The admiral nods to each of you as you acknowledge him with greater or lesser respect.  He smiles at Rothgar in particular.<br/><br/>"That's hardly necessary, Rothgar, although I do appreciate the effort.  And I'm glad to hear you and Vukhad have things well in hand.  I sleep better at night knowing we have capable hands on the fireworks.<br/><br/>"The bottom line on saluting is that I run a tight ship, or as tight as she can be on a shoestring budget.  Show your respect for me by doing your jobs, doing them well, and keeping me from having to sic the bo'sun on you.  The Lieutenant Commander is not a nice lady.  If you'd also like to salute me, you can feel free, but if saluting chaps your hands what's most important to me is that the ship keeps sailing and we keep bringing in the the gold.  The Securis is not a cheap date, even running with a skeleton crew like we have now.<br/><br/>"Truth be told, because I think everyone who signs on deserves to know who they're working with, my roots are not in above-board cargo shipping.  I got my start swabbing the decks of a pirate ship sinking the merchant airships of a fat, corrupt empire, and I'm proud of every moment I spent doing it.  The captain of that vessel taught me that a happy crew is a loyal crew, and I prefer to have a good time aboard ship, so long as the work gets done.  That attitude means I have to take discipline -- and punishment -- very, very seriously, and I do.  And in a way, it's the bo'sun's life's work.<br/><br/>"But you're right, Red, I didn't call you here to talk about how the ship is running.  I called you here because I need your assistance with something.<br/><br/>"The Securis has a valued repeat customer in Hestavar who pays top dollar for very small, very particular deliveries.  Hestavar is a major trade hub out here, so we lose very little gold on overhead by carrying his packages back and forth across the void.  Unfortunately, right now we are not headed anywhere near Hestavar and our friend has an urgent request.  He has placed an order for a liter of blink dog milk with a specialist goods dealer in Sigil, and he needs it delivered immediately and at speed.<br/><br/>"To that end, I'd like to put the four of you in a longboat and send you to Sigil to pick up the milk and deliver it to our friend in Hestavar.  You could then travel on to a third destination where the Securis will pick you back up on our way to Mount Celestia.<br/><br/>"We are not anticipating trouble, but we will send an escort along just in case.  I can't say it won't be dangerous -- the Astral Sea is a very dangerous place in general, and Sigil is a wretched hive of scum and villainy, if you'll excuse the turn of phrase.  This is entirely a volunteer exercise, but there's a bonus in it for each of you if you make the delivery on time.<br/><br/>"What do you think?"