Jackie gave a grin as their plucky little engineer made her comment, his eyes briefly scanning documents as they arrived in his augmented vision from the security dispatch at the station, invisible to all but him and totally intangible besides. The chip in his head lit them in green neon as they raced through his gaze and he took in the information contained therein. His reply was brief but reasonably well worded, he thought. They'd like it at any rate.

"What, you think my ass looks big?" He flashed a smile back at her as she made her way towards the engine room. "I thought my diet had worked!"

He ran his eyes over the rest of the crew, smile never fading and jokes never ceasing. They were his comrades now, they were his family now, they were his shipmates now. Internally he repeated this on a loop automatically - a part of the training you never forget, a way to remind yourself of your place and your importance - until he was satisfied that he trusted himself to protect them capably. They had interesting pasts and stories to tell, some of them, of that he had no doubt. Some of it he wouldn't enjoy hearing but he hoped he'd get the chance to hear it anyway.

[i]People are as trees in the woods, capable of reaching great heights, withstanding immeasurable stress and strain, and becoming incredibly strong - but all this only with water. All this, only with Authority.[/i]

The words were seared into him.

[i]Be solid ground in a swamp, rise above the rot so that they might grow from the stability you bring. Be water in a drought, preserving life and bringing clarity to the people. Be the guide rod for the trunk of the tree of Man, and lead by example - even when you are not leading.[/i]

He thought about his old instructors a lot. They were so smart. Jackie hoped he had been a good student, that he could make them proud of him and prove his worth to the Party.

[i]Especially when you are not leading.[/i]

Jackie knew he would never lead. He didn't have a good enough head for it, he couldn't hope to match up to the direction the Party offered. He didn't mind.

These people would be safe with him. He would keep them safe and they would grow to be strong and tall in the eyes of the Inner Circle, and they would go home in a century and they would reap the benefits of the life they deserved, as was only fair.

Jackie's smile changed from the silly grin of a man with a joke on his mind to the warm, beaming curl of somebody who was just feeling [i]really good.[/i]

He couldn't wait to set off.