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any special requirements that you have are fulfilled. I realize that your diet and workout routines are detailed and you are likely going to require higher gravity during those workouts. If you can shift your schedule, you can have exclusive use of the gym at that higher gravity during the shipboard night routine. Also, if you want to eat in your rooms or use the secondary mess hall, that is fine.”
    The captain stops and takes a breath. “Most of the crew and the corporate personnel have no clue what goes into the training of a Corporate Marine. I know I have no clue. I do not understand all the specific requirements that you have to stay fit or ready to fight at a moment’s notice. I and my crew will do everything we can to facilitate you having what you need. You are after all important corporate assets and that had been stressed to me several times in no uncertain terms. I understand that.”
    During all this, the two younger Marines have just watched the captain, rarely blinking, and saying nothing. Their facial expressions had remained attentive but if you were to look deeply into those eyes, it was as if no human emotions were there. If you looked closely enough, you would see something dark looking back. The captain is not looking that closely.
    The captain pauses and carefully looked at one, then the other Marine standing there. “I will explain myself and how I feel once so you can understand my perception of this scenario that we have here. I do not hate or fear you. I understand that you are necessary evils that the Corporation has to maintain as there are threats out here from some of the aliens that we have met. I have been captain of the Mama Pig for fourteen years now and served on her for twenty years before that. We have never seen so much as a whisper of pirates out here. Given the size of our ship’s crew, any pirate that did attack would be insane. My real concern is that something will happen, someone will say something wrong to you or act inappropriately and you will react to that because you ARE highly trained. I am concerned about having injured or dead personnel on board my ship. I also know a bit about what your weapons can do shipside. I really do not want a fifteen-millimetre round blasting holes in my ship, either. The weapons stay secured and contact is minimized not because something will happen, but because something could happen. Do you have any questions?”
    Again, the female takes the lead. “If there is a situation, will you be accepting our help or expecting us to let your crew deal with it?”
    The security chief spoke up. “Everyone on board is trained and cross-trained. No matter who you are, everyone helps.” The chief looks at his captain and continues. “You have some very specialized skills that we could take advantage of to increase the quality of our training—if you can spare the time….”
    The two Marines glance at each other and then nod in agreement.
    The captain smiles again. “Excellent! I am glad that you and security chief Sveringening are going to be able to work together on this. A good crew is a highly trained crew and needs to constantly be used or the skills get rusty and fade. I will leave you with the capable chief and his young assistants. Good day.”
    The captain turned and walked off down the hall.
    The chief waited until the captain had taken a dozen strides and then turned to the Marines and grunted. “I have to apologize for the captain. He understands the importance of security, but this ship has never been attacked, and historically, Earth has had little to do with pirates, so most people do not think that the pirates are a real threat.”
    The female Marine nods and asks, “Yet you still feel that there is some level of threat?”
    The chief nods in the affirmative with a twisted grin. “Of course there is. This ship represents a fortune for anyone or anything. If it was taken after it finished its run and had a full ore load? You could