tranquility .”
“Thanks for giving me a few minutes before the last jump,” Josh said.
“Did it help?”
Josh smiled impishly. “I got her contact number,” he replied, his eyebrows bouncing up and down as a lecherous smile formed on his face. He glanced at the jump sequencer. “Five seconds.”
Captain Tuplo smiled back.
“You know, you should troll the ladies in the back once in a while yourself,” Josh said. The windows turned opaque as the Seiiki jumped into the Rama system. “You might want to shave first, though.”
“I like my beard,” Captain Tuplo replied defensively. “It makes me look older, more experienced, more intelligent.”
“And more scary,” Josh added. “Assengil, dead ahead.” He checked their course on his flight display. “Auto-flight is taking us right down the entry corridor.”
“Scary, huh?” Captain Tuplo said.
“Yeah, scary,” Josh replied. “And not like, mean scary. More like, psycho scary. No offense.”
“I guess it could stand a little trimming,” the captain admitted.
“A little?”
Captain Tuplo looked at Josh. “But I rather like the feeling of anonymity it provides.”
“How the hell does it provide anonymity?” Josh wondered. “Everyone recognizes you with that thing. ‘There goes Captain Tuplo, the guy with the psycho, out-of-control beard.’ Try something new, like a goatee or something.”
“I hate goatees,” Captain Tuplo growled as he studied his flight displays. He glanced forward through the window, noting that the planet Assengil was growing larger. “Maybe we should start decelerating?”
“Relax, Cap,” Josh replied, glancing at the auto-flight display. “Auto-flight has it. Decel burn is coming up in two minutes.” He looked over at Captain Tuplo, studying his face for a moment.
Connor felt Josh staring at him, and looked his way. “What?”
“Mutton chops, maybe?”
“You’re joking, right?” the captain replied, his attention returning to his flight displays.
“Maybe with a handlebar mustache?” Josh suggested. “Anything besides the ‘I’ve been hiding in a cave for the last twenty years’ look you’ve got going on now.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Isn’t that why you’ve been avoiding running into passengers?”
“That obvious?”
“Just try trimming it shorter,” Josh urged, trying to find a compromise. “At least make it look like you give a shit.”
“All right, I get your point.”
“And while you’re at it, you might think about doing something with that hair of yours.”
“I am your employer, remember?” Captain Tuplo reminded him.
“Just trying to help you get some action, Cap’n.”
“I don’t need any action ,” the captain argued.
“Everybody needs a little action once in a while,” Josh argued. “Even psycho-looking ship captains.”
“You just never worry about the possible consequences, do you, Josh?”
“Cap, it’s all coming from a place of love, you know that.”
An audible alert beeped several times.
Captain Tuplo looked at the sensor display. “Something is coming over the horizon of Assengil.”
“A ship?” Josh assumed.
“Must be,” the captain agreed. “Assengil doesn’t have any orbital structures to speak of.” The captain’s brow furrowed as he studied the image on the sensor screen. “It’s awfully big to be a ship.”
“The Avendahl, maybe?” Josh said. “I heard she comes out from Darvano now and again, just to remind the nobles that she’s around.”
“Nope. Bigger.”
“ Bigger than the Avendahl?”
“Wait,” Captain Tuplo said. “It’s not one ship, it’s two. Two big ones.”
“Takaran ships?”
“They’re not squawking Takaran IDs,” Captain Tuplo replied.
Josh noticed the look of concern on his employer’s face. “Should I go to manual…”
“ Attention incoming jump ship, ” a voice called over the comms. The caller had an air of authority to his tone, one meant to strike fear in the hearts of
“Thanks for giving me a few minutes before the last jump,” Josh said.
“Did it help?”
Josh smiled impishly. “I got her contact number,” he replied, his eyebrows bouncing up and down as a lecherous smile formed on his face. He glanced at the jump sequencer. “Five seconds.”
Captain Tuplo smiled back.
“You know, you should troll the ladies in the back once in a while yourself,” Josh said. The windows turned opaque as the Seiiki jumped into the Rama system. “You might want to shave first, though.”
“I like my beard,” Captain Tuplo replied defensively. “It makes me look older, more experienced, more intelligent.”
“And more scary,” Josh added. “Assengil, dead ahead.” He checked their course on his flight display. “Auto-flight is taking us right down the entry corridor.”
“Scary, huh?” Captain Tuplo said.
“Yeah, scary,” Josh replied. “And not like, mean scary. More like, psycho scary. No offense.”
“I guess it could stand a little trimming,” the captain admitted.
“A little?”
Captain Tuplo looked at Josh. “But I rather like the feeling of anonymity it provides.”
“How the hell does it provide anonymity?” Josh wondered. “Everyone recognizes you with that thing. ‘There goes Captain Tuplo, the guy with the psycho, out-of-control beard.’ Try something new, like a goatee or something.”
“I hate goatees,” Captain Tuplo growled as he studied his flight displays. He glanced forward through the window, noting that the planet Assengil was growing larger. “Maybe we should start decelerating?”
“Relax, Cap,” Josh replied, glancing at the auto-flight display. “Auto-flight has it. Decel burn is coming up in two minutes.” He looked over at Captain Tuplo, studying his face for a moment.
Connor felt Josh staring at him, and looked his way. “What?”
“Mutton chops, maybe?”
“You’re joking, right?” the captain replied, his attention returning to his flight displays.
“Maybe with a handlebar mustache?” Josh suggested. “Anything besides the ‘I’ve been hiding in a cave for the last twenty years’ look you’ve got going on now.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Isn’t that why you’ve been avoiding running into passengers?”
“That obvious?”
“Just try trimming it shorter,” Josh urged, trying to find a compromise. “At least make it look like you give a shit.”
“All right, I get your point.”
“And while you’re at it, you might think about doing something with that hair of yours.”
“I am your employer, remember?” Captain Tuplo reminded him.
“Just trying to help you get some action, Cap’n.”
“I don’t need any action ,” the captain argued.
“Everybody needs a little action once in a while,” Josh argued. “Even psycho-looking ship captains.”
“You just never worry about the possible consequences, do you, Josh?”
“Cap, it’s all coming from a place of love, you know that.”
An audible alert beeped several times.
Captain Tuplo looked at the sensor display. “Something is coming over the horizon of Assengil.”
“A ship?” Josh assumed.
“Must be,” the captain agreed. “Assengil doesn’t have any orbital structures to speak of.” The captain’s brow furrowed as he studied the image on the sensor screen. “It’s awfully big to be a ship.”
“The Avendahl, maybe?” Josh said. “I heard she comes out from Darvano now and again, just to remind the nobles that she’s around.”
“Nope. Bigger.”
“ Bigger than the Avendahl?”
“Wait,” Captain Tuplo said. “It’s not one ship, it’s two. Two big ones.”
“Takaran ships?”
“They’re not squawking Takaran IDs,” Captain Tuplo replied.
Josh noticed the look of concern on his employer’s face. “Should I go to manual…”
“ Attention incoming jump ship, ” a voice called over the comms. The caller had an air of authority to his tone, one meant to strike fear in the hearts of
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