A young man leaned against the balustrade of the opulent staircase and viewed the ship’s mess hall before him. The man wore a smart suit of black with a gold tie. Not a mess hall, he reminded himself, a dining room. A fancy one at that. Cruise ships didn’t have mess halls or galleys. They have dining rooms and bakeries. So sophisticated. He smiled.

A fake smile. He didn’t have many real ones.

            “No lounging.” Came a voice from behind.

            The man straightened himself and turned as a middle-aged man with gray hair walked up to him “Excuse me?”

            The man was Memard Ridardton, Chief Officiator of Nebula Dawn General Affairs. He smoothly strode up to the man with hands clasped behind his straight back and with a politely slight smile upon his lips. “Heed the predicament you fashioned for yourself,” he stated. Ridardton was dressed in a plain black suit with only a red tie to mark his status. “One becomes staff of the Nebula Dawn only if they are millionaires with repute or career servants from the most distinguished schools of etiquette. Fortunately for you, the board has determined your false identity, Arthurst Learhart, to be pivotal to the experience of some of our customers and you will be allowed to serve as part of the staff for the remainder of the voyage.”

            Learhart’s jaw dropped slightly. “Excuse me?!”

            The slight smile left Memard Ridardton’s lips. “This is one of the most distinguished cruise ships in all the worlds. We serve nothing less than royalty and trillionaires. Do you think we would not notice a con-artist…no, too refined a description, a stowaway to operate amongst our midst?”

            Learhart swallowed, “I suppose you have guards nearby?”

            The slight smile came back to Memard Ridardton’s lips. “Guards? I suppose special forces could fit that role. Your first duty will be to replace Urdnund Lucha and clean this dining room by breakfast.” With that, Ridardton swiveled smoothly away and strode from the room.

            Of all the **** **** times to be ******* caught! Learhart slumped against the balustrade. He checked his watch; it was 9:38. He slowly turned and looked at the dining room. It looked spotless. How…how was he supposed to clean what was already clean? He walked down the sweeping stair and checked under the tables, nothing. The tables were clean. Immaculate. He checked the wood trimming on the walls for dust and found the lingering scent of lemon oil. More importantly, how could he get away? He thought as he made his inspection. His training and experience had allowed him to regain his composure. They weren’t shooting him yet.

            He stood in the middle of the room and looked around himself. And just what am I supposed to clean here? He sat down in one of the chairs and tapped his fingers. His answer came after ten minutes of him thinking in frustration. A small group of passengers came into the far side of the dining room and sat at a table. A waiter soon came to them and they ordered.

            The kitchen was open this late?! Learhart put two and two together and covered his eyes with a hand. The dining room is open all night long and here I am to clean up after everyone. He stood, took off his jacket and stood close to the group ready to clean up a spill or take dirty plates. Naturally, the high-bred people didn’t make a mess. Learhart didn’t expect them to. The wine was served. As the people joked and laughed together one of them reached for his glass without looking and knocked it over.

            Learhart cringed. The silk tablecloth was stained bright red. What idiots! He moved forward in a flash and caught the spreading liquid before it could spill onto the man.

            “Many thanks.”

            Learhart smiled graciously, “It is my pleasure.” These people are getting a little tipsy. After cleaning the mess as much as he could, he returned to his post. The people got more tipsy and spilled more and made more of a mess as they ordered more food. They finally left, leaving smears of food on the carpet, stains, and even a broken glass. And a nice tip. Perhaps I should get into the waiter business.

            Learhart surveyed the wreck. So this is what it is going to be like. All, night, long. Already, he could see another group coming in at another entrance. He sighed and continued cleaning up and correctly treating the wood beneath the tablecloth. Good thing I have experience from those days at the hotel. He was so focused on cleaning as quickly as possible before the other group made an equally sized mess he didn’t notice a woman approaching him.

            A voice chuckled. “Arthurst? May I ask what you are doing?”

            Learhart looked up; it was Kim Rayick. Well this is just great. To think I had been flirting with her just a few hours ago. Not to mention she was one of my more promising marks. Her family likes to carry a lot of cold hard cash around. Strangely, she was wearing jeans and a simple T-shirt. Well, ‘simple’ wouldn’t apply here. The T-shirt was made of bullet-proof material. He smiled. “Good evening Kim Rayick, what may I do for you?”

            She raised an eyebrow and smiled. “So formal! Tell me, why are you cleaning like a servant?”

            Learhart’s stomach turned inside him in disgust at the thought of his predicament. He had to fight curling his lip. What happened was a smirk. “I am a servant. It is something new Nebula Dawn is testing. Some of us go undercover amongst the customers to keep your stay here entertaining. Just don’t tell anyone okay?”

            Kim’s eyes narrowed and she leaned forward over the back of a chair. Which was a feat for her, she wasn’t too tall. A loose strand of brown hair fell over her face and she puffed it to the side. “Mmmhmm, sure you are.” She smiled, “I’ll play along, come, let’s look at the stars from the big windows.”

            “I have a job to do.” The sounds of laughter floated across the room to him. He ran his hand through his slicked hair.

            “Yes, you do. Isn’t it the Nebula Dawn’s motto to always serve the customer their needs? I say I need you to escort me and give me friendly company.” She upturned her nose. A nose some women would say was too large.

Learhart thought it was just the right size. Ah, forgot about the Nebula Dawn’s near-crazed motto to please the customers in every possible way. Wasn’t that the reason why he was still here and not locked up? He glanced around the room. Another group had already come in and sat down, and still another was being seated. His job was going to stack up fast. Yet, he knew he had to fulfill his duties as a temporary servant of Nebula Dawn. “Then, madam, I shall escort you.”

            “Ugh, so formal! Come on.”

            Hadn’t she acted just as formal at the ball? Now that she wasn’t in a dress her formality filter had turned off. He started walking out of the room and she followed. He felt like a dozen invisible eyes had their piercing glare upon him. He knew the guards were still there. “Tell me, why do you need an escort to look at stars with you?”

            “Oh, I don’t know, to keep other men from getting ideas about a lone woman looking dreamily out upon the expanse of space. It’s romantic you know.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

            “Uh huh.” Just as they crossed the threshold out of the dining room, both of his shoulders were tapped on. He looked back but no one was there. He gulped. What a creepy way to remind him they were still watching. He suppressed a shiver and turned forward again. Kim was looking at him.

            “Are you worrying about your,” she held up two quotation marks, “work.”

            “Nothing of the sort.” He said smiling. Yep, nothing of the sort. More like worried about a bullet in the back.

            She sighed. “This is your work right now, escort me to the window, worry about that.” She looked at him. “Or I might lodge a complaint.”

            This elicited a smile from him. A real smile, he thought.

            They reached the viewing room and looked out of the massive windows into the depths of space and clouds of nebulas surrounding them on every side. There were a few other people there, mostly couples. The silence was filled with whispers adding to the mystic quality of the view.

            She slid her arm through his and he led her to the edge where glass replaced the floor. She hesitated a moment before stepping over the threshold onto the glass. Then they came as near to the wall of glass as possible, so the ship wasn’t in their peripheral. For awhile they looked at the endless depth of the nebula and stars in silence. She pressed her head into his shoulder. He could see the entire nebula and beyond it to the star-speckled depths of space. He could see all the million suns and the gasses they lit, but he knew he couldn’t see the trillions in the dark of space beyond his sight. The Galaxy showed its fake face here and hid its thoughts in its blackness. He felt as if he might float into the depths of space. Whether that was from the view or her or both, he didn’t know.

            If only he could stay like this forever. Well, not forever. The silence was getting awkward. His phone buzzed and he took the opportunity to check it.

            It read. “Don’t take too long. Memard Ridardton.”

            “Who texted?” Kim asked, leaning over. Her eyes widened. “Who uses a phone anymore? Where’d you get that? A museum?”

            Learhart pulled the phone from her view. “It’s nothing, just my boss.” He took the chance to open the profile he had made on her when he had still been planning to swipe her money. He read a few entries then put the phone in his pocket. “So, tell me something about yourself.” He changed the subject from the phone. He actually had gotten it from a museum. After some modifications, it became a stylish status symbol for his undercover identities.

            “Oh, there isn’t much.”

            “Of course there is, your family must be very rich. You’re on this ship after all.”

            She nodded, “I’m not a daddy’s girl like some think. I earn my own money. I help him in his Artificial Intelligence programming.”

            Learhart whistled, “Rich and smart.”

            She knuckled him in the ribs and he winced. She had hit a rib even through his toned muscle. “I said I help him in programming; I don’t do any programming myself.”

            “How do you,” he held up quotation marks, “help.”

            She pulled away from him and sat on the ground. “He makes AI personalities based on mine.”

            “That must be cool.” And this is why she was a good mark. The AI business was huge and reaped a ton of profit.

            “Hah!”

            This startled him.

            “I got you to chill out! You said ‘cool.’” She laughed at her own joke and rolled back on her haunches a little.

            He really couldn’t complain. She is pretty entertaining. He was having a good time. His phone dinged and he checked it. He had set his phone so it would ding only if a message from the syndicate came through. The message read:

            “Boss has other plans for your mark. Get ready in 10 secs for extraction.”

            “Another message?” Kim asked.

            He frowned. “Uh, yeah. Pretty important one too.” How could he prepare with guards watching him?

            9

            Kim craned her neck and looked up at the stars.

            “I have to get back to work now.” He said.

            8

            “Do you have to? Is this boring you?” She sighed “Fine, I’ll go with you. May as well keep you company while you work.”

            7

            Time was running out. He had to go, now! No, no. Keep up appearances. He helped her to her feet. And she put her arm into his.

            “Thank you.” She said.

            6

            They walked back towards the door. He had to keep his body in check from wildly running towards the escape pods.

            5

            “So you’re really a servant?” She asked.

            “Yes.” And no, and yes again. Not an official servant here, but made a servant. Yet also a servant to the syndicate. It felt like the furious pumping of his heart was blowing his chest up like a balloon.

            4

            They reached the doorway and were making their way down the hallway.

            “When do you get off work?”

            “Before breakfast.” Learhart had to fight clenching his teeth. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen soon.

            3

            “I’m always working.”

            Learhart looked at her. “You work a lot of hours?”

            2

            “Its not so much that, I literally work all the time. It’s how my job works.”

            Here it comes!

            1

            Learhart breathed in. Nothing happened. As he kept walking forward he felt Kim stop as she tugged on his arm.

            He looked back at her. “Something wrong?” He glanced at the hallway behind her and then back the way they were going. Nothing. He looked back at her face. Her eyes had a far-away look and her mouth was open a little. Her body was in mid-stride and he wondered if he let her go she would fall.

            “Hey.” He waved his other hand in front of her face.

            “I…I…I lost…I lost connection.” She finally breathed out.

            He looked at her stupidly.

            Slowly, she started to sink to the floor.

            What was this? What had happened? He couldn’t worry about this. He had to go now! He let her sink to the floor gently, feeling her soft limp hand. He tried to go but couldn’t let go of her hand.

            Pounding footsteps sounded in the corridor and a group of armored men with guns rushed around the corner. He was in for it now. They rushed up to him and one gathered Kim in his arms.

            “What is going on?” Learhart asked.

             One of the men flipped up his visor. “Lin you fool! We gotta go! What are you doing standing there like a frog? Let’s get moving!”

            Learhart squinted. “Terk?! What’s going on?” They were moving back down the hall again with the group of soldiers at a fast clip only hesitating to check corners. “And quiet down on the Lin, my name is Learhart here.”

            “Don’t matter. It’s make or break now dude.”

            “Just tell me why we’re kidnapping Kim!”

            “That ain’t Kim man. Advanced AI. Constantly updated with the experiences of the real Kim. That’s why boss wants this thing. You practically make clones of yourself. We already nabbed the real Kim and put jammers on her.”

            This Kim wasn’t real? He had a real smile with her though. Genuine. He felt a tear welling in his eye. Why did everything have to be so fake?