“Yes, boss?” Her voice came through the intercom at last.
“Can you come in here for a moment? Nothing important. I just want to talk to a live person for a while.”
“Sure. Coming through.”
He reached down and unlocked his side of the door, and a moment later heard the click as she unlocked her side.
“Care for some wine?” he offered as she entered the cabin. “I opened a half-bottle a couple hours back and haven’t gotten around to drinking more than a glass.”
“Only if you’ll join me,” she smiled. “It’s silly, but my mother always told me a lady never drinks alone.”
“Why not?” he smiled gesturing at the blank call-board. “The fleet seems to be handling its own problems for a change.”
He draped himself over a chair and waited while Ramona poured two glasses of wine. Passing one to him, she pulled up another seat and sank into it, curling her legs up under her.
“You seem to be in an exceptionally good mood tonight,” she observed, cocking her head to one side. “Good news on the board?”
“Not really,” he frowned. “Just no bad news. There was one funny incident, though.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Well, I just got done talking with Blackjack. You remember I told you about him? The pirate we ran into on Trepec? The one who was going to get even with us?”
“I remember,” Ramona nodded, sipping her wine. “What did he want?”
“He wanted to join the fleet, but that’s not what tickled me. The funny part was that he didn’t recognize me-my voice, that is. I wonder how he’d react if he knew the Tambu he was dealing with in such humble tones was the same man who took his gun away from him in a bar on Trepec?”