During the honeymoon days after their escape from New Babel, the Stone Cloud had seemed as glorious as a pleasure cruiser to her rescued crew. They were not blind to her flaws, of course. They perceived the knot repairs in her rigging and the subtle tilt of her deck. Her furnace was as intemperate as a two-year-old. Yet, from her filthy orlop to her frayed telltales, she was every inch their savior, and they loved her.
