(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/7/7d/6a00e55003818f883401543213d274970c-320wi.jpg)<br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Sue, the Cook</span></span><br/><strong>Location:</strong>The train station, then Mowa, then the cargo hold of<em>The Line</em><br/><strong>With:</strong>Sophie, Keri, Lance, Braxton, Phil, Girias<br/><br/><em><strong>"Oh, tha conductor got angry 'cause a couple of tha guys got me inta a corner and we was neckin'.  Then I pulled the emergency brake lever just ta see if it really worked.  Tha whole train stopped and I think that was why we was late.  I was perfectly behaved."</strong></em><br/><br/>I laughed.  I ain't no lie detector, but Sophie was refreshingly honest in such a good way.  On top of describing her misdeeds, she thought all she done was okay.<br/><br/>Any sense of worry was gone.  I picked up the wave from Sophie's Aunt Amelia to be at Mowa for the 14:04.  We arrived an hour after that.  Coincidentally, it was the right place but the wrong time.  And as soon as we landed I head to the station in the hover mule, and now Sophie and me was a-heading back.<br/><br/>I asked her,<strong>"You was neckin?  With a <em>couple</em> of guys?"</strong><br/><br/>My eyes widened as I smirked and shook my head.  It seemed that Sophie was just like her mama, and not just in appearance.<br/><br/>I was distracted by the way she looked.  Her little yellow girl's dress hugged her developing womanly curves.  Despite being 19, she looked and acted so sweet and innocent and naughty that she seemed younger.  Sophie's mom, Alyce, was the same way, younger looking than her age, I mean.  She was my age but looked half that, just a bit older than her daughter now.<br/><br/>Sophie'se dress kind of matched the fair skin on her slim neck and smooth arms, which just made her big green eyes shine brighter and the red of her hair blaze more like a fire.<br/><br/>She reminded me of a big flower, and I was a bee, and she was getting my attention with her looks and her scent so I would pollinate her and to take her nectar.<br/><br/><strong>"So what else did you do on the way over here, Sophie?"</strong><br/><br/>As Sophie continued to tell me about her most recent adventure, she flashed the same enthusiasm in her words as Alyce did.  Alyce and me, we was both guns-for-hire back in the day.  Alyce had a thing for muscular men with big guns, which was another reason besides the money why she got in the merc and bounty hunting business.  Let's just say she liked large caliber heavy barrels belt fed with explosive ammo.  And the more the merrier.  But no matter how wild and crazy she... we... got together, we was always number one for each other.  I miss Alyce.<br/><br/>As Alyce was dying in my arms, she made me swear to her to take care of her Sophie, which I done so far even from afar and wasn't gonna stop doing until I died my own self.<br/><br/>I laughed some more as she talked about the chief engineer on the liner to Shadow.  Engineer.  It made Lance pop into my head.  How would he react to meeting Sophie?  Wait a tick... Sophie is gonna be loose on<em>The Line</em>.  With Lance, Phil, Richard, Cookie... and Braxton!  This ain't good, ain't no good at all.<br/><br/>But I ain't got no choice.<br/><br/>I maneuvered the mule from the train station back to the<em>The Line</em>, making sure to avoid trouble with a bunch of rent-a-cops.  I tried to get an idea of their numbers, weapons, armor, demeanor.  This kind of intel would be valuable if things went bad.  I also made mental notes about the way the town was set up, making up escape routes and considering places to set ambushes or distractions.<br/><br/>I was in combat mode, but I felt calm and I'm sure Sophie would be none the wiser about the danger we might be in.<br/><br/><strong>"Don't even think about flipping no switches and turning no dials and pushing no buttons, Sophie,"</strong>I warned her.<strong>"That goes for being on this here mule or on the ship that's been mah home for the past couple of months.  It's called <em>The Line</em> and she's captained by a man named Braxton.  Make nice with him and the rest of the crew, but not <em>too</em> nice.  Ah appreciate you bein' grateful and respectful and you best be keep on doin' that or there'll be hell to pay, understand young lady?  Now look pretty and smile while I talk to the Captain."</strong><br/><br/>I pulled up to the ship and drove the mule into the cargo hold, then helped Sophie down and took her hand.  I planned on heading to the bridge, but ran into Keri and Lance instead.<br/><br/><strong>"Hey, Keri.  Hey, Lance.  Ah'd like to introduce you to someone.  This here's Sophie.  She's mah... She's mah niece.  I'm hopin' the Captain will let her stay aboard with me... us... for a bit.  Sophie, this here's Keri Jones.  She's the pilot.  And this here's Lance Daniels.  He's the... engineer."</strong>I tried to avoid reminding her of the story on the liner, but that's how I thought of Lance now.<br/><br/>With Keri and Lance in the cargo hold and away from the cockpit, I gathered they must be going into town.  I also figured that the Captain and others would be behind her sooner or later.<br/><br/>To each of them, I introduced her first, her being the guest and all.  I got more comfortable with the introduction.<br/><br/><strong>"This here's Sophie.  She's mah niece."</strong><br/><br/>I then told her who they were, and then I observed closely how much and what kind of attention they paid to her, as well as her reaction to each of them.<br/><br/><strong>"Phil and Girias are members of the crew."</strong><br/><br/><strong>"Richard Dawson, first... mate."</strong><br/><br/><strong>"Braxton Early, captain of <em>The Line</em>."</strong><br/><br/>I pulled the captain aside.<br/><br/><strong>"Thanks for lettin' me take the mule, Captain.  Ah didn't know what to expect, and Ah got Sophie.  Ah'd like for her to stay with us on the ship.  If she can't do no work, she'll be a passenger and Ah'll pay for her.  But you look like you have business to take care of, so we can talk about that later.  Here's what Ah found about the town..."</strong><br/><br/>I told him what I seen, so that my little drive on the mule served as recon for him as much as transport for me and Sophie.<br/><br/><strong>"Let me get Sophie squared away in mah bunk.  Then I'll help ya'll out as needed, whether it's drivin' a mule or talkin' to the townsfolk."<br/><br/><br/></strong>