He slowly got up, walked over to the door, and poked his head cautiously out into the passage. Was that it? They just set him free and walked away like nothing happened? And what reason could they possibly have for sticking him on a military ship? Something didn't add up, but thinking back things hadn't been adding up for quite some time. His thoughts were interrupted by the man standing behind him who had removed his restraints. He was impatiently patting his thigh waiting for Lee to leave.

"Where's deck C?" Lee asked over his shoulder. The man sighed and rolled his eyes.

"The ramps are that way." he pointed down the corridor to the left before edging past Lee and setting off in the opposite direction. Lee shrugged and stepped out the door. His legs were still getting used to the reduced artificial gravity and without concentration his steps turned into a bouncing gait that had sent him tumbling into walls more than once.

After more than a little exploration Lee finally read the words "DECK C" painted on the wall over a small but detailed map. Now that he was here he realized he still had no idea where to go. He didn't have to think about it too long.

"Ensign Cossat." A low voice called behind him. He spun around, the unexpected motion causing him to grasp at the wall for stability.

"Lieutenant..." he tried for an awkward second to remember the name.

"Simpson. Here, this is yours. We've been waiting." He said pushing a large pack into Lee's arms. One nice thing about reduced gravity was that everything felt light, though he could tell by its substantial inertia that it was not.

"Follow me. Captain Myles is ready to set off." Before Lee could say anything he found himself struggling to keep up with the Lieutenant, who was clearly more adept at moving in artificial gravity. Eventually they came to a low door. Lieutenant Simpson held down a couple of buttons on a panel beside the door. With a brief hiss the door began to slide open revealing a second door sliding upward. It was a docking hatch. For a moment he could read the words on the door, "CS Hammer." It was the same ship that had picked him up, though he had no memory of it, and apparently it was where he'd be spending the foreseeable future. The oddness of the situation washed over him for a second. Then he ducked down with the pack in his arms and half stumbled through the hatch onto the ship.

Lieutenant Simpson slipped through beside him and pressed more buttons next to the door causing them to slide shut. His expression suddenly relaxed and he spoke in a noticeably less rigid voice.

"Welcome aboard. I guess we should go find the Captain." He paused and looked at Lee for a moment. "If you have any questions..."
Lee couldn't hold back an abrupt laugh, but stopped when the Lieutenant's brow creased sharply.

"Sorry. It's just... Well, why am I here?" he asked. Now it was Simpson's turn to laugh.

"Isn't that what they've been trying to pry out of you since you arrived in your one-man luxury vessel?"

"No, I mean what am I doing on this ship?... in the navy?" Lee asked. Simpson took a deep breath and looked at him for a second before answering.

"I don't know." he said calmly. "You'll have to ask the Captain."