Hello again, this chapter got really long so I'm splitting it in two. Here's the first part, chapter five should be coming soon. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Four

I bolted upright. How long had I been sleeping? Looking out the window didn't help, it was always a perpetual dusk. Praying that I hadn't missed supper, I stuffed my shirt back into my trousers. Still groggy, I pulled my hair back and had it half tied before my side screamed in protest. I grunted but continued to rush, shoving my feet into my stiff boots. I was slipping my knife into my boot when I stumbled out of my cabin into another person.

I had been doubled over with my boot so my head connected solidly into someone's chest. We both crashed to the ground in the narrow hallway, legs and jackets tangled.

I must have hit my head pretty hard because I could have sworn I saw a little pink explosion when we hit. I shook my head to clear my vision and opened my eyes.

I froze in horror. I just collided with the captain of the ship. Apologies started pouring out of my mouth, I wasn't even sure if they made sense. He just sat there rubbing the spot his chest and looking sternly not at me, surprisingly, but at something above my head.

I broke off and looked up. Nothing could have prepared me. What I saw above my head was a tiny version of, well, me. Complete with bruises and rumpled clothing, the little thing was hopping back and forth through the air making tiny, mocking apologies in its tiny little voice.

I gasped and pressed my hand to my forehead while shrinking closer to the floor if that was possible. I must be dying. I've had concussions before but I never saw things like this.

"Morph!" The captain said sharply but he couldn't quite suppress a chuckle. "Leave the poor girl alone, she's been through enough without you scaring her."

My face, well, not my face but the little version of it fell into the most sympathetic and mournful expression I'd ever seen. Large tears rolled down its cheek until the creature was crying so hard it seemed to melt into a squishy pink blob with two eyes brimming with tears. The little thing continued to wail until the captain's stern glare dissolved and he beckoned.

"Oh, alright. Come here." He said, softer this time. The blob giggled and chirupped with happiness, all tears forgotten. It zoomed over and snuggled against his cheek.

The captain stroked it for a second then pushed the creature away. "Alice, this is Morph. Morph, this is Alice, the girl you nearly scared to death."

I meant to say hello but all that came out was another strangled gasp. I'd never seen anything like this moody, shape shifting blob before.

"Now," the captain continued. "Shake her hand like a real introduction." He prodding Morph in my direction.

I tentatively stuck out my hand, not sure what to expect. Morph floated over and I was no longer looking a squishy pink object but a gloved hand hovering where Morph used to be. I shook it. It was one of the strangest feelings. Then the hand shrunk back into the playful blob that found a way to snuggle under my chin. I couldn't help from laughing he was so ticklish.

"Sorry about him, he's a rouge. Let me help you up." A few seconds of awkward scrambling. "Did I hurt you when I ran into you?"

I shook my head not wanting to rehash the incident. "I should be sorry, Captain."

"Jim."

"What?"

"Call me Jim. Captain seems so formal, I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

I looked at him quizzically, still not sure what was proper.

"To be honest, this is only my second voyage as captain. I only got out of the academy a year ago. But anyway," he said, starting to walk down the hall. I followed. "I'm still not used to all the titles and formality."

"The academy?" I asked.

"The Interstellar Academy, y'know, to join the Navy." He looked at me with that weird, searching gaze.

I shook my head again. I'd never heard of it, I wondered if in another life I would have attended. Probably not, I don't think I would ever have the funds, even in another life.

"Oh, well it's just a fancy school to prepare you for a life in the Navy. It's not a school I would've picked, but a family friend pulled a few strings. It wasn't really my thing, but I got out with decent grades because of some previous experience and started straight away. I've been working my way up every since."

"And now you're at the top. What kind of things did they teach you?" I asked.

"I don't know. I don't remember hardly any of it. But math. Lots of math." He shuddered.

"I never learned math." I blurted.

It hit me, I felt like throwing up. I hadn't thought about what I was saying at all. This could blow up in my face. Please don't ask any questions! Please, I begged mentally.

He glanced at me, thinking. "Well, you're not missing much!" He laughed. "C'mon, mess has probably started."

I really tried to turn my enormous sigh of relief in to some sort of laugh. It worked, ish. Why had I slipped like that? You must be on guard, no matter how comfortable you feel.

We joined the crowd in the cramped mess hall. As we merged into the line, I didn't miss the fact that he held back to let me get my food first. He was kind, it had been a long time since I had met a truly kind person.

Morph whizzed around our heads, stealing food from one and all. I couldn't take my eyes off him during supper. His jiggly body was almost transparent when he wasn't impersonating something. Plus, his little chuckle brightened my day. I couldn't help but smile.

Adri noticed, "I see you've met Morph. That rascal. You know during the last battle, I set my musket down to fasten a loose bolt on the stern cannon and when I went to pick it back up again it wouldn't fire. Because that swab decided it would be fun to risk my life. Luckily, it didn't matter because the ship blew a few seconds later. But still, I blame you, Jim. If it wasn't for your-"

"You will address him properly, spacer. He is your captain, not an academy chum." Brent cut in sharply.

"Well, technically we were at the academy together for a month…" Adri trailed off and the twinkle disappeared from her eyes. "Yes, Ma'am. Sorry, Captain."

I watched Adri's face harden and she focused on shoving her peas around her plate with unnecessary force.

Jim sighed and shifted in his seat, slouching. "We've gone over this, Emma. I am fine dropping these stiff terms. Let it be. Next voyage with a different captain, be my guest."

Brent stiffened, if it was even possible to sit straighter. "I'm sorry, sir. But I would still like to be addressed by my last name or title, like I was trained."

She rose and took her plate back to the cook and left the hall, turning curious heads.

Jim frowned and rubbed a hand over his face. The other quartermasters continued eating after a bit which eased some of the tension.

I really did not know what to do next. I supposed the logical step would be to eat my dinner but something felt off. Then I knew. I was waiting for a fight to break out, either in blows or words. You never would have heard an exchange like that on board one of my old ships. And there was no way Brent could have walked out of a situation like that without at least a hard slap across her face. To defy a captain repeatedly, unheard of. Because whoever did so was most likely dead.

Jim's sigh brought me back. "Don't mind her." He said to me. "Most of our, our… conflicts stem from the fact that she should really be leading this mission. I don't blame her for being bitter. Emmeline was all set and primed to captain this ship before I came into the picture. The only reason I got the position was because I'd captained before. But really, she's the perfect example of a naval officer."

"You don't seem so bad." Why are you comforting him? "If it wasn't for you, I'd probably still be floating out there." Then again, if he weren't in command, are ships might never had crossed, I might have been contently living my life as a pirate. "I'm sure your superiors knew what they were doing." What the hell are you doing, Alice!

His face twitched with a small smile. He pushed himself upright, rubbing his face again. He did that a lot when he was upset. "Ah, enough about me."

I froze. Don't ask me about my life, I'm not prepared with my story! No, you're fine, Alice. Calm down. Breath.

"Honestly, how has Navy life been treating you?" He asked lightly, clearly not caring about my past as he tucked into some sort of savory pie.

"Very well. I've no reason to complain. Except for not being able to leave, I've been treated better here than I have for a long time." True.

"Good, that means we've been doing our jobs well. Sometimes you need an outside opinion." He winked. His eyes went from my face to my plate. "Is the food not your style? I might, and I use the word 'might' very loosely," he jokingly warned. "I might be able to get the cook to make you something else."

I flushed, not even noticing I hadn't eaten. I didn't even know why. I rushed out of my room with every intention to stuff all food in sight in my mouth and now I had no appetite. "Oh, no. The food is a lot better than I've gotten used to. Morph must have startled me so much I forgot. Where did he come from? Has he been here the whole time I've been on board?"

The young captain's face lit up at the mention of his strange pet. "That critter wriggled his way into my life about three years ago, now. My friend left him to me when we parted ways, I guess Morph took a shine to me. Anyhow, I've been looking after him ever since. Hold on." He stood suddenly, "Morph! Leave the coxswain alone! I can guarantee he doesn't like you hiding in his ears."

The pink blob ceased his giggling and peeked out tentatively from the coxsain's large, canid ear. Morph blinked owlishly, as if he was trying to understand why anyone would not want him residing in their ears. With a whoosh, he zipped out and made for the galley, there were lots of thing to imitate in there.

"Morph!" Jim bellowed. He pointed at the table, making it painstakingly clear what he meant. I watched as Morph swiveled back around and slowly floated back to our table. The crew resumed their meal yet again, caring little about the pink pest.

Jim held out his hand and the blob settled on it and with a glare, turned into a puddle of water. The captain made no attempt to stem the flow as water splashed all over.

I gasped as water flowed over my plate. I just made it off the bench before it poured onto the place I had been sitting.

"Morph, cut it out." He chided, annoyance coloring his tone.

And just like that, the water turned pink and snapped back into the shapeless shape of Morph. Jim pulled open a pocket inside his jacket and the grumpy thing grumbled and threw itself in. We could still hear the chuntering as we sat back down.

"Anyway, this is where he usually can be found if he's not making mischief." He said with a flicking the pocket. A tiny squeal of shock came from his chest. "Look, I'm sorry, ok? Maybe if you had listened the first time, we wouldn't be here."

I tried not to laugh at the young man talking with his head stuck inside his jacket, negotiating with an angry shapeshifter. They talked back and forth for another minute before they seemed to have resolved their tiff and the captain resumed our conversational if none of that fiasco had occurred.

"Your food should be fine, by the way. No one has gotten sick from Morph rolling over their food before and I should know. He does it often." I believed him.

"It's fine, I wasn't going to eat it anyway. I'll be fine with just water. I'd there anything for me to do tonight? I slept longer than I meant this afternoon."

"No, you have the evening off." He said as he started clearing our dishes.

"I should being doing that, sir!" I cried, trying to slip them out of his hands. They didn't budge.

"You know, I may have taken you up on that but you called me 'sir.' As punishment, I'll take them." He shot me a mock serious frown and wrest the plates out of my grip surprisingly easily. I sat down hard in confusion as he crossed the mess hall.

Adri and Owen must have been watching me because laughter erupted from their direction. "It's been a while since someone's done you a favor, huh?" Adri giggled.

A snicker very similar to a purr slipped out of Owen. "No, he's not a normal captain."

I fumbled for a response. I knew I must still look stupid. This only brought more laughter. Annoyed and still confused, I swung off the bench.

I breathed in the cool air out on the deck. I knew it wasn't new air, it was simply being reprocessed and pumped back out again but it felt like a fresh breeze. I stood just outside of the light streaming out of the still noisy mess hall. I had no responsibilities weighing me down, so I wandered back over the deck back to my room.

I shrugged off the stiff jacket and waistcoat. My mind was still turning, not really sure why the captain, Jim, I corrected myself, had just served me, who he thought was a former slave and completed newcomer. Favors were a foreign concept on my old ship. Even before I had been sucked into that life, things were rarely handed to me. I had been stroking my side absentmindedly and now winced as I hit a tender spot, pulling me back to the present.

I pushed the matter out of my mind as an anomaly and slipped out of my clothes.

Alarm bells suddenly clanged inside my mind. It took less than half a second for me to cross my cabin and slam the bolt home on my door. Stupid mistake, Alice! You could have blown this whole thing wide open, standing there with your tattoo in the open! I sagged against the door and dragged my wrist over my forehead in frustration and relief.

I flicked off the lantern and pushed off the door harder than I should have and threw the loose nightshirt over my head. I tossed the blankets back and took my hair down. I landed face first in the pillow. My first day out with the crew and I felt like I had walked the line between safety and complete stupidity. I groaned into the pillow and curled up, thinking if I became smaller, my problems would too.

I woke as a gust of solar wind shook the ship's hull in the night. I rolled over in search of more sleep, but the nap I had taken earlier made it hard to find. I tossed and turned some more and finally sat up. I glared out the porthole sleepily. Maybe if I moved around I would sleep better. I paced around my cabin counting the steps. Seven long strides was the length of my prison.

I thumped my head against the cold glass of my window but stopped when I remembered the bruise still on my forehead. Frustration was not helping me tire out. Huffing, I shoved my legs into a pair of trousers and stuffing the front of the long nightshirt in. I slipped out of my room without shoes for a few reasons, none of them very rational at this time of night.

The cool air felt nice through the thin shirt, goosebumps raced down my arms and legs. I padded out to the port side railing. None of the spacers on watch saw or cared about my presence on the dim ship's deck. I enjoyed the quiet hum of the ship powered down for the night. Lanterns were softer and the air crisper and the surrounding galaxies shone brighter. I stood there for a minute, feeling the smooth planks under my feet.

A flap of a sail caught my attention and I looked up. I hadn't noticed the crows nest before. It surprised me, most modern, streamline ships had abandoned the unnecessary platform for greater speed and less risk of losing a spacer to some unforeseen obstacle during reentry. The Dark Doubloon had had a crows nest. It had always been my spot for thinking.

I glanced around and took to the rigging. No one else occupied the nest so I wouldn't be noticed. I plucked my way up quickly. The Nebula is much taller than the Doubloon, I thought as I climbed higher. It didn't matter, the more height the better. The best way I've found to avoid someone is to climb higher than they're willing to go.

I swung over the railing and landed softly on the small platform. I wrapped my arms around the mast at the center and leaned against it. The snapping of the solar sails narrated my thoughts as I lost myself in the black void.

I almost had trouble believing the insane events that had taken place. It didn't bother me too much that I now had the blood of an entire ship on my hands. They just join the rest of my mental tick marks. What bugged me more was this constant care of where I put my feet and what I said to who. It was exhausting. I've never had to analyze my movements so carefully before. I had gotten used to acting however I liked and suffering the repercussions, but here was a whole different story. A misstep on my old ship might have resulted in a beating or a flogging but normally just a good cussing out. Here, it would result in death, or if I was incredibly lucky, a lifetime of hard labor. But probably death.

Why did everything come back to death in my life? Was it simply because I had chosen the wrong life or would it have been like that no matter how I acted? It wasn't even my death that loomed over me wherever I went, but friends from long, long ago and some of my more memorable victims and crew members.

I scrubbed at my eyes and set my back against the mast and carefully slid to the ground. I took a deep breath to clear my mind of all the thoughts vying for my attention and closed my eyes. When is this blasted side wound going to heal?

The bell clanged for the change of position and startled me awake. I let out a stream of curses I think any spacer would be proud of as I realized what I'd done. My body ached in protest as rolled onto all fours. I really needed to get back before people asked questions about why I was sleeping I the crows nest and especially before anyone tried to help me get up. I was sick of this kindness, it had always been false in the past and it always will be. With another string of colorful curses and a fist slammed into the planks, I pushed myself up. I plucked my way down the rigging as quickly as I could and padded back into my room.

And just in time, apparently. I had just slid the bolt home and slipped off my thoroughly wrinkled pants when I door click open. My first thought was that it must be Brent, she somehow heard me and now is coming to talk. But the door shut again and instead of the sharp, precise footsteps of the first mate, heavy feet thumped on the floor. Bang! A body ran into the wall. A sharp curse followed and then more muffled steps.

The captain. I didn't really realize I was smiling. I remembered witnessing him waking up that first day I had been conscious. It was amusing then and now. I assumed he was the sleeping in type because of that, maybe his duties didn't allow him the luxury of sleep.

I, on the other hand, could afford that luxury and wrapped myself in the fuzzy blankets and drifted off.