It’s been a week since Nick first boarded this ship, so now that he’d gotten acquainted with the ship and the people living in it, he felt it was about time to make the list. He’d been thinking about making it since he first came aboard, but now that he had a little time to himself he was going to fully commit.

[u]Things That Made Me Pull a Stupid Face:[/u]
1.	This ship is huge.
2.	This ship is huge.
3.	They thought I was serious when I said I wouldn’t go into space without my couch.
4.	Or chair.
5.	They thought it was a good idea to put a ship filled with geniuses under military control.
6.	The Admiral is actually a very decent person.
7.	The Planetologist isn’t.
8.	This place has its own gym.
9.	And bar.
10.	Frozen people.
11.	A convicted serial-killer as lead surgeon.
12.	The library.
13.	Androids.
14.	This ship is huge.
15.	Comfortable beds.


“Fifteen. A nice round number. That should be enough for now.”

“Excuse me sir… am I interrupting something?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I, uh, I had some important paperwork to finish. So tell me Jane, any news?”

Being the Chief of the investigatory branch he now had his own little desk behind a frosted glass wall. The lieutenant had come in for a status report, but Nick had been too busy to notice. Consumed by his work, some people called him.

“Yes sir. It seems that everybody is aboard and they are preparing the launch sequence sir. We should expect take-off in about an hour and a half.”

“And the crowds?”

“Emotional, but harmless. For now at least.”

“Are we expecting trouble?”

“It doesn’t look like it, but you never know with these geniuses sir. Who knows what’ll happen when they see their own species go extinct.” 

“Yes, they can be unpredictable, but I doubt they’ll give us much cause for concern. What about the military personnel?”

“Best at what they do. That usually includes discipline. Perhaps some minor vandalism when the time comes, but nothing we can’t handle.”

“Very good. Well, I’ll go make a round just to be sure. Still have to get a bit of a feel of the place huh. Think you can hold the ropes for me here until I get back?”

“Of course sir, I’ll keep your seat warm.”

Nick got up and walked towards the door. Just before closing it behind him he peeked around the corner and added:

“Just don’t touch the crosswords, I’m really on a roll today.”

The corridor was more crowded than it was a few days ago. Everybody was here now and you officially couldn’t take two steps without bumping into some smart-ass with more degrees to their names than Nick had chocolate bars in his desk drawer. Darn. Jade’s gonna find those too.

So many smart people in one place, reminded him of family dinners with the in-laws. Any one of them with an IQ higher than that of his entire department combined, but needed him to unclog their toilet. He was glad he got to bring them, he owed them that much. Even if they weren't much more than over-educated popsicles now. 

Speak of the devil. He just walked past the cryo-chambers when he heard an old familiar tune. He didn’t know anyone else listened to this crap. It was appropriate though. He slowed down his pace to listen for a few more seconds and was tempted to go inside for a chat, but quickly realised that the department head didn’t look like she was in a chatting mood, so he walked on. Had that bloody song stuck in his head now though.

Jade was right. People were obviously emotional, those that could be anyway, but not in an aggressive way. They were just gonna have to wait and see if that would last during the actual lift-off though. Probably best to get a hint of what the crew’s at. Only one person who knows that better than anybody.

“Good evening officer, can I get you anything?”

“Coffee, black. I’m on duty.”

“Right away.”

The bar was empty apart from one lady sitting in the corner. For a ship filled with smart people, she at least seemed to have some sense in her. Drink to remember, not to forget. If Nick was any judge of character she’d be gone before the rest of the crew came in here to drown away their sorrow. Another old song came to mind, but there was no piano here. 

Craig returned with that signature smile on his face and the best coffee Nick had smelled in years. Even the bloody bartender was exceptional on this boat. Then again, he wasn’t exactly used to much.

“Anything else I can do for you?”

“Just want to get a sense of what the crew’s at. You seem like someone who knows.”

“I’m flattered. Anything particular you had in mind?”

“Nah, just the general idea. Unless you think there’s someone we should be keeping close eye on. The way I see it we’ve got a boat filled with emotionally handicapped people and bulky soldiers who are about to witness the end of everything they know. The main thing I wanna know is how bad you think it’s gonna get.”

“It’s hard to say. There are some individuals who feel very strongly about leaving the fight, and there certainly is enough anger and frustration to go around, but apart from the occasional drunken outburst I doubt anyone would cause any serious trouble. I’ll keep the alcohol percentage low, if that helps.”

“It will, thank you. Though I doubt these people will need alcohol to get drunk tonight. I’ll leave you to it then, I have to finish my round. Thanks for the coffee.”

“Any time.”

He had one last stop to make before returning to his post. A small status update with the Head of Security was probably in order. There were also some files he wanted access to concerning that ex-con doctor fellow. Meanwhile the Admiral’s speech sounded through the intercom. It was a comforting speech. The kind that actually helped defuse a situation instead of making it worse. [i]I have faith[/i]. Well, at least that’s something.