For the future

Posted on Mon Dec 7th, 2009 @ 9:53pm by Walter Jones & Charlotte Ashcroft

1,401 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Session Two - Space Junk
Location: SB-611

They where only going to be on the station for a little bit longer, and there was something that he wanted to get taken care of before they left, and unfortunately it could only be done at a Federation facility. He had sent Lottie a message letting her know to meet him outside of the magistrates office. He wanted to get some things sorted out with her before they took off.

Lottie was thankful now that she had stored all the purchases on the Warden for the crowds that seemed to pack the station were jostling her small frame with relative ease. Struggling to resist the urge to fight them back she weaved her way to the meeting point, with hightened intrests after the message had made it through.

Elbowing her way out of the crowd she drew up at Walter's side. "Afternoon Captain." she smiled.

"Hey there Charlotte, I wanted to talk to you, and away from the ship." Jones smiled at her and took a padd out of his back pocket. "I've been thinking a lot lately, and well especially about this mission that we are going to be heading to, I'm sure we will be fine but well, ya never know." He was trying to think of the best words to put what he was going to say. "Well, I wanted to make you a secondary owner of the ship, it would put you in charge after Tyl, essentially, if something happened to me or him, you'd be the owner and captain of the Warden."

Forever the worrier was Walter Jones not really the best trait for a captain in his line of work. Lottie instanlty chuckled at his words. "Pull the other one," she smiled. "You don't need to worry Tyl and you make a great pair you're both a tough as one another. It would take a lot more then a few Cardassions and stuffy Admirals to put you down."

Jones smiled at her. "It isn't the Cardassians or Beverly, it is just.. well I'm not sure. I have the utmost confidence in all of us. I just sometimes have delusions of bad things happening." He handed the padd to her. "And I'm not pulling your leg, I'm being serious about this."

"Beverly now is it?" she winked. "My my I didn't know were one first name terms with the Commodore." She glanced at the padd Jones had just passed to her and stared at it blankly her brain jammed, and her eyes wide with shock. "You really weren't joking were you?"

"Yeah, once I stopped calling her some other choice names negotiations got a little better, and the slap in the face didn't help much either." After she looked at the PADD then back at him he smiled. "There are some things you don't joke about.. money and ownership of a starship would top that list." He kind of stumbled over his words a bit. "Look, I umm well, I think if something where to happen, not that it is mind you, that you'd be a good captain and I'd trust the old girl to you."

Luckily most of Walter's words were lost on her as she continued to stare at the padd. "Me captain?" she suddenly laughed coming out of her stupor. "I seriously doubt that would go down well. Then be mutiny before you could haggle a deal with them."

"Well I certainly don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon, and with you around I doubt I'm going to get shot in the back, unless you do it of course." He smiled at her. "This is standard procedure out in the trade lanes, and I think you'd do a good job, besides, this only takes affect if Tyl and I both get done in, and I don't see that happening either. This just means that you are essentially third in command. Everyone respects you as it is now, this just makes it a bit more official for the feds and the trade guilds. So what do you think?"

Relieved that she won't be put in that situation too soon Lottie smiled. "I feel flattered, and don't worry I'm not going to shoot you in the back until I've had lesson on how to keep the rabble in order," she flashed him a cheeky smile.

"It isn't too hard, just have to know who you are talking to and what their motivation is." He smiled at her and took the padd back. "I'm glad that you didn't decide to throw it back at me and say that you wouldn't accept the job."

The smaller woman shrugged. "Well I can't say its something I've never wanted because it is. Dreaming of having your own boat isn't just reserved to boys you know. I grew up on rust bucket worse then this. I think and act more like a guy then a woman, but I know where the switch is to turn it over."

"She's not a rust bucket, shes just a little older." Jones smiled at her and motioned for her Lottie to follow him into the magisters offce.

The office was cluttered with padds, requisition forms, time sheets and docking requests. The diplomat behind the desk held his head in his hands, shaking it as if nothing could be right in the world. He heard the door slam and looked up and saw Jones and Lottie.

"I don't do weddings, you'll need to go and see the commodore for that one." He looked back down at the papers on his desk.

"I don't need a wedding...." Jones looked and Lottie and almost blushed. "I need you to recognize some documents and transfer of tertiary authority on a ship." Jones moved up to the desk and dropped the padd down in front of the magister.

The brassiness of the weary looking man was unexpected. Lottie could feel her cheeks rising with colour. Did they really strike him as a couple looking for wedlock? Although she was sure the freighter captain had some feelings for her she never thought it showed. She brushed it off as a oversight by the official giving her something to think on.

The magister looked at the Padd then back up at Charlotte. "Are you sure you want to do this kid? Old cardassian freighter, you might get some disease from just breathing the air over there."

The previous comment Lottie had allowed to pass without comment, but this was below the par. Placing her hands upon the edges of the desk she lent forward over the man looking him unblinking in the eye.
"I'm no kid, yes I know what this is about. Old man," she patronised him with a dangerous tone. "Just get on with it or my disease ridden fist will make a dent in your face."

"Kid, you've got a lot of gall to go come in here and threaten me like that." The magister pushed the padd into a reader. "Just be glad that your old man is here, he might need to cha"

The magister paused as Jones drew a weapon and pointed it directly at his head. "Either your signature is going on that tablet or your brains, your choice bucko, and you can apologize to my crewmember"

"Fine fine..." He pulled the padd out of the reader and pressed his thumb on his padd. "I'm sorry missy."

Jones tossed 2 strips of latinum on the table and grabbed the padd from the magisters hand. "Let's get out of here Lottie." Jones lowered the phaser and backed towards the door and out onto to the promenade.

Giving the magister one last distasteful look Lottie followed Walter's lead. As soon as the door closed she turned to the Captain before the crowds swept them apart.
"Thanks for backing me up, sir. I swear if he called me kid one more time I would have pulled the trigger first, and certainly not paid him."

Jones smiled at her. "Yeah, that is why I figured I'd step in there." Walter nudged her with his elbow. "Well congratulations."

Instantly she smiled in return. "Thanks, though I still can't beleive you talked me into this. Don't get yourself killed or Tyl either just yet"

"I promise I'll try not to." Jones took one last smile at here then moved into the throng of people that has moving down the promenade.

 

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