"Wow, he seems really..." Jackie began and then sort of faltered, "... well... he seems... A little insincere. Maybe we should tell somebody about that, I'll send somebody an email later, yeah. Anyone want an apple?" He finished, biting into a crisp green apple - a [i]real[/i] one. He had picked up a small crate of them using his privileges and salary as an honourary member of the Authority, and an [i]actual[/i] member of their security force respectively. They were a part of the minimal but comprehensive list of treats he had picked up for his smaller comrades in obedience during the brief tour of the station before they had been tasked with selecting a ship. Aside from the literal crate of apples tucked under one arm, and the industrial sized military grade backpack he was carrying his things in, he also had a subcompact car sized suitcase he had filled with said treats.

Synthetic cocoa, nut spreads, a few pots of live herbs, a box of bottled beers, and some syrups for mixing with soda water for when they had a party. Jackie was really looking forward to getting to know the crew, so he'd already begun quietly making plans for a shipwarming party, scheduled for the evening after their departure. He was hoping to ask the Captain to say a few words to inspire the crew, maybe see if their head of engineering could like, rig up some indoor fireworks or some sparklers or something really cool - you know, make it a night to remember. Jackie had also taken the liberty of requisitioning a tiny portable projector and some movies. Maybe they could watch, like, the Hobbit, or something. Jackie didn't like the spiders very much, but the whole storyline was nice overall.

Oh yeah. His books.

Technically, these weren't books. They were digitalised text based data formats designed for quick and easy interpretation of shipboard data gathered by intrinsic diagnostics programs and analytic heuristics - tablets, in other words - but Jackie knew a guy back in college who basically did nothing but write with them, and that's where Jackie had discovered he loved reading so much. It was like putting your head through a mirror - but less stupid, usually - and seeing the world on the other side; a reflection of your own, pale and rich in the ink of the author's mind, warped by the facets of the silver in the mirror, marked by the designs and machinations of forces unknowable, at least to Jackie. Sometimes, he would stay up long through the night, into the thin light of the morning hours, that time where things mattered less and the world was unreal - sometimes, the words on the page and the world around him bled together, and mixed, such was his immersion.

Jackie really liked his books. They made him feel alive and human again.

Involuntarily and without realising, Jackie started smiling. Not a big, stupid grin, like usual - just a small, happy smile.

Eventually, he snaps out of it.

"At any rate, I don't really know very much about ships. I was never any good at any of that. I don't mind what we do, I'll be on hand to protect you guys no matter what." He said through the grin, looking down at his new friends and laying a protective hand on the nearest person's shoulder without really even checking who it was.