Target Shooting

Peace and quiet...

The second Jimbo had finished his breakfast, I'd sent him up to the deck to begin mopping. That should keep him occupied for at least a few hours so I could enjoy some quiet time. Silence filled the air. Relaxing. Not that I didn't love the lad's company, but it was nice to have the Galley to myself again.

I closed my eyes, embracing the peace and quiet. Who knew when I would have another moment like this. Might as well enjoy it while I could. Unfortunately, it ended sooner than I expected. Loud thuds sounded in the distance, increasing as they drew near. My eyes snapped open, focusing my gaze on the stairs. Jimbo emerged from the entrance, a mop and bucket in each hand. He couldn't had been finished already. I'd just sent him up there moments ago. Maybe he came back to ask me a question.

Jim approached, handing me the cleaning supplies. "Finished," he declared, grinning.

I shoved the items back towards his chest. "Yer couldn't possibly be finished already. Didn't yer just start the job?" I argued.

Jim shrugged, his smile never faltering. "You can check if you like."

I suspiciously narrowed my eyes at him. "I t'ink I might just do t'at." I passed Jim, climbing up the stairs. There was no way he completed this task that quickly. He would had to be superman! Oh, lord... I stood corrected...

Once on deck, I observed the area. It was so clean, you could literally see your reflection in the wood. Was it sparkling? A few of the crew were slipping and sliding all over the place as they carried on with their everyday task. Grumbling, I stomped back to the Galley.

Once I was back in the Galley, I spotted Jim learning back in a chair, smirking. "See?"

I glared at him. Rubbing my chin, I thought of a new task for him. One that would keep him occupied until at least dinner. "Okay t'en… W'at s'ould I get ya ta do now?" I wondered, mostly talking to myself.

"If you don't have anything for me to do… Maybe I could take the longboat out for a spin," he suggested, a mischievous glint shining in those blue eyes.

I knew I shouldn't had taken him out on that longboat ride. Ever since then, he'd been trying to get me to let him head out for another roy ride. He even tried tricking me. He was a smart boy, but I was smarter.

"How 'bout yer peel some potatoes?" I suggested.

"Already done," came his reply, grinning.

"Securin' th' long boats?"

"Completed!"

"Washin' th' dishes?"

"That was my first job."

"Geez… Lad… Yer are gettin' faster…" I sighed deeply.

"Yeah, well... I have been working on this ship for over two mouth now," he informed me, a smug smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

I released a frustrated growl, startling Jim. He almost toppled over the counter. Sighing, I scanned the Galley, searching for a new task that would keep the boy busy. He pretty much completed every job I threw at him.

Sighing, I ran an irritated hand across my face. "Alright…" I began, looking back at the boy. "I'll tell ya w'at we are gonna do. Wait 'ere first." I strolled up the stairs, leaving the confused Jimbo in the galley.

I returned moments later, holding a pistol in one hand. I saw the boy digging into a fresh purp, making a lovely mess of my clean floor. Ascending towards the boy, I tossed him the pistol which he caught expertly.

Seeing his raised eyebrows, I began to explain, "I will teach ya how ta use one o' t'ese. We will take one of the longboats out." I paused for a moment, looking back at Jim with a questioning look. "Ye ever used one o' t'ese?"

Jim looked up from the pistol, smirking. "My mum wouldn't even let me go on a ship, let alone use a gun!" he exclaimed, lightly tossing the pistol into the air and catching it.

"Alright, t'en. Let's go down ta th' hangar bay and steal one o' the long boats," I whispered, giving him a knowing wink. Jim chuckled, nodding his head in understanding.

We quietly made our way to hangar bay. Fortunately, we didn't encounter anybody on our journey. I ordered for Jim to get in the long boat while I opened up the hatch. After I was finished, I climbed into the long boat beside Jim, letting it slowly make its way down. Once we were out of the hatch, I began pressing a few buttons at the controls. The engine flared to life, shooting us across the sky, the ship fading into the background as we flew further away.

Once I was positive we were a safe distance away from the ship, I began my lesson. "Alright t'en… Watch me first."

In a single flip, I'd transformed my regular cyborg arm into a pistol, aiming at a passing cloud. With my cyborg eye, I could get a perfect aim. I pulled the trigger. A laser ball shot out of the gun, briefly lighting up the sky with the purple glow, before dissipating, taking the cloud with it.

"Whoa..." Jim whispered beside me.

I looked back at the boy, smiling. "Why don't yer give it a shot, lad?."

A devious smile spread across his face. In that moment, I regretted trusting the boy with a gun. Jim gave a determined nod, clutching the weapon near his chest.

Jimbo aimed the gun at a cloud that resembled a duck. Pulling the trigger, a large, purple fireball emerged from the weapon. The laser ball decapitated the cloud duck's head, leaving behind only the body. I stared at the disembodied cloud duck's body.

Impressive. A perfect hit for his first try.

"Very good, lad. Ye 'ave talent," I commented, recovering from my surprise.

Jim gave a nonchalant shrug. But I caught sight of the smile threatening to consume his face.

Suppressing a chuckle, I laid back in the long boat, wiggling into a comfortable position. I heard a few more blasts, guessing it was just Jimbo. I closed my eyes and just listened to the sound of gun firing. After a while, the noise ceased.

"I guess..." came his reply a few moments later. Doubt obvious in his voice.

I heard Jimbo grunt beside me and felt the long boat lightly swayed. Opening one eye, I saw Jim sitting down with his knees up to his chest. He gazed at the sky, staring off into space. I closed my eye, enjoying the peace and quiet.

"So… Yer plannin' on bein' a spacer w'en ye grow up," I asked.

Jim didn't reply.

"Jimbo?"

Silence.

When he didn't answer, I opened my eyes to check on him. My expression softened at what I saw. This was no longer the same energetic boy that joined me on this long boat. I recognized his expression from his usual moody teenage mask. Rage and anger hid behind his eyes as he glared up at the sky as if it were to blame for his mood.

Did I say the wrong thing?

"If I was a spacer, I would just end up letting everybody down…" he replied.

I processed what he said, realization crossing my face. Did he not believe he had a future? He was just a fifteen-year-old boy. He should be planning out his future and having fun, but he didn't do either.

"W'at do ya mean? Durin' t'is voyage, I've watched ya. Yer 'ave shown signs of makin' a wonderful captain someday."

"Who'd be stupid enough to hire me? I'd probably just get everybody killed." Jim fiddled with the pistol in his hand, twirling the weapon around his index finger.

Pushing myself back into a sitting position, I rested my flesh hand on his shoulder. "Jimbo," I said sternly. Jim's gaze stayed focused on the gun. With a thick finger, I tilted his head so he was looking at my face. "Don't ever say t'at again. Yer are only young. I've seen w'at yer can do. Yer are born ta be spacer. And I know it…" I gave Jim's shoulder a soft squeeze.

Jim redirected his gaze at the surrounding sky. "What makes you so sure? You know nothing about me," Jim snapped, his grip on the gun tightening.

I nodded. Jimbo was obviously not going to believe any praises I gave him. "Because during this month, I've watched ya grow from t'at sullen, moody teenager ta a dependable young man. Yer 'ave shown many signs of a great spacer, but if yer continue ta t'ink badly of yerself, yer ain't goin' ta get nowhere." Jim opened his mouth to protest, but I raised a hand, silencing him. "Yer need ta start complimentin' yerself for all the good yer do rather than the bad."

"So in other words, you want me to lie to myself?"

"It ain't lying, boyo, if it's true." Jim rolled his eyes. "How 'bout we make a list of all yer good quality?" I suggested. Jim ran his hand across the wood of the long boat, trying desperately to ignore me. But I was going to get this through his thick head even if it killed me. "Yer are smart, brave, strong, kind. All the things needed ta be a spacer."

"And if I make a mistake?"

"Yer learn from it and move on."

Jimbo gazed up at the sky, probably processing the information. "Thanks, Silver..." he whispered.

I smiled. "Any time, lad. But until t'en. I will be train' ya."

Jim's head snapped back to me, raising a curious eyebrow. "Train me?" he questioned.

"T'at's right. Yer gonna 'ave ta know a lot 'bout space ta be a spacer, right?" I told him, saying it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

I looked back at Jim. The young lad rolled his eyes again, but I caught sight of the smile on his lips.

"Let's 'ead back now." I steered the long back around, heading towards the ship. I would had allowed Jimbo to drive, but I just had lunch and I didn't feel like losing it.


We both strolled into the galley, talking and laughing. "Out of all your boring lessons, that was definitely one of your best," Jim joked.

I chuckled, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "T'is is our little secret t'ough. Can't let anyone t'ink I'm a softy." Jim laughed, nodding his head in understanding.

We shared a smile. Suddenly, our head snapped upwards, hearing yelling above deck. "Who stole my pistol?!" It was Amelia's voice.

Jimbo and I exchanged guilty glances, chuckling nervously. We both began casually whistling. Jim placed the pistol on the table. We hid in the mess hall. No point giving her back the weapon and getting punished. We'd deal with the situation later.