To Sebastian's surprise, the sausage is nearly defrosted. Did Dusty take it out earlier in the morning? The ground meat sizzles satisfyingly on the pan’s surface. The stove’s tamer heat makes Sebastian feel less like he’s wrangling a force of nature and more like he's back in the pilot's seat. He carefully seasons the sausage with paprika, garlic and onion powder.

"Will this work?" Dusty asks as she approaches with a bowl of thick, floury dough.

"It’s… a bit too dry—" Sebastian begins to say.

"Yeah, yeah," She interrupts. "I’ll fix it, okay?"

She quickly walks away.

He stares at her as she rapidly jaunts back to the counter to fix the dough. Dusty seemed uncharacteristically embarrassed about her mistake. He ponders this for a moment before his thoughts are interrupted by a loud sizzle. His attention returns to the pan, stirring the sausage around to disperse the heat. Once the sausage is cooked, he moves it to a metal colander he found amongst the cabinets. He drains the excess grease into a bowl placed under the colander. He leaves the last bit of grease in the pan alone for now.

After a couple more revisions, Sebastian and Dusty work together to roll the dough into thin, flat circles. Sebastian notices that despite working with the same dough, Dusty’s rolls are somehow dryer than his. They place the rolled dough on a pair of wide baking sheets. Sebastian hadn’t noticed it before, but the section of the counter he has been using to place finished food has a set of stool seats lined up on the outer side. It seems that a section of the kitchen has been used as a makeshift bar. He begins frying the rolled tortilla dough directly on the baking sheets as Dusty whisks several eggs together in another large bowl.

"Eggs are done." Dusty says. "Should I put them in the pan?"

"Let’s wait a bit. They’re delicate, so they’re going to cook quick." Sebastian answers. "Maybe add some salt and pepper?"

Dusty nods and quickly takes the bowl back to the counter. The sounds of footsteps echo from the hallway. A familiar woman enters the kitchen, the masked woman with her hair tied in a bun. She is still wearing her mask and a white button-up shirt under a rolled-down jumpsuit. Her black beret is missing this morning, and it seems that she had slept with her hair loose because she is in the process of wrapping it back into a bun. She enters the kitchen and stops in her tracks. Sebastian stops and looks over at her. Dusty continues mixing the eggs. The woman lowers her mask and sniffs loudly. She is an attractive woman with nice bone structure. She could have been a model in a past life. Sebastian wonders what the mask is for.

"Smells great in here!" She says as she walks over and shakes Sebastian’s hand. "The name’s Elaine. Communications Coordinator aboard this here metal monstrosity." Her grip is strong, her eye contact is direct and intense.

"Communications Coordinator?" Dusty asks from the other side of the room.

"That’s right, Dust." Elaine says, briefly glancing over before returning her attention to Sebastian. "It’s an evolving position. I need it to look good on the resume. I’m sure you understand—one professional to another."

"Um. Right." Sebastian scratches the hair on the back of his neck nervously.

"Whatcha cookin’?" Elaine asks as she shifts her attention over to the cooking tortillas.

"We’re making breakfast burritos." Sebastian answers.

"Great choice! It’s the perfect cure for the hangover." She smiles brightly.

"Um mhm. Are you—"

"Yes. Unbelievably so. But I work better under mental duress. It also helps that I’m a morning person. Though, I’m the only one of those aboard. The others are gonna need all the help they can get." Elaine says.

Dusty shakes her head. More footsteps fill the hallway.

"Speak of the devil." Elaine quips.

Sebastian flips the second batch of tortillas over. When he looks up, the large, bearded man that he had seen last night enters the room. Above the scar on his forehead, he has a bush of dark curly hair that’s nappy on the side he slept on. His eyes look sunken in—the hangover is very visible on his face.

"Djinn! Have you met this one?" Elaine says, motioning towards Sebastian.

"Not officially." Djinn responds, extending his hand forward. His grasp is surprisingly light—or rather it’s tame compared to Elaine’s salesman grip. "What’s your name?"

"I’m Sebastian."

"Sebastian, huh?" Elaine smiles. "Great name. I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to call you lune. It’d feel a little derogatory, being a former citizen myself."

"Oh… really?" Sebastian is surprised.

Elaine rolls up her sleeve, revealing a faded hexagonal Lunar Citizen Signature. "Really. Djinn, too."

Djinn turns his arm over, showing a signature of his own.

"Huh." Sebastian stares quietly.

"Smells good in here. You making burritos?" Djinn asks.

"Yes." Sebastian answers.

"Hell yeah." He nods gently.

"The eggs are done now." Dusty says handing Sebastian a bowl. "What’s next?"

"I’ll take care of the eggs. That’s all we need to do for now." He answers.

"Okay." Dusty responds. She quickly walks away.

"Look at you! Only one night on the job and already giving out orders? You’ll do great here." Elaine says.

"Uh… thank you."

The tortillas are all stacked on the baking sheets. Dusty returns to the window, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of her back pocket. Sebastian takes the bowl of raw scramble over to the stove, where a warmed cast iron waits on low heat, greased from the sausage. He pours the egg into the pan and a serene sizzling sound fills the kitchen air.

"Oh, that’s nice." Djinn says as he pulls up a stool at the makeshift bar. Elaine follows suit.

Sebastian grabs a large plate, then begins folding the eggs as they gently solidify on the pan’s surface. Another pirate enters the kitchen. This is the man with the bandage over his nose with a shaved head and patchy stubble. His expensive headphones are over his ears. He bobs his head to an imperceptible tune. His head is hung low, and his eyes are sleepy, though they brighten up upon entering the kitchen.

"The chef's still with us?" He says as he takes his headphones off one ear.

"That’s right. Banoy, meet Sebastian. The chef in question." Elaine stands to her feet to coordinate another formal greeting.

Sebastian goes to shake Banoy’s hand. Instead, Banoy performs a complex series of slaps and claps that end with a fist bump. Sebastian looks confused. Banoy laughs. "You’ll learn it eventually, chef. What’s on the menu?"

"Burritos." Djinn answers.

"Hell yeah." Banoy nods with a wide smile.

"That’s what I’m saying." Djinn nods back.

Sebastian finishes cooking the eggs. He plates them while they’re still soft, letting the steam continue to cook them.

"I’d kill for a cup of coffee." Banoy says, rubbing the side of his head.

"Oh. I can make some." Sebastian says, doing his best to make a good impression.

He opens a cabinet and retrieves the French Press, iron kettle, and bag of coffee that Olsa used last night. He fills the iron kettle with water and brings it to a boil. It’s only after he removes the boiling water from the heat that he notices the quiet chattering at the bar. He looks over and sees Elaine, Djinn and Banoy giggling amongst themselves, occasionally looking up to watch Sebastian. He’s not sure what to make of it, so he returns to the coffee.

The coffee bag is much nicer than Sebastian had originally perceived. It’s a leather roll top bag with a deep green velvety exterior and a brass buckle closure. It has a reasonable amount of wear on its surface, but it still has an air of luxury. The French Press is a simple stainless-steel pitcher and lid with several dents on the surface. He pours a decent amount of coffee grounds into the pitcher then fills it with steaming water. As he pours the water, the giggling from the bar grows exponentially louder. He looks over to see what all the fuss is about. Elaine stands up and brushes her hand in a shooing motion.

"Don’t worry about it! Keep doing… what you’re doing." She says, barely able to keep her laugh contained.

Sebastian smiles. The friendly nature of his captors is confusing. He has to consciously remind himself that he has been taken prisoner by murderous pirates. Otherwise, this experience feels more like the first day at a new job. And he certainly wasn’t expecting to see a pair of Lunar signatures this morning. Maybe these pirates are just regular people. Dusty walks over after overhearing the laughter. She sees the open leather bag and brewing coffee. She stares at it for a moment.

"Oh. What’d you do that for?" She asks.

Sebastian’s feelings of confusion veer to a darker place. He says nothing.

"That’s Olsa’s coffee. It’s the only thing I’ve ever seen her get angry about." Dusty explains.

He feels a pit in his stomach. There is another burst of laughter from the bar.

"Well, it’s too late now! Might as well enjoy a cup of the good stuff." Banoy laughs.

"Hey, I’ll take this over the usual trash anytime!" Djinn says.

"She wouldn’t hurt the new guy, would she?" Elaine asks.

"There’s nothing to worry about. I’ve never seen her kill anybody." Djinn answers.

"I have." Banoy says.

"Is that right?" Djinn asks.

"Ah. I don’t know. I stopped keeping track of the kill count a long time ago." Banoy shrugs.

There it is. Just before Sebastian can get comfortable, the universe reminds him that he needs to stay on his toes.