Doro Quchasuna lightly leaned against his mop as a subtle shudder ran through the ship. As he wiped the day’s grime from his forehead, he looked up and grinned. Finally! They were docking.

“…aaand that’s my cue!”

With a lazy salute to the junior deckhand working beside him, Doro let the mop clatter to the floor. It took the bin with it, spilling grey-brown water everywhere. His young crewmate threw his rag angrily.

“Aw, come on! We still have half the crew quarters and the whole mess hall—”

“Sorry, pal. I’ve got places to be. Hey. Why don’t we just say we’re square on those twenty cterls you owe me.”

He gave the man a hearty pat on the back and ran off with a skip in his step that made him feel like a little girl. Who cared. It had been a long, winding journey to get as far as he had gotten. He was only sane to be excited.

It didn’t take long for Doro to reach the random, dusty corner near the engine room that he’d claimed as his so-called quarters. The dull, ever-present vibration in the area and the make-shift curtain he’d pinned across the wall to create some semblance of space succinctly captured the vibe of his stay on the Bulk Cargo Freighter 9. Slapdash and uncomfortable. Still, he couldn’t help but look back fondly at the metal halls of this cargo ship he’d been serving on for the past several months.

Yes, his ‘uniform’ was threadbare and second-hand. Yes, he was always served food last during mealtime. And yes, he’d been assigned all the least popular duties. But given that he’d started his journey on the BCF-9 as a stowaway, stealing food from the crew pantry in the dark of night and taking sneak showers while no one was looking, a place on the crew was more generosity than he deserved. Or had ever expected.

Yes, yes, it was all a great blessing. But all great streaks of luck came to an end, and greater horizons always lay ahead. So with an eagerness that didn’t at all betray the fact that he’d made a home on this ship these past few months, Doro began stripping out of his uniform so that he could clean himself of all that ship-stink. He’d left himself a bucket of water and soap atop a nearby radiator that morning, so it was warm by now, and the wall plating was just polished enough that he could check his face.

It wasn’t, however, reflective enough for him to see a person approaching from behind. Only once a familiar voice spoke did he freeze, half-covered in soap, and with a finger in his chin-scruff.

“Crewman Quchasuna. I believe when I assigned you to cleaning duty, I meant for you to clean the ship, not yourself.”

The captain! What was she doing here during docking? And, of course, he was half-naked. He dropped the razor he’d been planning on shaving with and coughed.

“Captain. I-“

“Proceed, crewman. You might as well finish up.”

“Right, ma’am!”

Doro hurriedly dumped the wash water over his head, trying not to think too hard about what bits he was accidentally exposing. The captain was nonplussed, both by his nudity and being sprayed by water. She simply waited for him with her hands behind her back, maintaining that even gaze that had made her such a devil of an opponent at the crew’s poker table.

Still, why was she here? As he started toweling himself off, the captain spoke.

“Crewman. It has been brought to my attention that you are planning to disembark at this port. And that you do not plan to return.”

“That’s correct, ma’am. I have a job lined up in the city. Imports and exports.”

Doro rolled out the lie he’d been telling everyone else on the crew for the past few months. Most everyone didn’t blink an eye when he said that. It was the easiest, most cliché job to line up after getting tired of the seas, of course. Just the exact type of boringly realistic answer to get the conversation to jump to another topic.

But the captain didn’t respond for a long time. It almost made Doro stop pulling up his pants.

“…I see. Well, good luck to you then. And on account of your good behavior, I’ll forgive this abdication of duties just this once.”

She sounded… disappointed? That was a surprise, since in his mind, he’d always likened her to an iceberg. Cold, immovable, and hiding more than could be seen in a smaller form. It seemed his roguish charms could even reach the heart of a woman whom he’d only seen blink twice. Who knew?

As he finally got his jacket over his shoulders, Doro turned to thank the captain, but she spoke before he could.

“A shame,” the captain said with a certain knowingness in her eye. “I was considering offering you a commission—“

She was extending her hand. Generously. He interrupted without thinking.

“Captain!”

The volume of his voice surprised both of them. It was like he’d felt compelled to make certain she didn’t finish her sentence. Otherwise…

Doro snapped to attention, with the sharpest salute he could. He carefully cleared his throat.

“Before I leave,” he said, “I want to thank you for letting me stay on this ship. For making me welcome amongst the crew. For giving me a chance. I owe you a great debt for that.”

“It was nothing, Quchasuna. If anything, you were an asset. That’s why—”

“Even still, ma’am. I consider myself in your debt. But I have another favor to ask of you.”

She nodded without hesitation. It was that same decisiveness that had won the admiration of many a crew member. It was something to see in the middle of a heavy storm, when wave after wave was crashing into the ship.

“Go ahead, crewman. Name it. You’ve earned it.”

Doro set his jaw and nodded.

“I need you to take back that offer, ma’am. Erase it from your mind.”

For a moment, the captain looked affronted. But her expression quickly softened into a wry smile.

Because she knew.

“Ah, of course. No quarter or retreat, and so on?”

Doro nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I think you know that where I’m headed, I can’t have your kindness making me soft. I’ll need every edge I can take.”

“That you will. That you will…”

The captain trailed off thoughtfully whilst nodding in agreement. She saluted back after a moment.

“Then to accede to your wishes, I swear that as long as I am captain, the name Doro Quchasuna will never have a place on this ship’s roster, nor the man a place in our company. And to make it official…”

The captain took the radio clipped to her uniform and held it up to her mouth. She pressed a button, and speakers all around the ship buzzed to life.

“Attention, all crew. From this point forward, crewman Doro is considered a persona non grata aboard this vessel. If you find him, grab him and throw him out the nearest porthole.”

Her message echoed through the passages of the ship. After a moment, her radio buzzed back with the first officer’s voice.

“Aye, Aye, captain. But what did the bastard do? Cheat at cards again?”

He’d never done that. He’d never had to. The first officer was just as bad a bluffer as he was a good bulldog.

The captain paused for a moment, thinking.

“He was discovered smuggling contraband, as well as stealing supplies from the crew. Also—” The captain’s eyes glinted nastily, “—he attempted to kiss me.”

Doro gaped at the captain as silence reigned on the comms for a while. The first officer responded, voice cold as ice.

“Roger that, ma’am. He’s as good as dead.”

Not a moment later, the ship’s fire siren screamed alive, and Doro began hearing the sound of dozens of footsteps pounding throughout the ship. The captain winked at him.

“Best get going, civilian. My crew will never forgive you for what you’ve done.”

Doro shot her a look of abject outrage. That was— That was— way beyond what he’d asked for! They’d kill him if they caught him!

Doro wished he had time to speak his mind, but someone was already calling his name around the corner. He satisfied himself with a short and hissed, “Damn you, woman!”, before he ducking and running away. The captain’s laughter followed him down the hallway, lingering in his ears even as he escaped into the busy docks.

“Good luck and godspeed, Doro!”

“You’ll be needing it!”