"Senior Officer Part Two"

[Kansas_Jones 0]

08.18.07

ISS Agincourt ICC-81762

“Senior Officer Part Two”

 

“You’re still thinking like a junior Kansas. Little things, under the radar, afraid to get caught…If you want to continue your rise, you need to start thinking like a senior officer all the time…” - Colonel C.E. “Medusa” Harper, ISS Agincourt, “Carry a Big Stick”.

 

Lieutenant Commander Kansas JoNs stood in the outer corridor leading into a seldom used storage area, waiting for Master Chief Keltex to finish checking the area inside. Once the tall, silver haired Klingon poked his head out of the doorway and nodded, she began to move into the meeting area. Lieutenant Mical followed in her wake.

 

It galled her, but she was starting to get used to the whole ‘let the bodyguards check over an area before you walk through said area’ thing. Her Andorian junior lieutenant was usually a bit more discreet with her displeasure when JoNs didn’t follow the body guarding rules, but the Klingon Master Chief just let it all hang out. Honestly, he may have been an enlisted officer, but Keltex had no qualms about telling off JoNs; she would have been well within her rights to agonize him whenever he did so…but she never had. Go figure.

 

The Caitian walked to the front of the small cargo area, and her gaze swept those assembled. Petty Officer Tager and Crewman Mason, both from Cargo Operations. Crewman Ibanez from Transporter Ops, Crewman O’Harrigan from medical, and finally, Petty Officer Katt from Security. Security Ensign Rrowl, her male Caitian counterpart on the ship, had been the fifth member of this little group, but he had since transferred off the ship; JoNs saw no need to replace him.

 

The four of them represented her “lower decks” network of retainers – Tager and Mason watched for any interesting incoming cargo that could be, ahem, confiscated; Ibanez typically cleared the way for the feline’s nighttime business excursions planet side; O’Harrigan kept an eye on the general medical supply situation, and worked with Kansas at times. She was under the radar just enough that Doctor Levy would not care or notice.

 

Katt, who had been trained in investigative reporting before transferring to Imperial Fleet security, kept an eye on the gossip and general goings on circulating out from the four departments Kansas did not yet have a retainer in yet – the marines, sci-ops, and engineering. Not that the three departments really were an absolute must to spy on or anything, but it was always healthy to keep your options open. Honestly, JoNs circumvented operations all the time with her illegitimate business activities, and in reality, the marines had always been hard to penetrate, and were now to be considered off limits what with Colonel Harper now acting as a patron to the felinoid. If anything, it was in JoNs’s best interest now as a security chief to find a marine retainer to watch Lieutenant Colonel Day for anything of value. But, again, the whole situation was of no immediate concern.

 

Once Mical had taken her position at the far wall, and Keltex at the doorway, the Caitian got right down to business. “Okay. I called this little meeting to inform you all of some changes.”

 

The assembled group all glanced at one another.

 

A genuine grin exposed JoNs’s fangs. “Calm down, it’s nothing like that.”

 

Her tail swished and she continued. “Overall, I am pleased with the business output and the information network. However, I’d like both to be a bit tighter for the future, more discerning. For instance, we don’t need to be concerned with those replacement rugs for the forward lounge area,” her gaze traveled to the Andorian Tager and the human Mason, “or every single medical supply that comes through,” her gaze rested on the red haired human O’Harrigan. “Just keep doing what you are doing,” her gaze came to a final rest on Marisa, “but be a bit more selective with whatever information you impart to me.”

 

A gentle murmur of acknowledgement came from the collective group, but the general agreement was soon shattered by Mason. The tall cargo handler stood and spoke to JoNs. “ Discerning? Selective? You seem to be getting a bit uppity ever since you got that extra pip.”

 

At the time that she had recruited him, she had though Mason would make a good retainer; the past months had proven otherwise. The man also carried resentment regarding his ‘recruitment’ – JoNs had had some of her men work him over following a duty lapse on his part. She considered the Terran male for a moment, and then walked over to him, getting right in his personal space and glaring up at him. “Explain.”

 

“Just like I said – you’re uppity. Or, excuse the term, you’re pussy footing around since you took command of the security department. What’s the matter Commander? The whipping take something out of you?”

 

Several things happened then. Both Mical and Keltex stiffened, Tager looked at his fellow cargo department worker with a look of ‘oh, did he really just go there?’ and then he, Katt, and O’Harrigan vacated the packing crates they had been sitting on.

 

The feline security chief had to work to keep the twitch from her eye; that experience was something she would never allow to happen again, and fervently hoped that the nightmares she kept having would stop at some point in the future. Her gaze latched onto Katt. “The gossip is all over the ship, isn’t it?”

 

Marisa nodded a confirming yes to her superior officer.

 

Her hard gaze went to Keltex. “I thought you said that the rumor of the incident would be ‘contained’ Master Chief.”

 

Keltex merely put his hands up in the air, palms facing outward, in the classic ‘hey, not my fault’ gesture. “Commander – you must understand, news such as that travels on a contained naval vessel.”

 

Kansas muttered something to the decking regarding ‘damn shipboard gossip’ before getting back to the matter at hand. Her green feline eyes latched back onto Mason, and her tail started to lash slightly.

 

“Mason – don’t tick me off, and you will do what I pay you for. My affairs are my own.” The feline turned away from him, walking toward the exit as she called over her shoulder. “Thank you all for your time, you are all dismisse…”

 

Several more things happened at that point.

 

The sharp little dagger flew straight and true, connecting and sinking deeply into the soft flesh and sinewy muscle right below the left shoulder blade.

 

JoNs could only gasp as the blade penetrated into her upper back. She pitched forward, slamming into the hard decking, tasting blood in her mouth from her cheek as it too connected with the deck plates. She heard shouting and scuffling, but it sounded far away. She felt warm blood oozing across her back. She tried to get up, but the sharp pain prevented this, so she again collapsed on her stomach.

 

She really couldn’t do anything other then stare the dark gray decking, so she let her mind reel. Routine retainer meeting my furred ass. An armed attack. I shouldn’t have turned my back on him. Damn back shooter.

 

A booming voice came through the haze. ‘”Tager, O’Harrigan – get yourselves back to your stations; we’ll clean up this mess.” Keltex.

 

Lieutenant Micals blue face suddenly popped into her line of vision. “She’s semi conscious….dagger wound…tranquilizer tip on the blade…” Kansas only caught part of what she was saying.

 

A woman was speaking. “Get her up…” it sounded like Petty Officer Katt.

 

Kansas was starting to feel numb, but was aware of being maneuvered her into a semi sitting position and then someone supporting her. Everything looked far away and hazy. She felt a cold spot on her neck and then everything suddenly became clear again. She had no idea how many minutes had passed, but she was now lying on her side. Her delayed reflexes kicked in.

 

“Mrrowl!!” The Caitian leaped up with a snarl, claws out, ready to take on whoever or whatever. At which point the entire room went…that way. Not good. She started listing sideways as two strong arms caught her and held her, easing her back down to the decking. Keltex.

 

There was a crude bandage affixed to her back/shoulder wound, and a section of her uniform top had been cut away to accommodate the bandage. Katt then appeared in her line of vision. Kansas focused on her long enough for the enlisted Spanish woman to cuss the feline officer out with a combination of Spanish slang and Imperial standard. Something about staying still, the wound, and the son of a female dog that she trusted and how he tried to off her, and if she moved again she would tranquilize her ass even further.

 

Kansas managed to focus on the human woman in a moment of adrenaline clarity. “Make a note – First Officer Spock of the ISS Enterprise 1701 once commented that he was content to be a lesser target as ships XO…I have found that in this universe, there is no such thing as a lesser target. And if you ever use that tone with me again I will take an agonizer to you.” At which point the feline officer slipped back into unconsciousness.

 

Katt looked at Mical. Mical looked at Keltex. Keltex looked down at their unconscious charge. Finally, the older Klingon broke the silence. “You know we could knock her off right now and blame him.” He indicated the very dead crewman Mason crumbled over by a plasteel container.

 

Katt responded. “We could, but we’re not.” Mical merely offered a non-committal shrug.

 

Keltex nodded, glanced down at Kansas, and then turned his attention back to his fellow security officers, smiling a crazy Klingon smile “So, who’s up for acting like its normal to carry 130 pounds of unconscious furball back to her quarters? Hmmmm?”

Edited August 19, 2007 by Kansas_Jones