Nova sighed heavily as she finally finished cleaning the deck, her arms and back sore. Jim had already done his share; she was impressed. At least he was capable of beating her at her own game as far as work was concerned. Maybe he wasn't such a "cabin boy" after all. He had headed off to wherever a few minutes before; now she had the deck all to herself. Or at least, she thought she did.
A hard, sharp claw grabbed her by the back of the neck and hoisted her high, bringing her about to face Scroop, who grinned in malicious glee. Nova glowered and swung at him, but her punch missed. "Lemme down! I'm about sick o' bein' held up like a sack o' meat!"
"There's one too many young whelps aboard this ship already." Scroop hissed, carrying her over to the side of the ship by her neck. Though she was rapidly running out of air, she twisted and found that he intended to throw her overboard. Dark, vast space loomed below. Nova bit down on the claw and only got her teeth jarred. She tried to call for help, but her voice was a strangled squeak.
"Hey, leave her alone."
Jim had approached Scroop from behind. Scroop wagged Nova back and forth like as if he were taunting a little kid with a toy. "Make me, cabin boy." Scroop sneered, opening his other claw.
Nova mustered her strength and aimed a kick squarely at Scroop's eye. It found its mark and Scroop dropped her, howling. Nova fell over the rail, but activated a series of metal fins along her mechanical arm and dug them into the planking, sticking fast. She dangled from the side of the ship like a human earring.
Above her she could see Jim being hoisted just as she had been. Her eyes widened and she tried to climb up, but her feet slipped and she nearly fell off. She tried not to think of what awaited her should she lose her grip and tumble into space...
Then Scroop suddenly withdrew Jim from the side and Silver's voice could be heard, warding the malevolent sailor away from the boy. Nova smirked. Though Silver seemed to be a nice guy, she wouldn't want to pick a fight with him.
Jim poked his head over the side and spotted her, relieved that she hadn't fallen to her doom. "Hey, you're all right!"
"I'm hanging off the side of a ship. DO I LOOK ALL RIGHT?" Nova retorted, waving her free arm at him.
"Um...Silver, we gotta get her up here fast..."
"Naw, you just move." Nova said, then fired a small grapple. It sailed over the rail and buried its barbed tip into the deck just in front of Silver. "Mighty inventive." Silver mused.
Up came Nova. She dropped to the deck and fanned herself with one hand, trying to calm her racing heart. "That lily-livered good-for-naught villain, I'll wad 'im up and stuff him in a cannon!" she declared.
"Now, there'll be no fightin' on this ship. Mr. Scroop will leave ye be, I'll make sure of that. T'is a good thing Jimbo here found ye when he did." Silver said, patting Jim on the back. Jim shrugged, a bit embarrassed. Nova smiled, for once not a sarcastic smirk. "Thank ye, Hawkins. Ye saved my life."
"Whatever." Jim sighed, then turned to go. Nova frowned, curious as to why the lad was so depressed and unwilling to take part in anything. "Whatever? That's all ye got to say? Hmph!" Nova turned up her nose and crossed her arms, the spikes withdrawing into their sockets with a SNIKT.
Later that day, just as darkness began to fall over the Legacy, Nova found herself a comfortable seat- the crow's nest. She shimmied up the mast using her spikes and plopped down into the basket-like structure, contented to view the expanse of space from her new perch. She helped herself to a couple of snitched fruits and replayed the day's events through her head. Not bad, considering the fact that she could be locked in a cell with cops watching her every move. Being on a ship with a motive for work was much better. And besides, here she was her own person...here she didn't have to pretend to be what she wasn't, a proper lady. Hang being proper, she thought crossly. I used to be like that...till it got burned out o' me. Literally.
She reached up with her robot hand and rubbed a small burn scar on her right eyebrow absently. That was just one of her many reminders that it was a dog-eat-dog universe she lived in.
Nova slumped down, making herself as comfortable as possible, letting out a small sigh. The stars twinkled and shone overhead, millions of faraway suns. I'm gonna see 'em all someday, she thought with a proud smile. I ain't tied down to no one or nobody. I'm gonna fly to the stars an' make me a name in the universe.
Suddenly one of her uneaten fruits began to wiggle, then morphed into...well, Morph.
"Ai! Morph, if ye hadn't shown yerself I'd ha eaten ye. Don't do that." Nova chided. She stroked the jellylike creature and he warbled in happiness, rubbing on her robot hand. Nova's face quirked into a smile and she cupped him in both hands. "Yer my li'l buddy, ya know that? Ye may belong ta Silver, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind me bein' mates wi' ya."
"Nope, nope nope nope!" Morph agreed.
"Heh. I'll bet yer the only 'un on this tub who'll be mates wi' me." Nova said, watching as Morph curled around her index finger like a blobby ring. "Maybe Silver. Nah, 'e's prob'ly got stuff ta do that don't include me messin' it up. An' Jim...what's wrong with him, I'd like ta know? Somethin's botherin' 'im. 'E's got this lost look in his eyes. Like he don't know where he's goin' in life." Nova colored slightly, wondering why she cared what Jim felt. He's just a rude, lazy boy, she told herself. "Ah, why should I care. He don't want ta be mates wi' me anyhow."
The sound of clawlike legs on wood made her blood freeze. She saw Mr. Scroop coming up one of the ratlines, checking on the sails. Desperately wanting to remain as far away from Scroop as possible, Nova quietly climbed out of the crow's nest and began descending to the deck. But as she hugged the mast and crept down, Morph slithered around her hand, wanting to play.
"Morph, quit it! Morph!" Nova hissed through her teeth, her eyes pasted on Scroop. If he so much as THREATENS ta do me in, I'll hang him from the topsail by 'is knotted-up spider legs...
She lost her grip and fell, pinwheeling in freefall. Morph squealed, alarmed. Nova saw the deck coming to meet her, or vice versa, at terminal velocity. She closed her eyes tight, her throat tearing out a shrill scream without her bidding. Typical female reaction to impending doom.
TWANG.
Her ankle had become tangled in some rope as she slid down and now she hung a mere few inches from the deck, upside down, swaying in the breeze like a sandbag.
She let her arms hang limply, simply enjoying the fact that she was alive.
Then the blood began to rush to her head and she realized that she had to get free.
She forced herself to curl up, straining to reach her entangled foot with her cyborg arm. Two spinning, serrated blades unfolded from the back of her hand and whirred as they severed the rope. Down she fell, landing with a loud thunk on her back. The breath was knocked out of her and she panted, somewhat proud of herself for surviving.
"What are ye up to now, lassie?"
Silver emerged from the hold, eyeing her with curiosity. Nova staggered to her feet, wincing as some joint popped loudly. "Um...just checkin' out the crow's nest, y'know, viewin' the ship from a distance."
"Looks ta me like ye were layin' on yer back, havin' just tumbled out o' said crow's nest." Silver shook his head. "Seems yer bound for trouble no matter what ye do."
"It's a talent more than anything. Makes life a little more...interesting." Nova said, dusting off her sleeves and britches. Morph popped out of her pocket and made a beeline for Silver.
"Ah, seems ye've made a friend of Morphie." Silver said, then noticed Scroop, who was watching Nova like a tiger waiting for prey. Nova turned and cast a dark look Scroop's way. "Where in the galaxy's scum-ridden waste holes did he crawl out of?" she muttered, edging toward the forecastle, the farthest place from Scroop at the moment.
"So tell me...how does a fiery young lass like yerself end up in the hold of this ship, near about starved an' sorry-lookin'?" Silver asked, leading her to the rail. Nova rested her elbows on it and fixed her eyes on a faraway star, suddenly quiet. She obviously wanted to avoid the question. But moments later she looked down at her boot tops and sighed. "I wasn't always this pathetic. It's all cause of bloody pirates an' stupid dreams."
"Yer not a pirate, are ya? Ye don't look like one."
"No." Nova worked her jaw then scowled. "But me mum was. An' she lied about it, too. I grew up believin' she was a real lady an' me dad was a merchant. But it was all a lie. Pirates came and destroyed everythin'. Includin' me mum. But not before she told me the truth." She clenched her fist, and a gyro squeaked under strain. "After she died I swore I'd find me real dad an' kill the spawn what murdered me mother. Ye can see for yerself how that dream's turned out. No long-lost dad, no revenge, no nothin'. Just me with a lot o' scars an' no money." Her face saddened. "No friends either." she added almost inaudibly.
Silver's expression softened somewhat as he heard her short but dramatic story. "There's no reason to be givin' up now, lassie. Ye got a whole new horizon ahead o' ya! This voyage ain't just any voyage to some merchant's dock or spice mine. We're after treasure, enough loot ta build a world's wealth. That's somethin' ta look forward to, aye?"
"I don't want any treasure." Nova said in a strange voice, suddenly pale. "Me mum died 'cause o' some treasure. The pirates killed her 'cause she didn't have the map. Somehow they thought she did...they murdered her over a stinkin' pile of trabloons!" She scowled hard, trying to keep tears from budding.
"Ohhhh." Silver understood. This girl had been caught in a dangerous game too hard for her to play, and it had ruined her life. Deep down he wondered if it had been THE treasure that the pirates had been seeking. If so, this girl had picked the wrong ship to stow away on...there were rough waters ahead, so to speak. But he banished his ruminations and instead gave Nova a half-hearted smile. "P'raps ye'll find what yer lookin' for on the way."
"I don't even know what I'm looking for anymore." Nova sighed, shaking her head. The locks of her dark brown hair swayed languidly as she did so. "I just want to know...oh never mind. What about you? Is this...this treasure what you're seeking?"
"Indeedy it is." Silver said, the very thought bringing him vigor. Nova shrugged. "At least yer dream's not a childish wish. The funny thing about my dreams is that every time I try to follow one, I wake up and it's gone. It never sticks."
"Ye don't know what I've done to get where I am now." Silver muttered, then saw Nova's dejected expression and felt a slight pang. She needed a good cheering up. Perhaps tomorrow he could include her in his plot to give poor Jim some direction in life.
"Tell ya what. Tomorrow I've a new agenda for Jimbo and yerself. Yer gonna work alongside each other, aye, and what's more, yer gonna find out that ye've got more goin' for ya than ye thought. I think ye could be the best o' shipmates once ye get to know each other." Silver told her. Nova cocked an eyebrow at him. "He don't even like me! I can tell he thinks I'm a loony. It'll never work."
"Now listen here, lass, yer under my orders an' I say yer workin' with young Hawkins startin' tomorrow whether ye like it or no. I'll not have anyone sittin' around wastin' time daddlin' over such muck. An' besides..." The shine of his yellow mechanical eye seemed to bore right through her. "Ye don't have anywhere else to be, hm?"
"Guess not." Nova said, accepting the fact that she was stuck with the situation.
"Alrighty then." Silver patted her on the back. Usually whenever anyone so much as touched her she flinched as if shocked. But she didn't this time. Silver was...well, different from everyone else. In a good way. "Get below an' get some shut-eye. Ye've a long day ahead o' ya."
"Aye-aye." Nova said, heading for the hold. Morph jibbered after her, waving one pseudopod. Nova cracked a smile and disappeared beneath the deck, swinging her arms. The rhythmic click-whirr of her robot arm ended when she fell over into her new hammock.
At least in sleep, dreams were true for Nova.
Silver stayed on deck, wondering why he felt responsible for Hawkins and the strange stowaway girl. Perhaps it was because they were so young and needed a helping hand. But this wouldn't make things easier when the time came for a change of command...He banished that thought from his mind and watched a star fall somewhere in another solar system. Nova wasn't like Jim; she was a free spirit, just like a falling star. It would be difficult to forge a friendship between them.
Silver found himself smiling. Tomorrow would bring surprises to be sure.