Chapter Seven
"Thank you, you are all so gracious," Feb drawled sweetly to the crowed of waiting miners who looked at her expectantly like children wanting to be complemented, which Feb was doing. Their leathered faces brightened and the leader, a much smaller miner than the one Jan had stood against, bobbed his head saying: "It is the least we can do."
What the miner was referring to was a pile of crates of provisions that had been quickly collected for the Sol Bianca and her welcome crew, above all for Feb who had dazzled them, and her friends with unknown charm. Aside to April, Jan asked about Feb, April replying that she was just as mystified.
It was after the meal and so most of the miners had gone back to work. A few with RDO's (rostered days off) or were sick remained and helped of just fawned, not having seen a flesh and blood woman in months or years.
Aside from Feb, everyone was quite embarrassed to be in each other's company and went out of their way to be polite to each other. Jan wanted to help out carrying some of the goods but the miner's wouldn't have any of it. Reluctantly she backed away, feeling like an old grandmother. May bounced around for about an hour before getting bored and tired of remarks about how she reminded a miner of his daughter or sister, back wherever in space his home planet was. It was really depressing for the child. June collated the contents of the crates, and strangely she was the one least talked too, the miners kind of wary around her. May sat down on one of the crates, totally bored.
"I'm bored," she said.
"Go play or something," June said, distracted by a manifest.
"Where?" May drew out like children do. "There aren't any other kids here."
"Well, I don't know. wander, but don't go too far."
May shook her head and hopped off the crate, immediately occupied by another one. In black tights and a soft purple stiff dress, she wandered over to April and Jan. They were talking serious, adult things and took no notice of her. So much for them! She didn't want to be petted on the head by another miner and so picked one of three corridors and clomped down the left one, the sound of her hard heels echoing in either direction.
There is nothing to do here and the place is full of old ugly men. I want to get back to the ship. God, I even want to go back to school, at least my friends will be there. Since coming aboard the Sol Bianca, May had continued her education 'online', going to a virtual school. June had hacked an invitation and acceptance for her into a mid-tier secondary school. The best thing was that her friend - boyfriend June teased - was there too. She had made a lot of other friends too, and was missing them now. Only her closest closest friends knew that she was a space pirate, one of the dreaded Sol Bianca! They oooh'd and ahhh'd at her stories about defeating a huge Earth fleet, and rescuing Feb and, and, and. Her friends didn't have any good stories, their parents were merchants or government workers and took dull holidays. May bet that some of them lived on worlds like Heilsberg. Ugh.
May continued to clomp down the corridor, lost if she cared to notice, trying to make the each step louder than the proceeding one on the metal floor. It came as no surprise then when a man poked his head out of a room and yelled at her to "shut up!" May went red in the face and crept away as quiet as a very quiet mouse (which are considerably stealthy indeed).
And it was a good thing for her that she did. Rounding a corner at the speed of a stalled glacier, she managed to overhear an ominous voice speaking.
". gathering foodstuffs My Lord. no they only came in a shuttle. follow? . Yes, I understand."
May crept up to the doorway - it was open - and peeked inside. On a fixed swivel chair was a uniformed man leaning over a console and speaking into a microphone. May squinted and concentrated on her hearing.
"Yes, yes, I will be at the port to direct the police when they arrive."
May gasped. Police! She had to warn the others.
The man had stopped talking.
Twisting on heels, May burst into run just as a hand reached out to grab her - missing.
"Hey, come back here!" the man shouted after her. May could here him running after and knew that she wasn't going to be fast enough. If she had been practicing jogging like Jan every morning then maybe, but she hadn't. Frightened she sped down the corridor looking for somewhere to hide.
There was a door! Throwing out her arms she slammed it open and looked behind. The man was still after her. She kept running and had the strange sensation of feeling nothing beneath her feet. Looking back to the front, her body already hurtling down the unexpected staircase, she saw the grated floor rise up at her at astonishing speed.
Sol
"How are we going?" April asked June.
"Good," said June looking up from her manifest. "This should last for a while."
April nodded. "That means we can spend more time treasure hunting."
The mention of treasure lit up June's face. "We should be able to leave soon, if we can drag Feb away from her admirers."
"Yeah," April groaned. "They're certainly wrapped around her little finger. by the way, where's May?"
Blinking, May looked around and shrugged. "Off exploring I guess. She said she was bored."
The answer is good enough for April. "If she isn't back by the time the cargo is loaded on the shuttle we'll look for her."
"Okay."
Sol
Groggy, but awake, May stands before the door she had run through. Pulling and turning, and cursing, she can't open it.
"April. June. there's trouble coming."
Sol
Director's Notes: Not much to say but time to give May the spotlight for a little while. In both series she is a girl, in Matador a few years have passed since the Legacy series and she is now a teenager, but still prone to childish behavior. I think that as she is growing up, June will be a detrimental surrogate-parent/big sister. June never had a childhood of her own and is prone to spoiling May, very apparent in Legacy on the pirate station where even May was feeling embarrassed. So June's attention will emotionally keep May a few years younger than she really is until she manages to stamp out he own authority onboard the ship and become a mature individual. To help her along with this she probably needs the attention of the elder women, April or Feb but they generally leave her in the hands of June. Only Jan seems to be concerned too much about her welfare.
"Thank you, you are all so gracious," Feb drawled sweetly to the crowed of waiting miners who looked at her expectantly like children wanting to be complemented, which Feb was doing. Their leathered faces brightened and the leader, a much smaller miner than the one Jan had stood against, bobbed his head saying: "It is the least we can do."
What the miner was referring to was a pile of crates of provisions that had been quickly collected for the Sol Bianca and her welcome crew, above all for Feb who had dazzled them, and her friends with unknown charm. Aside to April, Jan asked about Feb, April replying that she was just as mystified.
It was after the meal and so most of the miners had gone back to work. A few with RDO's (rostered days off) or were sick remained and helped of just fawned, not having seen a flesh and blood woman in months or years.
Aside from Feb, everyone was quite embarrassed to be in each other's company and went out of their way to be polite to each other. Jan wanted to help out carrying some of the goods but the miner's wouldn't have any of it. Reluctantly she backed away, feeling like an old grandmother. May bounced around for about an hour before getting bored and tired of remarks about how she reminded a miner of his daughter or sister, back wherever in space his home planet was. It was really depressing for the child. June collated the contents of the crates, and strangely she was the one least talked too, the miners kind of wary around her. May sat down on one of the crates, totally bored.
"I'm bored," she said.
"Go play or something," June said, distracted by a manifest.
"Where?" May drew out like children do. "There aren't any other kids here."
"Well, I don't know. wander, but don't go too far."
May shook her head and hopped off the crate, immediately occupied by another one. In black tights and a soft purple stiff dress, she wandered over to April and Jan. They were talking serious, adult things and took no notice of her. So much for them! She didn't want to be petted on the head by another miner and so picked one of three corridors and clomped down the left one, the sound of her hard heels echoing in either direction.
There is nothing to do here and the place is full of old ugly men. I want to get back to the ship. God, I even want to go back to school, at least my friends will be there. Since coming aboard the Sol Bianca, May had continued her education 'online', going to a virtual school. June had hacked an invitation and acceptance for her into a mid-tier secondary school. The best thing was that her friend - boyfriend June teased - was there too. She had made a lot of other friends too, and was missing them now. Only her closest closest friends knew that she was a space pirate, one of the dreaded Sol Bianca! They oooh'd and ahhh'd at her stories about defeating a huge Earth fleet, and rescuing Feb and, and, and. Her friends didn't have any good stories, their parents were merchants or government workers and took dull holidays. May bet that some of them lived on worlds like Heilsberg. Ugh.
May continued to clomp down the corridor, lost if she cared to notice, trying to make the each step louder than the proceeding one on the metal floor. It came as no surprise then when a man poked his head out of a room and yelled at her to "shut up!" May went red in the face and crept away as quiet as a very quiet mouse (which are considerably stealthy indeed).
And it was a good thing for her that she did. Rounding a corner at the speed of a stalled glacier, she managed to overhear an ominous voice speaking.
". gathering foodstuffs My Lord. no they only came in a shuttle. follow? . Yes, I understand."
May crept up to the doorway - it was open - and peeked inside. On a fixed swivel chair was a uniformed man leaning over a console and speaking into a microphone. May squinted and concentrated on her hearing.
"Yes, yes, I will be at the port to direct the police when they arrive."
May gasped. Police! She had to warn the others.
The man had stopped talking.
Twisting on heels, May burst into run just as a hand reached out to grab her - missing.
"Hey, come back here!" the man shouted after her. May could here him running after and knew that she wasn't going to be fast enough. If she had been practicing jogging like Jan every morning then maybe, but she hadn't. Frightened she sped down the corridor looking for somewhere to hide.
There was a door! Throwing out her arms she slammed it open and looked behind. The man was still after her. She kept running and had the strange sensation of feeling nothing beneath her feet. Looking back to the front, her body already hurtling down the unexpected staircase, she saw the grated floor rise up at her at astonishing speed.
Sol
"How are we going?" April asked June.
"Good," said June looking up from her manifest. "This should last for a while."
April nodded. "That means we can spend more time treasure hunting."
The mention of treasure lit up June's face. "We should be able to leave soon, if we can drag Feb away from her admirers."
"Yeah," April groaned. "They're certainly wrapped around her little finger. by the way, where's May?"
Blinking, May looked around and shrugged. "Off exploring I guess. She said she was bored."
The answer is good enough for April. "If she isn't back by the time the cargo is loaded on the shuttle we'll look for her."
"Okay."
Sol
Groggy, but awake, May stands before the door she had run through. Pulling and turning, and cursing, she can't open it.
"April. June. there's trouble coming."
Sol
Director's Notes: Not much to say but time to give May the spotlight for a little while. In both series she is a girl, in Matador a few years have passed since the Legacy series and she is now a teenager, but still prone to childish behavior. I think that as she is growing up, June will be a detrimental surrogate-parent/big sister. June never had a childhood of her own and is prone to spoiling May, very apparent in Legacy on the pirate station where even May was feeling embarrassed. So June's attention will emotionally keep May a few years younger than she really is until she manages to stamp out he own authority onboard the ship and become a mature individual. To help her along with this she probably needs the attention of the elder women, April or Feb but they generally leave her in the hands of June. Only Jan seems to be concerned too much about her welfare.
