“No need to apologize, He was gettin’ to be a damned nuisance.” He spoke in a strange accent that I can’t mimic. Alicia told me that Spacers spend their lives acquiring and developing accents. They think it gives them character.
“You can drop the ‘captain’ too, It’s just O’Malley. It’s a good thing you Jeffies fixed up my ship.” Then he added under his breath, “charged me enough for it, too.”
“Nice shot,” he continued. I think we can salvage the uniform. Now help me get this thing off him.”
Alicia complied like she was on autopilot.
“And you, boy! Stop pointin’ that thing at me. I get kinda nervous with the safety off.”
He was talking to me! I lowered my pistol, doubly embarrassed.
“I’m a girl!” I retorted.
“Yeah?” he drawled suspiciously as he and Alicia stripped the corpse. “Yeah, I can see that you’re a girl now. Wait a minute, you’re the cutie I winked at yesterday, ain’t you? I didn’t know I was that irresistible.”
I tried to explain things. O’Malley listened intently, but stopped me before I got very far. “That’s enough. Heard it all before. Seen enough Federation worlds to recognize the pattern. I’d be honored to take you outta here. Later, when you get a job, you can pay me back for the transport. Now let’s get your boyfriend here into this uniform.”