"Clark's unfinished station," Cinnamon added.
"Why do you say that?"
"That was a nickname for the station that I learned back on Infinity," my spice girl answered. "Because it doesn't have a full habitation ring. There are two curved sections on opposite ends of each other that make it look like the station is still under construction. The two ends operate independently to a large degree. We'll need to view what each section has to sell and their available contracts before we decide where to dock."
"Can we sell our goods at either place?" Strawberry asked before I could think of it.
"Probably," Cinnamon answered. "But it will likely be a good idea to check in advance. If we can."
"That's right," Strawberry said. "I almost forgot. We're not sure about our outgoing communication capabilities."
"I thought that we were worried about announcing our presence in advance," I said. "Just in case the Arketa Koreta has been listed as missing. How is this going to work? Can we change the name of the ship?"
"I don't know," Strawberry muttered, looking completely unsure of herself again. I turned to see the same expression on Cinnamon's face.
"Come on now, girls," I raised my voice. "You've been through this before."
"No," Strawberry replied sternly. It looked like I finally struck a nerve. I knew things were going too well. "We have never entered a station without a fully functioning comm system or wanted to avoid communicating our ship’s name. I just started learning navigation. Before that I was strictly systems. And your girl Cinnamon is brand new to communications. We are not a band of experienced criminals in your gang."
Why the hell did she just say that?
"Kash," Cinnamon said in her calming tone. "We'll get it figured out. Maybe don't go full speed just yet. Give us some more time to work on this problem."
I pulled myself together. I was doing so well until then. I had to remember that I was the one that could think outside the box. These women of mine simply knew how to do their jobs. Their old jobs. Learning new positions so quickly had to be stressful. They were delicate flowers compared to me. That was one of the reasons that they accepted me so quickly as their new leader.
"Yes, good thinking," I told Cinnamon. A better man would have apologized, but it didn't come naturally to me without coming across as a weakness. Better play to my strengths. "Nav-Berry," I addressed the redhead.
"Nav-Berry?"
"Is there any issue with us traveling at half the maximum speed through a system?"
"I don't think so," she replied, her previous anger dissipating. "Here, I'm sending you the Nav-point now."
I thanked her and proceeded to get our ship moving in the right direction. We had a whole day before we arrived at Clark's station if I didn't adjust the speed.
Turning back to my freckled first officer, I approached the tender subject once again. This time not so harshly. "As systems officer, aren't you able to hack files?"
"Hack?"
"Can you and Honeysuckle work together to find a way to change the name of the ship in our records?"
The two girls looked at each other. Honey had almost no experience at systems but she was learning the position. Perhaps just a second set of eyes would be useful. They both nodded and started discussing where to look. I got out of my seat and headed for the hallway. When Cinnamon asked where I was going I told her that I wanted to check to make sure everyone was okay, especially Teddy.
"Wait," Strawberry said. "If we can manage to change the name of the ship, what should we change it to?"
A few options ran through my mind. Intrepid, Kash Money, Boat Full of Bitches. All stupid choices. We needed a new name that wouldn't draw suspicion or accidentally duplicate another ship. Finally, I told her, "Mavdaios."
I soon as I stepped into the hallway the good doctor came around the corner. "Captain," she addressed me as if I had always been her superior officer. Even the girls that I was romantically involved with didn't do that. "Teddy and Mixi were both vomiting from jump-nausea. I'll study their data and see if any adjustment needs made to the med that we use on humans. I should have something for them before we jump again."
"You have anti-nausea medicine for humans?"
Vanilla just realized why I asked. "Yes, sorry. I forgot that you haven't experienced rip-jumping before. Did you have any ill effects?" When I hesitated to answer she simply told me that she would have a dose handy for next time should I want it.
"Did the dragons have any issues?" I asked.
"No, they slept right through it. Considering their dietary freedom their stomachs probably don't get upset easily."
"Captain," the melodic voice of a siren called to me. Down the hall stood Aeren in a ship's uniform that had been trimmed down to fit her build. On her face was a naturally seductive smile. "Is there anything that I can do to help?"
Yes, there is, my lower region replied. She looked so good in the new duds. No longer an alien girl, she was ready to be a regular member of the crew. Of my crew. She had already taken to calling me captain, too. All the right buttons were being pushed.
When I failed to reply, she asked me if her uniform met with my approval. Hesitating again, Vanilla answered for me telling her that she looked great.
"How is the studying going?" I asked when I recovered from her mesmerizing effect. I couldn’t be sure if she was making a concerted effort to draw me in like that, or if it was a
