"Discretion"

[Kansas_Jones 0]

"My crew knows better than to draw my ire. Good treatment for good behavior."

- Colonel C.E. Harper

* * * *

Commander Kansas JoNs currently found herself lying flat on her stomach across the cornered flat surface edge of the desk, staring down at the carpeted decking with blood dribbling from a corner of her mouth, while her mind attempted to figure out what had just happened.

 

The newly installed first officer of the ISS Agincourt ICC-81762 had reported to her commanding officer, per regulations, at the start of the first duty cycle following the communiqué from the Imperial Control Office that formally announced her official promotion her to the new position. The feline and Colonel Harper had spoken, congratulations were passed along from her sponsor and commanding officer, and then the conversation had moved onto ships business to be discussed.

 

What in the Nine Rings of Hades had just happened? She had been standing at a relaxed parade rest in front of Harper’s desk. Harper had been casually leaning on the front of the desk, arms crossed. They had been discussing ships business, and what the commander’s new duties would entail …

 

Two highly polished combat boot tips appeared in her line of vision from her vantage point over the edge of the highly polished wooden desk.

 

… Oh wait a minute …

 

Slim yet strong hands roughly latched onto the feline’s clothing; one grabbed at the collar of the feline’s uniform tunic, while the other gripped the back of her utility belt. Colonel Charlotte “Medusa” Harper was taller then the five foot three inch Caitian, outweighed her new first officer by at least twenty pounds, was marginally stronger, and therefore had no issues with manhandling her sometimes recalcitrant feline charge. With just a bit of effort, Harper hauled JoNs back to an upright position.

 

These recalcitrant episodes had dropped dramatically as JoNs continued to serve her mentor Harper, both as a senior ships officer and as the one who was sponsored, this was true. This was the real world however, and every once in a while there would be a minor slip up that would draw the ire of her mentor. Thankfully, these little mistakes were never repeated twice, and overall the golden furred cat could be considered a model officer.

 

However, this morning’s little infraction unfortunately marked one of those very annoying little events that could occasionally flash fire and blow up in JoNs’s face when the feline was least expecting any sort of retribution. One callous remark, one moment of the cocky, self-aggrandizing behavior that had so often gotten her in trouble in the past, and then, Boom! - JoNs found herself laid out face down across her commanding officers desk. The backhand had been completely unexpected, and rather vicious. As a general rule, the Colonel did not go about constantly smacking the crew. She might have felt like doing this several times throughout the duty cycles every day, but this disciplinary action for the most part was beneath someone of her station. The few times that Harper did need to impart some sort of physical contact to make a point, it was swift and to the point with just the right about of barbarity, such as today’s little episode.

 

“Walk with me, won’t you Commander,” Harper’s breath hissed dangerously in a pointed feline ear as she confidently bum rushed her Caitian officer over towards the wide picture window that was the centerpiece of the Colonel’s ready room and office.

 

Kansas found herself pushed up against the reinforced clear plexi-glass, with no choice but to look at the dozens of Imperial Fleet ships that were currently docked at the various berths of Starbase K-7; some ships, like the Agincourt, were already docked at a berth. Other ships were placed in a vector holding pattern and waited for the docking approach clearance to be transmitted from the station's main control office. All the vessels currently present within the galactic air space of the K-7 station had put in at the station for personnel transfers or repairs or re-supplying or any one of the dozens of mundane day to day activities that were necessary to keep an Imperial ship of the line functioning properly.

 

The Caitian officer could also not help but catch sight of her own reflection as well as Charlotte’s in the smooth and clear glass surface; JoNs, instead of wearing her usual gold wrap around uniform tunic sported the red hued version of the garment, indicating her new status as the ships executive officer. Black uniform trousers, ending just below the knee to accommodate her cat shaped hind legs. Gold metallic mesh sash worn about her waist. A utility belt was also clasped about her waist, crammed with all manner of weapons and knives and equipment. And with her rich golden fur glistening in the overhead lighting of the office area, and her feline features giving her a predatory edge thanks to genetics, JoNs was visually the very dangerous image of the typical model Imperial Fleet officer.

 

That is of course unless you ignored the fact that the mirror image reflected within the glass also showed a rather ticked off, yet dangerously calm marine colonel who still held the cat firmly upright by her uniform collar and the back of the belt. Oh yes, and the bleeding lip did not add to the bad ass feline image either, no it did not.

 

“Now, tell me what you see out there in the blackness of space Commander JoNs.”

 

“Sir, yes sir. I see the fine ships of the Imperial Fleet.”

 

“Very good. Now, what do each and every one of those ships have in common my dear Commander?”

 

JoNs had no idea what answer to give and she paused for a few seconds too long, prompting Harper to firmly turn the feline around to face her, pressing her back against the glass by planting a hand on one shoulder. “What do those ships have in common? Answer me. Now.”

 

Every defensive instinct screamed for Kansas to bring her paw up and claw Harper. But, she refrained and got control of her primal instincts thanks to long practice through the years and the fact that the personal bodyguards across the room would not hesitate to vaporize the cat where she stood if she were to attack their employer. So, she held onto her instincts and choked out a whispered question. “Sponsor, I do not know.”

 

Harper’s hard, ice blue eyed gaze did not waver, but she nodded once, satisfied with the cat’s comment. “Each ship has a command team. That command team must work together daily with each other in order to insure that the Imperial Empire dictates are carried out and the crew as a whole are kept in line. The Agincourt is of course no exception. I do not,” and at this, her voice dipped dangerously low again, “want or need an executive officer who will become cocky with a taste of her new power. You are not a god, or immune to getting your butt drop-kicked by the brass and taking me along for the ride.”

 

“Sir, yes sir. My comment regarding having a license to do what I want as an executive officer was misplaced. I-I truly meant no harm, and of course I would not abuse my new position …. a-and …I-I’d never leave your back unguarded, Colonel Harper.” Kansas silently cursed herself for allowing the tremor of panic into her purred vocal tones.

 

"It's not my back I'm worried about, Kitten," Harper growled softly, "it's the entire bleeding brass coming down in my face."

 

By now, the "kitten’s" ears had gone completely flat from a combination of fear, anger and annoyance at herself and the situation in general. She shifted slightly in Charlotte's grip, and looked her sponsor square in the eyes. "I truly meant no harm. All I meant was that perhaps with my new found security access as an XO, and with my established contacts, I might find some high level information that we can use against certain members of the Admiralty."

 

"Lovely thought," the colonel replied, with seeming casualness. "Go about it the way you were shooting your mouth off and you'll have the shortest tenure as XO on record. Got me?"

 

JoNs broke the eye contact and fixated her gaze at a spot down on the carpeted office decking. "Yes sir. And understood sir. It is my honor to serve as your Executive Officer, I'd hope that you'd know this." Is she like, going to let go of me soon? The plexi-glass is rather ... cold.

 

Oh dear gods, was that out loud? Oh gods, did I think that? Right? Her gaze then shot again to Charlotte. The sharp blow to the face had addled her a bit, this was for certain.

 

Harper slowly lowered the Caitian back to the decking. "Good, Commander. Very good."

 

Pleased that her paws met the firm decking again, the feline tried to further make amends with her commanding officer and sponsor. She again ventured a quick look into the woman's ice blue eyes and then abruptly fixed her gaze out the large picture window to the Imperial ships jockeying for berthing positions all about the large space station. "I, of course, will not go digging about for Intelligence information on the collective Admiralty of the Imperial Fleet. It was merely a thought. A misguided thought even. I would never knowingly bring unwanted attention onto this ship Colonel." Her gaze visually tracked a Steamrunner class vessel, the ISS Hellfire, as it moved parallel to the Agincourt’s own docked position.

 

The colonel leaned back against her desk. "Discretion, Commander. Discretion."

 

Also thankful that the marine had put a short amount of distance between the two - Medusa had this habit of very much getting in your personal space, like a quiet and deadly panther - JoNs tentatively stayed where she was over by the window while she ventured a statement. "I understand discretion. But, there are also times where boldness and well placed networks of deceit can work just as well. I am just saying that if we wished to, we could very much exploit the Intelligence gathering resources at our disposal as a command team."

 

She smiled slightly. "What makes you think I don't?”

 

Thoroughly depressed now - and really, this day had started out fantastic - JoNs's ears drooped and her gaze again went out the plexi-glass window to check on the taxiing progress of the Hellfire.

 

"So. I'm a day late and a credit short. Again."

 

"No, just a junior officer," Harper assured her. "You'll get the hang of it."

 

The Caitian feline sighed. One ear flipped back and her gaze came around to find Harper again. "Ma'am, not to be bold, but you don't necessarily need to always get physical with me in order to make a disciplinary point, when a simple few words will do; I am not a child." Kansas brought a fore paw up to her muzzle and a pink tongue darted out of her mouth to dab at a few droplets of blood that had splashed on the paw.

 

The colonel's expression chilled again. "You stop acting like a child, Kitten, and I'll stop smacking you down." She stood up, straightening to her full height. "Dismissed, Commander."

* * * *

 

Written by: Colonel C.E. "Medusa" Harper and Commander Kansas "Will" JoNs