Sarah reached up and rubbed her eyes, clearing some of the dust stirred up by the Bactrian's landing. It was a small action, but the boost it gave her confidence was beyond doubt. It had been over three days since she'd last stood, as the ache in her legs would testify, and it was a freedom that she swore never to neglect again.
The nineteen year old glanced around the hanger in an attempt to shake the feeling she was being watched. After spending the last few days in the confines of a ship or restraints even Buffalo's meagre docking bay seemed massive, uncomfortably so. The base itself was big, but to Sarah's bombarded senses, it seemed at least twice its actual size. The illusion wasn't helped by her backward facing restraint during the flight in. She'd never seen a station the size of it, sure there was Newark back home, but it barely held a candle to Buffalo Base's looming mass. Sarah's engineer heart couldn't help but admire the structure, as much a testament to the Rogues ingenuity as a base. As much as she appreciated the structure, the same couldn't be said for the men inhabiting it. At least from what she'd seen, though the man in front of her looked as if he could be an exception. He was the only Rogue she'd encountered that had treated her with even a modicum of respect. Removing her shackles didn't hurt either.
When Dervin returned her now useless pistol to her; the girl couldn't help but take note of the speed with which he unloaded the weapon. This was someone who knew his way around a firearm, she got the impression that he'd be just as familiar with an energy rifle. The agility with which his fingers manipulated the rounds hinted at some talent. Perhaps a musician or programmer? Both seemed rare enough amongst the Rogues, the guard with the harmonica notwithstanding. Not that she would call that music anyway.
The Rogue Leader explained her situation quickly. At least he was blunt. Sarah's body tensed at the mention of slavery. She'd made it this far. The girl vowed that if she left here, it would be in a body bag before a slave ship. Like most Libertonians; she held her freedom closer to her heart then life. The teenager straightened her back, making full use of the few centimetre advantage she had over Dervin.
Fighting off her reservations, she forced herself to look the Rogue in the eyes.
"I'm Sarah McFarlen." The Rogue probably already knew but, hey, it couldn't hurt to be polite. She owed him that much. "And I'm here because..." The girl gave a wry smile, almost knowing what the answer would be before she finished her sentence.
"I want to be Rogue." There. It was out. She wasn't entirely sure why, but it was a relief to have said it. As to why she wanted to join these men, even Sarah wasn't entirely sure. Perhaps it was the same reason she'd stolen the CSV; the adventure, the defiance, the freedom. Perhaps part of her still clung to the romantic notion of dashing pirates, cultivated by years of films. She didn't even know when she'd reached that decision. Possibly somewhere between sending her first transmission and being hauled on the transport. Time did funny things in space.
She waited for the Rouges response, certain it would be slavery, but hoping against hope that it wouldn't. Her fingers tightened around the grip of her weapon, little more then metal and plastic. It didn't help. Sarah could see by the look on the mans face that it wouldn't be enough. She sighed slightly, revealing the next piece of information could ultimately do her more harm then good. Still, she had to try.
"I was born on Manhattan. Nothing special. Dad's a businessman, suit and tie type." Sarah didn't feel the need to mention that he was in fact, Johnathon McFarlen, a man widely responsible for the advent of modern shipboard navigation. He was a millionaire many times over. "Mum and Dad were insistent that I join the 'business'. I didn't want to spend life crunching numbers behind a desk, it'd drive me mad. I was working at the hangar there and..... well, you know the rest."
Had she looked out the hangers window she would have seen a faint stirring in the cloud, almost as though a large ship had passed through. A second glance would have revealed nothing but empty space.
