Dinner.

I followed Sth out of the door, plodding along the hallway beyond in my bare feet. I'd been taken with only the jumpsuit on, I didn't even have any underwear under it! I'd been planning on having some fun with Nuba, and hence wanted to be able to strip off quickly. That plan was now working against me.

Against everything I was expecting, the ship was clean and orderly. For some reason I'd been expecting disarray and chaos, but then this was still as spaceship, and a fighting vessel no doubt, so certain minimum standards needed to be maintained for it to function efficiently. Plus, from what I'd seen, I suspected the captain liked everything ship-shape, as the ancient saying went.

Still, the I could hear the mess hall long before I saw it. Sth led me down several decks, using ladders of all things, until the noise, and the smell, became nearly overwhelming.

A wide corridor led to a set of double doors, both ajar. It was from beyond those that the noise and smell emanated.

Before he reached the doors, Sth stopped and looked down at me.

"Show no fear," he said. "These people respect strength. The weak are prey."

I nodded. Useful information, duly noted.

Turning back, he pushed the door open and led me through.

The room beyond was far more in keeping with what I had expected. It was crowded, with wooden tables and chairs, of all things, arranged to make maximum use of the limited space. Up at one end, on a raised platform, was a long table, behind which sat the captain, Red and a couple of other large, scary looking men.

In fact the people in the room were mostly men, maybe a quarter were women. Most of those were practically as burly as the males, although one or two were more of a type with Red, lithe and cat-like. All of them looked like they would kill at the drop of a hat, and I had no doubt that was actually the case.

As soon as we entered the noise level dipped, and the crew turned to glare at me.

"They don't seem very welcoming," I said to Sth, boldly, putting into effect the strategy of not appearing afraid.

"You killed six of their comrades," he replied. "What did you expect?"

I took a calculated risk. "I expected more of a fight, to be honest. I thought pirates were supposed to be tough." I glared around the room, daring them to challenge me.

The room went dead silent.

Then someone laughed. An uproarious, unbridled laugh. It was the captain.

"She has some balls!" he roared, slamming a tankard, an actual wooden tankard, on his table, sending drink everywhere.

The rest of the room erupted. Some laughed along with the captain, some shouted angrily. Red, I noticed, just glared at me. Yep. Not a friend.

Sth took me by the arm and led me to a small table, in the corner. A scrawny looking man, skinny, and dressed in ragged clothes, saw us coming and bolted. Another slave I guessed.

Sth didn't mention him, but simply cleared the debris he'd left off the table with a sweep of his arm. He gestured at the seat. I ignored his suggestion and walked around to the other side, sitting on a stool with my back to the wall.

Nodding in approval, Sth motioned for me to stay. "I'll get some food," he said, and made his way off through the crowded room.

I was left there on my own, and sat up straight, ready for any abuse that came my way. However, much to my surprise, none did. I'm sure some of the crew were talking about me, but no one addressed me directly, so I just kept my mouth shut and tried to blend into the background, whilst scanning the area for anything I could learn.

It was only a few minutes before Sth returned, carrying two large plates, along with two tankards. Both were made of wood, which I commented on as he put them down in front of me.

"Yes, it's something the captain likes. Says something about 'authenticity' or some-such. No one complains though, as long as there's food and drink, who cares?"

I shrugged and examined the sustenance in front of me. There was rice, vegetables, some chunks of meat, or meat substitute, all covered in sauce. I took a sip of the drink and coughed.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Grog of course," Sth replied, taking a swig of his own drink. "You like?"

"I don't know. Is it alcoholic?"

"It better be," he said. He pulled two (wooden) spoons out of a pocket, threw one at me, and, using the other, shovelled some food into his mouth.

I wiped the spoon on my jumpsuit, and took a more delicate mouthful of my own, then coughed again.

"Spicy!" I choked, and grabbed for my drink.

Sth just laughed.

As spicy as it was, and despite the drink quickly started making my head spin, I ate and drank it all, and then drank some of the refill that Sth poured me. I needed to keep my strength up.

After I'd scraped the bowl clean, and, with my vision swimming slightly from the beer, I leaned forward and spoke in the lowest voice I could, whilst still being heard over the ever increasing hubbub of a room full of drunken pirates.

"Why am I here?" I asked him.

"On this ship, or in this room?" he replied, wiping his chin with his sleeve.

I frowned at this lack of decorum, but answered anyway. "Both, but right now, in this room. I would have thought I'd have been in the... what do you call it? Rig?"

"The brig." Sth nodded. "Normally you would, but, and this answers the other part of your question too, the captain wants you fit and healthy. You're worth a massive ransom."

"Ah," I sat back and drank some more grog. The taste was growing on me. It made sense. Somehow they knew who I was. And it was true, my family was in the top thousand or so richest in the galaxy. Top thousand may not sound like a lot, but remember there are millions and millions of worlds out there. Fair enough, not all are human, but a lot are. Our species was good at spreading out and colonising star systems, and we'd been doing it for a long time now.

"So, don't make trouble, and you'll probably get back home sooner than if you would have on that little ship you were on before." Sth raised his tankard in salute.

"I'll drink to that," I replied. And I did. Several times in fact.

As a result, I was quite drunk by the time I staggered off after Sth. Alcohol wasn't something I was used to. He guided me along several passageways, up three or four decks (I nearly fell off one of the ladders) and through still more corridors, until we reached a door. He scanned his palm and it slid open. Then he stood to one side and gestured.

"You're cell awaits," he said.

I peered in. It wasn't actually too bad. Smaller than my room at The School, and rather basic, with just a small bed, a basic table and chair, and a tiny closed off area that I assumed must be the toilet.

"You'll be locked in," Sth informed me, as I stepped inside. "It's as much for your own safety as anything. Lusty pirates, remember? Or vengeful ones. Or both."

"Wonderful," I said, but, seeing no alternative, stepped inside.

"I'll see you in the morning," Sth said, and the door slid shut. There was a click as it locked. I didn't bother testing it, but wandered over the bunk, fell forward on it, and was asleep in seconds.