"You don't understand, I have to get on that ship," Baird said, grabbing the younger man he'd previously stopped by his elbow as he started to continue on his way.

The soldier's face slacked, blanking with confusion before his eyes widened and brow raised in a humoring sort of way, "Oh well of course, right away I'll alert the Gorasni Navy and have them turn around for you. General … "

"It's Corporal," he corrected.

The soldier rolled his eyes, "Well then with all due respect Corporal, go fuck yourself. The Constant is the fleet's most well stocked supply ship and if it doesn't make it to Vectus Naval Base on time I'm going to have a lot of angry officers up my ass to answer to. Whatever you think is so important on that ship I can tell you, isn't."

Every ounce of testosterone and machismo was advising from both shoulders into his ears that Damon should punch this guy without a second thought but he let it slide because that wasn't going to help him get any closer to Samantha. It would probably just wind up getting him detained is all, he needed a way to stop the Constant dead in the water at the very least and get it back to the dock in the best case. The idea he had was so inconceivably stupid it was the only thing Baird thought he might have a chance with. It could ruin his career and would result in more than a few angry officers up his own ass, but it had to be done.

"Listen here asshole if you don't listen to me that ship isn't even going to make it Vectus," he started off growling lowly to Seaman. It was enough to get his attention and take away some of the smugness in his smile but that wasn't enough for Baird. He needed some theatrics. "There is a BOMB on that ship and if you don't turn it around now all those supplies and people on it will be at the bottom of the ocean long before it ever makes it to Vectus Naval Base!"

The selective raise in his tone effectively brought an end to the conversations and busy shuffle of people working the pier. Yeah, that would do it.

The man he now identified as Chief Petty Officer Willings from the patches on his uniform gave Baird a steeled look and hoarse warning, "You do understand a false bomb threat is punishable by discharge and prison time."

Was this shithead really trying to call his bluff? He grit his teeth, hoped Samantha was attracted to the convicted felon type and bit back, "I wonder how much time you get for letting a hundred men and women die? Want to keep playing what if or prevent a god damn catastrophe?"

Willings took a glance over each shoulder, assessing the situation that had been created. Enough people had overheard their conversation that a panic could spread if this wasn't dealt with correctly. He swallowed his pride and did the only thing he could.

"Willings to Lieutenant McMahon," he spoke into his collar, pressing the small comm button on his armor though his eyes never left Baird. "We have an unconfirmed report of an explosive device on board The Constant. Requesting the ship return to Azura ASAP."

"Unconfirmed?" Baird scoffed "Check with Delta Squad, they'll back me up."

He knew Willings would and that no matter who they spoke with he'd be uncovered eventually and be ending this day in a pair of handcuffs. It was just a blind hope that the naval vessel would make it back in time before he was carted off.

Someday in the future she would be telling her children about this day she was certain. Undoubtedly they would hear stories of the war from herself and countless others but there was likely no other day Samantha was sure she would remember so vividly as her and humanity's first day of real freedom and everything it now represented. The Constant had left the dock without a hitch and seemed to bob within the shallow waters for several minutes before the floating goliath began to pick up speed slowly but surely propelling them into the freedoms of the endless ocean. Noah who was still on duty had been stolen away from her by a superior officer not too long after the voyage had gotten underway leaving Byrne to start thinking about not much else than her newfound independence. Make no mistake, she remained up beat as the image of Azura's great tower grew smaller and smaller in the distance and the sun shown down heavy on the open deck where she took a seat on her duffle bag and opened a small leather bound journal in her lap. As always despite her best efforts to write the margin's of the pages took on more doodles than words in the book's. All one would have to do was look back at the pages before to see this was what usually happened but also where the birth of many of her tattoo concepts had started. That was something for certain, when she got to dry land she was getting inked. Hell she would have attempted to start a piece on herself here on the ship if the motion of the waves didn't make it such an unsuitable work environment.

The sun glared off the paper too intently for her to be able to get anything further down on it without a headache. Sam closed the book, pen marking her page and leaned her head back against the railing behind her. Her fellow shipmates had seemed to have gotten over the appearance of a woman amongst them and milled about with their general duties leading her to think she might have been able to catch an undisturbed nap on this voyage. It couldn't have been long after she closed her eyes that she heard the rise of questioning voices and the vessel slowed to a stop but it took a moment for her dozing mind to come round, eyes opening to a world too damn bright at first. Sam shaded her vision with the back of one hand and used the other to push her numb ass up off her duffle bag. The crew shifted nervously and it seemed that every uniformed man that could be spared had disappeared below deck quite quickly. This wasn't good and the few other passengers that were considered just as unimportant and were just as uniformed as she had caught wind that something was amiss.

She scanned the crowd hoping to find the only other person on the ship whose face and name she knew but he was still no where. Bag hiked up onto her shoulder Sam was more than prepared to start her own investigation when from below deck a surge of Officers and clearly their commanding Captain emerged silencing everyone on board. Within the fray she could spot Noah now, apparently forced to put on his Naval uniform after returning to work. Their Captain was a barrel-chested man with dry dark brown skin you could only get from a lifetime at sea, and his hair was pure white except for the black brows that sat so slow on his forehead she could barely see his eyes beneath them. He wasn't her Captain per say, but Sam could sense the air of respect this man so obviously commanded before she even heard him speak.

"Undoubtedly some of you have noticed the commotion on board within the last several minutes," he said in a tone much less forceful than she had been imagining. "Do to an unsubstantiated claim from someone at Azura's dock regarding the ships integrity it is required that we turn back around and return to the island until the issue can be sorted out."

"What claim?"

"I don't understand!"

"Are we safe?"

Came the many rallying cries of the passengers who were left unsatisfied by the announcement. The Captain raised a hand temporarily silencing the braying so he could speak again.

"This is all the information I am permitted to give to anyone outside the Gorasni Naval Fleet. If all civilian personnel could please return to their quarters in a calm matter until we reach the dock this will all be over shortly-"

It was all she needed to hear. Sam wasn't as distressed as the others, these sort of things happened all the time when it came to government bureaucracy and when especially when it came to the forced cooperation of multiple government bureaucracies. As nonchalantly as she could she moved in to Noah's side amongst his crewmates, and even though he smiled when he saw her she could sense maybe something was off.

"You okay?" He asked, more as just an acknowledgement of her presence than an actual query.

She nodded a silent 'yes' and got down to brass tacks. "So what's really going on?"

He kept his eyes forward and addressed her shortly, "Like the Captain said, we're returning shortly to Azura so that we can address the claim and then continue on our trip."

"Your Captain said it was unsubstantiated, so why are you bothering?"

It was easy to see he didn't want to be so forthcoming with the information, but every time he gave in to take a glance at her Noah couldn't help but find himself thinking 'Man she's pretty' before his lips fell open and the words tumbled out. "Apparently the guy who said it is a world class mechanic or some kind of big deal and has some pull."

That pretty face started to sink and he broke formation to turn, noticing his words unsettled Samantha more than they reasonably should have.

"Don't worry, it's just an issue with the ship's engine or something. We'll make it back to dock, have it looked at and be heading out again before sunset," Noah assured, reaching out a hand she brushed away immediately.

"I should have known," she muttered to herself, ducking out of the crowd of suits and towards the portside deck for a little breathing room. "I should have known he was still going to find some way to ruin this..."

Fucking Baird