The Crew of the Gina-Lee

(Okay, there will be individual intros, but this is so you guys can at least get an idea of who you are.)

The Cast:

Brady Woodington as Fisher Lincoln
Charlyne Lees as Wren Harper
Troy Lees as Gideon Ford
Dave Hofmann as James Glory

~*~

He dropped the heavy duffel bag on the floor and stood for a moment on the entry ramp, surveying. The ship was a lot bigger than he’d anticipated. Of course, eighty percent of it was cargo space, but still, the Gina-Lee was impressive. Well, in size, at least. The ship itself was older than dirt. Freighters didn’t need to be sleek or shiny, though, so the Cairo-class line was built to endure. This one was at least as old as him – quarter of a century.

Well, he’d worked on worse, that was for sure. And if Harlan had flown her, she couldn’t be all bad. “Hello?” he called. “Permission to come aboard?”

A moment later, he heard footsteps rounding a corner, and a trim, capable-looking young woman appeared. “Hey,” she greeted. “Are you the new engineer?”

He nodded and stepped forward, extending his hand. “Fisher Lincoln,” he said amiably.

“Wren Harper,” she offered, smiling. “Pilot. Welcome aboard the Gina-Lee, Fisher. I took over when your brother left. Never got to meet him, but of course I know who he is.” She seemed to pause a moment, as though unsure about what to say next. Finally, she just shrugged. “Come on and stow your gear and I’ll take you up to the bridge.”

The crew quarters were snug, but comfortable. “I know it seems small,” Wren said as Fisher set his bag on an unclaimed bunk, “but we need most of the space for cargo. Besides, you’ll be bunking with Ford, and he’s pretty quiet. Just don’t piss him off.”

“Ford?” Fisher echoed.

“Gideon Ford – he’s our security and nav. ops.,” she said, smirking. “Bit of a recluse, but a good guy.”

Fisher nodded and allowed Wren to lead him through the corridors up to the bridge. “Captain,” Wren called. “Fisher Lincoln’s come aboard.”

The man that rose from the central seat on the bridge was large and imposing, with dark hair and a pensive expression. He turned and nodded to Fisher, walking over to extend his hand. “Fisher,” he said, “pleasure to have you with us. Hasn’t felt like home without a Lincoln aboard. I’m Jim Glory.” The men shook hands. “Did you stow your gear?”

Fisher nodded. “Just did,” he said. “How long ‘til we leave port?”

“Get her prepped and we’re gone,” the Captain told him. “We’ve got our cargo aboard, and about nine days travel time to the St. Croix colony.” He glanced at Wren. “Harper, help him with whatever he needs so we can get under way.”

“Aye, Cap,” she replied, then winked to Fisher. “C’mon, let’s get this tub rolling.”

The two of them left the bridge and started down for the engine room. “She’s solid,” Wren told him as they went, “in really good condition. It’s unusual for a freelance freighter to be so in-shape, but the Captain takes our job pretty seriously, and the Gina-Lee's got a really good reputation.”

“What do we ship?” Fisher asked.

“Mostly supplies out to colonies,” she answered. “We also take terraforming equipment, medical supplies and, occasionally, ship parts. Our biggest contract is with Isely – they owned the ship before Glory bought it two years ago – so we generally never run out of work.”

Wren paused as a man came out of one of the cargo holds, holding a manifest datapad. He was rather swarthy, held himself somewhat stiffly, and eyed Fisher with undisguised scrutiny.

“Hey, Gideon,” Wren said. “This is Fisher Lincoln, our new engineer and mechanic.”

Giedeon eyed Fisher slowly and thoroughly before replying. “Welcome aboard, Lincoln,” he finally said stoically. “Hope your temper’s better than your brother’s.”

“Ford!” Wren said, shocked. “Come on. Behave yourself.”

“It’s okay,” Fisher assured, shaking his head. “He’s right to not beat around the bush. Ford, you don’t have to worry about me. And my brother’s not really that bad. He’s just been dealing with a lot, and the media likes to spin the worst about someone.”

Gideon said nothing in response, looking back to Harper. “We’re checked and ready as far as the cargo. Weight’s good, they’re ready for us at St. Croix and we’ve got clearance to get underway.”

“Great,” Wren said. “I’ll get Fisher settled into engineering and then head up to the helm.”

Gideon nodded, cast Fisher a last glance, and walked off. When he did, Wren sighed softly. “He’s really okay. Just a little wary. But I’d rather have that in a security officer than someone who didn’t care.”

Fisher nodded, but he kept his opinions to himself.