ROLEPLAY HQ - dna-rattle-the-stars

Docked off Crescentia with the solar sails waiting to catch the next good chance to ride the stars again, Silver's Legend sat. Most in the spaceport would have mistaken it for the RLS Legacy as it did bear a striking similarity but it's captain knew different. A sleeker design and outfitted with a few more weapons, the Silver's Legend put its inspiration to shame when compared. The captain on the other hand...a figure let out a small laugh as he thought about old Captain Amelia Jim Hawkins slipped from one of the masts and let his boots hit the rail softly as he nodded to one of his crew before stepping down to the deck. Mentioning that he was off toward the markets of the spaceport, he disappeared from the ship with a wink. The crewman knew their captain wouldn't be in any danger here so he let out a low whistle and the rest went about their business. Many continued about their ship duties, some with a little less rush than others. Others lounged a bit and waited for the crew change while talking and laughing. Jim wandered through the Crescentia market admiring goods from all across the Terran Empire. Vendors and shop keepers were out trying to sell wares while tourists and travelling merchants searched for a bargain. Jim grinned as he went through the shops that were all so different since his younger years, long before his time at the Naval Academy and now. 'If ever there was a place to find a new first mate, there's no better place than Crescentia..' Jim thought to himself aimlessly as he searched his jacket for his favourite lighter. A bad habit he had picked up from an old friend as a grin crept across his face. Sooner or later it would be time to drop the solar sails and set out once more.

@𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣 don’t forget to reply here when you get home, you dumb bitch

Another purse full of coin, another adventure under her belt. The ship JJ Sterling had pulled into Crescentia on had docked for the night, letting their crew recharge before heading out again the next morning. This gave her plenty of time to carouse and search the space port for any familiar faces that she had left behind. She had feelers out all over space, but Crescentia was by far where she gathered most of her intel. She had been looking for someone, for a very long time and hadn’t sussed out as much as an inkling for the last several years. Unfortunate, but the tales she had acquired in the meantime made it all worth the trouble of continuing. Her red hair blew in the breeze ‘neath her wilting hat as she sauntered down the market streets, keeping her blue eyes peeled for that rascal, Garrett. He had promised her ‘something’ the last time they spoke and her eagerness was getting the better of her now that she was back. The people huddled against the walls or nonchalantly conversing near the booths looked nothing like her scavengers and just when she caught a glimpse of someone who may have just been him, she collided into something that rocked momentarily, but didn’t budge. She whipped her attention around to see a young man who had been fiddling with something small in his hands, it having hit the ground upon their impact. “Oh.. damn!” She jerked her eyes from him and the trinket at their feet to the man she thought she had seen only to see he was no longer there. “Great, thanks for that. You made me lose him.” She reached down to pick up the item and noticed it was a lighter, one not from the Crescentia port. Her eyes ignited with a curious mischief as she righted herself and held it tight in her hand. “You’re… not from around here. Are you?”

The lighter he was searching for slipped from his fingers as someone had wandered into him. 'Probably too busy with their eyes on the market,' Jim thought to himself as he looked around his feet for the dropped item. 'Not that I was paying the best attention myself.' As he turned around he was met with a set of blue eyes, flowing red hair hidden underneath a weathered hat and a question. The woman had been holding the lost lighter as she had spoke. Jim smiled and bowed, luckily his hair had been pulled back or it would have fallen in front of his face. "My apologies Miss, I shouldn't lose myself in the market so easily. I guess you can tell I have been to the port in awhile." He straightened himself and adjusted his jacket. The unlit cigarette hung in the fingers of his left hand while he extended the other. "Jim Hawkins of the Silver's Legend. Sailor, smart mouth and solar wind extraordinaire at you acquaintance. And why might one find a lady such as yourself on Crescentia?"

Her reddened eyebrows furrowed a moment as he said his name. There had been tell of a Jim Hawkins in almost every port she landed in, but there was no way this could be The Jim Hawkins. She shook her confused expression from her face while she grasped the man’s hand to shake it. As she did so, she looked him up and down, inspecting his garb, hairstyle and even his boots as she answered his question. “I sail with The Trinity. We’ve docked for the night, but I have some business in town.” Her wandering eyes settled on his after their thorough investigation, a curiosity spreading across her features. If this was The Jim Hawkins, she knew so much about his exploits; where he had travelled, how far he was willing to sail and all the misadventures he had gotten himself into. However, his stories and his ship were likely known all across space. An imposter could’ve easily memorized it all. “The Silver’s Legend, eh? I’ve… heard tell, but never seen it in person. Are you docked nearby?” It was the easiest way to confirm his story, not to mention his crew would likely show signs that he was their captain. Lucky for her, just in case a crewmate decided to take his identity for a stroll. She crossed her arms after shaking his hand, giving him a sweet smile that attempted to mask all her wonder. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

The woman's gaze had covered every part of him and Jim did his best to hide the smirk. Not often did he give out his name willingly, this time though there was just something about the red haired woman standing with crossed arms and smile. She also hadn't given back his lighter to his notice though Jim didn't mind as Morph could always get it back for him. Scratching at his loyal friend that was masquerading as usual Jim then tucked the cigarette behind an ear. "Sailing with The Trinity...isn't that a scavenger vessel? They must keep an interesting crew these days...as for the Legend, she's just past the the far end of the market. The crew should be finished up their work by now so I'm sure they'll be out on deck lazing around. I didn't see The Trinity as I came through the market know that I think of it...always such a change every time I'm back here." *Jim didn't want to offer too much too soon. His name was already enough to catch unwanted attention as well as the attention of others. As much as he didn't he didn't suspect this woman of any misdeed, he remembered a good captain was never too careful. Rocking on his boots and letting the lady consider her answers he thought absently about the last time he had seen The Trinity

@𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie studied him hard as he spoke, trying to find any indicator that he wasn’t who he said. He seemed to say all the right things, but she did notice he didn’t offer to show her the ship. A harmless omittent surely, but anyone masquerading as Jim Hawkins wouldn’t want to get too close and be overheard claiming the ship was theirs. “Aye. The Trinity has just come back from Galapodus. They keep an interesting crowd, but I’m afraid I don’t stick around any ship too long to know their crew inside and out. As long as they keep their hands to themselves and I make it back to a port, they are all a good enough sort to me.” She tore her eyes from his in the direction he said Silver’s Legend was. She gave him a sweet smile just before she spoke, determined to get a look at this Jim’s so called: Silver’s Legend. “The Trinity isn’t too far away from that direction.” It was in the complete opposite direction. “You show me yours and I’ll show you mine? I’m afraid I’m not glorified enough to be called Captain, Mr. Hawkins, but I do hold enough favor to bring a guest aboard.” The kindness in her face was sincere enough. Even if he did turn out to not be Jim Hawkins™️, nothing gained and nothing lost. She would just bid him a fond farewell and go back to searching for the rat that skulked the streets who owed her a favor.

@ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

The woman's quips were clever and he couldn't help but laugh. Something about her reminded him of the Crescentia he had been reminiscent of. From the look of her she seemed honest enough and not nearly armed enough to try to rob him for his own goods. 'Not that I'm really carrying much,' Jim thought as he put his hands into his jacket pockets. "Might as well wander that way together, and it's been ages since I last saw The Trinity. You wouldn't mind if we stop off at mine first? I didn't bring much with me so I'd hate to board another ship without a token of appreciation at least. There'll be things the crew also needs from the market here anyways so better to relieve 'em before they get too antsy." Jim looked up and down the woman once more and made up his mind she wasn't a danger to him or Silver's Legend. He tried to hide his grin as he thought about what B.E.N will say once they were back to the ship.

@𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

The femme couldn’t wipe the smile from her face. Seeing Silver’s Legend up close was a dream come true for her. She walked by his side, ignoring his glances as they walked through the street, attempting to keep an eye out for her informants. “Stopping by Silver’s Legend first would probably be smart, although, I’m sure The Jim Hawkins doesn’t need a gift to board The Trinity. They’ll be impressed with your presence alone, I’m sure.” As they walked passed the stalls, the edge of the docks came into view. The floating ships tied to the dock frames was a magical sight when she was younger. She always had so many questions about them and when they took off… She was in love at first sail. The masts were all tall and made everything seem so much smaller in comparison, but she hadn’t seen tall until they rounded the corner and there sat Silver’s Legend. It’s masts were expansive, the decor immaculate and the size… it seemed so much larger than all the other ships in port. Jamie stopped in her tracks and audibly gasped, her hands moved to cover her mouth and just about half of her skepticism vanished. She was speechless as she stared at the massive sails, almost forgetting Jim was still with her. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Jim always enjoyed the reaction when he got a chance to show off the vessel. He liked to think it maybe inspired some nostalgia in folks, of a time when the Terran Empire had seen better days. Jim scratched at the cover over his eye and let out a high pitch whistle. In what had seemed like a flash there was a plank ready for boarding and a crewman waiting on deck. Nodding to his mate and offering out an arm to help the woman onto the ship, Jim turned with a small and almost mocking flourish. "Care to take a look on board? I mean you are more than welcome to just stare at it from here and wait if you'd rather. B.E.N makes an excellent tea though."

@𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie’s jaw was on the floor. The lightening speed of the crew, the beauty of the ship and… It really was Jim-Blasting-Hawkins. She turned her wide stare to Jim as he spoke, her clever words suddenly eaten as she simply nodded and used the assistance of his men to board the ship. It was much more grand than any wooden air vessel she had ever seen, let alone been aboard. Her thick, heeled boots clanked against the oaken deck as she watched crewmen bustle around and pack up their things for a night in the port, or so she assumed. “I—I’m sorry… Did you say—“ She turned to face Jim and ask him about B.E.N., but when she saw his face again, all she could do was stare at him curiously. She had only heard stories of him and his adventures, but to see him in the flesh was something else. After a few moments, she realized she had been staring and pulled herself from her trance. “I’m sorry. I just…” Her gaze left him to admire the ship once more. She put a hesitant hand on the starboard edge, running her hand across the wood and looking up the netted ropes to the top of the sails. “This is… like something out of a book.” @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"Many thanks for such a compliment. I know a few captains and crew that would definitely disagree what kind of books you've been reading..." Jim's voice trailed off as he had made his way over to where the woman stood. A feeling crept back into his mind as he looked ar her. He couldn't help but appreciate her wonder for the ship and it made him smile. "Sorry, a captain's ramblings eh? A lady on board and I haven't even gotten that tea as promised." He scratched at the patch and this time, it seemed to vibrate a little. "Morph, go tell our lovely cook that we need so tea put on and that we have a guest. We'll been down to see you two soon enough." When he finished scratched the covering over his eye wiggled and squirmed until a set of little and a pinkish creature took its place. The little creature let out a little trilling sound, transformed into a little miniature clone and squeaked out "Aye aye Captain!" before shooting off below deck. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

She had heard Jim talking, but couldn’t tear her eyes from the elegance of the sails blowing in the breeze until he had said ‘Morph’. She slowly turned to him just in time to see his eye patch morph into a bubbly, floating ball of matter, speak and then disappear below deck. Her eyes went wide again as those bright blue eyes stared directly into his. “… I apologize. This is…” Her eyes were aflame with excitement; that shifty attitude she had before all but dissolved. “I can’t believe…” She covered her mouth again as she walked past him to stare at the helm, the clacking of her boots being the only thing telling her where she stood was real. Now that she wasn’t looking directly at him, she felt her panicked elation settle a bit. “I swear I can piece together a sentence… I just can’t believe it’s all real. You must have so many stories.” Her voice was in complete awe as her eyes ventured from the wheel, down to the ropes that tied the boat to the dock. Her head jolted as she scanned, seeing a middle rope looser than the rest. She involuntarily started walking towards it, still in disbelief. “I’ve been sailing for over a decade now and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this. The sort of ships I’ve worked for couldn’t hold a flame to… OH!” In the time she had been talking she had loosened and retied the rope that had helped hold Silver’s Legend to port, but at the mention of flame, she reached in her black jacket pocket to withdraw his lighter. “Here you go.” She tossed it to him before one final tug on the rope. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Catching the lighter, he had wondered when the woman was going to toss it back. Jim light the cigarette that had made it's way back to his lips. "Apologies, bad habit. In ten years I've seen this ship and crew become what it is. We've had some brutal journeys sure but I wouldn't change any of that now." Standing on the rail and leaning just over the edge, Jim hung from one hand as he let smoke trail out onto the scene of Crescentia before them. Thinking of what Silver's Legend had won and lost in all that time Jim looked back to the woman, leaning into the ropes. "Now since you're here on my ship, I usually like to know who exactly my guest is. It's more for your sake really, it'll save the hassle with B.E.N. He can be a bit over excited with guests so you'll be better off with me answering your questions." He puffed on his cigarette while watching the woman. Her striking features, wily charm and clear sense of navigation on the stars had him more curious the more he found out about her. Jim stood there on the rail and couldn't help his eyes as scan the woman who had clearly has doubts before that had seemed to completely at ease now. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

She didn’t mind his smoking at all and when he leaned over the edge, she leaned right next to him. Looking out across the stars was something she never got tired of doing, especially when the ship first took off. It was a sight that could only be described as magical. When he started talking again, she turned to him with a smirk, still captivated by the view. “Sure, for my sake.” She chuckled and looked back to the stars while she answered. “My name is Jamie Sterling, but aboard a ship they call me James. Bad luck to have women aboard and all that. There are a fair few who call me JJ, but honestly, as long as they give me passage, they can call me what they like.” She look one last look, like it would be her last, then turned back to Jim and smiled. “Do you think B.E.N. is ready for us yet? Or would he like to know my mothers maiden name as well?” She joked, keeping her position against the edge. She didn’t want to abandon the view and would only do so if he insisted. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Laughing at her little jest, Jim stepped from the railing and pointed to the doorway that led below deck. Morph was probably sampling whatever was cooking and had decided not to return right away so his new guest had a good question. "You got me there, fair point. We can go and check if you like, down below. There's always a decent bit of food and more than enough to go around. Even when we don't have goods we make sure to always have something to eat. There's a good bit of ale too just don't try anything that Bilhook gives you, it's always awful and tastes like Pelsanor mud." Jim leaned on the railing now finishing his cigarette and trying to make sure the smoke didn't drift into Jamie's face, something his old friend wasn't always so careful to do. He grinned at the thought of her ever meeting old Captain Amelia and talks women on a ship. "If you want to enjoy the deck and all here feel free. You won't find anyone with issue about a woman on board here. They'll know you have free reign of wherever you'd like to look and won't bother much unless you happen to run into Maklor. Bit of a noisy one but just shove him overboard, Ellenwoodian suction never fails so don't worry." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie looked to the door as he mentioned it, but kept his eye on him otherwise, thrilled to have free reign of a ship she had only ever heard about. Her smile split her entire face in half and she was practically jumping with excitement. The notion of food made her stomach rumble, but the deck and the sky above held her in a comfort she didn’t think she could top. Her eyes ventured towards the stars once more as she took a couple steps towards the mast. The ropes held the sails tightly and the crows nest was plain to see. She would see the sky from there before she left, invited or not. She looked back to Jim and grinned. “Food sounds delicious.” She readied herself to follow him below, making sure not to get lost or miss anything that he could show her. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"No point in wasting any more time here just wishing we were full then eh?" He put out the cigarette and tucked the garbage into his pocket. Jim gave a slight bow to allow Jamie to go ahead "Do lead the way, I'd be interested in what you think of my crew and all. You'll find your way to the mess easy enough. Just ignore the singing if you can." Jim smiled and gave a little wink. It was only B.E.N as he prepped meals but the horrid sound was often mistaken for a broken thruster or two. Again he caught himself staring and tried to avert his eyes before getting himself caught. As they began to head below the vessel's deck one last thought crossed his mind'Get your head on Jimbo, you're acting like a cabin boy all over..'

@𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Of all that confidence that had graced her face before, it faltered for a moment when he suggested she lead the way. On any other ship she would’ve already been stuffing her face with the crew, but this one was special and it made her feel like it was the first time she had ever had wood beneath her feet. She shook the feeling away and smiled wryly as she made her way for the door. “Good form. I have a sticky fingers and can’t be trusted behind you.” She chuckled to herself as she descended down the stairs and pushed open the wooden door. She was instantly hit with the smell of smoked meat and broiling stew, along with rowdy laughter and stomping of feet. It was all coming from a large room at the end of the corridor and as soon as she walked passed the door she turned to look at Jim, her blue eyes practically shining in the dark and excitedly made her way down. There were a few doors and hallways that branches off the main corridor, but at the end was a large sitting area with handfuls of people at each table, eating and laughing heartily together as if they were best friends. She saw some games being played and some arguments being had, but they all looked to be having a wonderful time. She walked in and waited for Jim to follow as she took in everything that was going on with a mischievous smile on her face. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Following as Jamie made her way, Jim had slipped through one of the smaller passages without her realising he had gone. Into the loud and crew filled mess hall she had made her way and he was about to have a little fun. "LADS! I WANT YOU TO WELCOME MY GUEST ABOARD. GIVE A LEGEND GREETING TO JAMIE STERLING!" He was now standing at the front of the hall with his hand pointed toward Jamie. Jim grinned at her as the uproar of the hall rose, himself on his way to the mostly uncrowded head table. Sitting down and offering a seat next to him stilling grinning, Jim threw his feet up waiting. The food smelled divine and B.E.N had outdone himself once again, with Morph having returned and resting happily on Jim's shoulder still munching on some berries he had come back from the galley with. Jim whistled just to himself watching his comrades greet their new guest trying his best not to laugh. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

She waited for Jim, but when heads started to turn, she jerked her attention back towards the corridor. He was gone?! Her eyes went wide for a moment until she heard Jim’s loud, boisterous voice from the front of the mess hall. Her cheeks instantly colored and her smirk turned into a shocked smile as she shook the rapidly approaching hands. Those who were able to move did and crowded her right there in the doorway. Some simply rose from their seats and raised their mugs and others gave her a wave and a shout, but nothing more. She caught a handful of names that she would remember until the day she died and when they started to dispersed, she turned to see a smug Jim sitting at the head table. She glared at him as she slowly made her way over, stripping her black jacket off and throwing it in his face as she sat down next to him. Her bright eyes rolled into her skull as she momentarily hid her face. She went about tying up her red hair as her tirade began. “Real smooth, James Hawkins. I won’t forget it. You’re time will come, mark my words.” She stared at him with a wide, knowing smile as she finished with her hair, casting a glance around the room before continuing. “You offered food, but now you owe me a drink.” @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

The jacket had hit him square in the face and obscured his view momentarily. Once he flung it over the arm of his chair, Jamie stood smiling at him amid all the chaos. She made a good point and so he raised a hand with two large pints appearing at the table. "Have a seat, if you can find a good one. There's something to be said about standing too I guess. Whichever you prefer is all up to you but I would like to hear about yourself while B.E.N brings out the main course." He pointed to the strange and frantic robot that was tossing plates of food left and right to the crew. Jim laughed as the robot did his best to keep up before looking back to Jamie, his blue eyes trying to catch hers. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie turned to see the robot haphazardly serving the crews meals and chuckled to herself, leaning back a bit in the chair she had claimed next to Jim. The comradery amongst the crew was a sight to see and one she had never before seen on any ship. At Jim’s inquiry, she tore her eyes away and let them land on his. It was the first time she had really looked at him and now that she had, she couldn’t believe she didn’t recognize him before. Every detail about him from the stories she had heard were perfect. She shook herself for a moment, pulling herself from her trance and cleared her throat. “There isn’t much to tell really. I’ve had my own adventures, aye, but… nothing like the tales I’ve heard of you. Besides! This is your ship! It’s your duty to regale me of your stories.” She said with a smile, resting her chin in her hands as she stared into his deep ocean eyes. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Sounds of the mess hall seemed to fade away as Jim listened to her for a moment. She was a real beauty and he couldn't ignore that fact. Pulling another cigarette from his pockets James lit it swiftly with a flash of the lighter. Trying to think of something really worth telling he looked at B.E.N and smirked. "That's originally Captain Flint's navigator. The robot I mean, not the Graphauler he's trying to feed." Jim pointed to the two with his cigarette, "He's still a bit of a mess bit he's a relic of Treasure Planet too. Luckily his memory chip wasn't terribly damaged so we managed out there well enough...I ended up at the Academy shortly after with Captain Amelia and then what seems like yesterday we sailed the Silver's Legend on it's maiden trip." Smoke drifted up as Jim stared off into the mess hall, now lost a little in his past he let the ashes of his cigarette fall onto his leg before snapping back to his story. He wondered if Jamie had noticed and how long he had let himself wander off for. "My stories are a bit of a waste, people tell it all over so I'm sure you've heard many versions. I'm willing to bet a few are even better than the real deal." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

She followed every gesture and word he spoke, admiring B.E.N. for what he was. When the tale turned back to Jim, her head swiveled back as well. She had, of course, heard all of it before, but hearing it from him was a completely different experience. She watched as his eyes steadied on something across the room and he seemed to sail through his past for a moment. The experiences he was picturing was likely something she could only dream of seeing and when he snapped back, she did too. “Nonsense! People retell your adventures, but it’s nothing like hearing it first hand. I will admit that I have heard the tale of Treasure Planet a few times and… maybe if I catch you in a quieter location, you can tell me more.” She gave him a kind smile as she heard metal footsteps heading their way. “That John Silver. Must have been a good man.” Her smile remained no matter his reaction. He named his ship after him, he had to mean something to Jim, even if he didn’t mention his name once in his shirt retelling. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

His old friend, mentor and the man who had been like a father. Jim hadn't heard someone say his name is ages, let alone that he was a good man. It brought a smile to his face as it was good to know their legends had become something of hope in these hard times for in the Empire. "Silver was complicated along with many things," He let the smoke roll over the their heads as he continued. "Some called him pirate, or cook and even captain for a while. Eventually he ended becoming as grand as the constellations we sailed across so I like to this that was the best thing I ever brought back from Treasure Planet. Well, the money for the Benbow was damn fine too but still." Jim finished his cigarette while waiting watching the crew slowly file out of the mess in smaller and smaller groups. Some carried others back to the sleep quarters while others slept where they had fallen or laid down. He put out the ember of his cigarette and tucked away its remains, trying to not let his eyes search across Jamie's body. He wished Morph had wanted to rest as his eye covering more often on the ship but he couldn't make his little friend do anything but roam as it pleased. James did his best to keep his attention on the fine features of her face. "As for quiet places, this vessel has all kinds. I helped built most if not a little of every part. The thrusters are a specialised bit and the captain's quarter is made with a glass outlook that gives a great view of where of anywhere you've been while you sail. We could take a tour of it all if you like and you are more than welcome to bunk on board. The Trinity I'm sure is fine but maybe a little crowded? At least if I remember from when we passed it that small scavenger on the other side of the port when we came in to dock." Jim's eyes flashed as a coy grin appeared and there was only the last of the crewman and the two of them left in the mess hall. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

She didn’t expect him to say too much about John Silver, but when he did her eyes widened in awe. She wanted to ask him more, but didn’t want to pry too much into his past as she was sure everyone did when they met him. It wasn’t until she noticed the background noise die down that she peeled her gaze away from his abs watched as the crew filed out; the ones who could walk anyway. As he started talking about the places onboard that they could find some privacy, that knowing smirk crossed one side of her face at the mention of The Trinity.* “Nothing gets by you, eh? Yeah. I…” She started to tell him a little about herself when one of the crew members let out a rather aggressive snore that made her turn to inspect. Slowly swiveling back to Jim, she whispered. “Maybe we should let them sleep. I’ll follow you this time.” It was almost as if she didn’t trust him. XD Jamie rose from her seat and grabbed her jacket, waiting for Jim to lead them wherever he saw fit to continue their conversation. He footsteps would be light and nearly non-existent as she followed. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Pulling himself from his seat, Jim made sure that his boots made little sound as he lead the two of them from the hall. The few that were left would either wake up in the same place or slowly find their way back to the bunks. He nodded to B.E.N as they left with the robot replying with an audible but not overly loud "You got it boss!," all while continuing to clean up. "We can really go anywhere you like, there's a few Solar Sailrafts if you felt like taking one out to see the night life of Crescentia. There's a few spots on the Legend too that offer a little more quiet as well." Jim did his best to look back as he spoke, not needing to watch where he was headed. "Library isn't much but its full of maps, old charter notes and all kinds of crew journals and the cabins are fitted to each crewman as needed. My quarters are a little further than the cabins towards the stern. If you feel like you'd rather stay here than head back across the docks just use my bed." He stopped at the end of a long hallway that continued further into the ship. Pointing down into the dimly light corridor he had explained to Jamie how to find the right door and to make sure it didn't set off the ship security. He explained the trick to his door and leaned back onto the wall for a moment.

04:05

"You are more than welcome to rest if you need, I've got a place or two I can always sleep myself so don't worry. The hidden crow's nest I built is outfitted more like personal quarters than a lookout anyway." Jim offered a little smile to her as he leaned against the wall, "I trust you could find your way if needed but I'd hate to see a woman without a place to rest herself for the night." In the dim light, Jamie's figure was magnificent and he couldn't help but keep his eyes on her. Her eyes seemed to sparkle in the lantern light with the shadows dancing on her cleavage, taunting Jim and his thoughts. *'Always out for a bit of trouble eh Jimbo?' an old voice crept into his mind as he let his eyes continue to wander. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jame followed Jim from the mess hall into the hallways, listening intently to the locations that were open to her, but when he mentioned the solar sailrafts as if it was the most common thing in the galaxy, she heard little else of what he had to say. When he stopped walking she had her arms crossed, but was practically bouncing from excitement. Her bright eyes nearly glowed in the dim light and when she finally spoke, she had to physically refrain from yelling. “Can we really go out on the sailrafts?! No one would mind?!” She tended to forget that Jim was the captain of Silver’s Legend and could do anything he wanted. In all of her experiences on ships, she had never been too close with the captain since she didn’t plan on sticking around after the next port. “Unless you need to get some shut eye. Which is more than understandable. I haven’t been in the stars for leisure for… years.” Images of them whipping through the galaxy flashed through her mind, her eyes almost seeming to swirl themselves as her excitement built. His shadowed frame gave him a more mysterious aura than before and it intrigued her. He made her want to hear all of his stories first hand while they sat in the crows nest, staring off into the plethora of stars. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"The sailrafts are off towards the other way there. I did some work on them myself as they just didn't have the speed for certain uses. Between you and I, the thruster isn't really a thruster. I modified a LaserBall Cannon's revolving cylinder to pack some extra output." He gave her a wink as he could sense her excitement, the light off the corridor walls giving her outlined a glow. Jim lead the way to the hidden raft launch that rested at the very bottom of the ship. Most of the crew wouldn't even here the launch as Jim himself often took a raft out and tied off onto the ship just to float amid the stars. Opening the door to the sailraft launch, Jim let Jamie in first. He could almost feeling her vibrate with joy as she looked around the bay. There were standard models with minimal reconstruction to exquisite pieces that looked as if they were used for royalty and not a life raft. "Any one you'd like, they're all a little more than they first look so find one you really feel good with. The high class ones are a little much if I'm honest...but can't have any of the high class guests lacking comfort." He smiled as while lighting another cigarette. Seating himself on a pile of Montressor grains Jim lay back and watched as this red haired woman shot him a look that made his skin start to burn. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie followed him with ease down every corridor he turned through and when they came into the launch bay, her eyes widened. It wasn’t that he had many or that they were all plated in eridium, it was the simple realization that he could literally come and go as he pleased. She walked down each loading wing, inspecting each ship down to its smallest bolt. “A revolving cylinder you say?” She eyed the cylinder he spoke of and kept looking, swinging her gaze around to the fancier sailrafts, but immediately looking away. In her experience, anything that looked that pompous wouldn’t do what she wanted into the stardust. She paced around again and found the one. It was a small sailraft that looked like it had been used often. It had more components added to it that it likely didn’t come standard with and the sail itself was a deep maroon. She raised a hand and pointed as her eyes met his. “That one. I trust you could operate any one of them, but I want the one that isn’t meant to be seen, the one that is modified for late night soul searching and anger management.” She walked towards him as she spoke, watching the cherry of his cigarette illuminate the shadowed angles of his face. His eyes shone as bright as hers did in the dark and they were strong enough to rattle the stars. Once she finally reached him, she crossed her arms and stood within inches of his seated form, staring down into his eyes with a more mischievous grin than she had donned earlier. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

A deep breath he tried to let out his nose as Jamie drew closer. Piloting through the night wasn't new to him and neither was a woman but one like this....well the skin on his neck reminded him it has been a long while. Jim tried his best to make sure the smoke didn't get into her eyes as he lifted himself from the bags, rising to face her. His lips were inches from hers now. "I thought I had hid most of the night life use on that old thing. You really must be a sailor as not many notice the Navy sleath tech. Grab whatever you think we'll need for the trip, I'm leaving it to you. Captain's orders" Jim's eyes flashed for a moment in the ember of his cigarette. He grinned as he walked gently passed Jamie and toward the sailraft. Boarding it with ease he found a comfortable spot on a bit of extra fabrics and threw off his boots. Now lounging with his bare feet resting up upon the edge of the raft, Jim looked as she had stood there still. He knew she'd be more than willing to risk the adventure so why not. It had been ages since his last outing and the crew would love a bit of rest after the fun at dinner. "Don't waste too much time thinking on it, B.E.N sometimes comes down here to try and remember his navigation coding. I'd hate to have to bring him too." He let out a puff of smoke and let his head lay back into the soft fabrics. The shadows hid the sly smile as he closed his eyes. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

’Captain’s orders’… She stared at the man who strode a little too confidently towards the skiff and shook her prickling skin. She looked around the room and couldn’t find anything that they would need. They wouldn’t be gone for long and and she already had everything she needed to be out and about. When she turned her attention back to Jim, he had relaxed into the raft. At the mention of B.E.N. she scoffed and crossed her arms as she approached. “Oh? I’m sure B.E.N. would love to come. Why would you deprive him of such a voyage?” She climbed into the raft and familiarized herself with the controls while he continued to lay there. “Oh? Would you like me to drive? Because… I don’t think you’re ready for that.” Her smile was wicked again as she looked down at the exit from the bay. If he wanted her to drive, he was about to receive the ride of his life. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Never opening his eyes, Jim just smiled. Sure she had some clever response and was now probably waiting to kick the thruster into an overheat but he didn't care. There hadn't been a good bit of fun since his last voyage so he lay there and enjoyed the smoke and company. "Of course you're driving, why else would I have you pick out which one to even take? Can't have you comfortable at the helm now." With his remark he had stretched out his leg and placed his foot on the release lever. One last drag of his cigarette and a little push of the lever and the sailraft dropped into the night. The only sound was the distant port and rushing wind. As they began falling out of the launch Jim laughed. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie’s eyes were steady on him until he let the skiff fall from the sky. Her calm, ocean eyes erupted into a tsunami as they fell and her instincts kicked in. Looking to the control panel, she engaged the thruster, opened the sail and activated the throttle before grabbing the mechanical steering arms and shot out into the night. The explosion behind her from the thruster fueled her as she drove them headfirst into the blue clouds of stardust miles below the port. Silver’s Legend was indistinguishable as the port itself was a mere dot in their wake as they flew through the midnight sky with the cold breeze coating them in adrenaline. She closed her eyes from a brief moment, relishing in what felt like rain against her skin as they drifted through cloud after teal green cloud of galaxy. Easing up on the gas a bit, she opened her vibrant eyes to see crystalline water droplets frozen in midair, melting when they got too close due to the head from the skyraft. The air that surrounded them was glowing blues and greens and it was quiet. The only sound was that of ships far above them that were obscured by the cloud they found themselves in. It was almost as if they had found a secluded bubble in space that was entirely theirs. Her hair had been tossed out of her hair tie and now hung loosely at her shoulders as her curious gaze inspected the area around them. She let off the throttle as she stood, reaching out for one of the crystals only for it to melt as soon as it touched her skin. Without even casting a look in his general direction, she smiled widely and spoke for the first time since they had left the vessel. “I may not be a Captain, but I’m no stranger to the Etherium.” @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

The race through the night had his heart pumping all while enjoying the space hurtling past them. Jim let out a howl as they finally came to a halt in their little place among the stars. Away from the noise with the illusion of the port nothing more than a mirage in the drifting cloud. "Never doubted your skill for a minute. Captain or cabin boy,it doesn't take much to see you have plenty of skill." He looked at her and relished the sight. Her hair now a fire behind those ocean eyes. Pure delight was the emotion he could read on her now. "Now that we've got a little silence, why not break it? Tell me how you ended up on a ship like The Trinity. A sad excuse for even a scavenging vessel and a deck hand like yourself would be more than aware of that." Jim looked out into the colours that twisted amidst the sailraft. Stretching out a little further into the fabrics he smiled and closed his eyes again. Tucking his hands behind his head he let out a little chuckle and spoke just loud enough for Jamie to hear. "Do you owe someone money or maybe you were looking for the next big score? It doesn't matter what reason you're on a the ship you were. I'm more curious as to why you were on Crescentia in the market and so obviously looking for something. Tell me honestly, what are you out on the solar winds for?" @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

As Jim questioned her, it felt more like a heart-to-heart than an interrogation and she couldn’t for the life of her imagine why someone as famous as him was giving her the time of day. As she stood, looking over the stars, she drew a deep breath. She hadn’t told anyone save for her moles what she was really doing in the skies and she didn’t necessarily want to start now, however, if anyone could potentially help her, it was Jim. She nestled herself into the craft, placing her back against the side and never moving her gaze from the cloudy mist. “That’s a lot of questions, James Hawkins.” She still never looked at him, but she was sure he was still lounging in his spot, hopefully with his eyes closed so he could not see the way her eyes squinted or how her lips curled. “I’m… looking for someone. I know they left by ship and they had to have used this port, but my travels have taken me far and I always… turn up empty.” She looked down at her hands and caught sight of the control panel again. “I’m sure they don’t want to be found, but I’m not giving up. So, I’ve been hopping from ship to ship, going where I can whenever I can and checking the ports there for the same information.” She finally looked up and turned to him, seeing he was in fact still laying in his spot. “You’re right. The Trinity isn’t a ship I would want to be on for longer than I had to, but I take the passage I can. Which, is difficult with superstition and the obvious fact that I’m either a guest who isn’t allowed to touch anything, or never caught without a mop. Rather that than the superstitious though, they don’t even let me aboard the ship, let alone give me passage.” She looked away and back up into the stars, smiling once more. “It’s been so long since I’ve been able to sail the galaxy myself. Sometimes… I forget how alive it makes me feel.” She was captivated by the scenery again, letting all of her worries slip away as she closed her own eyes. “Thank you.” <@!582952

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"No need to thank me for anything. I can understand that feeling...that search." Jim looked at her with her eyes closed and contentement on her lips. Her story was so like his own in many ways and he knew what she was feeling. He searched his pocket and dug out his cigarettes and lighter. The small flame caught and Jim inhaled slowly, his eyes fixing on the lighter now. "I can understand that's a wide galaxy to try and navigate alone, especially being such a fine guest as you said. You're always welcome on the Legend and I mean as part of the crew. After that little show of skill you're more qualified than most of those deck rats any day." *Jim looked back at the beautiful woman as she rested. He couldn't help but click the lighter and let the small flicker pop a flash of light among them. Jim got up from the fabric where he had settled and over to a small lantern that hung unlit. The glass gave a little more light to the sailraft as it drifted aimless. Jim tossed out the anchor and watched as it slowly drifted back toward the Legend. "You can use our resource to make the search a little easier on yourself. It may not be much but a least you'll have your own cabin and never need to explain yourself at another port." Flopping back down on the fabric, he smiled. Jim puffed on his cigarette and flicked a small switch that clicked an old record. An old Terran melody played softly and only loud enough for a cadence. 'Just like back at the Benbow', he thought to himself while letting his eyes travel up and down Jamie's softly light figure. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

At mention of being part of the crew, she pulled her fixation from the stars to him. Her face was wrinkled with shock. She listened to everything he said afterwards, but as he rose to light the lantern, she still stared at him in utter astonishment. “Listen, Jim, I—I couldn’t. The Legend has far better things to do than aid me and I’d be taking a position on a prestigious vessel that someone, much more qualified than I, could take.” Even as he repositioned on the fabric, she stared at him. Her entire soul was screaming at her for turning him down. She always thought if Jim Hawkins asked her aboard his ship, she would likely give up her search and sail the galaxy with him, however, she had turned it down? She swallowed hard and pulled her knees nearly to her chest as her elbows draped over them, causing her hands to dangle out in front of her. “Not that I don’t appreciate the offer, but…” She looked down at the wood between her feet, trying to come up with some explanation why she couldn’t. She was going to be hopping from ship to ship anyway, sailing around and discovering new places. At least on the Legend she would have someone to keep her company in the late hours of the night. Her blue gaze flicked up to his and that mischievous smile reappeared. “Well, I guess traveling with you wouldn’t be all bad.” She gave a small chuckle at her sudden change of pace when it came to traveling with Jim. “However, I like to know who I’m working for. What’s your latest big adventure entail?” @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Jim couldn't help but feel at ease even with the mischief in Jamie's smile. He had done all kinds of things after Treasure Planet. The Academy and a few years of privateer work only to finally end up almost as wanted in some places as those he hunted. Mercenary work for the Empire wasn't always pretty but the perks were what had built Silver's Legend. Propping himself up on his elbow he let out a little sigh. "Everyone knows about Treasure Planet these days and my years with the Academy were fine enough. My adventures now are a little less adventurous than they used to be. Most of the time the crew and I are just bringing in fugitives and pirates for the Empire. And not the scavvy's like The Trinity mind you, we've gone after some brutes." He took a drag from his cigarette and tried to smile. They'd lost a few good ones along the way but by thunder had they made a name in the constellations. Jim turned to look towards Crescentia, the lantern casting slivers of light across his face as he went on. "That Procyon noble, Duke Fenras, that was our doing. He wasn't too pleased that his home world had paid the ransom for his return and took it out through his military might. We stopped here in Crescentia to restock on some goods and relax for a little while." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

She listened with intrigue as he told his tales. Bringing in pirates was one of the deeds that had made his name famous, but if she was honest, that was only part of what captivated her about him. He was one of the only sailors in the sky who didn’t turn away from a noble cause. His adventurous were often long, difficult and tedious, but the yield from it all was more glory than she had ever seen. “While that all may sound trivial to you, Mr. Hawkins, I have to admit that to someone from the planet Pelsanor, it is beyond daring. The destruction of Treasure Planet was such a huge deal to me because my family grew up horridly due to Captain Nathanial Flint. He pillaged and plundered every last coin from every merchant ship that docked.” She had looked away from him and let her gaze settle on her boots, remembering the rage that had consumed her when she found out that’s why her mother had left. “He took so much from me and when I heard about you…” Her eyes turned to pierce him, but her face immediately softened and a small chuckle left her lips. “Well, let’s just say the pleasure of meeting you is all mine.” She rose from her position and closed the distance between them, offering out her hand for a shake. If he accepted it, she would firmly shame his hand and smile. “Thank you.” @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Jim took her hand and gave it a light yet firm shake. Searching her kind face in the lamplight he couldn't find even a bit of dishonesty. Jim kept his eyes locked on hers as he turned over her hand in his. "I thought I said to save your thanks. The offer stands to join me and the crew. No catch, no coin required." He let go of her hand as he settled back into his makeshift seat. Jim moved some of the folded pile away from himself and offered a spot next to him. He trusted her enough now to tell her what he and the crew had been hunting all these years. "I have one more thing to tell you, before you decide that is. The reason Silver's Legend is a little more than it first looks isn't just my nostalgia for Captain Amelia and her old rig." He put out the flickering ember and tucked it away. "My ship can take on even the toughest Man-O-War if it ever saw a reason. Empire made or otherwise the Legend is built for battle. One pirate that managed to survive was a bastard even for a Mantavor." Jim tried to keep his tone light hearted but his face had hardened. Even if it was only for a moment, Jim remembered some of the hardest battles his crew and himself had ever seen. "Most have forgotten his real name, he goes by different ones depending on the people he's terrorised now...I remember only by that real name...Scroop." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

The longer he held her hand, the longer she stared into those celestial blue eyes and found herself having to shake herself free when he let go. Just before he started up again, she plopped down into the fabric next to him and stared up at the crystallized water, his voice like a music box against a perfectly painted sky. The name didn’t ring a bell for her, but she could hear the tone in his voice change when he said it. ~~IT RINGS BELLS FOR MEEEEE~~ “Scroop, eh? What did he do, if it’s not too bold for me to ask.” She rolled away from the beautiful sky and turned to face Jim, fully invested in his tale. He didn’t need to explain his goals for her to know that the answer to his offer was an undoubtable yes, but she wanted to know anything he would freely tell her. As he spoke, she played the tales of Jim Hawkins back through her mind, remembering the specific people that had been mentioned like Captain Amelia and John Silver. Laying her head in her hand, she propped her elbow up on the fabric piles and listened to his voice drift into the silent night. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Jim laid back and let out a grim laugh. "There's a long list of things the old spider has done. We all thought him dead, drifting somewhere aimless and cursing the crew of the RLS Legacy. Years later there were rumors of a Mantavor who'd survived crashing into a moon. At first I hoped it was rumors but when the merchant ships began disappearing..." He let out another small sigh, remembering the horror he had found in the wake of the old pirate. "Then after he glassed that space port I was sure. Hadn't ever paid him back for what he'd done to Mr. Arrow all those years ago so I requested the bounty personally and have been hunting ever since." Jim stared into space and tried to ignore the old pain that was rising inside him. Not many had heard the real story of why the Silver's Legend never docked for long but there was a small comfort in being able to speak freely about it. He realized he had been clenching his fists as he spoke and tried to relax. Jamie listened intently as the light danced across her, all while he was lost in his memory. "Now you have a better idea of what kind of pirate Scroop really is, I won't hold it against you if you'd rather catch an different ship out. If you'd rather chase old ghosts with a cabin boy..." Turning to Jamie he grinned and brought himself back to the sailraft. Crescentia all but a speck in the space around them now. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie chuckled as he mentioned chasing ghosts. It was practically all she had done since she left Pelsanor. At his choice of words, she grinned with a sweetness that would’ve rotted even the sturdiest of teeth. “Aye, there was this Captain that once told me: Captain or Cabin Boy, it doesn’t take much to see that you have plenty of skill. You’ll get your ghosts, Jim and I’d be honored to accompany you.” She smiled with glee as she accepted, thrilled to be a part of such a renowned ship. “By thunder, I might even find my ghosts too.” She rolled onto her back and let her head hit her forearms with a thud as she stared up at Crescentia. Speaking of her ghosts, she still had to scour the town for her informants before they set off and if there was one thing she knew about Silver’s Legend, it was that it didn’t dock long. “When do we cast off?” Her gaze was focused on the port far above as the skiff lazily drifted along. She didn’t want the night to end, but if they were leaving any time soon, she would have to. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"After we find who it was you were looking for in the market then whenever we want really." Jim enjoyed just the two of them here. It was a fleeting bit of peace in the normally hectic life he led. Now that he had a capable crew hand the journey might even be a little easier. 'And she has the same kind of spark that he always did.' Jim thought as the reminiscent smile crossed his lips. "There's a few informants that the Navy uses on Crescentia that still have time for a privateer like myself so there's always that chance we get a lead there. As for sleeping, there's an unused one two doors down from mine. Use it for now and make it your own, it may be a little dusty." He sat himself up once more and rested his head against the side of the raft. Jamie lay there in the twinkling shimmers as glanced up and down her legs. 'Easy Jimbo, dont go making a fool o' yourself. The old voice came from the back of his mind and he turned to look back into the night. "And this sailraft? All yours whenever you need it, Captain." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie jerked her head to face him when he mentioned finding who she was looking for. As he continued she brought her attention back to the stars. “A fair bit of luck to ya. I’ve been searching for her for years. It isn’t likely she’ll turn up somewhere easy like Crescentia. It can’t hurt to try though.” She played through all his words in her head, but let a little bit of time pass before she said anything else. “Two doors down, eh? What position is it ya need filled?” Jamie shot him a stern look after her question. “Because if I have to swab the deck for the majority of every trip…” Her features loosened and she smiled that wide, delighted smile. “That would be okay. Give me a bed, feed me and I’ll do anything you need. I’m sure Silver’s Legend can’t have too many chores needing tending that I haven’t taken care of in the past.” She nestled into the fabric and closed her eyes as a few ships sparatically passed by overheard, still mere dots to the two of them. It had been a long time since she felt like she could confide in someone and she was still flabbergasted that that someone was none other than Jim Hawkins. “And Captain.” She lay there with her eyes still closed with that wide smile shining in the dim light. “Don’t go giving me an ego, Hawkins. I might start introducing myself as Captain Sterling.” She laughed as her eyes opened to see the port once more. Letting out a long sigh, she turned to see him also staring into the night. They were closer than she had realized, one stretch and she could knock him in the head or kick him in the leg. Happy that she hadn’t done either of those things, she sat up and placed her palms down on the fabric, leaning back slightly. “We probably should be getting back soon, eh? Your crew might start to fight over whose in charge.” *She turned to see what his reaction was to leaving, but was taken aback by just how at home he was in the stars. The way the light reflected off his face and the pract

08:40

ical glow in his eyes as he stared around them was captivating. His dark hair complimented his complexion and suddenly, images of him cascading down sail ropes and steering his ship flashed through her mind. It brought on another smile as she pictured them both ten years younger. They wouldn’t been in the thick of it for sure. It took a moment for her to realize that she was staring and she quickly brought her attention back to the control panel across the skiff from them.* “You should probably get us back. I wouldn’t want to make too much noise getting back.” She made no motion to move and simply waited for him to leave their comfortable nest. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Jim lay there and considered getting up to pilot the raft back to it's launch bay. While it was tempting to show off some of his own sailing prowess he merely smiled. "Modified the panel with an autopilot. Not every sailraft has it but this one does, comes in handy if you doze off and lose track of time. The anchor has a tracking function as well so even if you lost sight of the ship there's no worry." He rolled himself to face Jamie, pushing his hair back from his face. Her smile was intoxicating and Jim appreciated the way she seemed so free. "Going back we can make as much noise as we want, the crew may be a strange bunch but they are loyal to a damn fault. After a good feast, especially celebrating a new face, they sleep like moon stones. You'll need a few things for your cabin though I'm sure." Losing himself in the thought, he figured he could send B.E.N to get anything they needed from the supply hold. The robot wouldn't object much and could carry more than either of them so Jamie would be able to get some rest. Jim gave her a sly smile, appreciating her coy ways. "The duty of the First Mate, well that differs on each voyage really. Sometimes I need maps, or someone to keep the helm while I'm off in the crow's nest. I can promise that it will almost never require to hold a mop." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

A raft with an autopilot. Amazing. Her eyes almost seemed to sparkle as he described the amenities he himself had likely rigged on the tiny vessel. It was very impressive and she nodded to express such. Knowing the crew would be stone cold dead was a bit of a relief when first spoken. While the crew all seemed like a joyous bunch, she was sure that mood would flip quickly if they didn’t get enough rest. At mention of being the first mate though, Jamie’ features sharpened as she looked at him in surprise. Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened and almost shined. “REALLY?!” She had worked many on many ships, but never been appointed to such a high rank, which she was fine with since she never stuck around long. With the offer of First Mate to Jim Hawkins though, what an honor that was. Involuntarily, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. It took a few seconds, but she eventually came to realize what she had done and let him go quickly. “Sorry, I… I’ve just never… Thank you. I’ll do my best.” She smiled at him warmly and rolled back to her own spot next to him as she tucked her arms behind her head and propped a leg on her knee; her eyes closing for a moment. “Now, as my first order and First Mate, I command you to sail us back to the ship. If you don’t, I guess I’m just going to have to consider myself a better navigator until proven otherwise.” She said jocosely. Her eyes would open long enough to see what his decision would be before she closed them again if he made his way to the controls. As she thought on it, she was glad that most of the crew was getting some shut eye. Jim and a ‘spaceport floosy’ go out on a midnight ride and when they return, she’s the new First Mate? That wasn’t something she wanted to combat at the moment. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Her embrace made his entire body ignite with fire that lingered even after she had let go. Jim grinned as she excitedly gave her orders and joked with him. Pulling himself up he made he way to the control panel and lazily initiated the sequence that would get them back to the Legend. Once he was sure everything was in proper order, Jim made his way back to lounge where Jamie still lay enjoying their peace. "Not the craziest way I've ever got a new crew member you know. Don't tell Maklor I was the one that told you but we actually hit him with the ship. He was fishing on some spot in the Ellenwood swamps and we scuttled him accidentally. 3 days before someone reported they could hear someone screaming on the port side." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie opened one eye to watch him and exhaled a loud scoff as she rolled her eyes. She felt the raft give a small jolt as it made it moved a bit faster and steadily made its way back to the Legend. When he came back to join her, she shook her head and looked up at him with a smile. “You’re ridiculous.” She laughed. Disappointment had taken ahold of her features until he started talking about his crew member, then the hard laughs faded it all away. “Three days… that poor man.” She couldn’t contain her amusement, nearly burying her face in the fabric as she tried to compose herself. When she re-emerged, her eyes moved to the port that was increasing in size. The wind gently blew her hair out of her face and caused her to close her eyes again as she took it in. It felt like pure, cold, bliss washing over her form. “You’re secret is safe with me.” She spoke to him without facing him or opening her eyes. Instead choosing to revel in the mid-night breeze as the floated back. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"Then surely I made a good choice in my First Mate if my secrets are safe. Just make sure Maklor doesn't hear you when you tell the story, he's still a bit touchy to say the least." Jim gave her a wink as they both had managed to stifle most of their laughter, the Silver's Legend now within sight once again. The night air was calm around them as the sailraft went through its automated motions as Jim lay there thinking to himself in the silence. 'Almost close enough to feel her heartbeat'. The little moment was still lingering in his mind where she had embraced him. Jim noticed Jamie had her eyes still closed, so he took some of the extra fabric and laid it over her. He didn't linger, merely wanting to make sure she was comfortable if she happened to fall asleep. The launch bay mechanisms whirled and cranked as the sailraft docked itself fairly easily into where Jamie had first picked it. Jim had got to his feet and was finishing the landing sequence so that the ship's sensors wouldn't alarm anyone and B.E.N wouldn't come smashing in making a real racket. He secured the solar sail and reset the programming for the anchor once it was all coiled. Lighting his last cigarette in the case, Jim admired the woman that lay only few strides away. Brash, sweet and skilled on the celestial waves she had his attention and more. Slowly pulling in some smoke he leaned back onto the wall, letting the ship's systems finish. He was thinking it was nice to finally have more than just mercenary crew and company. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

She felt something lay over her, but she didn’t open her eyes. Considering how fast she warmed up, she assumed it was one of the sheets of fabric they had been laying on. Instead, she enjoyed the slow cruise back to the launching bay and even managed to tuck her arms under the fabric by the time the raft had docked. She could faintly hear Jim rustling about, but he never said anything to alert her that they were back. The whirling and flashing lights dimmed until behind closed eyes, all Jamie could see was pitch black. She let out an irritable groan as she tossed the fabric off herself and sat up. The ride had been nothing short of astounding and felt even more heavenly, however, she still had a job to do. She slowly rose, stretching her arms skywards as she yawned, and gently left the skiff where it sat. The smell of smoke gave him away, even to her blind eyes as she made her way for the exit of the launch bay. “Truly, thank you for tonight. I’ll go about tying up my loose ends and we can depart at dawn if you wish it.” She had laid a hand on the door way and spoke in the direction she smelled the smoke, but couldn’t truly see him in the dark. The bright, galactic stars had blinded her night vision for the moment, but she didn’t plan on lingering long enough for it to correct. She awaited an answer from the man before she stepped through the doorway, making her tired way to Crescentia if he didn’t stop her. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"Don't worry about all that for now, most of the crew doesn't actually get up until they're made to. There may be a few up for the sunrise but I'd go and just get some rest for now." Jim stood watching her silhouette in the light of the doorway. She had waited for him perhaps to see if there was anything he needed assistance with but the ship's systems would do the rest. Jim blew smoke into the dark still leaning on the wall. "Best to get settled into your new cabin. I relayed a note to B.E.N to have some new bedding and other things left for you. Can't have you worn out and tired on duty." He walked toward Jamie and closed down the launch bays as he went. Almost at the doorway now, Jim put out the cigarette and asked in jest. "Should I lead you to the cabin or can the First Mate find her way through the ship easy enough?" @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

His statement about the crew froze her feet in the doorway. She didn’t know why that changed anything, but she suddenly wasn’t as eager to leave the ship as she had been before. His heavy footfalls were coming closer and with the embers of his cigarette glowing in the dark, all she saw was his sharp facial features until he put it out. It was bold of him to assume she didn’t already have everywhere they had went memorized, but even if she had said no, he would likely still follow her most of the way since his quarters were so close. She chewed on the inside of her lips for a moment, crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame as he crept closer. She held herself with all the confidence in the world until she saw his piercing blue eyes in the corridor light. Her chest heaved as she struggled to take in a deep breath and her movements became slightly fidgety until her voice came out. When it wasn’t shakey, she righted herself and stared up at him with a smile. “If your quarters is your destination, then feel free. If you have other things to do, I can find my way around.” Her smile had shifted into a smirk as her arms found themselves crossed in front of her again. Her eyes waited on his answer as the launching bay finished its protocol. The exit had closed and the dry hum of the engines had all but faded away as they stood in silence; half in the dark and half in the light. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

The smirk of her face caused his heart to jump a little as Jim shifted his weight where they stood. He did plan to head to his quarters but didn't want to stop her from whatever she had on her mind. "I was planning on going over some maps and manifests, boring Captain stuff really. I'll show you the cabin myself, it would be a little bit in poor taste if I just left you to find it alone." He started down the dim corridor and gave her a wink as he went. Jim was sure she would follow him and didn't need to beckon her forward. The cabins weren't far and if she didn't like the cabin, he could figure out a better place on the ship. Softly humming to himself as he went he considered if he should offer he own cabin instead as Jamie was still a lady. The footsteps and a soft melody were the only sound that echoed in the corridor with them now. The cabin hallways were better lit and much warmer feeling that the lower parts of the ship. Jim stopped at a door just before the end of and turned to face Jamie, her red hair almost glowing while her eyes danced like rain. Caught up in body for a moment, Jim realised and pushed the hair that had fallen loose out of his eyes and opened the door, taking his eyes off her now. "The view isn't the best as we are closer to the back of the ship but it's all yours. Change anything and let B.E.N know if you need anything fixed or parts to tinker with. My quarters are the last door and in between is extra odds and ends, storage if I'm honest." He leaned on the doorframe crossing his arms and with a coil smile teased, "Make of it what you will anyway, it isn't the most grand quarter but if you need an upgrade we'll need some time to get that sorted." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie held her breath as he agreed to lead the way, winked and walked by her. That man made her chest feel tight and her head drift among the stardust, whether she wanted it to or not. Letting out a hard exhale she jogged after him until she caught up, leaving the darkness of the bay behind them. The corridors became less confusing as they walked. She saw where it connected to the main hallway and what appeared to be the crews quarter’s, should she ever have need to go there. She had been looking down hallways when she almost ran into Jim again as he stopped. Just before colliding, she managed to stop herself as he tucked his hair back in place. She let out a small hum just before he opened the door, mentally telling herself to pay more attention. She walked passed him to enter the room, casting her eyes around at a much larger area than she was use to. It was no captains quarters, but it was close. A bed big enough for two, several lanterns hung about the room and a large table near a bookshelf. There were books, maps and trinkets galore and seemed to be more the longer she looked. Stepping around the table, she saw what looked like her affects sat neatly on a stool; her gun, her sword, her belt, her pouches and her bag. It was all there, even though she had left all of it on The Trinity. She jerked her head to Jim in disbelief before returning her gaze to her belongings and the piles of loose paper on the table. It seemed like a rather ‘Jim’ thing to do, have someone from his crew run out to The Trinity just to grab her things while they were out and about exploring. “Did you…?” A malicious looking, red and black dagger stuck straight through a piece of crumpled parchment in the table. The dagger was not hers and studying the message on the paper for a moment, neither was it. The faint smell of fresh purp juice lingered over the note before she saw a stain on the bottom of it, directly where the dagger pierced. “Jim?” *She lightly

04:37

picked up a small section at the bottom of the page to show him what she was looking at if he approached. Scribbled in haphazard handwriting was two words. Two words that would likely throw poor Jim ten years into the past as soon as he saw them.* Soft spots Jamie was bewildered, not having thought it old enough to have been here more than an hour or two, let alone belong to the previous first mate. Someone had been in her room, touched her things and left a message. She dove at her belongings to make sure everything that had been there still was and found the only thing to be missing was her compass. It has been an old trinket that looked like nothing more than what it was, however, it had belonged to her mother. She threw the bag on the ground and looked around wildly for someone to be in the room. While she had no idea what the note meant, her assumptions ran wild. A traitorous crewmate or an intruder on the ship? She didn’t know which, but she knew it had to be one of the two. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Ripping the dagger from the table, Jim nearly forgot that Jamie was with him at that moment. The small words ripped into his mind and the enjoyment from earlier was replaced with fury. He grabbed Jamie by the shoulders and pulled her to eye level. "Where you followed into the market?" His voice was steady with focus and his eyes now full of a different fire. Jim realised he was holding the woman maybe a little too tight and let go. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I have to know. Were you followed? Who have you been sailing with the last few months? Have you seen anyone with a Mantavor skull tattoo anywhere?..." His voiced trailed off as he walked back to the table and studied the note. It was a fresh scent in the air and even the ink had barely dried. The door hadn't been open and the window was closed. Checking it quickly, Jim opened it with ease and noticed the lock had been cut through. "That 8 legged bastard is taunting me, damn it!" He slammed a fist into the windowframe. "I'll have the ship searched and even bit of cargo inspected. The security system had to pick something up, even Scroop's best aren't smarter than this vessel." Jim turned back to Jamie, who was now still frantically looking for something. Her belongings strewn about as Jamie herself went about her search. It struck him he hadn't even checked her to see if she was safe and not to touch anything, even though he had grabbed the strange looking blade without thinking.

06:42

"Are you missing something? I made sure than my messenger collected everything and stored it here. I trust them all with my life and know it can't be a thief here, we can do inspections if you need. They'll never question my order once I have B.E.N raise the alarm and have extra watch duty." Sitting himself in a chair next to the table, Jim tried to recompose himself. He wouldn't let that old spider get the best of him or his ship. Looking at the distracted woman, Jim had another thought cross his mind. 'I'll be damned if he hurts another person in this whole star system.' "Each one of my crew is here because they hold a personal grudge with Scroop in some way or another. Selected personally by me to hunt down and eliminate that spider without question. They'll do whatever you need and help in any way they can. I'll have them report immediately to deck for security briefing." He wished he had another cigarette but couldn't leave for his quarters now. Relaxing was the last thing on Jim's mind as he tried to make sense of it all. Maybe he was spotted in the market, or someone noticed the Silver's Legend docked in the port. Had they been spotted on their outing in the sailraft or on their return? Trying to gather his thoughts he leaned back and let out a small sigh, rubbing his eyes while lost in his own head. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie’s eyes narrowed instead of going wide as Jim grabbed her tightly by the shoulders and nearly lifted her off the ground. She wasn’t unfamiliar with altercations and her immediate reaction was to bring her arms up between them for him to loose his grip. If they had actually been fighting, she would’ve grabbed his forearms and commenced assaulting him with her legs, but he promptly apologized and didn’t grab her again. She realized at his next string of questions that this note was left by the one Pirate her hadn’t managed to capture and her features suddenly softened. Looking up at the ceiling, she racked her brain for the answers to his questions, but just as she opened her mouth she was interrupted by Jim’s outburst near the window. While he let out his rage, she went about searching every single pouch she had with her things and even started opening chests in the room that were empty. Every piece of closed furniture would start to be rifled through until Jim asked her if something was missing. “Aye. My compass is gone. Why anyone would want it is beyond me. It rarely works and is more trouble than it’s worth but it was…” She stopped destroying the room with her search and crouch to her knees as she wiped at her face. “It belonged to her and now it’s gone!” She kicked the dresser she had been frantically searching through and started pacing the room as he explained what was next. She let out a loud sigh that had a twinge of a growl at the end of it as she paced. “If you trust your crew than I do as well. I doubt any of them knew you were going to hire me anyway and by the look of the downed alcohol in the mess hall, I also doubt any of them would’ve been coherent enough to rifle through my things.” She sat down at the foot of the bed and crossed her legs underneath her; resting her elbows on her knees as she used one hand to run at her temple, facing the now seated Jim. “I don’t believe I was followed in the market, but I can’t be accu

07:19

rate about that after running into you. As for the last few months, I’ve been aboard the Trinity. Before that I sailed through Signus Cross with The Red Queen, but on either voyage I didn’t notice anything.. amiss.” She dropped her hands in her lap as her eyes sifted through information in her head. She was the one stalking someone and had always had her eyes peeled. If someone was on her six, she would’ve known, up until she met Jim. From that point on she had dropped her guard and while it was foolish to see in hindsight, that was the only time she could account for not keeping a weathered eye on her surroundings. “Tattoos are something I rarely pay attention to. Everyone has them and while some unique ones stick out, a Mantavor one doesn’t ring any bells.” Her eyes moved from a center of the room to him as she uttered a question of her own. “Were we followed here?” She wasn’t worried as much as she was angered. No one stole from her and got away with it and if it was this ‘Scroop’, he would pay just like the countless others did who crossed Jamie Sterling. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Listening to her as answered his questions, he did his best to point pieces into place. No strange crewmates and no odd interactions. A compass stolen for no reason other than to take it for sentimental damage. If it was Scroop, he had a close eye on Jim than assumed. "If we had someone follow us, they're good. Not so good they didn't leave their handy work behind." Jim motioned to the dagger then to the broken window. "Clever enough to get on board but I doubt not clever enough to not trigger at least something in the system. This ship has more than enough tricks to outsmart a pirate or two, I suspect our thief wasn't more than a petty paid hand." Getting up to walk across the room and back to the door, he removed a small plate that had looked like an ornamental plague at first glance. Behind it was a small control panel with a few buttons and dials and a small screen. Jim punched in a sequence and nodded his head when a small light flickered at him. Placing the plate back into the wall, he went back and sat down still wishing he hadn't smoked his whole pack. "The ship will do most of the work for now and only my highest level crew has been notified. They'll start the sweep and search, I don't know if they'll find your compass." Jim didn't want to say it aloud but had a sinking suspicion the compass was now on its way to an sadistic Mantavor. 'Just another reason to hunt down and squash that bug,' He thought to himself while finally regaining a little composure. "For tonight, there's nothing else we can really do. It'd be a death sentence to go hunting in the night for a thief, especially one that got onto my ship. You're welcome to stay in my quarters for the night. I have other places to rest and some security footage to look over." He let out a sigh but made no sign that he was getting up to leave. Jim was still trying to piece together how it had all happened. Staring at the dagger, his mind was filled with a mess of thoughts.

@𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

She sat there with her arms crossed and watched as he revealed a hidden control panel and talked out his thought process. When he mentioned sleeping in his quarters, she scoffed, standing up to grab her effects. She buckled the belt around her waist and made sure the pouches, gun and sword were all in their rightful spots as she started spouting off. “If you think I’m going to sleep while some… Spider-Psycho is out there breaking into windows and and stealing sentimentals then you have another thing coming, James!” She finished tightening her belt and jerked her jacket off one of the chairs at the table. “I’ll rest after we have a heading and the skies are clear. Until then.” She waved a hand at the open door, ready for him to lead the way to wherever he was going to watch security footage at. She held a rage behind her icy eyes that only ignited more when she went about tying her hair back again. The messy bun that now perched itself atop her head only made her features seem sharper as she stared at Jim expectantly. “Well?! Up and at ‘em, Hawkins! Get a move on!” She had at least been smiling this time when she clapped her hands and urged him to get off his ass and get to work. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Jamie stood, half furious and half joking, waiting at the cabin door with her self all in order now. Clearly she wasn't as shaken as she first appeared and that got Jim to at least smile a little "If you insist, I guess this captain does have to be a captain. Nothing's getting done just staring at this ugly piece." Jim wrapped the knife in a cloth pulled from his jacket before pocketing the item. "The security system has a secondary access we can use in my hidden nest while the crew does their checks. We can have this looked at by B.E.N when I'm done with it." "Heading down the corridor, he lead them to a small elevator door. He waited for a moment when another secret plain opened on its own. Jim let the retinal scanner do it's work and the elevator let out a soft ding. One of the only places on the entirety of Silver's Legend that only he had access to, with Jamie being the only other person who would ever see his secret office. "Under better circumstances you would have eventually seen this part of the ship but no sense in keeping any secrets now. I hope you don't mind a little mess, I'm not the most organised captain you'll find." As he straightened his jacket and pushed the hair from his face, the elevator began to slow. Finally reaching their destination, the compact elevator let out another soft ding. The smell of smoke, faint liquor and ink greeted the two as the door opened. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

She watched him wrap the dagger and head out the door, stopping at another secret compartment that scanned his eye before allowing him access. “Well, good to know someone won’t break into here unless they kill you first.” She would grin if he turned back to look at her, arms still crossed and hip cocked to the side. She waved a dismissive hand at his ‘organized’ comment and crowded into the elevator with him. It really was a small space; so small in fact that his shoulder was almost touching hers from behind as they rode. At the sound of the ding, she pressed into the room and took a look around. “Holy Trinkets… Jim!” She turned to Jim after she had cast her gaze around at the blatant mess. There were papers scattered all over the desk, books, opened snd closed, piled high and a few bottles placed around as well. She returned to stare at the room, but didn’t want to invade his privacy so she chose not to look too closely at anything. The smell of smoke, liquor and ink though set her mind at ease. It was a smell she had grown use to over her years and now, she associated with him. “I can organize a bit, if it’s not too bold to do. Of course, you’d have to be here with me, but it could be done.” Her tone had returned to normal and her anger seemed to subside. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Tossing his jacket carelessly onto the back of the large lounge chair at the desk, Jim flicked the lights on and threw himself into the seat. He pulled out the dagger from the pockets and laid it out in front of himself. He looked at Jamie in her wondered state and it lightened his mood. "Organize anything you like, feel free to read through some of the loose notes you find. Maybe there's something that could already help us that I've lost or over looked a hundred times." Reaching for a desk drawer, Jim pulled out a case and retrieved a cigarette. He hated the habit but it had become second nature in certain times. "If there's something that you need I'll be here working through the system footage and scans." He closed the drawer lightly and kicked up his feet as a 3D model of the ship projected from the surface of his desk and began a diagnostic protocol. Jim grinned as he went to working on find something that might help them, leaving Jamie to her own devices in the mass of his strange belongings. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Great… Jamie looked around the at the piles of notes that surely had been accumulating over the years. It looked like a secluded study that someone had been living in for longer than they should have. It wasn’t nasty, it didn’t reek and it didn’t have mold growing in places it shouldn’t, but it was covered in the scribbles of a man with an obsession. Walked towards the far left end of the room, she found a bookshelf that looked rifled through, another table that seemed cleaner and less used than the one Jim sat at and drawings that seemed to be apart of a bigger picture. She gathered all the loose papers on the floor and sat down at the chair with a huff. Some where drawings of mechanical components, some were notes taken of different species of creatures and others seemed to be… a map? She separated the papers into piles until the entire desk was sorted and all that remained were the books that laid strewn about. There were still other sections of the room to clear out, but she would get to that later. The thing that currently intrigued her the most were the piece of parchment that looked to be a trajectory. Her crystal eyes studied every drawing until she found where it went amidst the rest. It took every every second of 30 minutes, but she had done it. There before her was a map of the Coral Galaxy with a few missing pieces. A darker line than the pencil used to color in the stardust that made the galaxy visible was drawn around and through it until it landed on an X. A few of the places the line went through were missing, but the destination was there. “Jim.” She nearly whispered, not knowing she had done so. The Galaxy was exactly how it looked from far off in space and she was sure that was the right place. “Jim..” Her voice a normal tone this time, having both palms firmly planted on the table as she stared down at the location. If Jim hadn’t come over or acknowledged her speaking, she would yell for him this time. “Hawkins!” *

14:12

She would look over at him and wait for him to come round. When he saw what she did, she would take a step back.* “Did you do this?” @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Snapping into reality at the sound of his name, Jim shook himself a little and realized where he was again. Jamie had made quite the assortment of what looked like old notes and scribbles laid about. Rubbing his temple and taking a drag from his still burning cigarette, he dropped some ash in a tray and put his eyes on Jamie. "I've done all kinds of things, some not as nice as others. You'd have to be more specific with what exactly. Did I make all those notes and doodles? Yes. While they aren't the best I'm sure one or two ended up having it's use." Jim kicked his feet up on the desk and tried to make sense of what she was looking at from where he was. He didn't want to get up from where he sat but would if Jamie really wanted his attention so badly. She wouldn't have snapped him out of his thoughts for nothing and now, he couldn't keep his eyes off how her sword fell around her hips as she stood over whatever work he may or may not have done. "Can you lay it out here or is it something I built and now doesn't move from behind a stack of books? It's not that old pistol the Navy gifted me is it...because that thing is not an accurate reflection of how that mission went. We didn't scuttle an entire fleet, they struck an asteroid belt on their get away and we just managed to catch up. No impressive story there just a lot of dumb luck." Jim had his head back as he spoke, wracking his brains as to what it could be all while keeping his gaze of Jamie while see continued with whatever she had found. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

At the sound of his feet hitting the desk, she came to stare straight ahead at bookshelf in front of her. She listened to his ramblings, a smirk appearing on her face as her tongue glided across her bottom lip. She would never not be fascinated by his stories, but now wasn’t the time. She slowly turned her body towards him, crossed her arms and leaned against the table. A single eyebrow raised as that smirk turned into a closed-mouth grin. “Were you aware that your doodles formed a map?” She figured that was enough to bring him over, but if it wasn’t, she would cock her head to the side and stare into those mischievous blue eyes that still sat across the room. “Ever heard of the Coral Galaxy? It’s quite close in relative terms to Treasure Planet. If I was a gambling girl, I’d say you cruised right past it all those years ago. Did you know there is supposedly a massive hoarde of treasure there now?” She continued talking until he removed himself from his chair and came over to inspect the puzzle she had completed, and if he didn’t, she would start to slowly walk towards him. “Over the last five years or so, they say a fleet of ship split off in different directions from the center of space. They robbed their way through planets, galaxies and ports until they each had a ship full of treasures and trinkets beyond your dreams.” If he was still seated, she would come to stand right next to him, peering at the desk he had his feet on and noticing a few pieces of paper that matched the map. She reached across him to claim them, then continued talking as she looked into those piercing eyes of his and went back to her own desk. If he had finally come over to her desk already, she would simply continue talking while watching him scan the image before him “They pulled a Nathanial Flint and stockpiled all of the gold in an underground lair in the Coral Galaxy. From what I hear, no one has looked into it. Maybe it’s because treasure seeking isn’t all that crac

15:04

ked up to be, but I bet your Scroop isn’t above a little coin.” No matter where he was, she would stop and stare at him. There was every chance that she was wrong, but the stories of the treasure and an incomplete map on Jim’s part seemed to be a good estimation by her counts. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"That was all said to be as much a myth as Treasure Planet yeah...years ago we looked into a lead there and never got anything from it. Just some good solar sailing and a few odds and ends from the merchants at spaceports." Jim sat there and mulled over what she had said to him. There was no way they missed something back then but he wasn't the same captain he was now either. He scratched at his chin while considering and spoke to where Jamie's voice was coming from. "You can run the notes and anything you've found into the database. It'll be faster at putting together your findings rather than trying to redraw it." Searching the desk for extra ink and paper, Jim muttered the next bit only loud enough for hopefully himself to hear. "Only because I don't keep enough bloody supplies in this place." Relaxing once more, he put his hands behind his head and let the cigarette rest on his lips. Jim was now very curious as to what Jamie had in mind as he knew she'd found something. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie thought I’m what Jim had said, clearly not interested enough to come view his work all laid out. She placed her palms on the desk again and traveled through the Galaxy in her mind, following every twist and turn the line provided. Why does it curve? You could just sail straight thought it, why maneuver in such a way that it makes the trip take this much longer? “How did you sail into the Galaxy when you went? Details, Hawkins. I need them all.” If he told her, she would follow the map with her eyes to see if he had missed anything. A sudden turn, an unforeseen dip; there had to be something he had missed? If he hadn’t and it was all a myth, she had wasted their time, but if it wasn’t… @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"As much as it's impressive you could ever decipher most of this, you have some parts reserved or upside down." Trying not to burn her with the ember as he reached over her shoulder, Jim adjusted some of the sprawling papers. He hoped he hadn't startled Jamie as he had come from the desk without much sound. Doing his best to keep the smoke from their faces, he pointed out something she may not have noticed. "Some of the points aren't written as true coordinates, more as markers. Whether it was hostile sailing or something we had to go back and scout, any point with the 60° mark isn't a true point see." Moving his finger with the line, Jim made an entirely new route that cut out entire parts of the map. He was never able to quite figure out the big picture and often found himself missing Dr.Delbert and his strange genius. "Most of the route is a diversion, and the problem was always we could get to here." He let his index finger rest on the point he mentioned, "Then it just goes cold. No spaceport, no warps...just a speck of space." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

The words that came from behind her did make her jump, but as his arm snaked around her to flip certain pieces over and adjust them to how he had them before, she saw a completely different path laid before her. It took her a moment to study the new image and when she did, she followed his skilled hand across the pages and noted every mark her mentioned. She found that her mind wasn’t entirely there as he traced down the sketched path, turning her head slightly to catch a glimpse of his eyes as he spoke of where there seemed to be nothing. Just before he finished his train of thought, she quietly cleared her throat and redirected her gaze. “Nothing? Jim. You know better than anyone that where there is nothing, there is undoubtably something.” She had turned to look at him again as she said it, smiling wryly before looking at the X marker. “What if it’s another door? There is no way you have tracked this pirate all across the solar system for him to sneak up and find you without warning. The Coral Galaxy isn’t far from here and if wherever he makes berth is, this door could’ve been the closest one.” She reached in the satchel that hung at her waist, reaching for a small plate-like device, but the excitement she had felt at the prospect of having it was diminished by the absence of her compass. Muttering profanities under her breath, she withdrew a small, circular plate that barely fit in the palm of her hand. She clicked the button in the center and a blue holographic map sprung out in a globe-shaped pattern, not unlike his map to treasure planet. She sat the plate on the table and used one hand to zoom into the map. Swiping a few times she found Crescentia and swiping one more she found the Coral Galaxy. Clicking the spiral of stardust, it cleared everything else from the map and projected the entirety of The Coral Galaxy. She compared the image to that in front of her and flipped another page on its side before looking him with a sideways smirk. “

10:57

See anything you missed before, Captain?” @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"By...thunder..." Jim stepped back half a stride in awe of the holographic map that took him back to a different time entirely. His eyes shone with the reflection before them, with Jim himself almost being lost for words. "How did you get this....we've seen a few since Treasure Planet but those doors are only semi functional at best now. This means..." Jim began to mumble to himself as he walked around the image, studying the new information that Jamie had revealed. He looked and sure enough, she was right. While his notes and sketches were helpful it didn't have the same look at the hologram. Where Jim had only uncovered empty space where the galaxy seemed to end was marked a small gas cluster, or at least appeared to be at first glance. "A second revolving door!" Jim almost threw his cigarette across the room, making his thoughts known once more. "Flint had an failsafe im case there was ever a need to trigger the self destruct while stashing any cargo. That cluster has to be a second revolving door." Jim's normally calm and collected features where now shadowed and sharp. His eyes flashed with almost hatred as he continued to study the map and only parts that his own maps where lacking. Jamie had brought him more than just a capable crew hand and good company. "Once we finish up here on Crescentia we need to find whoever or wherever you got that map. If it is what I think it could be, there's a reason someone came looking for trouble on my ship." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie had fully meant to answer the rattled Jim, but she waited until he finished his intense inspection before doing so. Watching his eyes ignite was something that made her adrenaline pump. He was ravenous with realization and his ambition almost made her lose her thoughts when it did come time to answer him. Only then realizing that she had been staring at him the entire time instead of the map, she cleared her throat and redirected to the hologram. “Unfortunately, I picked this trinket up from a man in Kinapis who had no idea what it was. It’s not too far from here, but it’s anyones best guess where he got it. He thought it was a plain saucer.” She examined the hologram and the map before bringing her eyes up to meet his. “Jim, if this is what you say it is, it could mean there is a back up treasure hoarde somewhere and if they figured it out first—“ Her words trailed off as she imagined an entire crew of degenerate pirates with a limitless money supply. “You’re smart, Jim, but money can buy a lot of trinkets from Intelligent people like you.” She stared into his determined stare with an almost worried one. They had no idea what they were getting into if Scroop had found a second door system. However, her worry was quickly replaced as she straightened herself. If Flint did have a fail safe, it only brought on her passion more. That Captain destroyed her family and if there was still any trace of him left in the world, it was her own personal mission to annihilate it. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Jim stood considering her words and smoking, trying to keep focused on the task and not the way the hue of the map had glistened on Jamie's face. Those looks she gave him while looking into his eyes would be his end. "You make a good point, and money can buy you all kinds of things. If Scroop has even an inkling that this is possible I'm sure it's what he's been after. Someone was willing to risk their head trying to get to this map." He pushed the hair from his face and let out a sigh. This was the kind of lead he'd been looking for but now seeing how desperate that bastard spider had become made Jim uneasy. Thieves and stowaways weren't uncommon but to leave the note and dagger was something more. "We need to keep this map between us. None of the crew or B.E.N are to know about it. The most they need to know is we've got a lead and will be sailing soon enough." Jim pulled some smoke in and let it out slowly trying to ease his own mind a little. Jamie and the crew were more than capable but he wasn't going to throw them into anymore danger than they already found themselves in. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

(Skald, I am so sorry

)

“Agreed.” Jamie stated. While the map had come in handy a time or two, she was more than happy that it was useful to Jim. He had more knowledge than she could possibly imagine and if all he needed was a map to make something click, that was well enough for her. Her bright eyes looked back and forth between the map and his artwork before they settled on him again. “Would you like me to transcribe what you’re missing? Because if it’s all the same to you, this is as good of a spot as any to hide this map. I won’t have someone pilfer anything else off my person.” If he didn’t need her to transcribe anything, she would click the center button on the plate and render it unremarkable again; walking back to his other desk to hide it away in a drawer. If he did want her to copy down what he hadn’t known, she would pull a chair out from the table and go about making the areas of import, after she located an adequate pencil.|| “You really should get some sleep. You won’t be any help to anyone if you’re falling asleep at the helm.” Her eyes had found his again, looking for any trace of compromise. Her job, while significant, was far less than his as far as his ship was concerned. “Don’t give him the satisfaction of killing you because you were too stubborn to sleep.” @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

(Fucking kill me. Just deal with it. The other option was suppose to be blacked out too. Pick an option and go

) (edited)

"Take down any notes or markers you think might be useful. If you can find a spot to stay comfortable enough there's some liquor in the old bar on the wall." He pointed to a small bar with a few glasses in the corner. Jim winked and behind him the wall began to hum and move. The crow's nest office opened into a large space that had a bed and another smaller lounge chair near a makeshift workstation. "The arachnid will have to do better than that. Wouldn't be the first time someone's tried to prove their worth against Captain Hawkins. I'd like to think it might always be the last one though." Walking over to the bed, he sat on the edge and kicked off his boots. Throwing his shirt off and throwing it on the lounge chair, the lights flickered against Jim's chest. Littered with scars and marks the shadows moved to reveal the years that had not always be so kind to him. Jim stood up and walked to a small wardrobe, picking out something new to wear. Along his back were more scars and signs that he been through the worst parts of fhe galaxy. "There's some of Captain Amelia's old uniforms and items in a trunk in here somewhere. She left a few to me when her and the Doc decided to help out more with the Benbow. None of their little ones ever went much further than Crescentia here, so I think she'd find it fitting that it got back to the hands of a sailor that would use it." He continued to rummage around as he spoke, not looking directly at Jamie and just talking out loud. Jim let out a small laugh as he was reminded of the easier days back on Montressor. "You'd enjoy Montressor, even for the colony rock that it might be. Things are simple there and people aren't like the ones you find on the docks." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

She immediately sat down and rummaged for a pencil, already starting her note taking and position moving as he pointed towards the bar. Her eyes did meet his and spot the bar, her mouth starting to water at the prospect. When she heard the wall behind him start to move, she jerked her attention to him and then the wall. As it revealed a hidden chamber, she scoffed and rose from her seat, making her way to the bar but not taking her eyes off the new room. She grabbed a bottle of dark liquor and sauntered to the frame of the bedroom, admiring the addition that he had surely built. When he started to disrobe, she tried her best to ignore him and look at anything else, removing the cork from the bottle and taking a swig. When his attention was off her, her eyes glued themselves to his bare chest; a chest covered in scars that he likely had multiple stories for. She heard something about a uniform before she pulled herself from her trance and took another few gulps of liquor. When he finished and she pulled the bottle from her lips, she stared directly at him with a small chuckle leaving her lips. “If you think I haven’t already been to Montressor in search of you, you’re sorely mistaken. You have to understand how badly I wanted to meet you after Treasure Planet. As I said, it was personal and you set something right that I couldn’t.” She walked over to the nightstand by the bed and sat down the bottle that only contained 2/3rds of liquor, leaving it for him before she turned to continue working on the map. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Her words hit him like a meteor as he stopped what he was doing. Jim was sure of what he heard but was still piecing together her story from earlier. The only thing he had ever done right was get rid of Treasure Planet, and that had it's fair share of close calls all its own. "Flint was long dead by the time we got through the door. I saw his bones myself, sitting amidst the piles of his prizes. B.E.N can tell you more if you ever wanted to hear it." Jim turned and noticed Jamie had gone back to working on the map but had left him a bottle of dark rum. Sitting down on the bedside, he picked up the bottle drank deeply. Laying back on the bed, the bottle still in one hand, he took the last pull off his cigarette before leaving it in the tray on the nightstand. "The Benbow would have been the best place to start and you very well know that...was I still in the Navy when you went looking? I must have been off world but I've had my boots hit so much soil I wouldn't know where to start." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie made a mental note to talk to B.E.N. at some point after they set sail. She listened to him question where she started as she began marking her first point on his makeshift map. Without pulling her eyes from her work, she answered. “I didn’t either.” There was a short pause before she continued. “You weren’t there when I came by, but I didn’t stay long. I only stayed long enough to know you weren’t around. I wasn’t about to intrude on your family.” It was only then that she brought her gaze up from her work to meet his. “It’s alright. I found you didn’t I?” She gave a kind smile, whether he saw it or not, before going back to the map. There were only a few corrections to be made and as long as she recorded them correctly, they would only need a few sheets of the map to take from the secret room. Her eyes flicked back and forth from the hologram to the paper until she had finished detailing the first point or he spoke, whichever came first. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"I suppose you can look at it that way. More like you ran into meet instead of find but tell people however you like." Jim laid his head back and closed his eyes. He couldn't help but stare while she worked so he thought it best to close them for a moment. Visions of a younger him floated into his thoughts as he went back through his younger years chasing different things. A part of him wished some things had played out a little different as he lay there. "Makes sense that you wouldn't stay long on Montressor, especially if I wasn't the only one you seemed to be looking for." A soft smile and Jim took another drink from the bottle. He reached over toward the nightstand and pulled open a small panel. Flipping a small switch, soft music filled the office as he leaned back and closed his eyes again. "I hate to work in silence and usually Morph keeps me occupied enough when I'm alone but even the little guy enjoys the old records. Took me a few months to work out how to retrowire in to the ship's systems, worth all the trouble in the end though." Enjoying the rest and alcohol he let out a deep breath, leaned over to the night stand and grab another cigarette. Lighting it then sinking into the pillow just enough to be comfortable, he could hear the scribbling against the desk every so often and wondered if Jamie had heard him. Jim figured it didn't matter much either way, if she needed his attention she had already shown that she was capable. Letting the sound around him blanket his thoughts, Jim blow out a puff of smoke. 'Glowing like a solar flare, she is' an old voice drifted into his mind once again, laying there like a smiling cabin boy. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Her eyes angrily jolted to his when he mention how they met, although she didn’t say anything. Onto the next change, her writing slowed as he spoke of her searching for someone else. He was right, much more than he realized. Montressor was a ‘two with one stone’ situation. She was looking for her, but the Benbow was right there. She couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Second point finished. The music made her stop writing as she looked up at him. He seemed so at peace, laying there lost in his thoughts. His explanation of the music made her smile again, letting out a soft sigh before she started and finished the third change. She enjoyed his casual conversation, even if she didn’t have much to add. His voice was more soothing than any music could be. “Well, you’ve made this too easy for me, Jim.” She wrote the last of the fourth change down and gathered the sheets of paper she had altered. Walking into his room, she stood at the edge of his bed and held the papers up by her face. “Do you want to see them? Or should I leave them on the desk on my way out?” If he could see her face, she had an eyebrow raised with a sweet smile on her face, her eyes running wild whenever those blue eyes were brightened by his cigarette. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

When he did open his eyes, he realised Jamie was closer than she had seemed when she spoke. At the end of the bed in the soft lighting her silhouette again made Jim's skin tingle. He couldn't make out much of her features but he was sure she was being coy. "Isn't the captain always supposed to double check the charting?" He held the bottle out and offered a seat. "Show me what you've made sense of. I'm sure it's easier to explain than anything I've shown to the crew." Jim sat up a little as he made room for her to find a seat on the bed, if she did want to sit with him instead of in the small lounge chair. He scratched at his chest while idly smoking, considering lighting an extra lantern. Jim was able to see well enough but if they needed more light he'd need to get up and over to the panel on the wall. "Make yourself comfortable. I'd hate for you to stand at the foot of the bed while we go over this. I'm getting tired just thinking of all the work you already did." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

’Isn’t the Captain always suppose to double check the charting?’ She playfully rolled her eyes and traded him, the maps for the bottle. Once he held the papers in his hand, she sat down on the bed next to him, ready to explain anything he had questions about. Each point she had plotted were spots where there had simply been open space on his maps, however, there were meteors, discolorations or clouds of stardust on the hologram. She took a large swig of the bottle and moved closer to him, pointing to some of the alterations she made. “Now, mind you, these maybe nothing. These are just the difference from your map to mine. The meteor could’ve shown up any time between when you left and now. As for the discolorations and the clouds of stardust, I can’t account for that.” She took another drink as his eyes traced over her handiwork. “You know, Jim. You don’t have to look over this now. It’ll take us a few days to get to the Coral Galaxy.” Her gaze shifted back and forth between his and the papers, but only on his eyes whenever he looked towards her. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

As she moved closer to him, he could smell the scent on her skin. Listening as she explained her work, Jim tried to keep his eyes off her body as it moved so close to his. "Better to be prepared for whatever we might run into. Not worth the risk of being caught off guard or taken by surprise." Jim grinned as he glanced back across her work. Accounting for all kinds of detail, it was a wonder he could ever keep track of his own work. Smoke drifted around them now as they went over everything. He did his best to keep his hands away from her but her could feel his fingers twitch whenever she got just close enough. Jim tried to keep his composure and hoped that Jamie couldn't tell, his mind starting to turn to thoughts other than star maps. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie nodded to his statement. It was better to be prepared, but neither of them knew exactly what time it was and there was little luck that they would both be well rested before the next day. That, suddenly, didn’t seem to bother her though. The smoke from his habit didn’t bother her either, the sweet tendrils finding their way in her nose with almost every breath. She took another swig from the bottle before she gingerly caressed the hand that was holding the cigarette just to steal it from his possession and trade it for the bottle. Her eyes never left the maps as she took a long drag from the almost spent stick, holding in the smoke for a few seconds before slowly exhaling and squinting at one of the drawings. “You’ve been to all of these places, right? The stardust could be happenstance, but if a door is opening amid the stars, it could be causing stardust to kick up. Which means… it was opened recently. I say we check this place first. If I’m wrong, we have the other points plotted.” She took another drag before she handed it back to him, likely with only one hit left in it and that was if he got to it quickly. Her eyes hadn’t left the parchment while she spoke, but when he didn’t say anything right away, she turned to look at him with a raised brow, as if to ask him if he was okay with her plan. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

The cigarette's dying ember returned to his fingers but the feeling of electricity that had run through his body still coursed through him. Her voice was like a a separate melody over the low music as she put her suggestions out. Jim had to focus on her eyes as her chest heaved and the smoke lingered from Jamie's lips. "Stardust checks first it is then. There shouldn't be clouds in some of those points either so we'll mark those for recon as well." Jim crushed the smoldering ash on the nightstand, his eyes searching Jamie's now. "I'll leave that to the First Mate in the morning. For now, you made the point that we had better get some kind of rest, not that there's really much night left." He let a little grin slip out onto his lips as he spoke. Maybe she wouldn't leave right away and help him finish the bottle, Jim held the slight hope that with his little joke that Jamie would want to stay. He kept his hands away from her thigh that rested only inches from his fingers, even though he could feel the heat Jamie's skin held from beneath her clothes. Jim's blood raced as he wished she would lean just a little closer next time. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie’s leered at him with a side eye at the mention of getting sleep. She had only told him so three or four separate times. She watched as a grin stretched across his face before she held out her hand for the maps. “Fine, if only someone had mentioned that earlier, eh?” Before she took the papers from him, forcefully if he didn’t hand them to her, she would grab the neck of the bottle to remove it from his temptations as well. Neither item did he readily give up and she looked at him with exasperation. “Unless you’re planning on sleeping with the maps and the bottle of liquor, give them here.” She almost laughed as she pulled the bottle towards her, but simply waited for the maps. She didn’t want to rip or tear them and have to draw them all over again. It was then, chuckling happily and dealing with the most stubborn Captain she had ever met, that she noticed the music that played in the background had been tuned out from the moment she sat down. The comments he had made on the maps were things they already knew or simply words that agreed with her course of action. Shaking her eyes from his, she attributed it all too too much alcohol and nicotine on his part. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"It's always nice to sleep with something, the mattress can get awfully cold here. The ship's heating doesn't work quite as well in this part. Still needs some work, I should get someone on that." Jim placed the maps in Jamie's waiting hand. He let his rest there for a minute before he pulled it back, resting it behind his head. Watching her with her hands now full, he debated pulling her down and feeling the lightning of her lips against his. Jim kept his breathing steady as his heart pounded in his bare chest. He was sure if it were any louder Jamie would hear it over the sounds that floated in the air. Trying his luck, Jim spoke just loud enough to hear over the music. "I can sleep in the lounger if you don't want to go all the way back to the cabins. A lady shouldn't go without a place to lay her head when she looks to sleep and you are still a lady on my ship." The words had slipped from his mouth before Jim could think twice. The faint light slipped along Jamie's skin and taunted his fingertips, while the smell of her perfume had mixed with the smoke and made it even harder to focus. "You're under no obligation to stay," His eyes danced with the shadows of the room as he almost whispered to her. "I won't wake you until the crew is ready but I won't ask you to leave either."

14:01

He could barely think over the sound of his heart in his ears. 'Best keep your wits there Jimbo' crossed his mind and in a flash it was replaced with imagine of Jamie draped in only his jacket while sitting on the deck in the sun. Jim could hardly keep his focus now as he made sure to keep his eyes locked onto hers. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

When Jamie had finally obtained both the maps and the bottle, she laughed at the mention of no heat. That must have been why it was a bit chilly up there and she couldn’t blame him for wanting the liquor. She took a final drink and sat it on his nightstand before she stood. She hadn’t even made it one step away before he mentioned sleeping in the lounger if she wanted the bed. She turned to face him with a look of confusion and embarrassment at first, until she recalled that her quarters weren’t exactly safe. Her gaze moved to the door of the office before returning back to him, taunting her with his charm whether he meant to or not. “I—“ She looked around the room and estimated the lounger to be a tight fit for his height. There was no way he was getting any rest if he slept there. She turned to place the parchment on the desk just outside of the bedroom as she spoke, slipping off her jacket as well and draping it around the chair. “I don’t mind staying, but you’re not sleeping in that chair if I do.” She unbuckled her belt and laid her belongings on the desk before slipping out of her heeled boots too. “You’re just going to have to be okay with sharing a bed with your new hire and I guess if you’re not,” She pulled her long, red hair out of the hair tie she had tied it up with earlier and finally turned to face him again. “then your quarters are just an elevator away.” When she had come to face him again, she had a stern look on her face. She was trying to feign the confidence of someone who was speaking with an old friend instead of someone she had just met not six hours ago. She was about three inches shorter now and as she walked through the darkened room, she rounded on the side of the bed that he wasn’t on. *It was plenty big enough for the two of them, with room to spare, but that didn’t make her feel like any less of a spaceport floozy. She still had her corset to take off before she crawled into the bed, but she stood there staring at hi

14:20

m instead, her sky blue eyes fixed on his for any signal that he was leaving.* @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

The reckless cabin boy turned captain couldn't help himself any longer as he stared at the gorgeous woman at the edge of his bed. Jim was to his knees and their bodies inches from each other in the blink of an eye. His one hand pushed through her fallen red hair to find its way onto the back of her neck while the other found the small of he back. "A really wise friend once told me you have to give up a few things chasing a dream." It was the last thing Jim said before he pressed his lips to hers. Jamie's soft skin against his felt like he was standing in a solar flare. Rolling her in his arms he laid her onto the bed, Jim started to undo the corset that she hadn't had the chance yet take off. Pulling himself from their kiss, Jim ran his hand along her neck and across her collarbone gently before scanning her face. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie did everything she could to still herself as Jim practically leapt from his spot to be face-to-face with her. His hands on the nape of her neck and her lower back stole the function of her lungs as her eyes fixed themselves on his. She didn’t even have time to fully process what he said before his lips met hers. Her hands immediately came up to hold his jaw, only wrapping around his neck when he pulled her onto the bed. Her fiery hair laid against the bed looked almost like a supernova and when he pulled away from the kiss, her bright eyes did little to counteract it. She still hadn’t felt like she had breathed since she came back into the room and as his hand caressed down her chest, she didn’t think she ever wanted to again. Pulling his face back down to hers by the nape of his neck, she pressed their foreheads together and spoke in a soft whisper against his lips. “I guess that means you’re okay my with it?” She laughed as much as she could with the little amount of air in her lungs, slowly bringing her lips back to his. When she felt the pressure from the corset loosen, she pushed her chest into his to allow him to move the scrap of leather out from under her. One hand traced down his chest, gently caressing every scar on the way down while the other held his head to hers. It didn’t take long at all for her lips to part during their kiss, her tongue immediately searching for his as the smell of warm liquor and smoke intermingled between them both. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

There was only starlight in his mind now as Jamie's question was more of a statement as she moved to let his hand work. The corset finally let go and Jim wanted to rip in right from her chest. Instead he used his other hand to reach down and pressed his hand to her hip and slid a finger into her waistband teasing at the fabric. Jim let the taste of her kiss overtake him completely as he felt her fingers trace over his body. He pulled himself away for a moment to whisper. "I was about to ask the same question." Jim slipped down her body and started to let his lips explore any exposed skin he could find. Jamie's skin was warm but wherever he placed his kiss there was a small shiver in response. "Normally I don't spend the first night with a guest in my own office." Jim placed his chin on her hip for a moment. He wanted to hear her voice tell him to keep going, or to feel her nails dig into the skin of his shoulders as he circled a button on Jamie's waist. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jim’s hand on her hip, pressing in and pulling at the form-fitting cloth pants and blouse she was wearing elicited a small moan against his lips just before he pulled away. When they separated, she gasped for air as their eyes met and his whisper came out in a lustful tone. She had never seen his eyes so intense or so close and she could swear they hid several solar systems of their own inside. Her hands came up to caress his face and run through his hair she smiled wide at his statement. Her chest heaved as his breath against her neck and collarbone sent shivers down her spine and made her breath ragged. Throwing her head back into the pillows, she struggled to regain composure the lower he dropped. Her hands draped to his shoulders, ran down his biceps and slowly came back up to grab his shoulders; her nails digging into him when he stopped. She lifted her head from the bed to see why he had stopped and what she saw was a sight to behold. He had maneuvered himself clear down to her waistline and was staring up at her with the most intense eyes. His chin against her hip caused a rough sigh to escape her lips as his fingers teased at her clothing. “Uggghhh, well then, I guess it’s a good thing I’m not a guest.” She arched her back to pull the corset out from under her, shoving it into the floor before gently lifting her hips to press into his chin more. Her eyes met his as he fingered the clothing at her waist, her hands running over his until they reached his forearms. “Come on, Jim. Don’t stop now.” If her sultry voice didn’t convince him, then her eyes would. The blue masses were pleading for him to continue as her hips gently rocked underneath his face. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

With the sound of his name escaping Jamie's breathless body made his heart only beat faster. At her wish, Jim continued to unfastened her well fitted clothes and pulled gently. He let his hands brush against her thighs as his mouth explored. Starting just above the waistline of her panties, Jim let the heat of her skin consume him. With every breath, the shivers from both his own body and Jamie's, had his hands caressing her hips. Playfully biting at the inside of her leg, Jim glanced up to watch her reaction. "I don't think I could stop now even if I wanted to." He wanted to feel her fingers through his hair as he tasted her. Jim's blood raced as the ache in his own body rose, wanting to make her tremble with pleasure. With another gentle tug, he removed her panties and letting his tongue now dance on her flesh. Just softly enough that Jamie would feel it, Jim moved slowly lower as he savoured every bit of her. Small moans and the occasional shivering breath was the only sound he could hear, the plea to continue etched now in his mind. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

The cool air that surrounded them pricked at her legs as he removed her pants, hearing the soft fabric hit the floor just before his breath hit her waistline. Her back gently arched as her eyes closed, her hands running up his carved arms to squeeze and grope along the way. His teeth against her inner thigh sent an electric shock through her body that ended in a wide smile across her face that only became brighter at his words. Her body writhed in his hands as he removed the last bit of clothing that covered her lower body. The warmth of his tongue hit her first, shooting her eyes open and contracting her hands on his arms hard. His breath made her involuntarily shake against him and when he dropped lower, she couldn’t stop the desperate moan that left her lips. Her legs separated for him while they bent at the knees while her hands returned to own chest, to slowly slip off her blouse. Her slender frame contorted above her waist as she took off the last bit of clothing she wore, and every section of her lower body was rocking beneath him, begging him to keep going. “Mmmm, Jim.” Her voice was not of that determined nature she held before, it was much more sensual now. It wasn’t a whisper, but it was just loud enough for him to hear it. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Her words in his mind were like stars exploding in Jim's head. He buried his tongue deeper into her, letting the the taste take over his senses. Jim took a hand and used his finger to keep rubbing where his tongue had moved from, every so often pushing just a little harder. He could feel Jamie's ecstasy in all of her little moans. The tone of her voice no longer coy with hidden meanings. The nails digging into his skin were a sign he wasn't to stop at all just yet. Jim licked some of the juices that had now covered Jamie as her skin quivered under him. His free hand was now fighting to undo his belt, wanting to stroke himself while she groped for him and whimpered his name. Jim felt himself get even harder as his tongue circled Jamie's clit, her body reacting to the heavier touch now. Watching her breasts heave in the flicker of lights made him more ravenous as her slender figure writhed with him, lost in a tangle of bedsheets and attire @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Her moans grew louder as Jim sunk his tongue into her, a free hand finding his jet black hair. Guiding his tongue around her, so pulled when she needed him higher and pushed when she needed him harder, all the while using her other hand to massage her breast. She heard the jingle of his belt coming undone and a clank when it hit the floor. After releasing a lustful moan in the air, she craned her head down to see exactly what he was doing. His figure in the lantern light was arousing on its own, but the way he moved his fingers and tongue between her legs caused her stomach to flex. She could feel her muscles constricting the longer he worked and with each passing second, that need in her chest started to take over. “Ohh, shit! Don’t stop.. I’m almost there..” *Her grip on his hair tightened and her moans grew louder and more frequent, her body arching and squirming in his hands. If he continued what he was doing, her entire body would tense beneath him as her climax gripped her and threatened to not let go. If he stopped just short, she would collapse onto the bed with ragged breathing and exasperation, propping herself up on her forearms to gaze down into his eyes. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

He couldn't get enough of her now. The taste was all over his lips as he licked away at Jamie while she begged. Jim could barely hold himself together, pushing two of his fingers deep inside her while now sucking at her clit. He let out a soft moan as he felt her tighten around his fingers, her juices now dripping. Stopping for a moment to let Jamie catch her breath, he cleaned his finger and teased her. "That tastes better than the rum but you won't let me keep you hidden on a shelf on for my own." Jim was now leaning over Jamie as her body still vibrated slightly under him. He looked over her body, enjoying the way the shadow teased him with the sight of her now sweat dripping breast. The small droplets looked like tiny shooting stars as they fell across her flesh. He wanted to push himself deep inside her, instead resting himself just so that she could feel him. "Show me how well you can handle a captain," Leaning down to her ear, he nibbled at the lobe. "Jamie Sterling" @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

The feeling of his fingers and breath between her legs sent her over the edge, clenching and shaking beneath him. When he stopped, she drew in long drags of air that suddenly halted when he hovered over her. His eyes cascaded down her form while hers were fixated on his galactic hues. His hardened shaft between her legs caused her lungs to freeze, but his sultry words in her ear ignited something in her that hadn’t been there for a long time. Her hands ran up his arms and when she heard her name on his lips, her nails dug into his biceps. In one swift movement, she pushed herself up while sweeping one of his arms out from under him. She mounted his torso and brought her lips down to his ear as her flaming red hair fell to one side. Her hand caressed his cheek while the other pressed into his side. “With pleasure.” She kissed his lobe, pulling it between her teeth before she slowly made her way down his body. Her teeth pulled at the flesh of his neck, then his chest, until she reached his hips. Her tongue swept behind her bites, as if apologizing for their lust and once she reached his hips, her eyes creased from her smile. She slid off him and off the bottom of the bed before grabbing his calves and pulling him to the very edge. Her hands ran up his thighs and her eyes stared into his with all the eagerness she possessed. Taking him in her hand, she brought the tip between her lips, letting her tongue lightly graze him. In seconds, she pushed her head down on him, taking in as much of his length as she could before he hit the back of her throat. Soft moans came from her with each bob, her other hand squeezing his thigh. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Before he realized what had happened there was a flurry of orange locks as she returned his taunts. Jamie had made he way down his body with a feeling that caused his entire mind to flood with a lustful haze. Teasing him right to the edge of the bed and almost to his limit. "Y-Yes...that's perfect..." "She now had almost his entire length down her throat with each of her movements. His voice was gruff and ragged now, Jim's hands holding her hair so he could watch as she swallowed his shaft an inch at a time. "Damn it....you're n-not new to this..." Jim tried to keep from forcing her down onto himself harder. Clutching at the sheets now, his moans were growing more gruff and louder. Her tongue flicked against the under side of his length with every stroke, Jim almost writhing in pleasure from the woman. "Jamie...keep..." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

With her hair out of her face, she was able to comfortably go down farther, almost touching her lips to his base. With each aggressive dive her throat constricted around his shaft, causing her eyes to water and her hands to clutch hard at his thighs. At his last words, she knew he didn’t want her to stop and with all of his moans, she didn’t want to either. Her tongue coiled around him every chance it got and as his breathing became more rapid, she shoved herself down on him harder. Light moans left her when she could emit them, taking great pleasure in hearing his enjoyment. If the angle would allow her, her eyes would venture up to his when she was able. The small amounts of liquid that seeped from his tip encouraged her to not only go faster, but deeper. She could feel the slight pulse in her mouth and with every bob, it only seemed to become more prominent. Her hands raked up his legs until she got to his muscular sides, sliding her nails down him hard with the intention of leaving her own marks on his body. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

The tiny sparks of pain couldn't compare to the feeling that had him rocking hips into Jamie's motions. Every timr he caught himself get a little closer to that release he would bite lip or let out a sound of enjoyment. "Not yet...mmm..." With the little bit of his own control he had left, Jim gave Jamie's hair a playful tug as he pulled her off and made him look at him. Her eyes sparkled as Jim grabbed her chin firmly and kissed her. "That's a good girl. The captain still wants to see what else you can do. Are you going to keep that mouth busy or do I have to ask you to address me by name and rank?" He held her face pointing to his, only a hint of authority in his voice. Jim grinned and brushed some of the stray hair from her face. His body wanted her more than ever, to shake the Silver's Legends masts and rattle the stars. The sweat and scent of them both now filled the room as he watched her features with every breath. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

His tug on her hair allowed her a chance to breath and she took it hard. With an eager gasp, it was cut short by his lips onto hers. Her hands aggressively found his shoulders as she pushed him down onto the bed just before he started speaking. His hold on her chin and the slight raise of his brow had her tongue gently trailed across her lips. She lowered her hips onto his, slowly grinding hard onto his length before she brought her lips down to his ear once more. “Is that.. what you want.., Captain Hawkins?” Her words were slow and deliberate as a hand dipped down to massage and angle him exactly where she wanted him to be. With every rock, he slid between her lower lips without penetration, becoming soaked in the natural wetness that he had caused. Her breath in his ear was broken and accompanied by small, high-pitched moans that only grew louder and more satisfied as she lowered herself directly onto him. His shaft thrusted through her tight walls with relative ease, causing a sharp gasp from Jamie. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

The gasp she let out as Jim felt her lower herself onto his waiting shaft echoed in his eardrum, his fingers digging into her hips and holding her there with all of himself now inside her. Grinding slowly back and forth, he could feel the contractions of Jamie's pleasure while his own body reacted on instinct. Jim kissed her neck and never let go of where his hands still grasp her. Chasing beads of sweat, he now had her breasts against his soft lips and playfully gave Jamie a small bite. Rocking his hips, Jim grinned with pleasure as a small sharp pain confirmed her nails gripping his flesh, the feeling making him rocking just a little harder. "I want more...everything thing you've got..." His voice was caught between his own moans and trying to keep his breath. Her wetness now dripped from him as Jim shifted his hips and laid back, a hand on now on the back of Jamie's head pulling her down for another deep kiss as groans of lust came breathless as his nerves rippled with the sensations still gripping his length. Her name was all he could muster as her eyes flashed and a grin met his murmur "Mmm...Jamie" @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

His lips on her neck and down her chest made her hips grind into him harder. She brought her hands up into his hair and pulled him into her, smiling and slightly chuckling at his bite. The feeling of him inside her was euphoric and when he laid back to pull her to him, she let out her passion for him in the form of a deep kiss. Her tongue glided across his and her hands gripped hard in his hair, all while her hips began to mash down on him unforgivingly. Loud moans of pleasure rattled against him until their kiss broke. Her hands pushed down on his chest with fervor, slamming his back into the bed as she rocked atop him. ”Oh, James!” Her words were airy and exasperated as she rode his hips with desperation. She used the palm of her hands for leverage as she pushed onto his chest for a more precise movement of her hips, but that didn’t last long. She leaned back slightly, pulling him to a sitting position by his shoulders where she planted a kiss on his lips. Hers parted and her tongue searched for his as his stuttered name seeped into his mouth. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

He felt the tension of each movement as his shaft pushed again and again inside her. Jim was on the brink now as their lost themselves in the heat. The insides of his thighs began to ache,clinging to her as she rode him harder. Every part of Jim wanted to have release but he wasn't done, he had needed this. Her fire and figure against his and the air intoxicating him more than the smoke and alcohol before. "Now it's my turn." *He made the motion to stand but shifted his weight and tossed Jamie onto the bed. Jim's full length was soaked from moment's before, positioning himself between her legs now and watching her heave for breath. The trembling woman's skin was hot and had a hue of pink now as Jim leaned over her. He let a slow sigh out with his lips hovering just under her ear,her hands running along his back." "Add a few marks of your own." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

’Now it’s my turn.’ Her smile free as he flipped her onto her back and she could see what he had been. The light dancing off his muscles and the shine in his eyes as he lowered his head to hers. She was struggling to catch her breath, sweat beading on most of her body and her legs aching from their constant work when she felt his hands run up her body and his breath against her ear. Her hands responded in kind, venturing up his chest and around to his back, gently caressing every scar they found. His next whisper made her heart stop until she felt his entire length penetrate her again. Her chest pushed into his as her back arched off the bed, her nails dig into his shoulder blades and her voice was full of lust as she moaned into the air. With each jolt of his body into hers, her nails drug up and down, occasionally finding new purchase in undamaged skin when she felt a section become hot. Her lips pressed against his neck and sucked hard, letting her tongue massage the quickly bruising skin while her teeth sealed the kiss with a bite of desire. The muscles in her stomach and thighs tightened aggressively as his pace increased, threatening to push her over the edge with the slightest amount of effort. ”James… I… Ughh, please don’t stop!” She moved her hands down to his lower back and gripped him tight, allowing her nails to leave more marks there with every plunge. If he would continue his pace, she would find herself arched into him again as her orgasm clenched every muscle that actively worked, while her dripping walls seized around him. If he slowed or stopped all-together, she would collapse onto the bed in a panting heap as she tried to find any form of composure, slowly feeling her rise of ecstasy diminish into an aching need. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"James...I...Ughh, please don't stop!" Her voice, her nails gripping him and their bodies rocking in tandem. Jim could feel her hands on his lower back urging him on, Jamie's breath catching with every thrust. He could feel her muscles tighten around him and knew she was close, so with his own hands he forced her pelvis up slightly and continued to push himself deep inside her." "Jamie...oh *fuck...yes...Yes" Her bodying shook with delight as Jim felt her orgasm, his shaft pushed deep. Jim couldn't hold himself back any longer and felt his own release rising. Jamie's back arched and he let go, letting every drop fill her as he slowed his pace. Kissing her breasts and up to her neck, Jim was almost breathless. "Not many can use my full name and get away with it." He held himself up above her, watching her eyes swim with lust and delight. Jim grinned and pushed some off the hair from his face, trying to ease his breath and regain some composure. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

As Jim used her body to satisfy his desires, satiating her own as well, a rush of dopamine coated her mind. Every muscle she had flexed shook with use and lost every ounce of energy as his lips connected to her chest and neck. Her temple leaned against his as his exasperated words seeped from his lips and she couldn’t help but chuckle. “Maybe I’m just a narcissist. There are some sailors that call me James after all.” Her words ended with the same laugh before she pulled his lips back down to hers. Her mouth danced with his for a few moments before she released her hands from his face and tightening her hold on his waist with her legs. Her eyes slowly fluttered open when their lips separated again, feeling his fingertips against her damp face as their breath collided between them. “Whatever amount of sleep we lost was definitely worth that.” The thought to check the time did cross her mind, but even if she had wanted to, something told her her strength would fail her. She brushed his own strands of black hair from his eyes, seeing how ineffective it was as his hair was completely tossed. His eyes were a brighter blue than she had remembered and as she laid there in his arms, there wasn’t a single complaint to be had. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Starlight and shadow crossed Jamie's face as she spoke, her body still trembled every second breath or so. Jim traced the lines of sweat on her chest, and with a soft kiss against her neck he rolled onto his side. "I think I can lose sleep this way any time" Jim reached for the bottle and a cigarette, now laying on his back. His free hand played with Jamie's hair or traced gently against her skin. "Day or night, I can give up quite a few things for.." He trailed off as he lit the cigarette and blew the smoke toward the ceiling. Staring at her as she lay there, Jim wasn't sure of what he wanted to say next. His mind was hazy with pleasure but his heart felt it belonged he despite all that. The low music and sound of their breathing had he rest his head back and closed his eyes. Moments like this had been almost nonexistent for Jim in his memory so he wasn't about to rush. "I'd never call you James...I don't even like using the name myself."* He let out a little chuckle and some smoke.* "JJ has a nice ring...and I'm sure the crew will have you a nickname in no time." Never opening his eyes, Jim grinned and offered the cigarette to her. Pulling a bedsheet free from the tangled mess they had made of the mattress, he covered them both up to the waist. As much as he enjoyed to cool air of the room, Jim didn't want the shivers of the figure next to him to be from the cold. The peace of just laying with her washed over him, his heart finally steady in his chest. Content in all that had happened, Jim let out a relaxed sigh and pulled Jamie close to him. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

As he rolled off of her, she rolled onto her side to curl up next to him while her eyes drifted closed. His hand in her hair and the faint smell of smoke threatened to knock her out instantly, but she forced her mind to stay turning. She let out a small laugh against his chest when he mentioned not calling her ‘James’. She let him finished before her voice lightly reverberated off his skin. “I’d hope you wouldn’t, call me James. I’m glad you don’t go by it though, saves me the trouble of trying to figure out who the crew is talking to. I’ll try my best to refrain from James, though I can’t promise it won’t slip in certain situations.” Her voice was mellow and soft as she took a deep breath to smell smoke getting closer to her. She barely opened her eyes enough to take the cigarette in his hand. She sat up enough to take a long drag, blowing the smoke to the opposite side of the bed before she handed it back to him and resumed her position at his side. Grabbing a handful of the sheets, she pulled it under her arm and to her chest as she draped a leg across him. “You can call me whatever you like, Hawkins.” She wasn’t sure he could even hear her with sleep forcefully taking over her body, but it didn’t matter if he did or not. Within seconds she was asleep and would be unmovable until the unfortunate someone or something awoke her. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Her voice was low as she let out the smoke and laid herself more comfortably against him with Jim taking the cigarette from her as she let her exhausted self fall asleep. He absent-mindedly ran his fingers through her hair and along her shoulder as he thought to himself. Jim had very few moments to rest, let alone time enjoy the moment itself, in most of his days. The music was still softly playing as he softly hummed along all while just taking it all in. The softness of her body against his, her breath that caused his flesh to tingle where it fluttered across his chest and as many little details as he could hold on to. Jim took a few more drags from the cigarette and snuffed the ember in the nightstand ashtray. Doing his best to not wake Jamie, he laid down into the pillow and stared into the ceiling while starlight and Crescentia rippled reflections for him to lose himself in. Feeling the heaviness creeping over him, Jim lazily pushed a button on the panel at the bedside and drifted into the blackness as the lights slowly turned off around the room ... Light broke through the window and onto Jim's sleeping face. Straining his eyes and slowly rolling over he pressed a few panel buttons and the curtain closed out most of the early morning light. Laying his head back down he was met by a flare of fiery hair and soft breathing. Jamie had rolled over and was facing away from him now, her naked body covered barely by the bedsheet. With a gentle kiss on her shoulder he pulled up the sheet and let her rest, rolling himself gently off the mattress and stretched. 'Maybe Morph will have B.E.N already on breakfast,' Jim thought to himself as he put on a pair of pants and sat in the lounge chair near the desk. He shuffled through some old maps and notes, making little noise as to not wake Jamie.

05:28

As keen as she was to go chasing after the arachnid monster, Jim knew there were some things to be sure of first. Trying to get his mind away from the night before with no success he leaned back into the chair and let out a small sigh all while a small smile had crossed his lips. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

The few hours of sleep she had managed to get were filled with dreams that went back and forth between daydreams and nightmares. The beginning was always the same, her running out to stop her mother from leaving them all behind to chase down Captain Flint. She had become numb to it over the years and it hadn’t bothered her near as much now. The next was her on The Trinity, enjoying the free winds and high skies as they sailed through the galaxies on expeditions that would take her anywhere, but as watched over the edge, she saw a small skiff float through the sky. It was flying faster and more wild than anything The Trinity was capable of and it intrigued her. Pulling out her glass, she saw it was her and Jim. Visions flashed back and forth of her time spent with Jim amongst the stars, sharing information that very little people knew and trusting each other enough to do it again. They sailed through parts of the galaxies that she had never seen before and enjoyed the company of each other on several different planets in their search, however, it slowly took a turn. Spider legs and daggers flooded out the merry cheers of celebration as hoardes of enemies flood their safest places. The crew drew their swords and firearms, cutting down pirate after pirate before there wasn’t too many people left alive to tell the tale. She watched as Jim’s ambition got the better of him against Scroop, seeing the spider clamp his throat in his hands before executing him before her eyes. She fell the floor with wails that would better some of the greatest galactic storms when she awoke. *Her eyes fluttered open to see a dark side of a room that she hadn’t immediately recognized. Her memory was a fog, her head was already pounding from her lack of food and the jarring vividness of the dreams sat her upright. She brought her hands to her eyes and she took a deep breath to steady herself, then took a look around. She saw Jim sitting at the desk in the other roo

07:01

m, only then remembering everything that had happened the night before. Taking a shakey breath and falling back onto the bed, she rolled more towards his side and draped an arm over his missing form. Her eyes lazily blinked as she tried to will herself out of the bed. She would wait a few moments to see if he had noticed her rise before she said anything, enjoying the calm quiet for a few seconds longer.* @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

The sound of her startle awake made Jim look up from his notes to see if she was alright. Falling back onto the mattress, she laid there in the sunlight that broke through the window. He smiled as he sat back and rustled about quietly for a cigarette, not wanting to disturb her too much just yet. The smoke curled up into the ceiling as Jim kicked his feet up on the desk. "I tried to make sure you weren't up any sooner. Anything I can get you for now?" He spoke just loud enough that she would hear him at his seat. Jim watched Jamie as she lay there enjoying the still warm bed, wrapped in the bedsheet that had covered them all night. He input a sequence that made something in the room start to spin and whirled with the sound of soft machinery. The corner bar had now been replaced with coffee as well as other little things. "If you're worried I make terrible coffee, I promise the most I have to do is bring it to you." Letting out some smoke he smiled to himself,"Even B.E.N doesn't trust me not to turn the boilers into something else." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

His last statement brought forth an audible chuckle as she pulled herself up into a sitting position. Her wild red hair was scrunched and tossed about her head, still managing to fall clear down her back. She wiped at her face and turned to him with squinted eyes. The light wasn’t that bright, but to her eyes, it felt like staring at a sun. She extended her hand as if she expected him to bring her something, not telling him exactly what. If he brought her a cup of coffee, she would take it, look inside it, smell it and hand it back; extending her hand again as if to tell him to try again. If he handed her any type of alcohol, she would take a large swig before she managed to bring her eyes to his. After finally receiving the drink of her choice, she would groan and stretch with an audible yawn. “Thank you, Jim. How long have to been up?” @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"Long enough to waste some time but not long enough to have anyone notice yet." He had walked over to the coffee and treats and poured himself and Jamie a cup. Uncorking a smaller bottle, he drained a small amount of the dark liquor into each one. Dropping a cube of sugar in each he then filled a small plate with little treats and pastries and walked over to the bed. A mock bow had Jim lean down a place the coffee and treats on the night stand. Smiling now with his own cup in one hand and his cigarette in the other, he sat carelessly in the small chair with his feet on the bed. "Surely we should be getting to work but what would be the point of having such a well payed crew? It'd be a shame to leave them without a little work to do." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

It took her a few sips of the coffee before she was about to fully comprehend what he was saying about how long he had been up. After she sat it down on the nightstand and he mentioned getting to work, she stretched again, letting the bedsheets fall to her waist. They had experienced such a wonderful night that it almost did seem like a shame to get back to work. She slowly moved off the edge of the bed that he was perched at, letting the sheets completely uncover her as she stepped onto the floor and came to straddle him on his chair. “Surely your crew don’t need that much direction so early in the morning?” Her voice was low, soft and directly in his ear as she placed a gentle kiss just below it. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

As she spoke and placed herself onto his lap with a gentle kiss at his neck, Jim felt his blood rush through his body again. The electricity with his flesh once more against hers made his head spin more a moment. "If they need anything they'll send for me. For now I can do as I please with the time ahead of us.* His fingers of his free hand traced star maps from memory across her skin. Connecting little freckles and stars with a small movements as he enjoyed the way she moved against him. He cursed himself a little for getting dressed as he squeezed Jamie's thigh and kissed her chest. The scent of her drifted into his nose as he savoured her company, Jim letting himself explore her body for a moment. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

His words brought a smile to her face as she loudly kissed his neck. The light traces of his fingers and gently squeeze off his hand made her hips rock against him a little harder and slower, but her actions soon grinded to a halt as she dismounted his lap. “We best not keep them waiting, Captain Hawkins.” She sauntered back to her side of the bed to claim the clothes she had worn the night before, at least until she could get to her cabin and change. She grabbed her white blouse first, draping it over her shoulders and fastening the buttons as she looked up at him. “Have you figured out you’re heading?” Her red hair was a stark contrast against the white of her shirt and trailed nearly to her hips, her blue eyes periodically looking up to meet his. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Her hips had him in a trance as Jim let himself feel the heat from her skin. The touch and smell of her was more intoxicating than his coffee but before he knew it she was dressing herself and asking him about their voyage. He let out a little sigh and pushed his hair from his face with a grin. "I've got a few ideas of where to start. With some luck we'll find a lead before exhausting my list of spaceports." Part of his mind was still lingering on her. As she dressed, Jim wanted to pin her to the wall and rip the clothing off. A fantastic day dream of him holding her throat while she dug nails into him, begging to thrust harder. He pushed the idea from the front of his mind and he watched her cover her figure once more. "Best thing about the Silver's Legend is the system keeps all the navigation notes and updates in real time. All the work from last night will already be uplinked and charted for whenever we're ready to leave." Jim took a few sips of his coffee and enjoyed his cigarette while she mused about the room. He wasn't in a rush to get to his captain duties just yet and enjoyed the beautiful woman and the morning sunlight. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

“Oh? That’s fascinating! You’ve done quite well with this ship.” She guessed it had to be legendary for a reason, but not in her wildest dreams would she expect a ship be capable of so much. As she slid up her underwear and pants, she looked around the room for the rest of her things. Her effects were still on the table from the night before and Jim seemed in no hurry to leave his post next to them. She couldn’t help but giggle as she tucked her shirt into her form-fitting tights as she made her way over to him, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Well, Jim. What’s on your mind? After what happened last night, I’m surprised I didn’t wake up to the ship sailing through the galaxies. I didn’t… distract you did I?” She asked with a playful raise of her eyebrows. He was extremely handsome in every light, but somehow him sitting in a chair, staring up at her was the most attractive on him. She wanted to straddle his lap again and seclude themselves in their hidey-hole for the rest of time, but she knew that wasn’t feasible. “Don’t worry, we’ll have time to pick up where we left off eventually.” Her eyes were glimmering with starlight as she stared at him, completely enraptured by his striking eyes. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"Why wait for something like that?" Jim was now on his feet and standing in front of her as she waited at the edge of the bed. He put a hand gently on her chin and made her look up to meet his gaze. Her eyes danced with sunspots as he let his fingers fumble with the buttons of her blouse. "The crew knows what's expected and understands their job. And I am the Captain...so doesn't that mean my orders are the only plans anyway?" A coy grin and a little wink as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Jim's hand reached around her throat as he gave a small squeeze to his grip and whispered in her ear. "Will you always follow a captain's orders" @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

As his hand left her chin to assist in undoing her hard work, her bottom lip slipped betwixt her teeth and her eyes squinted from the depth of her smile. She pushed her chest towards him as he talked about the crew, her eyes only leaving his for a moment to watch how his hands gently cascaded down the front of her chest. When her eyes found his again, he had grinned and winked just before kissing her. She felt the hitch in her breath as his lips met hers again, a feeling she hadn’t forgotten about and likely never would. His hand coiled around her throat and with a slight squeeze she felt his lips depart and an alluring whisper in her ear that sent waves through her nerves. She tilted her head back to bring her voluminous lips to his ear and whisper her response in the same sultry tone. “Aye, sir.” She couldn’t stop the wide-spread grin that split her face as she brought her hands up to start unbuckling his trousers while waiting for the moment to make eye contact with him.

@ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

The lust in his body ran through every inch of him as Jamie had replied and begun to unbuckle his pants. Her hands ran against his thighs as he ran his through her hair, the rising heat in his blood taking over his thoughts. Jim pulled playfully making her face him again as his tone was low. "Good. Now for today's first assignment" His eyes flashed with a hint of danger as he spoke, never breaking his gaze from Jamie's face. He wanted to see her eyes beg for more as he teased her with another gentle kiss on her lips. He had to resist his want to just rip her tights away and feel her once more. Jim was sure she wouldn't have objected but the feeling of her mouth and tongue was more than enough for now to keep his focus. "Eyes up or it will be double duty. Are we understood?" @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

The smile he had caused never diminished as his hands raked through her hair and pulled her lips to his. He spoke inches from her mouth after they departed and after his next question, it took her a moment to answer. Her bottom lip slid between her teeth again as her eyes cascade down his face and back to his eyes before she nodded enthusiastically. She pressed her lips into his again, yearning for his tongue against hers while soft, eager moans seeped from her throat. She couldn’t believe they had been complete strangers not 24 hours ago and now, they were more than willing to delay departure to stay in each other’s company. “What can I do for you, Captain?” She asked into his kiss, her eyes remaining closed. She trailed her hands down from his face to the fabric of his shirt as she pulled it out from the top of his loosened pants and grabbed the belt that she had already unbuckled. Her wandering hands had caused her breathing to hitch harder and her kisses to deepen as she eagerly fumbled at his clothes. “Come on, Jim. What do you need?” Her words were only separated by hungry kisses and gasps for air as she tried to cling as close as she could to him until he answered. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"I need you." Jim's words came out in the moment but he had no regrets as he reached for her tights, pulling them down to reveal her legs. He let his fingers caress her as her toyed with her now. The heartbeat is his ears and their rasping breath was all the sound he needed to know there was no stopping. "Maybe it's less of a need and more of a want." He had a little smirk on his face looking up from between her legs. 'Or maybe it doesn't really matter what this is,' Jim thought to himself as he kept teasing with a touch or kiss. Jamie's skin had goosebumps as he continued his taunting, enjoying her squirm while he kept listening for her whimper in delight. Hooking a finger into her panties he slid them down to let his tongue now trail up her thigh. Jim wrapped his arms underneath her legs and let his fingers dig into her hips, he didn't want her to be able to get to far from his hungry grin. Looking up to see Jamie in a blissful torment there was nothing but lust twisting in his eyes. Without another bit of hesitation Jim stopped his teasing and buried his tongue as deep as he could. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Feeling him fall between her legs, giving her thighs and hips gentle kisses and pulls made her ease onto her back as she watched him. Her hips moved with fluidity against him as she begged with her body to feel his mouth against her. His fingers pulling at her clothes had her jaw fall open, but the sudden attack of his tongue made her gasp for air. Her hands instantly went for his hair and the tight grip he had on her legs ensured she wouldn’t be going anywhere. “Oh, fuck yes.” She gasped, moaned and writhed beneath him as he left sloppy trails of where he had been against her sex and inner thighs, his head being pulled back to where she needed it if he strayed. There was no room for quiet in the small room, her cries of delight ringing out into the room as he pressed deeper and deeper into her. She bent her knees and pulled him into her once more before she redirected his lips to hers, hauling him up to her own face to haphazardly kiss him. She then brought her legs up to his hips and eased him down to her, her hands leaving his hair and making sure his pants were at the very least, mostly off. “I want to feel all of you, Jim.” @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

The words had barely processed inside Jim's mind as his body reacted. He let his lips find a way back up her body as his mind tried to catch up. The taste of sweat and sex mixed on Jamie's neck made him even harder as he rocked gently into her. At first he only let himself move slow, Jim wanted to make sure he let himself enjoy at least a moment that was the supernova of tension between them. He nibbled at her earlobe as his voice trembled only slightly with his gasps. "A captain should never leave his crew wanting." With a deep thrust Jim push the entire length of himself inside her. Grinding slowly back and forth, he felt Jamie tighten around him as he continued to keep pace. Jim bit her lower lip with a playful look of his face, his one hand now on her neck. "I..want you to...feel every second.." His body was moving on lust, pure ecstasy and something else. Jim let his grip on her neck tighten only slightly as he tried to keep his own sounds of delight below a scream of pleasure. He wanted her to beg for more, to become lost in the desire for each and waste the morning light in the twisted sheets. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

She barely had time to get her words out before she felt him plunge into her. His gentle motions pulled whines of pleasure from her throat as her eyes slowly fluttered open to stare into his. The vastness of the galaxy swirled in his hues and when his tongue found her neck and his teeth gripped her earlobe, she sucked in sharp breaths as her hips rocked against him harder. She gasped against his lips and grabbed at his side with force as he spoke, punctuating his sentence with an abrupt thrust that completely filled her. Loud moans of ecstasy and lust shook the hidden office, only interrupted by his playful bites of her lips and hers aggressively connecting to his. Her tongue yearned to feel his in between hot exhales and only departed from his mouth when his hands crept along her throat. With a smack of their sealed kiss, his words reverberated off her lips before her voice rang out again. Every second, every inch, it was all more pleasure than she had felt in years and as his hand tightened around her throat, she couldn’t help but smile at the noises coming from him. Her nails dug into his back and with every precise thrust, she could feel just how close he was bringing them both. “Ohh, fuck, yes.. Harder, Jim… Ohh, harder, please.” *With their continued efforts, her voice echoed throughout the room and her hands groped and pulled him easily with each dive into her. His size stroked against nerves that sent her stomach into a contracted mess and her ears squeezed him roughly until her vision started to blur from the lack of blood to her brain. She slowly brought a hand up to his wrist, guiding it to her chest as her lips attacked his neck. The sudden rush of where-with-all back to her senses sent her muscles into overdrive. She pressed her tongue deep into his neck as her teeth left small marks behind, her nails left red trails as they went from his shoulder blades to his lower back and her sex strangled him tight as she reached her climax, letting h

02:50

im know by the howling cries of lust that bounced off his neck.* @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

With her nails in his back and her pleasure in his ears, Jim pushed himself harder with his thrusts. He increased his rhythm as he felt Jamie contract around him, squeezing for his own climax. Resisting the sensation that was growing in his length Jim wasn't going to let his own release happen just yet. Lifting her hips slightly from the mattress he lifted her and let himself rock into her slowly before gripping Jamie's hips and burying his entire length. Jamie let a little gasp from her lips as he felt her nails cut into him once more as he pushed again and again. The ache was barely controlled as he continued, the sounds from him almost losing control growing. "Jamie...ugh fuck..." Barely able to think straight Jim could feel himself ready to burst. The ache in his inner thigh was almost unbearable with another few thrusts. Feeling himself stiffen only a little, Jim arched her hips with his hands and began to grind into her with every inch. He bit at her bottom lips as the wave of his nerves sent a final shock through his system. Jim let his orgasm rock his entire body as his own grip dug into Jamie's flesh. As he felt the electricity subside, Jim fell forward and gently kissed up and down her neck. With slow motions he didn't stop and kept a much slower pace now. Between gasps for air and the residual pleasure he spoke softly. "If...we make much..more noise...the crew might notice." Jim smiled at her while pushing a few stray strands of hair from her face. Drops of sweat glistened like a miniature galaxy around the blue moons of her eyes. Tracing the lines of her chin with his finger Jim took in all the little details. As bad as he wished to hear the click of a lighter and feel the burn of nicotine in his lungs, laying with Jamie in the tangled mess of mattress was more addicting. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

His continued thrusts after her own orgasm only pushed her pleasure further. It felt like a massaged muscle that had needed worked finally released and the continued pressed only made it feel that much more stimulating. His movements were precise and powerful, his grip was strong and the way he moved her where he needed her only made her moan louder. She felt his release and gripped into his shoulders hard as his lips came up to her neck, making her quiver and writhe beneath him. She was gasping for air, her chest heaving dramatically and when he spoke, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Let them hear.” She brought her hands up to his cheeks and pulled his lips to hers, the long smacks of their kisses ending accompanying the small squeak of the bed. Her legs loosened their grip around him as they slowly fell against his thighs and when their final kiss ended, she opened her eyes. “If the noises didn’t give us away, our absence surely did.” She want aware of the time, but she knew if she had not been there, he would’ve already likely been out of port. It wasn’t that she wanted to go, far from it, but they did have a mission to complete. She pulled him to her one last time, kissed his lips with extreme care and then lightly collapsed on the bed. “You’re going to be the death of me, Jim Hawkins.” @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

With a weakness in his fingers Jim lit a cigarette and lay there watching Jamie's body rise and fall while they caught their breath. A soft smile and dancing eyes stared back at him as he watched her. For years Jim had looked for someone that could make him want for adventure again and here she was tangled up in bed with him. A little laugh escaped as he shook his head. "I hope to be more of a milestone journey than an ending. I'd hate to lose such a fine first mate so soon." His fingers traced lines again on her chest and down her stomach as he absently let his eyes linger place to place. Her lips had a magic to them while her skin held a sparkle almost like moon dust, Jim was lost in the daydream of Jamie's presence. They had work to do before they could leave the port but every muscle in his body held him firm to the mattress. With no sense in fighting it, Jim lay back into the pillows and closed his eyes. "With all the money I spend on a decent crew you'd think they could do it all. And as much as I should get to those duties, I much prefer the comfort and company here." Smoke wisped from his lips as he spoke reaching for the ashtray. Laying back down, Jim began to rest again before his thoughts began to wonder about Jamie and her travelling. His curiosity got the better of him as the blurted question left his mouth. "Why did you never stop and sail with one crew? Wouldn't it have been easier to even become a captain of your own vessel than all your trouble? Don't get me wrong, I'm not one to really talk of loyalty but I wonder if you ever had done it any other way...." Trailing off into his thought he put the cigarette to his lips and took a deep breath. Jim could feel her eyes on him as he lay there but it didn't bother him, he wanted to hear her stories and see them in his mind as she told them. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

( @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣 @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ want to keep this here or move to inactive/archive? :D)

(I’m more than happy to continue once I get my head where it needs to be, but it’s up to Skáld.)

(I can wait for Lady Shay no worries, if it's causing some clutter please do archive, otherwise I'll happily smoke away until Lady Shay is ready

️)

(We will keep it right here then!

Have fun you both~)

Jim had made her laugh, roll her eyes and scream in pleasure all in the course of one day. As his fingers traced down her body, she couldn’t help but smile at him. She opened her mouth to comment on his stellar crew when Jim let loose a ✨string✨ of questions. Her smile remained as her gaze drifted down to his chest and her fingers traced over his rings. “You give up things… Chasing a dream.” Her voice was soft and reminiscent as she pulled back a part of herself that she hadn’t shared in a long time. “My family was split apart when I was too young to understand. I was told my mother was kidnapped by pirates in an attempt to keep me from the stars, but when I was older I found a letter she had wrote to my dad and I. She has left on her own, scouring the galaxies for money to provide for us. Captain Flint’s raids really hurt our trade and while I understood at the time, now I’m just… angry? We would’ve found a way. Leaving wasn’t the answer.” She could feel the anger boiling inside of her and with a quick clearing of her throat, she brought herself back to the present. “Although, if I never went out in search for her, I never would’ve met you and you’re more-than-capable Crew.” She laughed. Before would have a chance to speak, she would prop herself up to plant a grateful kiss on his lips. She could feel the spark between them again as she patted her lips against his just in time for an intercom to buzz throughout the room. Jamie started to snicker against the man as it’s unrelenting buzz interrupted them. “It seems that stellar crew of yours is calling.” @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

*With a little sigh Jim rolled himself off the mattress and put out his ember in the ashtray. As much as he would rather spend the day hidden with Jamie's company

(Ugh, ignore this part, pressed the send button by accident)

With a little sigh Jim rolled himself off the mattress and put out the last embers in the ashtray. As much as he would have rather spent the day hidden with Jamie's company, Jim knew that B.E.N wouldn't stop hounding him through the intercoms until he answered. "I swear, I should have never put his circuits back in order..." Jim shook his head with a smile on as he walked over to the communications panel and pressed the button. A manic voice answered with a jumble of questions and protocol that had to be checked through the ship and Jim rolled his eyes in Jamie's direction, mocking the robot as he went about with his rant. When B.E.N's voice finally stopped coming through the speaker he leaned against the wall and replied with a bit of sarcasm. "I know you've got all your wires crossed with such short notice that we'll be heading out of port but try and relax." He shot a sly glance at Jamie. "Besides, there's a more than capable first mate now to help me take care of the ship." He finished up with the intercom by relaying all the star maps and notes he and Jamie had made for the coming voyage to the main navigation and had B.E.N begin charting the best courses depending.

06:15

Walking around the room to the wardrobe, Jim opened the door and rummaged quickly for a shirt. A simple long sleeved tunic style shirt suited him well enough so he quickly threw in on and turned back to the bed. "If you'd rather get ready on your own I can head down to the main deck and start dealing with some of the crew and all that official business. Jim had wandered over to the bedside again to get himself another cigarette, lighting it as he spoke. "The showers work well enough so take your time and do as you please before we really do any worrying about the ship." *A warm grin appeared on his lips as he went back to the desk and leaned over the notes once again, giving them a quick scan and pulling out a few, putting them into a pile of their own. "I'm sure you won't be long, there's lots of the Silver's Legend that you still need to see." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie laughed to herself as Jim grumbled about B.E.N. She could’ve spent the time in which he was conveying instructions to get herself up and ready to venture out with him, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the man who knew so much and risked everything every day for the sake of others. Even now, he didn’t know what, if anything, was after her and he was still willing to whisk her away to the stars. His figure was slender and commanding as he stood at the intercom and even as he walked away to grab clothes. In the faint light, she could see the red lines down his back and it brought an all too proud smile to her face. When he spoke again and claimed another cigarette, she wanted to protest. Of course she didn’t want to get ready alone, but she understood that he had duties he needed to finally tend to. She supposed she had kept him occupied quite long enough. As he gathered his things at the desk, she jumped out of the bed and began dressing herself. Her undergarments were strewn about and took a few seconds long to find, but her black, leather tights and boots were right where she had left them. Her shirt, however, was missing from its place. She froze for a second, a small grin splitting her face as she moved to the same closet he had pulled his shirt out of. She found another tunic style shirt, this one was a dark blue, and put it on instead. It was a bit baggy in some areas, but nothing that looked out of sorts from what she had been wearing previously. With a sly grin, she made her way to the desk and leaned towards him. “Maybe we’ll have to try that shower out later, but for now, we need to head to the deck and if there is still so much left for me to see… We’ll, my all means, lead the way, Captain.” *Her lips were devious as they curled into smiles that had other meanings and flirted less than appropriate thoughts into his mind while her eyes shines with the dust of stars on the verge of rebirth. She was ready to the universe and with him at t

19:17

he helm, she didn’t believe they could go wrong.* @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

He felt the skin on his body ripple with a tingle of excitement as Jamie teased him. Jim had to hold himself steady or B.E.N would find him and then it would be an ordeal even with all the other preparations to complete. "Suit yourself Ms.Sterling, then we best be off to deal with the dreadful lot I call a crew." He let a bit of smoke out through his lips and gave her a wink. "And remember to keep your wits about you, someone did damage our vessel after all." Jim lead the way back through the ship's interior workings and to the main deck. The sounds of the port were muffled by the clatter and busy work that greeted the pair, soon after they were accosted by B.E.N. Jim grinned as he answered all the questions quickly and finally managed to send off the hopeless machine. Looking over to Jamie, he noticed she had now focused herself on her new duties and was keeping a watchful gaze across the docks. Hoping she hadn't become to bored with all of B.E.N's non sense, Jim leaned a little closer to her ear and softly spoke. "Next time I'll make you tell him not to worry. Just don't send him for more kitchen supplies. He's off getting that now." With a sly smile Jim turned on his heels and made his way to the helm. He had to give her a little playful payback for her little jest earlier.* @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

She nodded to Jim when he told her to keep her wits about her. She always did and now that they were headed out of his secret hideaway, she couldn’t be more excited. There was entire vessel she hadn’t fully explored and the stars to set off to. She followed him through the hallways and when B.E.N. came bumbling at him with a plethora of questions and concerns, Jim raised a hand out in front of him and calmly explained everything he had to do. She couldn’t help but smile. Turning away from them, she scanned the state of the deck and nodded as everyone seemed to be working, prepping and repairing. She had done this countless times before, but it felt so surreal to do it on his ship. She was about to make her way to the helm to get a better look when she heard that whisper in her ear. She watched him with an eye roll and a smile as she followed him to get a better view of the ship. She nodded again as she watched a few people look up at them, but ultimately continue on with their duties. “So, Captain Hawkins, is there anything I should know about this group before we get out into the middle of the galaxies?” Her icy eyes turned to his as the faint remnants of a smile creased her face. The first few days were always worst, familiarizing one’s self with all the goings on of someone else’s ship, especially if that someone else was The Jim Hawkins. The smells of baked goods from the port caressed her senses as she closed her eyes to take it all in. “Come now, Jim. If you don’t show me the ropes then I’ll have to figure it all my my lonesome and that could spell disaster for us all.” She teased, turning to look back at him with that confident smile. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Smiling while she gave him a hard time, Jim couldn't help but think on her comments for a moment. It was true that it could be disastrous for new crew mates to not know the goings on of a ship but with all the time they had recently spent together Jim easily pushed any worry from his mind. "I've already warned you of the few characters that like to cause a little of the mayhem here on the Legend but all are good and honest." He waved a hand absent-minded towards where most of the crew was working on deck. "They wouldn't be here otherwise to tell you plainly." Jim gave her a grin as he stepped up onto the railings that sat behind them at the rear of the ship. This time he hung from one of the many ropes of the solar sail as he tilted his head toward the crow's nest. With his free hand he pointed and laughed. "The one that spends most of the voyages up there though, he's a real interesting one to talk to over a drink or two. Ol' Fog Eyes will swear he's seen to the edge of the galaxy." Hanging over the edge now, Jim let himself float there on the ambience of the port noise and the faint creak and groan of ships all around. Jamie was more than capable of any task he could throw her way as far as the ship was concerned and so his thoughts started to wander to their coming travels. 'Maybe we'll have to see the edge of that galaxy too.' Jim thought as the wind around him started to fill around him with the sweet fragrance of the port market and Jamie's perfumes. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie was completely fixated on Jim. The way he so effortlessly seemed to command his people and when he hung out in those ropes, she couldn’t pull her eyes away. He was so confident and not just in his ship or his crew, but in himself. He had every faith that if his crew couldn’t do what was needed, he would and if it cost him the Legend … Well, she didn’t want to think how far his honor would go. She pulled herself back to the present and nodded from behind him. “Aye.” She made her way back onto the deck with a more firm expression, making sure everyone had everything prepared, repaired and fully stocked before she deemed the ship ready to fly. At the front of the ship, she put her hand on the rope that held them to port before she turned back to Jim at the helm. “ALL SET TO MAKE WAY. AT YOUR COMMAND, CAPTAIN.” She shouted across the ship, the deck hands in their positions to take off if Jim deemed himself ready. The stars awaited them all and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t positively beaming with anticipation. At his command, she would unfurl the rope and shout out her own declarations to the crew; instructing them to do to do the things they were already doing to set sail. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Jim tilted back his head and let out a loud howling sound as the port shuffled with surprise and thrusters ignited. All the deck hands had taken to their duties as the Legend to slowly let down her solar sails. Jim always reveled in this part of the journey and let himself enjoy the moment as he watched his crew and Jamie. Her gaze was fixed and stern as she inspected the ship's proceedings. Twisting red hair covered her neck as she took to commanding some of the slower crew mates and he couldn't helpbut smile. His mind drifted back to his office for a moment as he leaned out into the Etherium, his free hand reaching for the drifting dusts.* As the sounds of the thrusters started to fade Jim came back into the moment as he shot a glance to his helmsman. With a wink he stepped down from rail and walked back over to where Jamie was watching the crew once again. "You fit right in as First Mate, not a single one of them complaining and a perfect launch so far. I'd hate to see what you could do if I left the old girl in your hands." He shot a side glance in her direction as he reached his hands inside his jacket. Jim just stood with a grin as the port faded into the stars behind them. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

As the crew came together the ship slowly began to lurch itself free from its port confines. A wide smile spread across her face as she felt the weight of the ship sink only to be caught by the thrusters and gently push off from the docks. She heard an ambitious yowl and knew right away where it was coming from. Tossing a glance over her shoulder, she saw Jim on the railing, ready to feel the stardust on his face as the ship sped off into the Etherium only to slow down once it was away from the traffic of ships. She couldn’t linger on him long, only enough to watch that smile split his face before she returned to staring at the crew. They all knew exactly what they needed to and while some slagged around, she caught herself tossing commands their way to pick up the pace. The winds were filled with an aire of freedom and as they sailed, she found herself leaning against the helms rail and closing her eyes as she faced the deck. ‘You fit right in as First Mate…’ His voice pried her eyes open and brought a faint smile to her face. Her gaze was still over the crew until he mentioned hypothetically leaving the ship in her command. She jerked her eyes to his and narrowed them at him a bit. “Don’t you spout such nonsense, Jim. You’re going to live forever and sail the galaxies in the Legend until the end of time. I won’t stand for anything less.” She said, casting him a side eye as well. Even if he didn’t mean something as drastic as his death, she refused to sail the Legend without him on board. It would feel wrong and like she was pretending to be something she wasn’t. First Mate would be the highest she would ever be promoted to and she was okay with that. “What’s our heading, Captain?” She asked a little more sternly, not allowing him to continue the talk if not being aboard his own ship. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

A flicker of flame and his grin faded a bit and was replaced by thoughtful expression. The smoke curled around his face and masked his emotion just a bit as he blew out the rest and sighed. "And to think we spent all that time last night making notes and fixing star maps. I figured since B.E.N had all those now plugged into the navigation..." Jim let himself trail off playfully, even if it would be to Jamie's chagrin. He glanced toward the helmsman for a moment and gave a nod then back to Jamie. Her eyes shimmered with the galaxy and he almost forgot what he was thinking. "We have a bit of a ways to go before our first stop and lots to prepare for. Your quarters should be fixed within the hour, while we wait it will be doing our job to keep all those said preparations running smoothly." Puffs of smoke now slipped between Jim's lips as he silently now looking across the deck of the Legend. Being too serious was never a strong suit for him so it was easier sometimes just not to say anymore and let things be. He would glance now and again to Jamie, just enjoying her company now as the ship made it's way farther into space. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie watched the man before her with annoyance and intrigue all at once. He could be so frustrating sometimes, but he never allowed those negative feelings to seep any farther than surface level. Her brows furrowed for a moment before she let out a restrained chuckle. Her eyes scanned over the crew before she turned back to him and nodded in regards to her cabin. “Hopefully whomever is responsible for such an act was left at port. I’d hate to see what would happen to a stowaway on the Legend.” She gave him a smile before making her way to the railing to watch the stardust fly by them. They had charted their own course and while they took the safest, most direct path, there was still the danger or pirates. At the speed they were going it would take them a few hours to reach the first potential portal spot on their maps, but if the ride continues to be this smooth she was going to enjoy every second. The cool wind blew through her red hair and almost tipped her hat back a couple times. Her nails ran along the wooden edge and when she heard a loud clang or bustle from below, she would cast an eye down to the deck to make sure everything was okay. It wasn’t until one of the crew had capsized the mop bucket for the third time that Jamie noticed a ship in the distance. There were no thrusters, no lights and no signs of life. It was simply a dark mass floating in space that seemed completely abandoned. “Jim…” She would grab his arm or shout if her initial call didn’t capture his attention, her bright eyes completely focused on the ship. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

His eyes found the dead ship quick enough as the murmurs started to spread across the deck below himself and Jamie. Gritting his teeth and crushing out his cigarette between his fingers, Jim couldn't help himself before the word slipped from his mouth. "Scavengers." The heartbeat in his ears was louder than the ruckus that had now taken over the ship. Worse than pirates and even more unpredictable were the groups known to be scavengers. Notorious for their own heinous acts some of Jim's own crew would have stayed at port if they'd known they might stumble across a dead ship. "HANDS TO COMBAT STATIONS! ALL SENSORS SET AND READY!" Jim knew his voice would boom across the ship and that his crew was ready and quickly turned to Jamie, with a grin he couldn't hide. "Time to see what this ship and her crew can do Ms.Sterling, can I count on you to keep the course? He laughed a little and winked at her. "I know I don't have to ask, can't help but be a captain sometimes." With a small salute, he turned and made his way toward the captain's quarters. Inside were most of the unmanned weapon systems and Jim needed to be sure there wasn't any chance that their troubles were only beginning. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

The large, blackened ship simply floated there as Jamie stared at it, almost as if expecting it move or to see sudden signs of life. The usual voyages she took part in next took her this deep into the galaxy and while it was still fairly close to port, it wasn’t on any course a normal merchant ship would travel through. To her, it looked like a derelict ship that they could’ve sailed right past, but when more eyes began to fall on the vessel, she knew it was much more than she had thought it was. She felt his muscles tense and for a split second the entire Legend fell completely silent. ‘Scavengers.’ The crew immediately went to work, readying the weaponry and activating safety measures as Jim shouted his orders. Jamie was a bit taken a back at first by his hostility. She had heard rumors of scavengers, but was this really what their ships looked like? As the vessel came closer into view, it looked completely abandoned and the furrowed confusion of her brow was surely evident for at least Jim to see. ‘…Can I count on you to keep the course?’ “Aye.” The confirmation slipped past her lips before she even managed to fully turn her gaze to him. He gave her a salute and left her at the helm as her gaze flicked back to the ship. The crew seemed to know what they were doing, but she could hear the nervous flitters of conversation below her. Their course took them near the ship, but not close enough to board them even if they wanted to. All the Legend could do was have their cannons ready and pistols drawn just in case. “Steady…”

01:43

. Jamie softly said to the crew as she laid a hand on the wheel. Her eyes flicked back and forth between the dead ship and the radar built into the wheel that displayed their course. Her mind raced as she tried to remember everything she had heard about scavengers. “They kill for sport…. They take everything they can… They leave one person to tell the tale… and…” Her mine was a mess trying to remember it all, but there was one more thing; there was something else that I’ve always had to remember when dealing with scavengers and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. The Legend almost had made it halfway past the ship when it hit her like a brick wall and her stomach dropped. “They attack from behind…” Chills ran over her skin as she remembered what Jim had said. ‘Keep the course’… Did he know something she didn’t? Was the ship equipped with weapons on its rear? She swallowed hard as she drew her own pistol and watched the deck of that blackened ship. They had almost made it when she saw movement, several people coming up from the depths of the ship wielding what looked like electric shotguns. “Easy…” She waited and watched intently. If they made no move to attack, she would wait until they were completely past then before she upped the thruster output and sent them speeding through space once again. If a single weapon came up to aim from the enemy side, she would shout so loud she was sure the people inside the dark ship could’ve heard her. “FIRE!” @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Jim's hand pushed against the captain's quarter door with more force than he had intended. The heavy door swung open with a dull thud that was barely audible over his heartbeat. He reached a small control panel at the desk and activated the override controls, giving him eyes on all parts of the ship as Jim's desk expanded with more and more holoscreens. 'Timing could be a little better...' He thought to himself as he continued to activate other protocols with the ship's system. 'As long as the plasma anchors don't rip themselves free from the chains this time.' While his mind raced against a clock he was sure only himself and maybe Jamie understood, Jim opened a direct comm-line to helm where he had left her to be his eyes at the wheel. He wasn't concerned yet but needed an update on the dead ship and if she had seen any movement yet. Scavengers almost always carried Arclight weapons and his crew wouldn't be able to hold off very long if the ship took too many hits to her system. A small blue holoscreen appeared as the comm-line connected. "Jamie, can you hear me? You're my eyes out there. Do we have an audience on deck?" His voice was a bit distorted so he hoped the comm-lines weren't malfunctioning. Jim readjusted some of the electric output into the ship and began opening up a defense sequence. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

She watched the deck of the enemy ship like her life depended on it—because it did— and when she saw more than a handful of the scavengers raise their weapons, she called on her crew to fire. Her voice came out stern and loud, followed by the sounds of rough cannon fire before another noise tickled her ears. She looked down at the comms in front of her and saw the incoming voice static from the captain quarters. She heard what Jim said, but just barely. Looking up at the explosion upon the enemy ship, she pressed the button and spoke into the holodeck. “Ummm.. You could say that… Have I ever told you that you’re timing is impeccable, Jim Hawkins?” She lifted her hand from the screen and waited for the smoke to clear before she could get a good look at what The Legend had managed to do, awaiting Jim’s orders if they came first. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"I've been told a time or two. I'd rather have been a little sooner if I'm honest." The roar of the cannons was muffled inside his quarters but sensors on his screen let him know the weapon systems were still optimal. Jim finished up the sequence on his screen and with a hint of joy in his voice he spoke through the comm once again. "Through the system diagnostic you should see a small sensor reading showing. I need to to finalize the activation code from the helm, the sequence is ready and waiting." Jim double checked the readings while he continued. "Keelhaul is the protocol and it'll be up you to set it for launch. You need to time it just as..." The Legacy rocked enough for Jim to notice this time as a small red flashing light had appeared on one of his holoscreens. 'Of course it would be the comm relay. Why aim for a solar sail?' He thought to himself as he frantically tried to redirect function. Jim grinned a little knowing for all his worry the Legacy was in fine hands. As he worked away at the now dysfunctional comms he thought to himself. 'She's got the makin's of greatness...' @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

‘I’ve been told a time it two. I’d rather have been a little sooner if I’m honest.’ Jim’s voice was the only noise that graced the top portion of the ship. It was so quiet, she could nearly hear him from his quarters on top of the intercom. Everyone’s eyes were on the ship in front of them as the smoke slowly started to clear. She tried to listen to Jim’s voice, but as she squinted towards the derelict ship, explosions of electric came hurling towards the mast and every eye on deck watched as it collided with sails. Jamie shielded her eyes for a moment as a bright spark erupted from the impact point, scorching the wood and igniting a portion of the sails. “Get that fire out and fasten your lifelines, gents!!! Master Raghetti, load another cannon shot and aim for the keel!!” She immediately went back to the holoscreens to see if stabilization was possible and when she quickly realized it wasn’t, she huffed and mumbled to herself. “You need to find it just as WHAT, Hawkins?! Fucking useless, asinine, pile of— FIRE!” She heard the Legacy’s cannon fire and watched as it hit the ship with such force that it turned the ship in the exact direction it needed to charge straight for the Legacy. She took a deep breath as she looked up at the sails, the last wink of flame extinguishing as she turned her attention back to the scavengers. Neither ship could fire on the other, but that didn’t stop the scavenger vessel from starting to close in on the helm. She didn’t know what Jim’s plan was, but if he had a protocol in place for a scavenger attack, then she knew he had to know what he was doing.

07:46

. Just as the ship came close enough for gunfire to be an option, she pressed the Keelhaul option on the pad and shielded her eyes as three plasma anchors shot out of the helm and plunged deep into the scavengers ship. Without looking back, she turned to the screen and activated their thrusters as she spun the wheel to turn the ship towards the scavengers vessel. The anchors bore into the hull and as the Legacy turned, it ripped through the wood and created a massive opening from their captains quarters clear down the side of the ship. There was a bit of resistance as it shredded the enemy ship, but once free from the confines of their enemy, she retracted the anchors and initiated the thrusters to max capacity to send the ship sailing back to their predetermined course. It wasn’t near as easy to handle as it once had been and once they were free of danger, she would go about repairing the sails herself if she had to. Struggling a bit to keep the ship on course, she slowed their speed to a crawl as the crew members began to whoop and holler at their victory. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

The holoscreens flashing and sensors going off told Jim everything he needed to know as it was happening on deck. Aside from what he could only assume was the comms mast being hit and cutting him off mid communication with Jamie, herself and the crew had held firm. The Legacy had some repairs to be made now it was true but their victory was obvious when he noticed the thrusters had returned to maximum capabilities. Re-engaging the AI systems and noting that the Keelhaul protocol had been a success Jim started to make his way back to the deck. Arriving to the celebrations on deck the captain had finally reappeared. Jim had taken his time to check with some of the crew below to ensure damage wasn't too severe that it would hinder their journey or cause an unnecessary space port docking. Smiling, patting backs and shaking hands with his trusted mates he made his way to where Jamie was, directing some of the crew while still at the helm. Jim did his best to sneak past some of the cheering lot and get behind her and when he finally managed to there was a little voice in his head. 'I hope I'm there, catching some of the light coming off you that day.' He couldn't hide his smile from her when he spoke. "That was a mighty fine way you handled this vessel. Couldn't have done a better job myself." @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie hadn't noticed Jim's reappearance, not at first. She was too busy letting her chest fill with a breath she hadn't taken for awhile now and slowly letting it out. The crew seemed more than pleased with their efforts and if she wasn't trembling, she would be just as happy as they were. Jim had left the ship in her hands during a battle that could've sent the Legacy straight into the bowls of space as they knew it and yet, they had lived. A few crewmates that had been near her at the helm made their way over to her with backpats at the ready. She accepted the praise, but only for a moment before she gave them more orders to complete to shield them from the small blush that was creeping up on her cheeks. It was only then that she heard that voice behind her, a voice that still made her knees weak and her heart skip a beat. 'That was a mighty fine way you handled this vessel. Couldn't have done a better job myself.' She spun around to see Jim Hawkins gleaming at her with pride. If she thought his lust-filled, naked body was something to admire, it was nothing compared to the smile he donned. Sure, he was probably thrilled that she had saved not only his ship, but his entire crew, although that smile held much more than that. Her bright blue eyes bore into his own for a moment in complete adoration. He trusted her with his most prized possession and she had managed to make him proud. Clearing her throat and squinting her eyes a bit, she crossed her arms and lightly shook her head in disapproval as she spoke. "Don't you ever do that to me again, Jim Hawkins. This ship has a captain and the next time I have to remind you that that is you and not me, there will be hell to pay."

20:17

. She practically huffed at him as a small smile curled the corners of her lips. Turning away from the aggravating captain, she looked out towards the course the holoscreens were still directing them towards. There wasn't so much as a piece of debris for miles, but even that couldn't quell the the thudding in her chest at just the thought that Jim was still standing behind her. Taking another deep breath, she looked down at the screens for a moment before stepping aside for him to get a better look if he wished. "According to your charts, we should reach the first destination in another four hours. Let's hope we don't run into any surprises along the way." @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

"So I can leave the course in capable hands is what I'm hearing. Four hours is nothing for a first mate like yourself." He gave her a little wink as Morph had reappeared from his hiding spot somewhere and trilled in agreement before shifting into an eyepatch on Jim's face. Jim couldn't think of anything that would cost them anymore time, there wasn't even supposed to be Scavengers out this far. The comm needed to be repaired anyway so he'd have a few of the crew get that sorted and have the system back in no time. Turning to look over the damages on deck, he light a cigarette quickly and spoke to Jamie in a more serious tone. "We'll need to comm system back and whatever damage that bit of fire caused should be easy enough to get sorted. You can oversee the navigations from the helm and you'll have access to the ship's whole set up. It's a biometric security that only the first mate and myself can ever access. The holoscreens will do most of the work anyway you'll just need to say your name to start the program." Jim blew a few smoke rings when he finished, to which Morph decided he needed to zip through before they disappeared and then returned to rest on Jim's face. "Don't expect me to always have your back Ms.Sterling. A first mate should always be prepared for the absence of a captain. What if I had fallen asleep at my holo?" He grinned as he clenched the cigarette between his teeth. There was an easy to the way he could talk with Jamie that he hadn't had in a very long time and so these little moments were special for him. It also didn't help that as she grew flustered Jim only wanted to hide away with her and forget all about the worlds around. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

'So I can leave the course in capable hands is what I'm hearing. Four hours is nothing for a first mate like yourself.' The severity of Jamie's eye roll could've given her a glimpse at the furthest reaches of her brain. Jim drove her mad with his nonchalant attitude. She would never doubt him unless it came to what he said about her, but it was only because it was so hard for her to believe. He was a legend and to hear him say kind and noble things about the likes of her, well it sounded a bit as if he was biased if she was honest. She couldn't believe that she was anything more than stardust in his eyes, not when he was grander than any nine planets put together in hers. She listened as he listed off the order of repairs he expected and nodded as she turned towards the holoscreens. 'Don't expect me to always have your back, Ms. Sterling. A first mate should always be prepared for the absence of a captain. What if I had fallen asleep at my holo?' Jamie jerked her head back towards him with an opened mouth gasp right on the tip of her tongue before she spoke. "I would be sure to empty every bottle of liquid onto your person until you awoke from your dreams, Skytrekker! And if that wasn't enough, you better believe every pot and pan is coming out of that kitchen and becoming very familiar with the density of your skull!" *She couldn't miss that mischievous grin he wore so well, but that didn't make her any less angry with him. All in all, she was smiling brightly at him through her rage. Everyone had made it out unscathed and the ship was in fair enough condition to sail. Redirecting her gaze to the holoscreens, she spoke her name allowed and watched images, numbers and dials flash before her eyes as the protocol Jim has mentioned begun. Their course was set and even the ships maintenance needs were viable in the bottom left hand corner. Touching the small image of the ship, it panned out wider and illuminated all the areas of the ship that were damag

20:22

ed.*

20:23

"Well, Captain, I'm going to go up there and tend to those sails. Don't fall asleep at your holos... Who knows what trouble I'll get into." She teased. She gave him a flash of a smile before she would attempt to leave him at the helm. If he stopped her, she would offer little resistance and if he let her go, she would make her way up the masts to inspect the sails and patch what she could. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

TW: Sexual Content, Cussing, Drinking, Space Travel, Death, TBD

Jim tried to keep his attention off her but he just couldn't. Through all the noise and commotion on the ship it seemed as if all he could hear was Jamie's voice. He looked to where the damage was that she had planned to go and fix, figuring he may as well join her since the rest of his crew wouldn't need him right away. Jim tried to hide his smile as he saw some of old Capatin Amelia in her with her temper and way with words. "If we're too repair the relay and mast we should think about if we can rework and upgrade some of the system." Following Jamie, he looked back to the helm holoscreens to double check other damages. "I know it doesn't look like much but if we don't have most of the repairs done before our destination it will definitely hinder any defense we might need." Without realizing, Jim's face turned to a more grim expression as he thought about what their goals were. As much as he enjoyed having someone to sail the stars with that felt like more than a crew member or friend, in the back of his mind there was a set of glowing eyes and the sound of clicking pincers. Trying to shake his thoughts back to more pressing matters Jim pointed to where the fire had done damage to some of the deck.

09:03

"It might be best to work our way up from the bottom here. The mast might be a little more unstable than it looks and it doesn't help all the sensors are shot." He remembered seeing there were two other parts of the ship where the sensors were gone. "Without the main relay here it's hard to know the actual extent through the ship's systems and computer. No communication also doesn't help in case we end up needing more supplies than we have....Unless you have a better assessment Ms.Sterling?" Jim didn't try to meet her gaze as he finished or catch her attention but merely spoke as they continued. The crew around them worked away now with their own tasks and there was now a lull over the ship after their first conflict. It was lucky no one was lost or hurt beyond the medic capabilities on the ship and he was sure Jamie was thinking it too. Smoke clouds drifted away as Jim shifted the cigarette to his lips and ran his now free hand through his hair. A burning sensation filled him as he continued to try to quiet the clicking in shadow of his mind. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie listened to Jim as they inspected the damages, trying to retain everything he was telling her as she looked where he pointed and made her own conclusions. Reworking and upgrading the system would be up to him for now, she would like to see how he went about it, but there were a few more pressing matters at stake. She didn't need the systems to see the major flaws in the mast and the damage to the outside of the ship that the crew were already working on patching. Supplies was something they needed to think about too, but after telling a few deck hands to start on repairing the mast, she made her way back to Jim. "You're right. We won't know the depths of the damages until the relay is up. The crew is working on fixing what we know is wrong, but maybe we should stop somewhere to regroup? If we need supplies and the relay needs more than what we are anticipating, then we would have to stop somewhere anyway. Is there a port close by?" She had her own compass, but Jim Hawkins knew the stars better than anyone and if there was a port this far into the nebula, surely he would know about it. While she waited for him to answer, she walked over to the broken holoscreen and inspected the damage that she could see. It wasn't ruined, but it wasn't functional for what Jim would need it for either. Standing up, she looked to Jim, waiting for orders of if they continued with what they had aboard, or if they looked for a nearby port. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ

Jim thought about how far out they were from their first stop, he remembered it was at least a few more hours and he was almost certain the Legend couldn't make it that far with the repairs needed. The supplies would be what would make or break their progress now so he figured Jamie made a good point to maybe dock for a bit of a regroup before going farther. "If we stop anywhere it would only be a day or two at most. Just past the next asteroid field there should be another space port, have B.E.N rework the navigation it'll be faster with his internal processors and less work for the ship. Should we ready a supply crew...." Jim stopped his train of thought and looked back at Jamie, doing his best to remain serious rather than flirtatious considering the current circumstances. "Or should I leave all this to you?" He wanted to hear what she would say, Jim had a feeling he knew what her answer would be but he was still curious. It wasn't that he didn't trust her or doubted her ability and more of a longing to see her in all her own glory without looking to a captain. Taking in another breath of smoke Jim let it out slowly through his teeth. "Spare me the fancy lines that it's my ship and crew. Show me." He knew that she wouldn't question his orders but this was different. Jim waited while the smoke twisted around them now, the creaking and groaning of the ship's damage now almost the only sound over the dull clatter of the working crew. He never broke his gaze as the ashes of his cigarette lifted around them mixing with the stars of the distant space around. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Jamie hated when he left decisions up to her. It wasn't that she couldn't make them, but it was his ship and his crew. She always felt a bit of condescension behind his questions to her even though there was none to be found. She let out a sigh as he let her make the decision of sending a supply crew or handling it herself. She didn't like leaving the crew to handle big tasks such as the one they were talking about. It wasn't that she didn't trust them, it was that if she went, then she knew what she had. If they came back with several crates of supplies, she would have to go through each and every little thing to see if she was missing something and Jim knew that surely. There was no way he would leave a job like this to others when he himself wanted to be the one to fix his precious equipment. 'Spare me the fancy lines that it's my ship and crew. Show me.' And just like that all the annoyance she had built up within her about him vanished. He stood next to her behind a cloud of smoke that seemed like it would dissipate if he told it to. He had such an aire about him that she was positive anyone would obey, he was kind with a heart of gold and yet he was as sharp as a tack. He could always read her and they had only just met. She let out a much more relaxed sigh as she lost herself in those blue eyes before tearing her gaze away to look at the holoscreens. "I'll go myself. I want to make sure we have everything we need. Make me a list of everything you need and I'll go see B.E.N. for navigation the nearest port. And, don't look at me like that or I'll be making a pitstop at your quarters before getting our charts."

22:07

She said with a cheeky grin. She didn't look back at him as she made her way away from the helm and into the heart of the ship. She would have to talk with B.E.N., which was never an easy task, but it was far easier than standing next to the man that held her heart with an iron fist without showing him just how thankful she was to be alive. Boots creaking against the hard wood, she made her way to the galley to start her search B.E.N. and maybe get a chance to cool off for a moment. @ᛊᚲÁᛚᛞ