"We do what we must" (closed)

[KingOfNowhere]

On the bridge:

Harmon had taken his time with his breakfast after Emily and Maggie's sudden departure. He'd put the leftovers away and, with Taylor's less than enthusiastic assistance, cleaned up the kitchen and tables. After that, the men went their separate ways: Harmon to the Bridge to do a check on all systems, and Taylor to the Auxiliary Engine Room to work on some equipment that hadn't been repaired back on Hulur Bravo.

Once his check was completed, Harmon proceeded to work on his employer's latest demand: slowing ... way ... down. Even before they'd left port, Harmon had calculated a course and speed to get them to Rostoff IV in 12 Standard Days, plus or a Day. Stretching that out to 23 days wasn't difficult, of course. It was simply ridiculous. But it was what Emily wanted, so Harmon would give it to her.

Then, something came to him, and he slowly smiled widely. He pulled up his star charts, then checked the most recent reports on piracy activities, astronomical anomalies and dangers, leaked Consortium Militia patrol reports, and six different sources for interstellar commercial transit opportunities.

It took Harmon three hours to come up with his final plan. When he did, he called Taylor to the Bridge to explain that plan to him. The mechanic hadn't known about the 11 days delay, and when his Captain told him about it, he was concerned. "Are we getting paid extra for that?"

Harmon couldn't help but laugh. "I asked the same fucking question! And no, we aren't. So, I have a different idea."

He showed Taylor his idea and got conflicting responses from the man. The first was, "She isn't gonna like that, is she?" The second was, "Fuck her. If she's not paying us extra..."

"Go clear out one of the storage bays," Harmon ordered. "Maybe purge Bay 9. All that shit we kept when Yuli backed out of that deal on Rinnit III. It's got no value now anyway. Obsolete. Probably the reason he backed out. Dump it, and we'll use that space."

Taylor began to head for the Bridge exit but stopped when Harmon spoke again. "Wait! We have to clear the stateroom across the hall from our Lady Emily so that Maggie has a place to sleep. And get the shared Hygiene Room between my stateroom and Emily's working and clean."

"Clean?" Taylor asked. Harmon waved off that idea. Taylor didn't clean. He fixed. He carted. He stored. He didn't clean. He turned to depart again, saying, "Will do, boss."

Once he was again alone, Harmon returned to the navigational charts, then began fiddling with their course. He changed the Florence's direction every so gradually so as to not give the course alteration away. Ten minutes later, they were aimed directly for Warrendale Station, in high orbit of the 1st moon of the planet of the same name. He also sent a message to a man there name Tripp Comden, telling him that he'd be their in 2 days to pick up a load of merchandise that the man needed transported to Vindin V, which fortunately was on the way to Rostov IV ... sort of.

What was important was that this detour would occupy five days of their time. Harmon had 11 to play with. So, what could go wrong ... right?

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

"Take your time," Victor told Ricky. "Piss, shit, clean up. Whatever you need. Whatever you want."

The younger man smiled to the bodyguard, saying, "Thank you. You're Victor, right? I thought I heard the other guy call you Victor."

As Victor watched, Ricky stepped over to a dusty bench and wipe it off with a bare hand. He grimaced at the dust, wiped it again until there was a clean place to sit, then moved to the sink to wash his hands off. The water -- a truly valuable resource aboard such a ship -- dribbled out slowly.

When he finished, Ricky returned to the bench and began stripping: shoes, socks, shirt, pants; through it all, he didn't look Victor's way, yet out of the corner if his eye, he could tell that he was being watched.

He had a tight, athletic, body, not overly muscular but also not too slight. He casually turned his back to Victor as he reached to his underwear and pulled them off. Ricky walked to the sink, carrying a small bag he'd brought with him, and began cleaning himself with soap, a rag, and the slowly dropping water.

Only now did he look to Victor via the mirror before him. He smiled.

 

[KingOfNowhere]

Victor wasn't entirely certain what he was supposed to do when Ricky began stripping. He knew what he'd wanted from bringing the young man here, and now, if he was reading things correctly, he was getting it. Ricky didn't just strip to his birthday suit. He looked to Victor and flashed him a flirty smile.

The man was perfect and exactly what Victor wanted in a lover. He was fit without being buff. He didn't have a lick of fat on him yet didn't look gaunt or physically meek. And jeez, what a fine ass. Round and firm and asking to be pounded by a long, rock-hard cock.

Victor watched the man run a rag over his body, cleaning his skin, his pits, his cock -- which Victor realized he still hadn't gotten a view of yet. Ricky looked to Victor again and again as he continued cleaning, still wearing that knowing smirk.

Finally, certain that the other man wanted what he did, Victor reached to the door, clicked the lock shut, and crossed slowly up behind Ricky. He paused there a moment, just staring at the man's reflection in the mirror. Six inches taller than Ricky, Victor could easily see the man's hands cleaning his cock. It was stiff, much as his own was.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Ricky's smile widened as Victor headed his way. He kept his gaze on the man, continuing to caress the wet rag over his cock, driving it toward fully stiffness. When the bodyguard was close enough to look down and see his manipulations, Ricky's smile widened. He said softly, "I'm ready. Are you?"

The younger, smaller man turned to face the elder, bulkier one, reaching to Victor's belt to begin unbuckling it without delay. In a flash, he had the bodyguard's pants opened, reaching into his underwear to pull out the massive, rock-hard rod. He stroked it several times before releasing it and instead reaching for his bath bag. Pulling out a small packet and excitedly ripping it open with his teeth, he looked to Victor in the mirror's reflection as he handed it back over his shoulder.

"I'm sure you know what to do with that, yes?" he asked as he parted his feet a bit more and leaned over the sink counter, his eyes still watching the big man in the glass.

 

[KingOfNowhere]

"I'm ready," Ricky said. "Are you?"

"Yes," Victor answered. Before he knew it, his rock-hard and anxiously twitching cock was out of his pants and underwear. Victor groaned as the other man stroked his length. Ricky fished a packet of lube from his bag, ripped it open, and handed it to Victor.

"I'm sure you know what to do with that, yes?" Ricky asked.

"I do," Victor said as he eagerly squeezed the contents out atop the length of his manhood, then massaged it all about that length. Taking Ricky's hips in his strong hands, he placed the fat bulb of his cock in place, pushed slowly to break the seal of the man's ass, then pushed slowly but steadily forward, groaning at the tightness. He murmured, "Too long. It's been too long."

Soon, Victor was fucking Ricky's ass hard and fast, slamming deep inside him with loud grunts. He watched the other man's face in the mirror, listening to his own sounds. The pleasure grew, quickly. It had been a while for him, and in far too little time, his balls began leaping, emptying his jizz into Ricky's insides.

Victor's head swam in the euphoria, taking control of him. He pumped and pumped until every last drop of cum had been dispensed, then slumped over onto Ricky's back, resting his weight upon him and on his elbows pressed upon the counter. His forehead pressed into the younger, smaller man's upper back, his lungs gasping for air.

He didn't know how much time passed before he finally pushed himself up tall again. He found Ricky in the mirror again, smiled, and said, "That felt great. Thanks."

Victor swung the man around to face him again, took his head in his hands, and pulled their faces together for a long, deep kiss. As the embrace continued, Victor reached downward to grasp Ricky's cock. It wasn't as big as his own in either length or girth, but it was as hard, accompanied by a tight sack.

Despite suspecting that the other man was a whore and, therefore, wouldn't expect to be pleasured, Victor lowered to his knees before Ricky and took his cock into his mouth. He was good at sucking cock and easily took Ricky's full length into his mouth and throat. With his head bobbing to and fro quickly, his lips moving from head to base, it wasn't long before wads of cum were flooding his tongue. Grasping the base of Ricky's shaft, he milked it, squeezing it tightly to pull out every drop.

Once finished, Victor rose to his feet again, found Ricky's still-wet rag, and cleaned up his cock. He handed the cloth to the other man, backed a step to pull his clothes together, and said, "Clean up. We have to get back."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Victor pushed his cock deep inside Ricky's ass, causing the latter to groan at the combination of pain, pressure ... and then deep pleasure as the head of the man's cock began massaging his prostate. Victor moaned, "Too long. It's been too long."

"Not too long," Ricky said, speaking not of the length since Victor's last fuck but instead of the length of the man's cock. Catching the other man's eye, Ricky smiled, clarifying, "I think it's just long enough."

Soon, they were fucking hard and fast. The pleasure began building inside Ricky; he used one hand to hold his position on the countertop and the other to begin stroking his own cock. He was thinking that he might cum when Victor suddenly grunted loudly at his own climax. Looking up, Ricky watched the man as the euphoria swept through him. Victor fell forward, laying atop Ricky; he was heavy, a good 80 pounds more so than the smaller man.

Victor finally rose tall again, saying, "That felt great. Thanks."

"It did," Ricky agreed, despite not having orgasmed himself. He agreed to the second part, "Thanks."

Ricky thought they were likely done; after all, he was here to pleasure Victor, not the other way around. And yet, after a passionate embrace and kiss, Victor's mouth was full of the other man's cock. Ricky was happily surprised by the man's skill; he had had clients who liked to suck cock, but he seldom found one this wonderful at it, let alone one so eager to fill his mouth with a whore's cum.

Victor did just that, though, milking Ricky of every drop before finally standing and saying, "Clean up. We have to get back."

Ricky did as he was told, turning back to the counter using the wet rag to clean both his front and backsides. He put on a fresh pair of underwear and a tee shirt, then donned the same pair of coveralls he'd been wearing. When he was ready, he looked to Victor, saying, "I hope we get a chance to do this again soon."

 

[KingOfNowhere]

"I hope we get a chance to do this again soon," Ricky said when he was ready to leave.

"I'll make sure of it," Victor responded. He unlocked and opened the door, but as Ricky neared him, he gently blocked his path, saying, "I'm sure you understand that you are not to speak of this ... to anyone."

He listened to the man's response, began to step aside, then paused again. With a bit of a suspicious tone, Victor asked, "Is there something you want from me? Something the other's won't get because ... well ... because they aren't letting me fuck their asses?"

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

"I'm sure you understand that you are not to speak of this," Victor stressed, "to anyone."

"Of course," Ricky said without hesitation.

"Is there something you want from me?" the bigger man asked. "Something the others won't get because ... well ... because they aren't letting me fuck their asses?"

"Are you asking me if I want something to keep my mouth shut?" Ricky asked; he wasn't certain whether Victor was offering him compensation for sex, for his silence, or both. He thought a moment, then answered, "I don't want anything for me ... not me personally, anyway."

He considered how best to get what he wanted from the man. In contrast to what Victor might be thinking was his reason for opening his ass or mouth to the man's cock, Ricky's goal with Victor was very much the same as Anya's goal with Robert: to get close to the man, close enough to gather insight and intelligence that might help Emily stay safe, secure, and satisfied.

Neither Robert, Victor, nor Harmon had any idea what Emily's real goal was, and Emily feared that if -- when? -- it got out, one or more of the men might not be entirely enthused about playing a part in it. Thus putting Anya and Ricky to work getting close to the men.

The ironic thing was that neither Anya nor Ricky knew about the other's attempts; Emily felt that compartmentalization was important. There was something else that the two didn't know: a third person, and then a fourth, was going to begin similar work, getting close to both the ship's Captain and its Mechanic. Emily wanted to know what each and everyone of them might either be up to or might know that she didn't.

Ricky told Victor, "I'd like the others ... all of them ... to get just a little bit more: more water, more food, more ... comfort. Is that something you can help me with?"

As he asked his question, Ricky moved closer and cupped Victor's manhood, giving it a soft squeeze. He finished, "I'll make sure you get what you want in exchange."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

In Emily's stateroom:

Emily and her Lady's Maid resumed their renovation of the private quarters, this time with the help of six of the slaves transferred to them by Robert; Emily had noted that Victor was nowhere to be seen when she went looking for the cousins, but when she also noticed that Ricky was missing from the slave's quarters, she had a private smile about the knowledge.

"The two of you," she said, pointing to two of the men when she realized that the ship's mechanic and all around handyman was across the hall in Maggie's future quarters. "Go across the passage and help Mister Taylor."

The pair did, leaving Emily, Maggie, and the four others to move all of the two women's possessions to one side of the compartment so that the other side could be stripped off old paint and coated with a new layer. Emily wasn't about to remain in a room filled with paint dust and then paint fumes, so she departed; she invited Maggie and one of the females of the group to accompany her as she headed forward to what Harmon had called the Observation Deck.

"This is impressive," she said when they reached the room that was one deck below the Florence's bridge. "Unexpected."

There were three large, deck-to-overhead viewing monitors fed by exterior cameras, the result of which was a view that feigned windows looking out upon the Void. Emily hadn't expected a cargo ship to have such a feature; she didn't know that once upon a time, the Florence had actually been a passenger transport. For reasons also unknown to her, it had been retired for that purpose and relegated to hauling intra- and inter-stellar freight. The room had once included six rows of seats, eight seats wide, but five of those rows -- the furthest ones back -- had been removed to make room for storage.

"Sit here, please, Maggie," Emily said, gesturing to the seat at one end. Then gesturing the other woman to the other end of the seats, she explained, "I have something to discuss with Ryla."

Maggie donned a puzzled expression but sat where indicated. For the next ten minutes or so, she divided her attention between the incredible view before her and the muted conversation taking place just a few yards away. She didn't catch all of it, but she picked up on the topic, as well as the reason why she hadn't been invited into the conversation.

When Emily was finished, she directed Ryla to return to her stateroom to help with the work there. She rose and moved to sit next to her Lady's Maid, saying as she watched the ship cutting through space, "Isn't it beautiful? I never tire of it."

Traveling through space at greater than light speed wasn't like it had been portrayed by popular media in Earth's earlier centuries; the space didn't pass by like colorful computer graphics, nor did stars pass by as blurring streaks. It was far more subtle than that, with the nearest stars slowly slipping by, not zipping by. Still, other astronomical features presented amazing sights: supernovae, dust clouds, and more.

"I'll do it, Miss," Maggie suddenly said after Emily had spent a few minutes pointing out unnamed yet still spectacular features. When her Mistress asked do what? Maggie clarified, "I will become Captain Harmon's lover."

Emily turned in her seat to better face her servant, asking with feigned surprise, "What...? Where did that come from?"

"I picked up on enough of your conversation with Ryla to understand what you were asking her to do," Maggie confessed. "She's a beautiful woman. And I presume she is well qualified to do as you asked her." Maggie assumed that the woman was a whore. "But ... I already had somewhat of a report with the Captain. And I already know that he has a ... yearning for me--"

"He saw you naked last night in the Hygiene Room, right?" Emily asked, smirking; she'd suspected as much, even if Maggie had been covered up when she herself got to the room. When Maggie blushed, Emily said firmly, "I won't do that to you again, Margaret."

"You won't be doing it to me," Maggie said. "I'm volunteering." When she saw that Emily wasn't going for it, Maggie added, "I want to do this, Miss. Please."

"Why?" Emily asked softly. "Why would you want to do this ... be with another man. I remember what that did to you the first time."

Maggie lowered her eyes for a moment, then looked up again. After a moment, she responded, "It wasn't being with a man that hurt me, Mistress. It was you so easily giving me to him without discussing it with me first. If you had asked, I would have complied ... willingly."

Emily felt her eyes tearing up. She moved forward, taking her Lady's Maid into her arms for a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Maggie. I'm so sorry."

They both started sobbing. They spent several minutes talking about their relationship, about their love for one another, about their respect for one another. Near the end of it, Emily tried to convince Maggie that it wasn't necessary for her to do this. Maggie was adamant, though. "You want someone you can trust to get close to the Captain. There is no one closer to you than me, Miss."

They talked about it further, but the decision was made.

 

[KingOfNowhere]

(OOC: I found a picture for Robert and Victor/Frick and Frack. Robert is on the left.)

"I'd like the others ... all of them ... to get just a little bit more," Ricky suggested to Victor. "More water, more food, more ... comfort. Is that something you can help me with?"
"
Even as Victor was considering the request, Ricky cupped his manhood and gave it a soft, suggestive squeeze. Victor smiled, recalling how good it had been fucking the young man. He wanted to do that again and, if possible, often. It was wrong of him, of course. The slaves were his boss's property, destined for Masters and Mistresses who wouldn't be happy to learn that they'd been used by Emily's help.

Ricky stressed, "I'll make sure you get what you want in exchange."

"I can't promise you anything," Victor said. He reached a hand up to caress Ricky's cheek. Despite his rough appearance and similar personality, Victor could be a very gentle, even loving man when the situation called for it. "But I'll do what I can ... for you and for the others."

He stepped back opening the way through the door. Ricky headed down the hall, Victor following behind him. At the slaves' quarters, he learned from Robert that their boss had come to collect some of the slaves for some labor in her stateroom. Robert said quietly, "She asked where you were. I told her you were still escorting people, plural, to the toilet."

"Thanks," was all Victor said in response.

"How was he?" Robert asked, smirking. He'd always been very respectful of his cousin's sexual preferences. Still, he enjoyed teasing the man about his sexual encounters, just as Victor sometimes teased him about his own. He got lewder, "Tight enough?"

Victor only smirked and turned away to amble through the compartment toward a chair, sitting to think about how enjoyable the encounter with Ricky had been.

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Before noon:

"Can I come in, Captain?" Maggie asked from just beyond the entrance to the bridge. When he looked her way, she smiled and explained, lying of course, "I've never been on a spaceship before, so ... I don't know the ... whadda they call them, protocols?"

She waited for permission or a laugh or a wave or whatever, then stepped inside. She hadn't been on the bridge before -- Florence's bridge, at least -- so she took a moment to look about herself, feigning awe at how complex everything was. She hurried over to something, asking what it was; then to something else, inquiring about it; and again and again, expressing either her delight, curiosity, or ignorance in each.

As she moved about the bridge, Maggie leaned or turned or stretched in ways that showed off this curve or that curve or combinations of them; she'd worn a blouse that when she extended herself flashed a bit of midriff and a mid-thigh length skirt that revealed a considerable amount of leg and fit tightly to her wonderfully delicious, pear-shaped ass.

"It must be very hard to be a Captain I would imagine," Maggie said when she finally turned back to Harmon, very slowly moving his way as he responded. "Could you teach me to do something that wouldn't cause us to fly through a star?" She giggled, clarifying her inquiry, "Like, I dunno ... make us speed up a little ... or turn us...?" Excitedly, she twirled her hand before her, asking, "...or do one of those rolls, like they do on the roller coaster on Phlorrin Prime. Have you ridden the Star Twister, Captain...? My Mistress took me to the park when we visited Phlorrin's capital city. It was the most fun I'd ever had."

By the time she finished speaking, she was just out of Harmon's reach, not that he had any reason to reach for her, of course. Or did he? She was smiling with delight at the conversation, and after a moment's hesitation, she said as if remembering why she was there, "Oh, yeah, um ... my Mistress would like to return your kindness this morning ... the breakfast ... by cooking lunch for you and your man. Mister Taylor has been working hard for hours, making a place for me to sleep tonight, as opposed to the mat on the floor in my Mistress's stateroom."

Maggie hadn't slept on the floor, of course, but she wasn't going to tell Harmon that she'd slept with Emily. It was accepted in many cultures and many social situations for female friends to sleep in the same bed. But in the eyes of others, Emily and Maggie weren't friends: they were Mistress and Slave. The only reason in that case for Maggie to sleep in Emily's bed was if the former was sexually serving the latter, and while originally and for over a year she had, it hadn't been that way for quite some time.

 

[KingOfNowhere]

Before noon:

Harmon was busy with systems checks and reviews of the latest commercial opportunities when he heard Maggie asking, "Can I come in, Captain?"

He spun in his chair to find the beauty standing in the entrance. He looked her up and down, smiling. She was so beautiful in a blouse and skirt that flashed her midriff and legs. She told him, "I've never been on a spaceship before, so ... I don't know the ... whadda they call them, protocols?"

"Come on in, Maggie," Harmon told her. "And yes, they're called protocols, but you don't have to worry about them. You can come visit me anytime you damn well please."

He watched her intently as she took a tour about the bridge. After she'd passed, he got an eyeful of that wonderful ass, too. He preferred her naked as she had been the first time he'd seen her. But the blouse and shirt showed off her womanly curves well enough to once again cause his cock to expand in size.

She pointed at this and that and the other thing, asking what they were and what they did. It was refreshing to Harmon to have someone show interest in things that had long been just necessary tools to him.

"It must be very hard to be a Captain I would imagine," Maggie said.

"It is, certainly," he said, smirking. "There's not a lot of us out here who can do what I do."

Yeah, sure, there was a lot that had to be known to keep you from flying through a star or running out of fuel deep in the most remote portion of the Void. The ship's computer system was supposed to prevent the Captain from doing anything stupid like that, of course. But even the most advance AI -- which, of course, the elderly Florence didn't have -- could make mistakes that would get her crew and passengers killed.

Maggie was creeping closer and closer toward Harmon as they chatted. Her body language screamed flirt, making Harmon glad he was sitting such that his lap -- and erection -- were not obvious. She was so close now that he could smell her. Soap or shampoo or perfume? he wondered. Either way, it only continued to intrigue and excite him.

"Could you teach me to do something that wouldn't cause us to fly through a star?" she asked, giggling. "Like, I dunno ... make us speed up a little ... or turn us...?" Excitedly, she twirled her hand before her, asking, "...or do one of those rolls, like they do on the roller coaster on Phlorrin Prime."

She went on about the amusement ride, saying, "It was the most fun I'd ever had."

Harmon wanted so badly to say That's because you haven't ridden me yet, but somehow he managed to keep his mouth shut. She was so close, and he could lean forward, grab her, and pull her right up into his lap if he wanted. But again, he managed to control himself.

Instead, Harmon gestured to the seat next to his, then rose and said, "Sit. Sit! If you're going to steer the ship, this is where you do it from."

Maggie looked shocked at Harmon's suggestion and didn't immediately move. He took the opportunity to take her waist in his hands, turn her, and sit her down. He pointed at instruments and readouts as he explained what they did or meant, saying at least three different times, "You don't have to actually know this, but I thought you might be interested."

Finally, he said, "Okay, so ... this is the attitude control that will roll the ship. First, I have to unlock the controls. You can't see this code, so..."

Harmon stood directly behind Maggie and held a hand over her eyes. Leaning forward over her, he tapped in his security code, unlocking the controls. When he removed his hand from over her eyes, he let it fall to rest on her shoulder, rather than let it fall back to his own side. If she gave him an indication that she didn't like it, he would cease his handling of her, even apologizing.

"Okay, so, grab these," he said, taking her hands in his own and lifting them to the dual stick controls. "Now, this is what you do. See that dial...?" he asked, pointing to the ship's Z-axis reading. He moved both hands to Maggie's shoulders as he said, "Okay, so ... ever so gently ... turn this to the left ... until you see that needle move to the number 5. Then, bring the handle back to the middle."

After Maggie did as directed, Harmon leaned down so that his face was close to her own and pointed out a hand before her. "See that bright patch of light over there on the left...? Watch it..."

Because the ship was still on its set course, but because it was also doing a slow roll, the bright light -- a supernova probably hundreds of years old -- began slowly moving upwards, then increasingly more to the right, then down again, in a circular movement. All of the other stars and astronomical bodies -- the millions of pin prikes in God's veil -- turned the same.

They did an entire roll before Harmon had Maggie return them to the attitude they'd been on. She was truly excited, and Harmon thought that if he'd tried for it right now, he might have gotten her to open her legs for him.

"Oh, yeah, um ... my Mistress would like to return your kindness this morning ... the breakfast," she said after she rose to her feet again, "...by cooking lunch for you and your man. Mister Taylor has been working hard for hours, making a place for me to sleep tonight, as opposed to the mat on the floor in my Mistress's stateroom."

"That would be delightful, Maggie," he said. "So long as you are going to be there."

 

[MarieDavisRPs]

Harmon gestured Maggie to a seat, saying, "Sit. Sit! If you're going to steer the ship, this is where you do it from."

Her eyes swelled to twice their normal size and her mouth fell open. "Really...? Really?!?"

She squealed as she jumped excitedly into the seat, asking, "What do I do? What do I do?"

Harmon began explaining the Navigator's Station to her, going -- by his own admission -- deeper into explanation that he really needed to. She didn't miss the fact that he use her lesson as a chance to get physically closer to her ... and even lay hands upon her, primarily upon her hands and shoulders.

Before she knew it, Maggie had her hands on the controls and was ever so slowly causing the ship to roll to one side. She expressed her concern that she would fly them into a star or asteroid belt, but Harmon reassured her that she was doing nothing at all to the Florence's course but was only rolling the ship as if it were a corkscrew cutting through space.

She turned her attention to the most noticeable of astronomical objects, and soon could see the effect of what she was doing. She giggled at the fun she was having, a reaction that was actually sincere, even if her earlier statements about never having been on a ship's bridge had been falsehoods.

They completed a full 360-degree roll before Harmon instructed Maggie on how to steady the ship back to its original orientation. When the navigation was once again locked safely, Maggie hopped up and threw her arms around the tall man's torso, squeezing him tightly as she exclaimed, "That was fun. I loved it. Thank you, Harmon."

It was the first time she'd intentionally used the man's given name, possibly the first time she'd used it at all. She held him a few seconds, then backed up to a proper distance and acted innocent once again; the emotion was betrayed by the smile that wouldn't leave her face.

She told Harmon that Emily wanted her people to cook lunch for him, and Harmon accepted, saying, "That would be delightful, Maggie ... so long as you are going to be there."

She blushed -- a sincere reaction -- and promised, "I will be there." She circled out around the Navigation Station chair for the Bridge exit, stopping before leaving to look back and smile once more. She again said, "Thank you ... Captain."