Pirates Way

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The next morning was an adventure in itself. I heard a noise in the cargo bay. I was still just slightly hung over from the night before, and not quite sure how I got back to my ship or my bunk for that matter. I dragged myself out of my bunk and stumbled up to the cargo bay. I was not quite sure what I was going to do if I found someone there. In my present condition my options were limited to say the least.

I turned the corner to the cargo bay to discover a young girl standing there by the cargo bay doors looking out toward the dock. She was wearing a dress shirt that fit well and a pair of pants I did not recognize. They were definitely men’s pants. I could tell that much through my blurry vision. She had red hair, and was about 5 ft. 7 by my cloudy estimation. She looked very much like the young lady from the night before, but that made no sense. Had she spent the night on my ship? If so, what had happened to the red dress she had on last night?

My one crew member would be here shortly. He lived on Persephene, and worked for me when we had work. That was at least 12 of the 14 days every two weeks. I was rather successful considering my transport was a small ship. Her name was the Andromeda. I had purchased her from a friend of a friend named Patience. Jonathon had introduced us this time of year about 5 years back. Jonathon had worked out the deal so that I got the Andromeda at a good price.

I would find out later that Patience was not exactly what she pretended to be. She ran a retail business in used ships. The Andromeda actually belong to her so I was OK, but some the ships she sold did not belong to her. Those guys were having a bit of a time proving they owned their ships. Patience was the type that could get you most anything if you were willing to pay her price. The problem was her methods lacked a little finesse. The word “smuggler” comes to mind, but don’t use it around Patience if you wanted to keep on living.

Sorry about that rabbit. We were talking about Amy standing there in my cargo bay just looking out at the dock. She suddenly turns and runs for cover behind a few crates I had in my cargo bay. Not quite sure what to make of that, I approached her. Just then I hear someone coming up my ramp. It was the police. They were looking for a young girl that went missing last night. Her parents had reported her missing this morning and they figured she was still on Persephene since no ships had departed this morning as yet.

I had gotten just close enough to Amy to see the fear in her eyes. I may regret what I did, but I told the police I had not seen anyone in my area of the dock this morning. They took me at my word and moved on. When they were gone I walked over to where Amy was hiding behind the crates. Told her she owed me an explanation. I had just put myself, my crew, and most importantly, my ship in jeopardy for her.

We went to the galley to talk. The police were looking for a young girl. Amy said she was 18. She was not a young girl anymore. She considered herself an adult. She was old enough to see the galaxy if she could find a ride. That was why she was in that bar last night. I gave her one of those smiles that says “you have no idea what you are asking”. She got this bewildered look on her face. I explained about what would have been the result if certain other captains had picked her up instead of me. She did not like that in any way.

Then the puppy dog eyes came out. She asked if she could stay on my ship. In my mind, I am wondering what there was about my explanation that made her think I was any different to those other captains. This was probably going to bite me in the butt, I agreed to allow her to stay as long as she earned her keep. I tried to think of what she could possibly do on a transport. Rattled of a list of the possible jobs she might be good at. Nothing seemed to ring a bell. Then I mentioned we needed a cook. Her eyes lit up. She proudly informed me she was an excellent cook.

That settled it. She would be the new cook. That would provide me and my one crew member with something besides our own cooking during our two weeks out, and provide Amy with her ride to see the galaxy. Plus, working in the galley would keep her out of sight should we be in dock. I was not going to have to answer to the police for kidnapping if I could avoid it.

We went into the settlement to talk to an acquaintance I knew that happen to be female. Between the three of us, we managed to alter Amy’s appearance so that she no longer resembled the description the police had of the young girl that was missing. I had my friend take Amy to some of the clothing shops to get her some suitable clothing. When they returned Amy was not the same person. She looked completely different. Her clothes fit her and she was now able to pass as one of my crew if need be.