Taking Off [Rina!]

[Tally]

"Everyone in or I'm leaving your asses!"  Those were the last words Justin said before hitting the button for the cargo door.  The stragglers of his crew jumped on board and got themselves behind the airlock with him.

Justin got on the intercom to the bridge.  "Take us up."

While the rest of the crew took to their stations, Justin stayed behind to get the cargo in order, or at least make sure it was all there.  They'd had to take off in a bit of a hurry, and he wanted some time alone.  This was their last flight after all.  He had a buyer all lined up for the ship, and most of the crew had already made plans for when they got back to Cancer.  He was putting them out of work, but he'd been doing this long enough.

The ship had two smaller bays attached to its main cargo hold.  They wound around and connected to the port and starboard halls by alternate doors.  You could also pry the paneling off in certain places and find your way up through the walls and ventilation spaces right up to the gun turret doors, which would also give you access to the bridge if you knew where you were going.

Justin found himself in one of those smaller cargo bays. It was dark—two of the three lights had gone out and no one bothered to replace them—and the place was stacked high with crates.

[Anonymous]

Reet was not having a good day. It had started like any other, but it had quickly gone down the shithole. Nothing seemed to be working smoothly and after getting caught breaking into a thugs house, the skinny kid had been chased through the corridors of the space station until he thought his lungs were going to explode.

That was when luck had finally shown her face and he got ahead of the thugs enough to wiggle his way onto an empty ship. There was plenty of crates in the dim cargo room that Reet had his pick. Curling up in the corner, wedged behind one of the larger crates, he planned on waiting a bit before sneaking out again, just in case.

But the long run had slowly caught up to him and the boy found himself drifting off without realizing it, his head resting against the side of the crate.

[Tally]

Nostalgia had a hold of him a bit.  This was, after all, the last he would ever see of this ship, of this room.  The last time he'd ever wind his way through crates of shipment checking harnesses and buckles.  They'd had a good run, a damn good run.  And now they were gonna end it on a high note.  A man couldn't ask for more than that.

He busied himself making sure all the crates were secure, working his way down the line, tightening up straps and ropes.  They'd left in such a hurry, and you couldn't have huge crates sliding around in your cargo bay during reentry.

He rounded a corner and stopped dead.  He actually jumped a little, surprised.  Some kid was in his cargo hold, slumped against his shipment in sleep.  In the dim light Justin had to lean forward to get a good look at him.  He was a scrawny boy, maybe sixteen?  Seventeen?  And absolutely dead to the world.

A fucking stowaway.  The last thing you wanted to be caught at in these skies.  Justin straightened and laid a hand on the gun at his hip, excessively casual.  He cleared his throat once, loudly.

[Anonymous]

The throat clearing woke Reet with a start and he was on his feet, looking around before his brain was even full awake. And then he noticed the man. Ooooh shit. He had an eyepatch, that was probably a bad sign. People with one eye tended to be grumpy.

Hopefully he would just let him slip back off the ship and no harm done. Reet gave his best attempt at a winning smile, "Well hello there sir! I think I got a little lost. I was looking for a bathroom and I must have taken a wrong turn!"

[Tally]

Justin nodded, smiling his most polite and patient smile, drumming his fingers against the grip of his gun.  Gods, what a game this kid was running.  He went ahead and let him finish.

"Ohhh lost!  Well, let's see what we can do to fix that.  How 'bout I help you find your way to the lockup?  Won't be lost then will you?  We'll know exactly where you are."

[Anonymous]

Reet froze, his face falling, then all of a sudden he threw himself at Justin's feet, clinging to his legs and wailing at the top of his lungs. Sure, it was embarrassing as all hell, but pride wasn't about to keep him out of the lockup. Pity might.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean any harm! Honest! I just...I wasn't lost I was just trying to hide from my daddy! He was drinking and he was so angry and I was scared and I didn't realize your ship was going to take off and please don't kill me! I'll do anything you want! Please just don't hurt me!"

[Tally]

What the hell?! Justin staggered back and nearly fell.  He caught himself on a stack of crates and stared down at the pitiful little ball of failure at his feet.  He was nearly overcome with secondhand embarrassment for the lad.  Nearly.

"Shut it," he growled.  "I didn't say anything about killing you, I said you were going to the lockup.  It's the only place for stowaways.  No one gets passage on this ship that I don't approve it first."

He grabbed a handful of the kid's shirt and hauled him up.  He couldn't talk to someone clinging to his feet like that.  It'd be a wonder if half the crew didn't know he was here after that yowling.

[Anonymous]

Reet did his best to look as pathetic and nonthreatening as possible. Which wasn't hard when one was built like a 12 year old girl. And he was thankful yet again he tended to look younger than he really was. Still sniffling, his green eyes watering with tears, he laid it on thick, "Anything sir, please just don't hurt me. I really didn't mean to, honest!" That part, at least, was true, "I'll do anything you want. I wasn't trying to stow away and I'm a good working. I'll work my way! Please! I don't wanna get locked up and forgotten!"

[Anonymous]

A small orange and gray drone floated down into the cargo bay, turning on a flashlight mounted on its spherical head to light the dark room. A stoic, robotic, yet oddly male voice issued from the drone, questioning. "Captain Ward? Are you in here? Miss Graves has requested that I inform you that everything is running smoothly and that we are only three minutes and fifteen seconds behind schedule." Floating over to the man and the stowaway, the hovering robot scanned the boy with its eyepiece before continuing. "I am also inclined to inform you that Miss Graves is currently attempting to sneak up on you from your south-southeastern side."

Almost on cue, a thin young looking woman leaped out from behind a stack of crates, her eyes narrowed into a glare and her lower lip puffed out in a pout, both of which were aimed directly at the drone. After a moment of silence, the drone spoke, "Yes, well. I understand, Miss Graves, that you disapprove of my *ahem* tattle telling on you. However, as I have said many times before, what we do is serious business. We cannot afford to ruin our shipments and risk bankruptcy." His words fell on deaf ears however, as Amber had taken a much keener interest in the boy that her captain was holding by the shirt.

The drone shook his head, which was an awkward motion considering how large it was in comparison to his small body, then sighed. "Alright I'll ask him. Miss Graves has requested to know the identity of this sniveling, frightened little whelp." This earned him another glare from Amber. The drone turned to the boy, "And Miss Graves has requested that you know that she did not call you a whelp. That was my ad libbing."

[Anonymous]

It was rather surprising to suddenly find some weird looking robot appear. And then a pretty looking blond appeared. She looked a bit older than he was and had a creepy looking scar on her throat. And some weeeeird clothes.

But she at least looked much less intimidating than the large man that was dangling him from one hand, "I just got lost! Honest! I was just hidin' from muh da and then the ship took off and please don't hurt meeee!"

Reet started wailing again, fat crocodile tears rolling down his face. Being too pathetic for words had helped him out more than once. Maybe it would work again.

[Tally]

"What?  Oh, right. Yeah. Whatever."  It was hard to concentrate on what Blank was saying with the kid still making excuses and Justin speculating on just what they'd do with him after they docked.  Sell him maybe, or see if there was even a reward offered for his return to Cancer.

He let go of the kid's shirt—wasn't like he was going anywhere now was he?  He'd just wanted him up off the floor. It was difficult to be all hardassed on someone who was groveling at your feet.

"She may not appreciate it, but I do," he said.  He gave Amber a wink, monumentally grateful she hadn't gotten the jump on him. "I'm getting old, kid.  You're gonna give me a heart attack doing that.  We got a stowaway on board who's due for the lock up. He's—what is your name, kid?"

[Anonymous]

"Uhhh....Reet, sir. Margarita Villanueva." He gave Justin a small, timid smile, hoping that he could go for innocent, puppy like loveablity, "I really honestly didn't mean to stowaway. It was an accident. I gotta get back to my momma on Cancer."

[Tally]

Justin wasn't sure he'd caught all that.  Margarita Villnu...Villa...wh atever, he'd just call him Reet.  Was easier.

He stepped back, hand resting on his gun.  It was a precaution, something he did without thinking now, a move that came of too many instances of someone trying to grab it from him in desperation.  And this kid was certainly getting desperate.

"Move.  That way.  Your momma, huh?  So if I get on the waves I'll hear of a request put out for a lost boy on Cancer, will I?"

[Anonymous]

Reet laughed, trying to appeal to the man's jovial side as the crying and pleading wasn't working, "Not yet sir! She's uh...well, ya know, I mean, the woman named me Margarita. She isn't always real on top of things if ya get my drift. Which is why I gotta get back! She's a real mess with out me and well, my daddy isn't the nicest guy and like I mentioned, he's not in a real good mood."

He kept a wary eye on the gun, really not wanting to get shot. When Justin said move, he quickly jumped to do so, "You, uh, ya promise you aren't gonna shoot me? I've heard it really hurts..."

[Tally]

"Mm hm.  In front, keep walking."  He gave the kid's shoulder a shove, lightly, just enough to get him moving and establish that they weren't friends here, weren't going to be, no matter what Reet had to say.

"It does hurt, and I promise I won't shoot you if you don't cause trouble."  Beyond that, he wasn't promising nothing.

[Anonymous]

"No trouble here sir! Not a bit!" Reet's dark skin paled a little and he stumbled slightly in his hurry to keep walking, "I'll be super good. I don't want no trouble or bullets. I just wanna get back. I really didn't mean ta be on yer ship or nothing. I mean, no reason we can't be friends, right?"

Just because Justin didn't want to be friends didn't mean Reet really didn't want to not be shot.

[Tally]

"Excellent.  That's what I like to hear.  Take a left, keep going down the hall."  Hand still on his gun, reflexes still ready for...whatever.

He wasn't without sympathy.  He didn't trust the kid was all.  He wanted to believe him, just couldn't take the risk.  He'd keep him secure from here until their destination.  Might leave him there, on that lonely planet, might bring him back to Cancer if Reet convinced him and didn't make his life difficult.  If he were telling the truth, he'd find his way back home healthy and whole.  If not, Justin would be no the worse for having been cautious.

"Problem is we're heading away from Cancer, and I've got a schedule.  So you're gonna be with us awhile.  You'll spend some time in our lock up.  If you are good I'll let you out on a planet instead of out the airlock."

[Anonymous]

"Whoa, let's calm things down a little here sir!" Reet made soothing gestures with his hands, "No need to start talking about airlocks. We're all friends here. I'll be an angel. I'll work for my passage or I can sit tight and stare at a wall."

Not really the most fun way to spend his days, but, well, it was way better than getting airlocked. And tall, dark and goodlooking wasn't even cracking a smile.

[Tally]

Justin directed Reet from the huge hangar, around one of their shuttles—those alone nearly the size of a four-man cruiser—and then down some stairs into their more utilitarian block.  Some stock rooms and the lock up were on this level.

"Oh yeah?  What can you do?  To the right."

Calm down?  Heh, funny.  Justin was playing up his stoney pirate look right now—his one eye looking down at Reet hard, unamused.  It was nothing but calm.  Calm and unyielding.  What he needed the kid to understand, what he hoped he would communicate with talk of airlocks and guns, was how very disadvantageous it would be for both of them if Reet decided to be...uncooperative.

If he convinced Justin he was telling the truth, they could see about putting him to work on the way back.  Half the crew was getting off at their next port and he'd have some tasks need doing.

[Anonymous]

"Anything you want sir! I can do menial tasks and I'm pretty good with numbers and computers and stuff." Reet figured now was not the time to mention the whole thief thing. Most people didn't take that news kindly. He flashed Justin a cheeky smile, "I'll even warm your bed if you ask real nice."