"Wise advice. I'll keep it in mind if I ever try that sort of research."

She sips her coffee.

"If you don't mind me asking," she says to the Figurehead, "how were you built? The Skipper here?"

She nods. "Built me herself in Polythreme, from my keel to my deck, and poured her love into every rivet and nail."

The Skipper hands the form back to the Acrobat. "Say hi to old Marshall for me when you drop this off, and tell him I'll be along with the last cart."

She gives her Skipper an exquisitely expressive Look. Does she look like she can talk?

"Hey, he's been practicing his signs."

Oh fine. She kisses the Skipper's cheek and starts tying ropes to anchor points on the sides of the cart.

"Well, she did a good job, then. I've met one other ship like you, and last I heard, he was near the center of Khan's Shadow, hoping to escape ever having a captain again. You seem much happier with your crew."

"Oh my, I hadn't heard there was another like me. I..."

Warm arms wrap around the Figurehead's waist from behind, and the Skipper kisses her cheek. "We can visit him whenever you'd like, love."

The Acrobat sets her ropes down and wraps around the Figurehead in a hug as well.

She leans back into her captain's embrace with a grateful smile, and wraps her arms around her tricolor sweetheart. "Thank you, loves. I don't know if I'm ready this run, but perhaps the next one," she says, getting a nod from the Skipper.

Aww, they're cute.

"He might be hard to find, I don't think he likes being known. After how his time zailing went, I can't blame him, it was ugly business from start to finish. But I'd happily help you look."

"Thank you. That would be very kind."

The girls all unhug and resume loading crates onto the first cart.

The Centenarian takes another drink of coffee and then she's back to work as well.

Soon enough a full load of sixteen crates is on the first cart, and the Acrobat straps it down the rest of the way, tucking the form under one strap, and rolls it swiftly back toward the Exchange.

The Skipper and Figurehead smoothly switch to loading the second cart.

"Has it just been the three of you aboard?", the Centenarian asks as they all switch over.

"It has. We don't need a large crew, since so many things aboard the Handbasket can handle themselves. Fights are the time where we could most use another person. The guns are faster with two people on each, one on loading and the other aiming and firing. I can handle the forward gun alone at full speed, but without another crew member that just leaves my girls handling the deck gun together, and the Handbasket can handle maneuvering more swiftly and precisely if she's not splitting her attention to crew a gun. She has more attention capacity than a human, but there are some limits."

"Ah, and that's why a gunner is a good fit. You're sure you're fine having another aboard? With the cute little triple you have going, I might be accidentally... interrupting your privacy, shall we say."

"We can live with confining our shagging to our cabins, I'm sure."

She sporfles a little. "Not even a bit circumspect, are you? Well, good for you. Captain's in charge, after all, no reason to let anyone else's expectations get in your way."

"Being circumspect is boring unless there's a game to be played, value to be had, in doing so. And no indeed. I wouldn't be the Truthful Skipper if I let myself ever be anything other than myself."

Back she rolls with an empty cart, ropes resting loose atop it. She starts strapping down the mostly-full cart.

"An excellent moniker, then. I've not found one quite as good for myself."

Down goes another crate, and that's the last for this cart. "Perhaps in this chapter of your story you'll find a better one."