5028

The Blue Sparrow: Transit to Titan

Galactic Date 00:08:389 5028

To say the next few days aboard the Sparrow were grueling would be an understatement. We were worked practically to the bone while Sterling had us learning everything we could about the ship. I can't say I exactly blame her, though. Seeing the Sparrow's complexity, we'd need a crew that would know her inside and out. Thankfully, the work wasn't unlike what I was used to, though there was nary a day I wouldn't come out of the underbelly of the engine covered in grease.

We were three days in, at least it felt like it. I wasn't really used to using Galactic Time yet. Olivia had taught me about it when we were talking about shifts. 500 ticks to a second, 60 seconds to a minute, 60 minutes in a galactic year. Each "day" in our time was three galactic ticks. I could barely wrap my head around it. I think the worst part was that each day in space still used 24-hour time, but was calibrated to work with Galactic Time. From what Sterling said, I wouldn't need to know much past ticks and seconds anyway, unless I looked far back in history. Thankfully for our sanity, there wasn't too much work at the moment. Four hours on shift, eight hours off. That said, for at least the first day, it was nearly a full day of training to get us up to speed.

On the third day, I'd been down under the core for an hour or so. It was coming close to the end of my shift, but we'd met with some turbulence, and Sterling wanted to check on our fuel arrays. I'd squeezed myself down underneath the cold metal grates, tools in hand as I reset some fuel canisters. I felt one click and pushed with my shoulder, shoving it back into place with a hiss. Letting out a breath, I turned, lying on my back, wiping the sweat and grime from my brow. My shoulder and neck were so sore from being down here, and there was barely any room to move. I heard footsteps clack on the grates overhead, and soon I saw Sterling's face leaning down to look at me.

"How are the arrays looking, Ortell?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow at me, "Lying around on the job, are we?" I took a long, deep breath and rolled back to my side.

"Not at all Cap'. One canister left is all." I grunted as I picked up one more of the large pieces, keeping my eyes on getting it aligned. "Aren't you on watch now, too? What are you-" I pushed, "doing down here?" The canister clicked and hissed as I forced it back into place. She knelt down, scrutinizing it through the floor.

"Not bad... and yes, I am on watch. Watching you currently, Mr. Ortell." I rolled my eyes, reaching between the canisters to an interface behind them. The entire time we'd been on board, Tara and I had done the heavy work around the ship. I think I'd nary seen her lift a finger. "Should I also remind you, Mr. Ortell, that you are to refer to me as 'Captain,' not 'Cap?'" I flipped a few switches, fuel beginning to run through our starboard lines again.

"You can remind me all you want." I remarked, "I'm not exactly a fan of regulation, though. Gets in the way." I rolled to my back, seeing her look at me with a stern expression. We glared at each other for a moment, before she softened up and smirked.

"Alright then, Mr. Ortell." She strode past me, wiping a finger across a section of the core, grimacing, and wiping grease on her coat. I furrowed my brow in her direction, trying to get any sort of read on her. She turned on her heels and walked back to me, popping one of the grates open over me, offering a hand. "William, correct?" She asked. I took her by the wrist, and she hauled me to my feet. She was surprisingly strong for her size.

"That's right." I responded. She dusted off my shirt and straightened up my collar.

"It's Captain, or Ma'am, if you'd please." Her tone had softened as well as she brushed out my hair. I opened my mouth to protest, but she put up a finger. "This ship, the Blue Sparrow, is one of, if not the best ship in the Celestial fleet. It is beyond a privilege to serve on her. I will not be having my crew running about looking and speaking like a rowdy, ragged mass of monkeys. Am I making myself clear, William?" I sighed, nodding.

"Yes."

"Yes, whom?"

"Yes... ma'am." She nodded, content.

"Alright. Thank you." She patted my shoulder. "Good work. Get some rest. I'll see you in a tick for your next watch." I bit my tongue and nodded. There was so much more I wanted to say to her. Frustration and embarrassment burned in my throat, but... she was right, and I knew it. Sterling looked up at me for a moment longer before clearing her throat. "Right, well. It's a few minutes past my watch. I should return to the helm." She said, before speeding back off through the ship. I shook my head, climbing back up to the white walls of the main deck, covered in grease and grime. Well, watch was over. Time to head back to the room and relax for a while. Groggily, I sulked my way toward my quarters. I'd chosen the one farthest back. I found I liked the sound of the engine when I slept. It made this soft, low hum while we were in warp. You could barely hear it through the walls, but there was just enough for it to be comforting.

I pressed my hand to the pad by the door. It slid aside in one smooth motion, and I stepped inside. The cabins were all the same. A set of lockers and bunked beds to the aft wall, and a bathroom to the right. There was space to decorate a little, but it felt like someone had stripped the place bare of personal belongings. It just felt... empty. Olivia had said the ship was one of the best in the fleet, right? Then where was her crew? I tapped my finger to my chin, walking to the window on the far side of the room, staring out into space. There was a tap at the door. I turned to look, seeing Tara waiting there.

"You mind if I come in?" She asked.

"Not at all. What's on your mind?" She stepped through the door, flipping on the lights. I noticed she was carrying her bag and looked back up at her with a confused expression. She saw my look and spoke.

"I... have issues with sleeping alone. I was wondering if I could take the top bunk."

"Why not room with the captain?" I asked. She pursed her lips, looking at me as if I already knew. "Right, yeah... that's fair."

"I've gotten used to sleeping around you. I'll stay out of your hair, and-"

"Don't worry. Top bunk's yours. I shared a small shack with you for the past half a year. Think I can survive rooming with you on a ship." I hopped down onto my bed. I sprung up before landing back down again, putting my hands behind my head. She nodded, shoving her stuff into the locker next to mine.

"Thank you. It really means a lot." She knelt down, hopping up to the top bunk in one smooth motion. She was almost catlike in her nimbleness. I guess with the feathers it would be more... sphinxlike? Either way. I nestled into my bed, closing my eyes, letting my thoughts stir. I could feel myself drifting off into a nap when Tara's words snapped me awake.

"Hey, William?" I opened an eye to the voice above me.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Thanks." I furrowed my brow.

"What for?" I asked.

"For everything on Draenica. I... didn't want to mention it then, but you really got me out of a bad situation." She said.

"I'm not sure I follow." I saw the black shape of her body pounce down from the top bunk. She still wore those red, padded, scrapping clothes. I honestly wasn't sure she had anything else. She sat on the edge of my bed, locking her eyes to mine as she put her head in her hand.

"Before I reached out... before I even came to the city, I..." She bit her lower lip before sighing. "You know what? Here." She pulled down the back of her collar, revealing a symbol scarred into her skin, the mark of a slave. I immediately sat up.

"You were an escaped slave? I didn't know." I said. She nodded, pulling the collar back up. "So those slavers in the market the other day? Were they after...?" She shook her head.

"That I don't know, but it was only a matter of time. Us Frev'n had to look after each other during the escapes. It makes it hard to..." I could see tears welling in her eyes. She took a deep breath, wiping her eyes, regaining her composure. "Anyway. It made it hard to sleep alone and... well, I trust you, so... thanks." She stood up, slithering back up to the top bunk. I looked down, then up to the bunk above me, putting a hand behind my head and another on my chest.

"Yeah, I..." I paused, trying to find some words to comfort her, failing. "Yeah... anytime." I rolled onto my back, thinking. It was going to be a long trip to Titan.