Renegades

Before the captain could respond, the Junebug and Sybil could sense the reavers getting a little closer than Sybil would like. She had no idea what they'd do to her, what with her not being all squishy-like. She didn't particularly like being stuck as the Junebug's onboard AI if it came to the Reavers taking the ship and loading it with traps. She had enough trouble with the concept of people living inside her as it was, and she really had a fondness for her person body. She wasn't exactly sure how the captain would react to what she was about to do, and she didn't really like the idea of it even, since it put her in charge. But she had to if she was going to keep the people inside her current body safe.

"Captain, I'm awful regretful I gotta to do this, but I'm a-gonna have to take off. The reavers are mighty close and I ain't keen on waitin' no longer. If'n you're lookin' to have more passengers, then those bughouse rejects may be some of 'em." She slowly closed the airlock, still waiting for approval, but she didn't like the alternative any more than what she thought of as commandeering this man's ship while he was on board. Even without him on board, it just wasn't in her disposition (since it seems so weird to talk about her "nature").

She quickly switched to the ship-wide speakers. "This is your pilot again. All passengers have boarded, and we will depart as soon as the airlock is closed. I guarantee a smooth takeoff, but we may encounter some turbulence. In the event we are chased by Reavers, please refrain from all electronic communication, as it could interfere with this baby's reaction times." And I don't need the distractions. "I will do everything necessary to prevent their boarding, however."

She switched back to the intercom nearest the captain. "We got someone to work the engines if things go south? I might need help with some of the tricky stuff."

The airlock doors were already sealed, and she started the engines, maneuvering away from the station in a way that she hoped wouldn't make it look like they were running in fear. Reavers are more likely to give chase to someone who runs. More of a thrill.
 
Course, it turned out Alex weren't so accurate with his count as he might have hoped. All souls on board, and if he was lucky, somewhere along the way they'd turn into a crew.

No time for that now. He smiled to Devon. "I reckon they're of nothing but sentimental value, but ain't nothing wrong with a bit of sentiment."

Or, if he was being blunt, he figured they were smuggled goods, and he was okay with that... but there was hardly any need to be blunt, now was there?

Not yet, anyhow. Alex looked back to Paula and nodded to her invitation to talk later. "Let's."

So far as his engines, well, "Reckon I might." Course, first, he should see what was going on, and so after he closed up he started off to do that. And then, his shiny new pilot's voice came on over his intercom. Alex stopped. "...bump-mapped black hole of a..."

He might be needing to have a talk with that girl. Fancy pants computer pilot or not, this was Alex's ship. He had a distinct preference for knowing what was going on inside her metal head and within the sleek metal curves of her body.

That said, he was rather partial to not being et, so he reckoned he could forgive it this time.

He would, however, need to make things clear later. This included doing so in ways he did not yet even know but would soon figure out... when he discovered himself that stowaway. As of just this moment, he turned back to the cargo bay, and that meeting was postponed. It would likely not be a pleasant one, but then, it might be that it gained pleasantries as a alternative to being torn apart. The threat of death did have a way of putting a man in a forgiving mood. Something about that old preacher line with judging and being judged.

Alex tucked his hands in his pockets and raised his voice to the cargo bay. "Folks, we're in a mite of a hurry, so sorry I ain't showing you your cabins." The Junebug stirred beneath him as he spoke. "Now then, if you'll just sit tight, we'll get that worked out soon as we got proof we ain't dead men flying."

His gaze sought Paula, and he smiled faintly. "I ain't meaning to conscript you, but I would indeed take it as a kindness if you'd go and take a look over the engine."

It would seem today was a day for letting ladies run their hands over his lady. Alex weren't entirely sure what he thought of that, but he figured he'd figure it if he wasn't dead.
 
Sybil slowly shifted the ship away from the skyplex, going much slower than the others, almost as if they simply disconnected, like a dead ship. She watched through the ship's sensors...her sensors as the reavers got nearer and nearer, eventually docking. A few other reaver ships took chase with some of the others, but to the best of her knowledge the Junebug was being ignored. For now. She kept her pace, trying her best not to draw any attention to the ship, but it was hard with so much chaos in the ship itself. She had already tried to calm them, and it seemed to work a little, but she was going to have to apologize to the captain again. She made a note of that.

However, there were bigger concerns on the ship for now, as soon as she could divert any more of her attention to them. She'd definitely have to prevent the stowaway from doing reaver-like things to them. She'd also have to privately address him as to why the scanners weren't picking him up as being human life. He was the only person aboard who wasn't, and that triggered her natural curiosity. But the drift away from the station would have to last a few hours, and she hated that. She wanted to walk around, meet people. She felt so...useless as a pilot. So useless and antisocial and, most importantly, bored as hell.