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"Okay, so let me get this straight," Alvin says, fighting the urge to sigh extremely loudly. "You," he says, pointing towards Milla, "are captain of this... ship. And you," here he points towards Jude, "are her...?"
Jude takes a deep breath. "Lieutenant, cook, navigator, engineer, second gunner, back-up pilot and medic." He smiles brightly.
Alvin favours Jude with a blank look. "Why?" he asks, directed not so much at Jude himself but at the cosmos itself. The cosmos neglects to answer.
"We're somewhat short-handed," Milla replies. "Which is why we're interested in hiring you."
Alvin sighs again deeply, glances around the (practically deserted) space station and considers his options. Either he spends another four months stuck on this hunk of junk, hoping that Gilland doesn't find him, or he throws in his lot with Captain Milla of the good ship Maxwell and her lone staff member. It's not really much of a choice.
"Where do I sign?" Alvin asks.
(He pretends not to hear Jude say, "See, I told you he'd join us.")
The first- okay, fine, the third or fourth or maybe even fifth sign of trouble is when Alvin climbs down a maintenance hatch to tell Jude that the starboard engine is making a funny noise. Jude sits up and there's a smear of grease over his nose, his hair is in his eyes and he has this absolutely ridiculous smile on his face.
"What can I do for you?" Jude asks.
Alvin forgets what he was going to say.
Milla doesn't see fit to inform Alvin that the good ship Maxwell is, in fact, a pirate ship until after she's decided to attack an Imperial scout ship.
Although really, the whole 'pirate' thing is kind of a formality. Jude says they only call themselves pirates because Milla thinks 'pirate' is another word for 'freedom fighter' and that they've only committed one act of piracy in their entire pirating career. When Alvin asks about it Jude says, "Actually it's this one," and Alvin has to leave the room to collect himself.
"This was a monumentally stupid idea," Alvin tells Milla, several hours later when they're hiding from the cruiser that inevitably came after the scout ship they ransacked.
"Nevertheless," Milla replies, "I will not stop."
Jude gives Alvin a helpless 'what can you do' smile.
They’re a month into repairs after the incident with the scout ship and the cruiser – the Maxwell isn’t exactly in the best condition, although Milla maintains that is completely space-worthy – before Alvin finally corners Jude and asks, “So what is Milla’s mission?”
Jude blinks at him. Before Alvin met Jude he wouldn’t have thought that being aggressively adorable was even a thing, but Jude lives to prove Alvin wrong.
“You didn’t know?” he asks, in genuine confusion. He huffs and continues, “Milla wants to bring down the Empire.”
Alvin wheezes. Just a little. “She doesn’t aim low, does she?”
Jude laughs a little. “I don’t think Milla knows how to start off with little things and work her way up. She wanted to buy a fully armed battle cruiser at first, but,” Jude shrugs, “two people can’t really run a battle cruiser.”
“How long did it take you to convince her of that?” Alvin asks.
Jude just laughs.
Their second act of piracy occurs in the Hamil system, and Milla only agrees to it (having been told what pirates actually are) because the people they decide to attack are themselves attacking a near defenceless colony.
Pirates attacking pirates. What is the galaxy coming to?
Milla mans the weapons systems herself, leaving Alvin to fight with the helm and Jude to desperately keep the Maxwell airborne and in one piece.
"After this we're hiring more staff!" Alvin shouts, when a blast comes perilously close to shattering their starboard hull.
"Agreed!" Milla replies, enthusiastically. "Move into position, Alvin! Firing all cannons!"
The enemy ship explodes on the viewscreen.
(Predictably, the colonists aren't thankful at all, probably because their little skirmish all but completely destroyed the orchards. Jude finds a little girl living in a shack on the edge of the colony, and when the colonists see her they all scream that it's her fault.)
(Jude talks Milla into taking the girl - Elize - with them, and Alvin talks Milla into stealing what fruit they can and no-one feels particularly bad about it. "We are pirates after all," Milla says, mostly to herself. There’s a wry smile on her face, and Alvin feels that maybe, just maybe this will all turn out okay.)
Elize keeps to herself mostly, although it turns out she has a surprisingly good mind for mechanics. She's also even smaller than Jude, so she can fit in the places he can't - within a week Jude declares Elize their fourth crewmember.
When she's not working down in the bowels of the ship - and the Maxwell needs a lot of work - then she's usually on the bridge with Alvin.
He finds himself sitting her next to him and walking her through helm controls, navigation and what it means when these lights are flashing ominously. The lights flash ominously a lot.
"Th-thank you," Elize says, "on Hamil no-one would teach me things like this."
"No prob," Alvin replies. When he next sees Milla he suggests swinging by the nearest space station. “To pick up supplies,” he says.
“I’m sure,” Milla says, but she alters their heading anyway.
“Personally,” Jude says, pushing the hair out of his eyes, “I’m glad we have Rowen now. I don’t think I was a very good navigator.”
Having once nearly followed Jude’s directions into an asteroid field, Alvin doesn’t object to that assessment. Kid’s got a good sense of direction planetside, but all that goes out the airlock as soon as there’s an extra direction for them to move in.
“It’s all well and good for you, kiddo,” he says, “but soon I’ll be out of a job.”
Jude gives Alvin an unreadable look and says, “We’d never fire you, Alvin.”
Alvin meets Milla’s eyes over Jude’s shoulder and says, “Sure you won’t.”
The attack comes out of nowhere – thirty Imperial cruisers suddenly bearing down on them. Milla hesitates for a second, and it’s long enough for an explosion to rock the Maxwell and send Milla flying.
Jude’s scream of “Milla!” echoes around the ship for long after he’s fallen silent.
There’s chaos; Elize doesn’t know what to do, Rowen’s frantically trying to pilot them through the barrage of enemy fire and Jude’s crouched beside Milla’s unmoving form, shaking her shoulders.
“Jude,” Alvin says, “Jude, take her to the sickbay okay? Go now.”
Jude nods sluggishly, somehow manages to get Milla into his arms – he’s stronger than he looks – and sets off. Elize dithers helplessly, staring after him.
“Elize,” Alvin snaps; at her flinch, he softens his voice. “Elize, I need you to make sure we don’t fall apart.”
“Y-yes.”
Alvin turns and says, “Rowen, give me a heading.”
“With pleasure,” Rowen replies, relinquishing the helm. “Destination?”
Alvin pauses before he says, “Leronde.”
Jude isn’t happy about this; that much is obvious. But Milla needs better medical attention than they can give and Jude’s parents are doctors, or so Alvin’s gathered.
The first person they meet seems nice enough; a friend from Jude’s childhood or something. Her name’s Leia, and she’s perky and pretty and as soon as she sees Milla on Alvin’s back she says, “Someone get a wheelchair, quickly!”
It’s all business for a while – Milla’s whisked off for surgery and they’re left standing awkwardly in the waiting room. After a while, Rowen says, “I believe I shall take Miss Elize out for a short stroll, if that is agreeable?”
Elize nods and says, “You have to call us when-”
“The second Milla’s out,” Alvin promises.
And then it’s just him and Jude. For five minutes, anyway.
Jude’s dad comes out and immediately starts berating him – for stuff that makes a bit of sense, but then for stupid stuff too, like not calling often enough and who is this woman, who is this man, who are these people?
“They’re my friends,” Jude says, staring at the floor, hair covering his eyes.
Jude’s dad makes an ugly noise. “Your friends wouldn’t get you into such trouble.”
Jude just goes still and silent. He’s shaking.
Alvin bites the bullet and grabs Jude’s hand. He squeezes gently and says, “I don’t think this is the time for you to yell at your son, Dr Mathis.”
He looks like he has something to say about that, but Jude rallies and says, “Alvin’s right, Dad. I want to know how Milla is.”
Dr Mathis folds his arms and scowls. “She’s in intensive care, right now. She’s lucky you got her here so quickly.”
Jude exhales softly. “Okay. Good.”
“Thank you,” Jude says. He won’t meet Alvin’s eyes.
Later on Alvin walks in on the tail end of another conversation between Jude and his father, one that involves the phrase, “And get a haircut!”
The ridiculousness of that statement stands in stark contrast to the expression on Jude’s face.
Alvin hopes Milla gets better soon.
The day they’re due to leave, Alvin runs down to the shopping district. When he gets back, Milla’s standing beside the Maxwell, an eager expression on her face, and everyone else has already boarded.
“At last,” Milla says. “Jude thought you weren’t coming.”
“As if you could ever get rid of me,” Alvin replies, stalking past her.
He heads straight down to the engines – and there’s Jude, tinkering with something or other. He looks up when Alvin enters, and a brilliant smile spreads across his face.
“Alvin! I thought you’d left us.” Left me. Hey, a man can hope.
Alvin huffs and murmurs, “Sorry to say, but you’re stuck with me.”
Jude smiles again. “So, what were you up to?”
Alvin shifts a little uncomfortably and reaches into his pocket. “I got you these.” He shoves them into Jude’s hands. “Because,” he looks stubbornly at the wall three inches above Jude’s ear, “your hair’s always getting in your eyes.”
When Alvin finally lowers his gaze to look at Jude, it’s to find that Jude is staring at those four pink hairclips like they hold the secrets to the universe.
The wanted poster stares Alvin in the face, mocking him.
“You can keep it if you want,” Leia says. “Look, they even got Jude’s little hairclips!” She points. Alvin wonders, not for the first time, why Milla let Leia join them.
“I can see that.”
“But yeah! You can keep the poster. I won’t tell anyone about your little crush.” Leia grins cheekily.
“Kid, I think everyone knows. Jude’s poster has the quote ‘I got the hairclips from Alvin’ on it. Who even puts taglines on wanted posters?”
Leia pouts and grumbles, “You always ruin my fun.”
Alvin climbs down the maintenance hatch to tell Jude that the weapons array is beeping ominously. Jude sits up and there’s a smear of grease over his nose and his hair doesn’t fall in his eyes because there are four pink hairclips keeping it out of his eyes. As they have been for the past month.
“What can I do for you?” Jude asks, with just a hint of a smile.
Alvin forgets what he was going to say, but that’s okay, because kissing Jude is preferable to talking anyway.