Uncertainty

[Trace Kennet]

Trace was sitting in the cockpit, worrying. The captain and Dru had left to go fight pirates and left him there. Dru had given him a gun, and told him to give it to Jordan. He hadn't had a chance to even say good luck or anything. He sat in his chair, chewing his fingernails. He left the gun on the console, eyeing it with nervous eyes. Then Jordan came in and shut the door. Trace turned to her and smiled nervously. "Hey," He didn't really know what to say. "Dru left this for you..." He said pointing at the pistol, but not touching it.

[Jordan Maxwell]

Looking at the gun, Jordan took it and made sure one was in the chamber. She ran through everything that Dru had taught her and sat down in the co-pilot's chair.

"Everything will be alright Trace. They know what they are doin' and we can handle ourselves." She tried to smile and kept her eyes on the door, just in case.

[Trace Kennet]

Trace was glad of the company, it made him feel slightly less afraid. He was also extremely glad that Jordan had taken a positive outlook. "I... I hope you are right Jordan," He said. "I just cant get the worry out of my head, about what would happen if... well you know." He couldn't bring himself to say what he meant. He didn't want to think of what would happen if the pirates took Dru, Weston, and the Captain. But no matter what he tried, he always found his mind drifting back into those unpleasant thoughts. "Jordan, what do you think they would do to us?"
He couldn't believe his own ears, or that he had let those words slip out.

[Jordan Maxwell]

"Hopefully kill us then space the bodies." She looked over to him and smiled. "They ain't gonna get us Trace. We have Jeff, Dru, and the Cap'n. Have faith."

Jordan reached out and took his hand squeezing it gently. "Everythin will be Shiny, you'll see."

[Trace Kennet]

Trace relaxed when he heard the confidence in her voice, she seemed to be confident, and he decided to trust her. When she grabbed his hand, he was surprised, and he tensed up. He was comforted by her grasp, and he smiled at her. "Thank you," He said, "I know we didn't start off on the right foot, but thank you for all the help you have given me." He looked away, and his eyes were drawn to the planet. He could just see it through the window.
"Amazing isn't it? How peaceful the rest of the 'Verse is, even though hell is breaking loose up here. Really makes you think." He didn't know why he was talking about the planet, it just felt like something to do.

[Jordan Maxwell]

"I have a lot that bothers me. I'm sorry for how I reacted to you." She looked down to the planet. However, she wanted to keep her eyes on the door. She pulled her hand away.

"They are all looking up here hoping for the best. Which is what we are currently giving them." She offered another smile and looked down at the gun in her hands. Dru had shown her how to check the magazine. Pulling it out she looked over the bullets, no rubber, she had something real in her hands, something that could kill. Knowing that she put the clip back in and started to pray she will never have to pull the trigger.

[Trace Kennet]

"It feels so weird," Said trace distractedly, "To know that so many people can be relying on you, and yet," He paused, "I feel like I am letting them down. I should be down there," He gestured at the cargo bay. "If I wasn't such a coward, i would be down there helping."
He lapsed into silence, but he winced as Jordan checked her gun. "I hope you don't have to use that," he said quietly, more to himself, "Because if you do, then things will have gone very wrong."

[Jordan Maxwell]

"Oh, It just means we just got our very own ship. And I don't intent on letting my baby fall into the wrongs hands. Besides, we don't know if that ship is all of the pirates, there might be another ship. They need us watching the Com making sure nothing tries to sneak up on us."

She looked over to him again, she wasn't much comfort but she didn't know how much she could be, she had to keep him safe, after all who else is going to land this thing?

[Trace Kennet]

Trace knew she was right, with what he had seen so far, they could very easily be attacked by a second pirate ship. If that happened, well, he wouldn't think about it. "Yeah," He said, watching as more of the planet came into view. "I wonder what it is like for someone on that planet, St. Albans I mean." He paused, "Living on a place like that, all the snow and the cold, who would do that?" He looked back at Jordan.
He hadn't really paid her that much attention since she had gotten so upset with him, but now he really got a chance to look at her, and a thought popped into his head, "How did you learn to be a mechanic?"

[Jordan Maxwell]

"My dad fixed ships for a living, ships, farming equipment, he taught me how to listen to them, how to sense and see what was wrong with them. Then, it's just a matter of makin' it right. That skill kept me alive in the Terraforming plants as well, always a need for somethin to be fixed." She smiled and looked at him again. "I have always just loved machines. They come easy to me, they don't lie, and they are always around when ya' need 'em."

[Trace Kennet]

Trace listened as she talked, and he was amused by the way she got a far off look as she talked about the machines. He knew what she meant though, about machines talking. He wasn't any kind of mechanic, but there was the same connection between him and the ship, almost like he could hear her talking. Of course, he didn't dare tell anyone, but now that Jordan had mentioned something similar, he wasn't so convinced that he was crazy. "What was it like? Being in the Terraforming crews?" He asked, unsure if this was a good topic. "I've heard all kinds of stories about how awful it is, are they true?"

[Jordan Maxwell]

"Most don't last after two years, there are hundreds of accidents and thousands of ways to die. It's scary, I lived every day not sure if I was see the next one." She leaned onto her thighs with her elbows and looked over to him, her hair falling over her shoulder. "After six months of living there, this beam fell, it would have crushed me, but this man, he pushed me out of the way. It fell on him instead, crushed both of his legs. He died there, telling me he wanted to be with his family. So, not something to do over a holiday break."

[Trace Kennet]

Trace was taken aback by her words. "You are kidding!" he said in flat disbelief. "How can they get away with that kind of thing, surely the alliance would have shut it down by now?" He stopped, "If they knew what was going on, I am sure that it would stop." He looked back at St. Albans, The ships had spun so that it now filled the whole window. From the look of the place, the sun was just coming up on the people below them, though the clouds of snow would have made it hard to tell from down below. "How did you manage to get away? I would think that most of the ships would be searched."

[Jordan Maxwell]

Jordan sighed. "The Alliance doesn't care about us Trace. As long as the worlds kept popping up for people to move to, they turned a blind eye." Jordan tried to keep her emotions in check, but the cry she had on Dru left her feeling a little drained.

"As far as getting away goes, They searched the ship and I got on it, hid under the engine. I waited a while before climbing out and being caught." She tried to smile and then looked to where he was looking.

[Trace Kennet]

"I... I'm sorry I didn't know" Trace stammered. He didn't mean to upset her and now he felt awful. They sat in silence for a while, and then Trace spoke again. "What do you think is going on down there? Do you think they are beating the pirates?" He didn't know what else to talk about. "How will we know if they are done? The captain didn't take a radio with him." Trace kicked himself for neglecting to remind the captain to grab one. "Maybe we should check?"