To say that Cat was in Heaven would be an understatement. Bouncing from store to store, she chattered away, and I listened with half of an ear. I was way happier about the fact that we actually had some money to get all of the parts for Nostromo. If I had known that jobs would have been so easy, I would have had us all leave way earlier! I can't believe that it took Jade to convince us to break the law and to escape. Or at least try to. I still somewhat shaken by our close call with the sense-freaks even if I didn't show it to the others. I frowned to myself. I still wasn't all that happy about having to commit a crime in an attempt to escape our crappy situation. My dad had raised me to respect the law, but what Jade had said when I argued against the plan to break in the guy's office bounced around my head.
"What's the point of following the laws if no one else does?" .
It's no secret about how corrupt the UEA is, but it's still civilized and it works…Doesn't it?
Cat prattled on about something and pushed a cart filled with various parts. I glanced at the tags on them, making sure that she didn't go over our meagre budget. My phone buzzed and I answered it after seeing that it was Andre calling me.
"Yello?"
"Yo! Cap we have a job. A trip to Miami, same company. Earth side, thirty-five crowns. We'll be going to the same building as today, just a different landing pad. They want us there the day after tomorrow." There was some muffled noise to which I guessed was Jade saying something. "Anyways, Jade and I are going to take a look around. Sun's setting so let's see that nightlife!"
I laughed. "Have fun, see you guys back at the ship." I hung up after saying good-bye and just in time to take a small tool out of Cat's back pocket and put it back on the shelf. "Another two weeks of dish duty." I growled. Cat pouted but I ignored her. Keeping a careful eye on her, we eventually paid and began making our way back to the ship.
"How long will it take for you to fix everything?"
Cat hummed as she thought about it. "A couple days. Things aren't really all that broken, they just need check ups and a couple replacements."
"Good, we have a job to do in a couple days, so we'll need to be ready by then. I'll help out as much as I can."
"Kay kay!"
Cat was cheerful enough as we made our back home. I really did enjoy her company as it was impossible to not be happy with her. I didn't think that there was a power in the 'verse that get her down and keep her down. That sort of cheer was badly needed some days. When we got home we immediately began working. Cat took off to fix the engines while I went over our meagre budget and double checked our food supplies. The good thing about being in a port meant that we could get fresh food and stock up on that. Fruits and vegetables were clearly a must as was drinks and other things that had actual flavors to them. I sighed when I grabbed the emerg-meals ready to eat and tossed them into the cupboard. emerg-meals or emergency meals or whatever you wanted to call them were needed for any competent space traveler. Small, loaded with calories and not requiring any kind of power to make, they were handy in emergencies. I'm also pretty sure that they were made when Jade was my age. They also tasted like paper with a little bit of salt. Or at least the best tasting ones did. Needless to say, they were for emergencies only. And possibly not even then if I could help it.
After I finished going over our supplies, I went up to the bridge and began to adjust and check over everything. So far there weren't any major problems. A few adjustments, replace a couple outdated parts and everything would be crystal! Okay perhaps only golden, but hey it's better then we were a couple days ago. I connected to the intercom across the ship and started playing some Alessa Lorde. The chrome skin woman from Mars has an amazing voice as she belted out songs about ex-boyfriends, gathering friends and going out to the clubs and bars and having fun. Typical nightlife music really. It still sounded nice and was fun to sing along to which I did.
Have to have some fun while working.
I tied my hair up in a bun as I tapped my foot to beat and sang along to the song. With my hair firmly out of the way I dropped to my back and crawled underneath the control panels and began looking through them. Taking notes on what had to be fixed, replaced and what was fine. All in all, not a bad hour or so. I swapped out a couple wires that didn't look great and tied down a couple more to make sure that they stayed in place, but I didn't have much to do down here. Spent more time just checking over everything. Which works wonderfully for me. With that finished I put the panels back and crawled out from underneath the control panels. I looked up to see Cat's enormous eyes staring at me.
I stifled a shriek and managed to stop myself from jumping back and hitting my head.
"Cat for 'verse's sake don't do that!" I shouted over the music.
Cat tilted her head in an inquisitive manor. "Don't do what? Listen to music?"
I glared at her before rolling my eyes. I could never tell if she was taking the frak or was being serious. Deciding to let it go I got up and turned down the music and waited for her to say whatever was on her mind.
"I was wrong. It shouldn't take two days to fix everything. We were only missing a couple parts and everything else had I guess dust on it or something. We really should have done a shake down flight before jumping like that." Cat said quietly.
I clapped her on the shoulder. "You're probably right. This next job that those two found for us is on planet so we'll take it slow and shake the dust out. Replace what you have to and pack the extras away. Never know when we'll need them again."
Cat brightened impossibly fast and I felt the uncharastic need to get back at her for scaring the crap out of me. "It also means that you'll have even more time to do the dishes." I smugly told her.
Cat's good mood vanished like a burnt out bulb and she started to squawk and complain. She kept it up as I eased her out of the bridge and back to the engine room. She kept it up until I threatened her with another week of dish duty and she settled for glaring at me. Once upon a time that look might have bothered me a lot more. But after a few days of Jade glares, there weren't many glares that could possibly hope to match her. That woman has a face and eyes built for death glares. I helped Cat as much as I could and then when we finished, I went to the kitchen to start making dinner.
Jade and Andre weren't back and I hope that they weren't getting themselves into trouble. As I cooked, Cat came skipping into the kitchen carrying some boxes. "Grocery delivery!" She sang out. I nodded and continued to cook and move to the music that was still playing over the speakers. I was glad that the grocery store drones delivered so quickly. Less for me to deal with tomorrow. I hope.
Cat and I sat down to a nice spaghetti dinner and talked the hours away as we discussed our friends, plans for the future and whatever else came to mind. Eventually our yawns outnumbered the amount of words we were saying and I set a pouting Cat to do the dishes and clean up. I ambled off to my room and sent out a few messages to my family to let them know that I was alive and well. With that done, I suddenly felt more exhausted then I had in a long time. I guess everything that had happened over the past few days suddenly caught up to me because I started bouncing between being completely exhausted and going oh my god oh my god over and over. Eventually exhaustion won out and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
I woke up the next morning feeling slightly more rested and trudged out to the kitchen to get some breakfast. I didn't bother putting my hair down, leaving it all poofy and sticking out every which way. I did however stop and stare at a passed out Jade that was on top of the kitchen table with a bottle in her hand. She was snoring lightly and muttered something when I took the bottle away from her and studied the bottle. Generic cheap rice whiskey. Wonderful. I looked around and found a pantless Andre lying down on the counter with a half eaten sugar cake in his hand. I sighed and rolled my eyes at the two of them. At least they came home and Andre had boxers on. I didn't want to imagine what I would have done if either or both were naked.
Cat came in and I managed to shush her before she could announce herself to the world with her impressive volume. I directed her to wake Jade up as I went to check on Andre. He woke up and immediately covered his eyes and I had to help him off of the counter so that he wouldn't face plant as soon as he stood up. Andre screwed his eyes up in pain as a high pitched squeal echoed throughout the kitchen. We looked over to see Jade holding Cat's jaw between some fingers and was squeezing.
"Shut. The. Fuck. Up." Jade ground out slowly. She gave another squeeze that had Cat whimpering before shoving her away and slowly making her way out of the kitchen. I really hoped that she slept off the hangover and woke up in a less hostile mood. Wasn't really ready to deal with an angrier than usual Jade all day. I helped Andre to his room and didn't get an answer when I asked him where his pants were. Probably because he didn't know either.
"Jade's mean!" Cat announced as I walked back into the kitchen. She worked her jaw around and rubbed it with her hands. I rolled my eyes. "She's hungover, what did you expect?"
"For her to not be so mean!"
I rolled my eyes again and didn't respond. What? I know a losing argument when I see one. Usually. Sometimes.
Breakfast was eggs and bacon and as Cat cleaned I placed a couple more grocery orders. Delivery was expected for later today. I wanted to fix that dead instrument panel behind the co-pilot's chair. I had forgotten about it yesterday.
I was shoulders deep in the guts of the panel when a voice asked "What are you doing?" I jumped and banged my head on the metal and swore loudly. A low chuckled echoed through the bridge and I pulled my head out of the mess that I had made to glare at Jade.
"I'm trying to fix this panel. It's used as back up for the pilot and co-pilot and serves as sensor platform."
"Sensor platform?" She asked. "I mean, it works for surveys and the like, you know less work for the pilots to deal with. They fly and someone else looks up information. Or at least that's what it's supposed to do. Didn't have enough people so it kind of broke and we might have never bothered to fix it."
Jade nodded before trying her best to help me. She was willing but obviously didn't know what to do. Which was fine, I was more than happy to teach her everything that I knew and as an added bonus, talk to her when she wasn't as snappish. Only snarky. I don't think that would ever change. Not complaining though, she had some good lines...even if they were at my expense. No I am not going to tell her that, just what we needed her normal gorgeous haughty look to be even more haughtier and superiorness. We had just put the panel back together and watching it light up when the one of the net-phones started to vibrate and jingle. I answered it and popped up on the screen was a brunette man with close cropped hair.
"Riley!" I said happily. "How are you?"
"I am well Victoria Vega, Captain of Nostromo." He said smoothly with machine like precision. Which to be fair is pretty accurate because he is an android.
I giggled and rolled my eyes. "Thought I told you to just call me Tori."
"You did. I have decided to ignore you. Because I can. And it because I think it annoys you. The programmers have added gadfly to my subroutines. I think I need to work on it however."
Jade cut in with a "You do. But it's a good start." High praise coming from her.
"Thank you, miss?"
"Jade."
"Thank you Jade, executive officer of Nostromo."
Jade and I blinked. "She isn't the XO." I said after a moment.
"Not according to her." Riley said and I rounded on Jade. "Why would I make you the XO? You've only been here for a few days! Do you even know what to do?"
Jade blinked and then frowned. "What you think that I can't do the job?" She snapped.
"Maybe you could. After you've been shown the programs! You did just get here!"
Jade opened her mouth for what I presumed would be a cutting remark when she stopped, closed her mouth and glared at Riley. Who was smirking. Of course. "Give your programmer a high five" Jade muttered. "A what?" Riley asked.
"Don't worry about it." Jade answered. "Why are you calling?"
"The job that Victoria Vega Captain of the Nostromo took, instead of leaving tomorrow, we require that you leave today. I have been authorized to offer an additional ten crowns to cover any expenses that might have occured from this change in schedule."
"Great, because we will need all ten of them. We're on our way!" I said cheerfully. What? It's the truth. We're poor and we need all the money that we could get.
"Thank you Victoria Vega Captain of Nostromo. See you soon. You as well Jade, Lover of Victoria Vega Captain of Nostromo." He hung up before either of us could say or do anything other then splutter incoherently.
I sighed. Today was going to a long day.
A quick set up before going onto the rest of the chapters. Hope you all enjoyed.
-C.H.
