher was already disappearing, a bit of a smile lightening his features. Why would she want Petty Officer Narrow to help her? Her cheeks reddened slightly at the thought of him in here, helping her stow underclothes. Banishing the thought, she pulled the first of her chests from under the bunk and emptied her two bags into it. She could fold everything later, when her cabinmate was on watch. Looking around for a place to hang her gown, she realized that this tiny cabin had almost no free bulkhead space. Ethan Narrow’s broad shoulders probably wouldn’t even fit in here…
She blinked away the thought and held the gown up against the door, figuring they were about the same width. If she could find a nail to hammer in, the dress could hang there for now.
A knock on the door made her jump back, and she banged her legs against the bunk. The dress fell to the deck and she cursed, rubbing her calves. The door opened, forcing her to retreat further to not get hit on the head. She tumbled back onto her bunk, wincing as her head cracked against the bulkhead.
Sprawled on her back, she looked up and saw Liam peering into the cabin. His warm eyes met hers, sparkling with amusement.
“Good afternoon, Amelia. Am I interrupting anything?”
The sight of her beloved washed away all the frustrations of the day. His handsome face softened with affection and he held out his hand. Grabbing it, she clambered to her feet, rubbing the bump on her head. “I need someone to kiss this better…”
His eyes widened and he stepped back, pushing the door fully open. Behind him was a young officer, her face set in an expression of mild curiosity.
“Sublieutenant Julia Sungate,” he announced, discreetly letting go of Amelia’s hand, “may I introduce Daring’s quartermaster, Petty Officer Amelia Virtue.”
Amelia straightened her uniform, suddenly very aware of her own many failings of dress as she sized up Sungate. The officer stepped forward in her perfect uniform, smiling demurely as she lifted a hand, fingers curling down.
Amelia grabbed the hand and shook it vigorously, forcing a smile to her own lips.
“Julia, is it?” she said, just a little too loud. “Nice to meet you.”
Sungate’s smile barely faltered as she briefly gripped Amelia’s hand in return, then released. She was taller than Amelia, eyes bright against her dark skin as she peered into the cabin.
“Thank you for sharing your cabin with me. Is the bottom bunk yours?”
“I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course.” She turned back to Liam. “Sir, thank you for escorting me here. When can I expect my bags to arrive?”
Liam fought down a smirk, but Amelia felt her own mouth fall open.
Sungate, to her credit, picked up the cues immediately. She reached out to touch Liam’s arm. “I was only jesting, sir – I’ll collect my things as soon as I have a moment.”
Liam squeezed out of the cabin. “There’ll be plenty of time later. We don’t have you scheduled for your first bridge watch until tomorrow. And supper is in a few minutes – shall we dine, ladies?”
“Thank you, sir,” Amelia replied. “I’ll be right there – just need to put away some clothes. Extensive wardrobes are so tiresome. Don’t you agree, Julia?”
Sungate’s smile was only slightly crooked. “Quite so, Amelia.”
At Liam’s gesture the young officer departed the cabin and they headed for the senior mess. As the door shut behind them Amelia frowned, scooped up her gown from the deck and, after a moment’s consideration, tossed it on her bunk. Ava Templegrey had seemed an ice queen when they’d first met, she reminded herself. She could handle Julia Sungate.
*
Liam opened the door to the senior mess and invited Sungate to precede him in. It was a cozy space, with wood-lined walls giving it a warmer feel than most spaces in the ship and decorated with a few paintings that had been scavenged over the years by various officers. A built-in bar immediately to his left was already prepared with the evening’s rum, and across a few strides of open space the dining table was set for supper. Bella’s long form stretched out at the head of the table as she made final adjustments to the last setting.
She glanced over at the arrivals, curling her tail down to rest against her booted, three-toed feet. “Good evening Lee-arm,” she said through her translator. “Welcome, Joo-lee-arr, to the senior mess. I hope you feel at home here.”
“That’s very kind of you,” Sungate said, stepping forward with none of her former unease. “If I may ask, what curious series of events brought you to serve aboard one of His Majesty’s sailing ships?”
Bella barked a laugh and began to tell the story. Liam knew it well and turned as the door opened behind him to reveal Petty Officer Ethan Narrow.
“Hey, good evening, XO,” the artificer greeted with a smile.
Narrow had only joined the ship in their last port but already seemed very much at home. Liam had met many a sailor who made their way through life on good looks and charm, but already he sensed that Narrow had a lot more going for him.
“Good evening, Artificer. How did your mast supervision go today?”
“Well enough, I think,” he said with a laugh as he stepped past Liam and opened the bar cabinet. “But I need a little something to rebuild my confidence. Lieutenant Swift is… sparing in his praise for my work.”
Liam laughed sympathetically and grabbed the decanter of wine that Bella had already prepared. “This is our typical pre-dinner drink, Ethan. I’ll certainly join you.”
Liam poured three glasses of wine, handed one to Narrow and then offered the second to Sungate. The young officer accepted it with a smile but kept her attention on Bella, who was just in the process of describing how Amelia had used a sack of coffee as a deadly weapon.
“I love this story,” Narrow exclaimed, moving to stand next to Sungate.
She turned slightly to him and offered her hand. “Julia Sungate.”
“Ethan Narrow.”
He took her fingers in his and, after a moment, kissed them. Or rather, Liam thought, practically smooched them. For all his roguish charms, Narrow hadn’t mastered the courtly art of manners. Sungate withdrew her hand a bit quickly, then returned her gaze to Bella. The Theropod continued her story, eventually drawing laughter from both listeners as she laid out the rest of the escapade.
Liam retreated to pour out more glasses of wine, meeting the rest of his mess mates as they trickled in for the supper hour. Sublieutenant Brown was the first to arrive, barely taking the glass before telling him all about Freedom’s readiness to sail. Chief Butcher was close behind, downing half the glass before acknowledging the others with a nod.
“Coxn,” Liam said, taking Butcher a few steps away from the others, “how did the disciplining go?”
“Without incident, sir,” he said. “The two defaulters took their lashings without complaint and Dr. Templegrey assures me they’ll both heal quick enough.”
“Did you have Petty Officer Narrow administer the punishment?”
“No…” Chief Butcher glanced at the tall man, who was in the middle of a joke that apparently held Charlotte Brown and Julia Sungate enthralled. “He’s still new, and well-liked. I didn’t want to end his honeymoon with the crew quite that soon.”
Liam hated it when discipline demanded physical punishment, but it was a reality of Navy life and everyone had to buy into it.
“The sooner a senior sailor demonstrates their resolve,” he said, “the sooner they’re respected by the crew.”
“So when is Petty Officer Virtue going to execute a set of lashings?” the coxn replied, a touch too sharply.
Liam had no answer to that, and they both knew it.
“The crew are already terrified of Chief Sky,” Butcher concluded firmly. “She administered the punishment.”
“Very good, Coxn.”
Amelia arrived in the mess, taking a glass of wine from the bar and toasting Liam silently.
“I’ll leave you to your evening, sir,” Chief Butcher said.
Amelia grinned as she stepped close beside Liam.
“XO,” she greeted.
“Quartermaster.”
As he lifted his glass to drink, he suddenly felt a tiny hand grab his butt and squeeze. Wine dribbled down his chin as he fought down his surprise. Her giggle was drowned out by the laughter in the center of the room as Narrow finished his story.
Lieutenant Swift arrived just as the bells sounded for supper, waving off the proffered drink. “I have to go back on watch. Permission to get started eating, sir?”
“Of course.”
Swift grabbed the plate at the foot of the table and helped himself to the serving dishes arranged down the center. Bella noticed and immediately excused herself from the conversation to serve him, but he waved her away.
The door opened and Liam greeted Chief Sky. The ship’s assaulter took the glass of wine with a stoic expression, her gaze passing between Liam and Amelia, who still hovered close at his side.
“Thank you, sir,” she said simply.
“How goes the training of the new boarding party members?”
“They’re generally fit and strong, but hardly a brain among them.” She took a thoughtful sip. “I can work with that.”
“Are they ready for Sam to give them some Theropod training?”
She ran a calloused hand through her short hair. “No. But I’m going to get him down to help anyway. I gather we don’t have much time.”
“No, we don’t.” Liam gestured toward the table. “Let’s discuss it while we eat.”
At his call everyone took their seats at the table, joining Swift who was already well into his meal. Liam took his usual seat at the head, noting with interest just how much closer everyone had to sit now that there were two more permanent seats at the table. Alternating men and women seemed to be the best way to fit everyone in reasonable comfort, but as they all started reaching for servings and using their cutlery, Liam noticed a lot of subtle jostling.
As always, the wine flowed freely and the friendly banter even more so. Liam was ready to discuss the mission but he was happy to let his mess mates socialize. A happy leadership team made for a happy crew and he was pleased how both Narrow and Sungate integrated themselves – he with good humor and she with reserved charm. Swift excused himself quickly and disappeared to take back the watch. Several minutes later Templegrey arrived and squeezed in at the table’s far end.
“You must be Lady Julia,” she said, offering a dazzling smile as she extended her hand to Sungate at her side. “Dr. Ava Templegrey.”
Sungate’s expression lightened in sudden recognition and she took the doctor’s hand. “Charmed to meet you, Lady Ava. The Templegreys have been sorely missed at court this past season.”
“A failing my father will shortly rectify. He sails for Homeworld within the fortnight.”
“How splendid! I’ll send word to my brother to host him for dinner.”
“How kind.”
The Sungate family weren’t actually high nobles, but they seemed to command wealth and influence as if they were part of the inner court. The fact that Daring had been ordered to recover their property wasn’t lost on anyone, but no-one had expected an actual member of the family to show up in person. And although Ava’s smile hadn’t faltered for a moment, even Liam could sense that she’d been effectively slapped in the face twice.
He tapped his glass for everyone’s attention.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to explain our mission.”
All eyes turned to him. Bella discreetly served Templegrey at the end of the table and the doctor quietly ate while gazes were elsewhere.
“There is a notorious thief at loose within the Empire,” Liam announced. “A Theropod named Shordar. He’s been active for years and has gained a reputation for stealing only the most valuable of treasures, but his latest theft has crossed a line and has drawn His Majesty’s full attention.”
“Did he steal a princess’s chastity belt?” Narrow quipped, to a few guffaws.
“No,” Sungate said firmly, “he stole my family’s most sacred heirloom: the Suncatcher.”
Her quiet voice cut through any rumblings of conversation and silence fell again.
“Sorry,” Narrow offered.
“We have a solid lead on Shordar’s whereabouts,” Liam continued, “but he rarely stays in one place for long. We’re making best speed for Morassia, where we intend to recover the Suncatcher before he finds a buyer.”
“What exactly is it they took from you, Julia?” Amelia asked. “This Suncatcher.”
“An object of exquisite beauty,” she said, lowering her eyes for a moment. Her face split in a wry smile. “I’m sure my bias is clear when I declare it the most beautiful object in the galaxy, but even the Imperial Archives record it as an ancient treasure.”
“Ancient?”
She lifted her gaze to scan the entire table. “The Suncatcher is more than a thousand years old. Legend says that it was crafted by Master Goldbright himself, but in fact it was created by his apprentice, the first Lord Sungate.”
“So I get that it’s old,” Chief Butcher said, “and no doubt beautiful. But with respect, what makes it special?”
“Master Goldbright was a legendary creator,” Liam replied, “and any remaining artifact of his is considered a royal treasure. Even something made by one of his apprentices is almost priceless.”
“Almost,” Sungate added gravely, “but not quite. The Suncatcher will be highly sought after by many criminal collectors, and possibly even by the Sectoids themselves – simply as a trophy.”
“Any foreign power who can show they have it can claim that the Empire is weak,” Templegrey added. “In these troubled times, the Emperor will not abide anything that could make us look weak.”
Liam scanned the table, judging the reactions of his senior crew. The two aristocrats were clearly on board with the importance of the mission, but the expressions of Brown, Narrow, Butcher and Sky were decidedly skeptical.
He looked to Amelia for help.
*
Amelia caught Liam’s stare and sighed inwardly. Listening to Ava and the new girl, Julia, she now had an idea why the Emperor had taken a personal interest in seeing this Suncatcher recovered. She didn’t necessarily agree with His Majesty’s thought process, but she knew where it would lead.
“We should do anything we can to reduce the likelihood of war,” she declared. “We all know that the Sectoid threat is still looming, and don’t kid yourselves into thinking that there aren’t criminal factions from our own race looking for leverage. If a Theropod kingpin can tout this ancient artifact as a propaganda win, others might try to follow suit. That’ll require a response from the Emperor, and most likely a show of force. Any show of force with the Sectoids massing on the border could easily lead to war. And I for one don’t want to see thousands of us die in an unnecessary war.”
She looked around the table, forcing herself to stare down Brown, Narrow, Butcher and even Sky.
“Catching pirates and thieves is what we do. If we can do it one more time, thousands of our fellow shipmates can keep leading their happy, wretched lives in peace.”
Sky rolled her eyes and drained the rest of her wine. Butcher sighed. Brown looked thoughtful.
“Well said, Amelia,” Narrow suddenly added. “I may be new here, but this ship is legendary for exactly this sort of mission. Why would they call on anyone else to do it?”
“Because we always say yes,” Sky muttered.
“And so we should,” Brown added, her clipped words banishing any hint of a common accent. “None of us can claim to know what’s going on in the highest halls of power. If the Emperor tells us to go, we go!”
Her sudden ferocity startled everyone into silence.
“Of course we go,” Butcher replied, looking around the table. “And we uphold our oaths of loyalty to the crown with honesty and integrity.”
“Of course we do,” Sky echoed, without enthusiasm. She gestured to Bella, who hovered near the bar. “XO, shall we do the toast?”
“Yes, please,” Liam said. His expression hadn’t shifted, but Amelia could just make out the subtle relaxation of his shoulders.
Bella handed down the decanter of rum and everyone took turns pouring their own glass and passing the bottle along the table. Even Sungate expertly kept the decanter in contact with the cloth, Amelia noticed.
Liam raised his glass. “Quartermaster, the toast of the day, if you please.”
Amelia rose from her seat, quickly thinking of how many days it had been since they’d departed Sapphira. Realizing it was three, she smiled: this was her favorite toast.
“On this, our third day in space, I toast our loyal and hard-working sailors. Long may they serve and long may we serve them. To the crew.”
The words of the toast echoed around her as everyone downed their rum. People then began excusing themselves from dinner. Butcher, Sky and Brown were gone almost immediately, and after only a few minutes of polite chatter Narrow excused himself as well.
“The captain wanted to meet you after supper, Julia,” Templegrey said. “I’ll take you to her cabin.”
Sungate slipped her hand into Templegrey’s offered elbow and the two ladies exited the mess like old friends.
Amelia watched them go, then noticed that Liam was also watching.
“Hey,” she said, swatting his tunic, “eyes over here.”
“Want to show me your new cabin?” he said with a sparkle in his eye.
Amelia stole a glance at Bella, who was no doubt listening but who was also one of the few people on board who knew the full extent of their romance.
She slapped Liam’s butt and ran out of the mess. Slamming the door behind her she strode down the passageway with as much dignity as she could with a smirk on her face, then opened the door to her cabin. She waited just long enough to see him emerge from the mess, then stepped through into the tiny space.
He appeared at the open door, glanced both ways down the corridor, then stepped into her cabin and shut the door. In the confined space they were pressed against each other, and she luxuriated in his nearness. Wrapping both arms around his neck, she pulled him in for a passionate kiss.
“Hello, darling,” he said finally. “I like your new cabin. Very intimate.”
“I’m happy to make it more so,” she said, keeping him close.
Pressed against him she could tell he loved the idea, and was pleased at how he was getting better at spontaneity. He kissed her again, unbuttoning her uniform coat and sliding it off her shoulders.
“But my lord,” she whispered in his ear. “Lady Julia might return at any moment.”
“Don’t worry,” he whispered back, “this won’t take long.”
Her laughter broke the tension, and she stepped back slightly to thump his chest. “Seriously, though, she’ll be back soon. Captain Riverton will eviscerate her with a few choice words and she’ll be back here, sobbing into her hankie. You need to get her on that watch rotation so she has to stay on the bridge for a solid four hours.”
“Starting tomorrow, darling, I promise.”
She gathered up her coat from the deck and draped it over the single chair. Her gown was still laid out on her bunk and her bags cluttered what little free space there was.
“I should probably finish unpacking. I don’t think I made my new cabinmate feel welcome last time.”
“Yes,” he replied, eyeing her curiously. “That was a bit aggressive. ‘Julia, is it?’ I think you’ve been taking lessons from the captain on how to insult with a smile.”
She knew she was rough and unrefined, and it bothered her every time he compared her to one of the noble women on board. Even when it was meant as a compliment.
“Whatever.” She pressed her head against his chest. “It’s taken long enough to get used to Ava Templegrey – now I have another noble tart to break in.”
His deep chuckle echoed through her.
“It’s good to have you back,” she said. “Can we get this mission over and done with? That lead we uncovered won’t last forever.”
“It only cost us a few days to break off and pick up Sungate. I’m sure that nefarious master thief is still on Morassia.”
“Well then,” she said, tapping his chest decisively, “let’s go catch ourselves a thief.”