The days that followed were among the happiest either Amelia or Jane could remember of their time together. Finding accommodation in the town proved easy as the crews of the Company ships were allowed ashore only to offload cargo or on short-leave tickets. She and Jane had disembarked and made a point of heading in the opposite direction to the others. After spending so long confined aboard a warship, the chance for some time alone was too good to pass up. They found a couple of small rooms in the attic of a sailmaker's workshop near the docks and paid in advance, taking out both rooms for the sake of caution. They were small and with unfashionable striped wallpaper, linked by a narrow corridor with a creaky bare wooden floor off which lay a bathroom, but to Amelia and Jane they promised a paradise. The sailmaker and his small staff worked below during the day but went back to their homes in the evening, giving them a privacy they had never known, and Amelia's light duties while the ship was in port gave them ample time to savour it.

On the morning of their second day ashore, Amelia reported to a small tailor's shop near the naval base. Stepping inside to find themselves the only customers, Amelia coughed to attract the attention of the tailor, who looked up from his desk over his half-moon glasses and raised an eyebrow. Jane hesitated, but Amelia handed him a piece of paper that Jane recognised as the order that had confirmed her promotion to Lieutenant. The tailor smiled and led them to a tiny fitting room at the back. Jane pulled up a stool and watched proudly as Amelia took possession of her new uniform. Amelia bought it and a spare, along with a dress uniform that featured gold trim and was of a richer blue. The tailor packed it all into a cardboard box which they took turns in carrying back through the streets to their lodging. Once there, Amelia took it and disappeared into one of the rooms they had rented. Jane waited patiently, sifting through the pile of papers she had brought to the other room – notes from her father's book, the convoy manifest from Amelia, and the piece of paper she had found in the red wallet they had taken from the dead captain of the Preston Castle which contained those mysterious navigational instructions. She took out her own notebook and set everything out on the bed. Once it was all categorised to her satisfaction, she stood back and sighed. The top of the bed was completely covered in paper and she wondered where to even start. Sighing again, she turned and walked down the short corridor to knock on the door of Amelia's room, causing a flake of paint to fall to the floor.

"Come in!" Amelia's voice came clearly through the thin wood.

Jane turned the handle and stepped through. "I was wondering whether you'd like a cup of tea? I could go down and borrow the kettle from the workshop...oh, Amelia..."

The box was open on the bed and Amelia was straightening the collar of her new uniform coat in the mirror. While the felinid never looked shabby, the effect of the fresh new uniform was striking and seemed to make her stand even taller than usual. She looked up at Jane and smiled a welcome.

"What do you think, Jane? Worth every crown?"

A Lieutenant's uniform coat was cut of the same dark blue wool as a Midshipman's, but was double-breasted and trimmed and edged in white with knee-length tails at the back. Thanks to the double row of brass buttons, it was also, as Jane had noted to her secret delight, rather more form-fitting than the plainer uniform Amelia had worn previously. She hadn't had the opportunity to admire it as closely as she'd have liked in the tailor's shop but now, in the privacy of their rooms, she had all the time she needed and her eyes ran up and down Amelia's slender form, taking it all in. Jane blushed and smiled back.

"Just wonderful, Amelia," she said. "You look just...so dashing in those new clothes."

Amelia felt her own cheeks redden at the heartfelt compliment. "I'm glad you think so."

"Oh, I do," said Jane. "It was well worth the money. Though I still think it's unfair that they make you pay for your own uniform."'

Amelia shrugged. "It could be worse. I could be a Captain and have to pay for all that gold trimming on everything."

"I'm sure you'll have to one day," Jane said fondly.

Amelia chuckled. "Ah, Jane, that's very kind of you to say."

"'Captain Amelia'," said Jane, and grinned. "I think the title suits you."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, my dear," Amelia laughed.

"Oh, it won't?" Jane smiled coyly. "So what will?"

Amelia laughed again and picked up her hat. She turned to the mirror to put it on, affording Jane an excellent rear view. Jane stood up and slipped her arms around Amelia from behind, resting her head on her shoulder and gazing adoringly at her. Amelia smiled and put the hat aside to nuzzle her.

"I suppose something like that might..."

"Something like what?" Jane smiled innocently. She tightened her hug and sighed happily. "Oh, Amelia...you really are quite stunning."

Amelia rested her hands on top of Jane's. "So you say...but I know which of us I'd rather be looking at."

Jane intertwined her fingers with the felinid's. "Then I'm afraid I must fault your taste, Lieutenant Amelia."

"Insubordination," Amelia grinned. "What shall we do with you, spacer?"

"Hmm." Jane nuzzled her and raised her lips level with Amelia's ear to whisper, "I wonder..."

"But far more concerning," Amelia turned in Jane's embrace and put her own arms around her, "is your own judgement regarding this..."

Jane cried in delight as Amelia span her deftly around so that she was now in front of the mirror with Amelia behind her. Amelia stroked her dark hair back and smiled, showing her teeth, as her hands slid down Jane's sides, following her curves. Jane closed her eyes and luxuriated in the touch.

"Oh, Amelia..."

"I state only the truth, my dear," Amelia murmured. "You are quite beautiful..."

Jane leaned into her. "I'm just very fortunate to have someone who thinks so."

"I know so," Amelia kissed her cheek. They stood for a moment enjoying their proximity and simple presence, but the sounds of the workshop below coming up through the floor were a reminder that they did not yet have the privacy they sought. Breaking apart, they smiled at each other.

"Would you care to take a walk with me, Jane?" Amelia picked up her hat again. "We could head out of the town and up into the hills."

"We could take some lunch with us," Jane smiled, liking the idea. "Have a proper little picnic."

"A splendid idea," Amelia grinned. "Well...are you ready?"

Jane thought of the papers in the other room, all spread out on the bed. For a moment she considered politely refusing and staying behind to address the persistent yet ill-defined thoughts that still hung around at the back of her mind but then she looked up into Amelia's eyes, saw her smile, and wondered why she had ever doubted what to do.

"Absolutely, Amelia," she said. "Absolutely."

The hills around Loyalty were smooth-sided but steep, and only by following a path that the townspeople had cut into the light grey stone were Amelia and Jane able to reach even the first of the peaks that rose above the harbour. The hills were green and from a distance Jane had thought it to be grass, but up close she could see that it was some kind of soft moss growing well over an inch thick in places. It was soft and springy underfoot and made for an excellent cushion when they finally stopped for lunch. The view back over the town was dramatic and striking, with the harbour lined with ships. They were close enough to see tiny figures moving in the streets and docks, but some trick of the wind meant that the sounds were not reaching them, making it like a silent theatre act being played out below them with a backdrop of nebula haze and the drifting asteroids of the archipelago.

"Everything looks so small down there," said Jane, "Even the Resolute."

Amelia nodded. Only by comparing the distant warship to the buildings of the town was she able to remind herself of the ship's size. "It's quite a view."

Jane shifted closer to her, part of her wishing that she could get closer still but then she reminded herself that they could still be found at any time by a wandering civilian or even another of the Resolute's officers. She sighed at the thought and looked away. Amelia saw the expression on her face and rested a hand on hers.

"My Jane? What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking..." Jane smiled sadly. "Just thoughts, really..."

"What about?"

"Us." Jane looked out into space. "I know that sometimes what we have seems like a dream...that it'll be gone by morning. And then I wake and know you're still there and at those times I wonder...can there ever be a life for us, Amelia?"

"Oh, Jane, I..." Amelia voice trailed off as she squeezed her hand, wanting to comfort her but unwilling to lie.

"Those thoughts I once mentioned," Jane went on. "About us...on a planet somewhere. I know this isn't really a planet, but still, it's solid ground rather than timbers...it's so easy to imagine how it could be for us if the circumstances were different. If we could somehow stay here forever.."

"It really is." Amelia smiled reassuringly. "And we have it now. It may not last, but we have it. Let's not allow our doubts to cloud the moment."

Jane looked up at her and smiled back. "Yes...you're right, of course. Goodness knows when we'll have an opportunity like this again."

"Or so much time to enjoy it together," Amelia said. "Though I saw you bringing all those papers from the ship. Can I ask what you have in mind?"

"Oh, daddy just needs some help collating his notes for his book," said Jane. "He's very good at writing things down...he's just not very good at remembering where he wrote them down."

Amelia laughed. "I'm not totally surprised."

Jane smiled. "His study at home was always a mess. He used to joke that he was born to be a geologist, because he filed things by strata."

Amelia laughed again. "I'm sure he's glad to have you around to put things in order."

"I must have inherited the trait from my mother," Jane unwrapped their lunch. "She was always very tidy."

"It was yet another thing they drilled into us at the Academy," said Amelia. "I remember one instructor who used to tell you off if you didn't have your pens lined up at ninety degrees to the edge of your desk at the start of a lecture."

"That sounds like one of my teachers as well," Jane laughed. "Perhaps it's something they learn? Or maybe they were related."

"You never know." Amelia shook her head, grinning. "But if you don't mind me asking, Jane, you mentioned your mother..."

"Yes. I didn't really know her very well." Jane's voice softened and she looked down. "She...died of fever when I was still quite young. Poor daddy...I don't think he's ever really got over it, you know. He never remarried and I know he still keeps her picture by his bed."

"It must be hard losing someone so close to you." Amelia took Jane's hand quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Daddy says I take after her in a lot of ways," Jane said. "She loved animals, too. Loved the farm, loved to read...the house was full of her books. We never packed them away even though she was gone."

"She does sound a lot like you," Amelia said softly. "It must have been very hard on all of you."

"There were plenty of people worse off than us, as daddy always said," Jane gave Amelia a small, brave smile, as if to dismiss the matter back to the past. Amelia smiled back, cherishing her lover's strength of character. For all Jane's appearance of innocence, it was well to remember that she had lived a life as full of experience as anyone's in the galaxy.

"And I'm sure a spacefaring family like yours would know all about that sort of thing, anyway," Jane went on, though with a little caution. "Leading lives as dangerous as you do. I...I can't imagine that it hasn't come at a cost to some of you."

Amelia nodded. "We look out for each other. I don't have any brothers or sisters, but I was raised with a younger distant cousin of mine. Her name is Mayflower, Aurora Mayflower. Her parents were both in the Service and...well, we had to take Aurora in."

"She's a very lucky person to have had you, then," said Jane.

Amelia shrugged. "Oh, it's always been our way. Family loyalty and so on."

"And is she following in your footsteps? Your cousin, I mean. Will she join the Navy as well?"

"One day, perhaps," Amelia smiled. "She's still too young to enlist, but in time I think she'll make a fine spacer if she chooses to be."

"Well, she certainly has a good example to follow, Lieutenant," Jane smiled.

Amelia chuckled. "You're far too kind, Jane."

"I never could be for you," Jane whispered, blushing shyly.

Amelia leaned over and kissed her lightly. Jane looked up at the bold gesture of affection and smiled.

"I'm glad we got this chance, at least," she said quietly. "However long it lasts for."

The sky was darkening by the time they returned to the town. Lamps were being lit around the harbour or were glowing in front windows. As they turned onto the main street that led back to the fort, Jane looked around as her ears heard the martial sound of drums. A platoon of marines were marching up the middle of the street, two drummers leading the way and beating out a loud tattoo on their instruments while a flagbearer carried an Imperial standard behind them.

"A parade?" Jane asked, curiously.

Amelia shook her head. "The last call for any of the fort's personnel who are in the town. Which, right now, includes our crew. They're all meant to be inside the fort after nightfall."

"But why? We're not."

Amelia smiled ruefully. "Communities that host an Imperial base tend to insist on it. Unfortunately a crowd of spacers on shore leave can be rather...rowdy."

As if to prove the point, the door of a tavern burst open as the marines passed it and a group of spacers emerged onto the street. One of them was being carried bodily between two of his comrades. Jane saw the uniforms and recognised them as naval crew. Amelia sighed and shook her head.

"As Exhibit A there amply demonstrates," she muttered.

The spacers gathered themselves and began following the marines, but blundered into a group of Company spacers who had come out of a tavern on the other side of the street. Two men were knocked sprawling.

"Hey! Watch where you're damn going!"

"Watch it yourself, civilian!"

"Oh, dear," Jane heard Amelia whispering under her breath. "This could be unpleasant."

The biggest of the Company spacers squared up to the smallest of the Navy men. Jane recognised him as Jackson, one of the crew under Amelia's command.

"You in such a hurry to run back to your cribs, jacktars?"

"You not hear the drums or something, man?" Jackson retorted.

"Oh, right, of course." The Company spacer pulled a face and spat on the cobblestones between the Imperial man's boots. "While my lads have been hauling cargo around all day, you bloody Navy types need someone to come and call you to be tucked into bed at night time. Is there a real male among you?"

"Jane," Amelia murmured, straightening her hat and stepping forward. "Run up the street and get those marines back here right now."

"What? And leave you here alone? There must be a dozen of them! On each side!"

"I'll be fine." Amelia narrowed her eyes. "Now go. Quickly."

Jane hesitated for a moment before she gathered up her dress and began running, following the sound of drums. Nobody in the two groups of spacers noticed her as she hurried past. They were closing ranks and moving towards each other menacingly.

"This bloody Navy's been out here protecting your mercenary backsides, Company boy!" shouted one of the Resolute crewmen.

The big Company man snorted. "What, like you did with the Preston Castle? And you know who did for her, right? Crimson Corsair is who!"

Amelia, walking towards the group, cursed under her breath at the name. Rumour travelled fast.

"You what?" Jackson laughed.

"You heard me! The Crimson Corsair! One of you lot what went bad! So that's the kind of good you do us!"

Jackson stepped forward and shoved the other man back. "Ungrateful sods! What do you know about what we do?"

There was an angry murmur from the other EITC crewmen and the man pushed back.

"Don't need to know it! We see the results every time you fall asleep on the job! Might as well tell the bloody pirates where we are!"

"Wouldn't matter if your lot didn't just strike your colours as soon as they come into view! Bloody cowards!"

The Company spacer snarled a curse and threw a punch. The Navy man hit the ground hard. Angry shouts rose up and the other spacers began crowding in, fists raised. Amelia reached the belligerent groups and raised her voice.

"What's going on here? What's the meaning of all this?"

"I'll shut your damned mouth, Company scum!" Jackson, back on his feet, spat blood and moved in to attack as the EITC men hurled taunts. Amelia pushed her way into the middle of the mob and shouted again.

"I said silence! All of you! Silence at once!"

The angry spacers stepped back from her as if she was radiating some kind of force field. Jackson glared at his opponent. Amelia stood in front of him and stared him down.

"Explain yourselves, spacers! Mr Jackson!"

"Just working out a difference of opinion, ma'am!" Jackson spat again and belatedly remembered to salute.

"A difference of character, more like!" shouted one of the EITC crew. The Imperial spacers moved in again, but Amelia barred their way.

"Enough! There'll be none of this kind of trouble here! Not from us! You know the standing orders on conduct! Now you all heard the drums, so get back to the fort!" She turned on the Company men. "And you men should be back on your ships, now!"

"Make us, little miss!" The big spacer advanced on her.

"You call her 'Lieutenant', you swine!" yelled Jackson, starting forwards again.

The man brought back a huge, calloused fist. Amelia didn't flinch. She merely fixed her eyes on his and intensified her glare, standing her ground firmly.

"Throw that punch, spacer, and I promise that you'll live just long enough to regret it..."

"Amelia!" Jane arrived, the marines in tow. The red-coated soldiers had their laslock rifles in hand and they smartly formed a line at the shouted command of their sergeant-major.

"That's your cue to step back, spacer," Amelia glared up at the large man contemptuously. "Right now. Marines! Fix bayonets and present!"

There was a series of metallic clicks as the marines triggered the spring loading mechanisms of their bayonets. Each rifle suddenly sprouted twelve straight inches of razor-edged steel and the marines took up firing stances, laslocks levelled. Jane stared at the scene, clasping her hands under her chin. Despite her fear, part of her wanted to stand alongside Amelia but she also knew that she wasn't welcome in this part of the felinid's job. It was clear that Amelia had been holding the warring spacers apart by sheer force of authority alone and Jane could only diminish the effect. The EITC crewmen blinked and moved a few small paces backwards at the sight of the bayonets. Amelia raised her eyebrow at her would-be assailant.

"Well, spacer? What'll it be?"

More hurrying footsteps were heard and a second group of soldiers arrived from along the street. Amelia glanced at them and saw that they were in Company battledress, with short dark red jackets, white neckerchiefs and low round black hats with wide brims. Captain Bennings was leading them, his sidearm in hand.

"Company spacers will stand down!" he shouted as his troops took up position. "Stand down and report back to your ships immediately!"

"Thank you, captain," Amelia said. "They were just leaving. Weren't you, spacer?"

The big man grumbled, his gaze flickering from Amelia to Bennings to the line of Royal Marines with their shining bayonets. Eventually he relented.

"That we were...lieutenant."

"Good." Amelia turned to survey the Navy spacers, who were wearing triumphant grins that she quickly wiped off their faces. "And you men! You will return to the barracks with these soldiers at once. Mr Jackson, Mr O'Connor, I expect you to ensure that there are no more disturbances along the way. And I don't want to hear of any more trouble involving any of you! I know who you are, gentlemen, and the Captain will hear of it if there is! Do I make myself clear?"

There was a muted but obedient chorus.

The spacers turned to go, but they still remembered to touch their foreheads in salute to Amelia as they went on their way. Amelia watched them go and then nodded to the marines, who had stood easy but kept their bayonets fixed.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, I commend you on your timing. Carry on, Sergeant-Major."

"Our pleasure, ma'am." The sergeant-major leading the squad touched his hat. "We'll take 'em straight back to the fort."

"See that you do." Amelia returned the salute.

"Move out, marines!" The sergeant shouted. He nodded to Jane. "Oh, and thanks for the alert, miss."

"It was nothing, really," Jane smiled.

Amelia smiled at her and turned away. The Company troopers were leading their spacers off as well, herding them back towards the docks, but Bennings was still there, holstering his sidearm. Amelia saluted him.

"Captain Bennings. Lieutenant Amelia, RLS Resolute. Thank you for your support."

Bennings touched his hat in return. "I must apologise for the conduct of our men, lieutenant. I believe them to have been one of the cargo divisions from the Anthony Luckenback. Rest assured that their officers will be informed."

"As you deem necessary, sir," said Amelia. "And I must apologise for our spacers as well."

"Not an incident that reflects well on either of our services," Bennings smiled ruefully. "But one that has been well resolved. Good evening to you, lieutenant."

"And to you, sir." Amelia gave him a parting salute.

Bennings touched his hat again and turned to follow his soldiers back down the street. Amelia turned back to Jane and smiled.

"Well. That was quite something, wasn't it?"

Jane sighed with relief. "Oh, Amelia! Are you quite all right?"

Amelia laughed. "I'm perfectly fine, Jane, I promise you."

Jane looked her over hurriedly. "Are you sure? They didn't touch you? I didn't see all of it because I was up the street..."

"They never came close," Amelia assured her. "I was perfectly safe the whole time."

"Safe? But there were so many of them! And they were drunk! How in space could you have been safe?"

Amelia smiled and smoothed down the collar of her new uniform. "One of the privileges of rank, my dear," she said calmly. "The penalty for striking an officer is death, and there isn't a spacer alive, drunk or sober, who doesn't know it well."

"Oh." Jane stopped. "Of course..."

"It's all part of the job." Amelia smiled encouragingly. "Anyway...shall we find ourselves some dinner?"

Jane smiled weakly, her heart still racing as she wished she had Amelia's poise and balance. "Yes...yes, that's a good idea. And...maybe a cup of tea as well?"

Amelia laughed. "Perhaps that's not a bad idea, either."