Guest Starring

Posted on Oct 17, 2014 @ 7:01pm by Commander Jacob Crichton
Edited on on Oct 17, 2014 @ 7:01pm

Mission: Birth Of An Empire

= Guest Starring...=
(cont'd from "Return To Innocence")

LOCATION: Incarceration Platform 2, in low orbit over TETA VII

SCENE: Docking Station/Processing

STARDATE: [2.14] 1015.1926



They always said the same thing.



“This is a misunderstanding,” Nestor Hoff said as he came to the lip of the BAD WOLF’s docking ramp, not noticing that Raxl mouthed the words in almost perfect sync along with him.



“You don’t say,” Raxl said. He shoved Nestor, who stumbled a few steps out onto the ramp. “Get moving, buddy, I’m on the clock here.”



“It wasn’t me!” Hoff cried, as he tried to turn around. Rax grabbed his shoulder and straightened him out, and once again shoved him a few steps forward.



“You told me that,” Raxl sighed. “Right before you tried to buy me off, and right after you tried sticking a knife in my guts.”



“That was a misunderstanding,” Hoff said.



“No, it was attempted murder,” Raxl said. “Now move.”



Hoff wasn’t eager to move forward, so Raxl wound up forcing him the rest of the way to the processing station. A row of windows lined the walkway ahead of them, each with a line of organics queuing up in front. The lines were comprised of small groups of two or three, a fairly cosmopolitan collection of beings representing at least a dozen distinct species. In each pair, it was easy to spot who was there for a payday, and who was fixing to stay awhile; more than a few of the prisoners had bruises, and several even had their hands bound in front of them in thick metal cuffs. At each window sat a Tetan Arbiter, a bored-looking bureaucrat ready to process the payment for the bounties and to pronounce sentence on the prisoner on the spot. Raxl liked the first part, but he didn’t stay for the second if he could help it. The TETA system did not believe in the death penalty, but they had a nasty habit of extreme prisoner sentences for even relatively minor infractions.



Rax dragged Hoff to the first open window and pressed his thumb to a bioscanner.



“Raxl Dreyton,” he said. “I’m in the system.”



“Welcome back to Incarceration Platform 2, Mr. Dreyton,” the Tetan Arbiter said in a monotone. “Please present your bounty for inspection.”



Rax pulled Hoff forward to stand before the Arbiter.



“Nestor Hoff,” Raxl said. “He’s in the system too. Aren’t you, Nestor?”



“This is a misunderstanding--” Hoff started again.



“Please hold still for genetic confirmation,” said the Arbiter, still sounding bored.



“Look, if you’ll just listen for a minute,” Hoff started. Rax cuffed him on the back of the head.



“Shaddup,” he said.



“Please refrain from mistreatment of the prisoner, sir,” the Arbiter said. He didn’t sound that worried about it.



The Arbiter produced a scanner and waved it over Hoff until it made a shrill *beep!* in his hand. The Arbiter inspected the readout, then nodded.



“Identity confirmed,” the Arbiter said dully. “Payout of bounty is 4000 units. Sentence, 80 years.”



“What?!” Rax and Hoff exclaimed in perfect unison.



“The notice I saw said ten thousand units,” Raxl said.



“80 years for *attempted arson*?!” Hoff said at the same time.



“Please calm down sirs,” the Arbiter said.



Hoff started to plead his case again, but Rax clamped a hand over his mouth.



“He had warrants out in two other systems,” Rax said quietly, trying to ignore Hoff’s muffled protestations. “I flew out of my way to bring him *here*, because it was worth ten thousand.”



“My records indicate several charges were dropped, sir,” said the Arbiter after consulting his terminal.



“On whose authority?”



“The injured party, sir,” the Arbiter said. “Confidentiality laws prohibit me from saying more.”



“Great,” Raxl said.



“The credits have been transferred to your account,” the Arbiter said, back to his bored monotone now that this latest crisis had been dealt with. “If there are no more questions, please step back.”



Rax released Hoff and took a step back. Immediately, Hoff started to plead his case, crying that it had all been a misunderstanding, that he’d been framed, that he could lead them to the real culprit if only they’d listen… all the greatest hits. Hoff didn’t make it all the way through the playlist, though, as the Incarceration Platform’s transporters kicked into life and spirited him away to the cell where he would likely spend the rest of life.



80 years, for attempted arson. Rax didn’t know all the details of Hoff’s crimes, but the son of a bitch *had* tried to stab him. Still, 80 years.



Rax tried not to think about it.



When Rax got back to the BAD WOLF’s docking station, he saw a familiar face waiting there for him.



“Brak,” he said, sounding tired. “Sometimes it’s like you’re the only other person in the galaxy.”



“I feel the same way,” the Ferengi replied. “Good to see the ignoble Nestor Hoff won’t be troubling the galaxy anymore.”



“Yeah, insurance scams are the new Borg invasion,” Rax said sarcastically.



“Too bad about the reduced payment,” Brak said, not even bothering to hide the sneer that crept across his face.



“You,” Raxl said. “You dropped the charges. Reduced the payout.”



“Not me personally,” Brak shrugged. “I called in a favor.”



“You cost me 6k, you goddamn troll,” Raxl frowned. “What’s the deal?”



“I needed you to stay poor awhile longer,” Brak shrugged. “I’d have voided the whole bounty if I could, but it seems someone out there *really* has it out for poor Mr. Hoff.”



“*You’re* the reason I’m poor in the first place!”



“That’s an exaggeration,” Brak shrugged. “So. Aren’t you going to ask me what the job is?”



“I’m not inclined to, no,” Rax said, shouldering Brak aside to walk up the docking ramp of the BAD WOLF. The Ferengi quickly stepped into his path again.



“A Federation stockade on JAROS II was attacked a few months ago,” Brak said. “At fist nobody knew what happened--”



“I heard the story, Brak,” Rax said. “Prison breaks are my business.”



“One of the prisoners was presumed dead,” Brak continued. “Until a few weeks ago, when surveillance footage placed her on a transport at the edges of Federation territory. The ship was stopped and searched, but somehow she slipped the net. They got enough footage for a positive ID, though.”



“Goodbye, Brak,” Rax said, stepping around the Ferengi and disappearing into the BAD WOLF.



Not hesitating, Brak followed him.



“Selyara Chen,” the Ferengi continued, as the docking ramp hissed closed behind him. “I sent you her file already.”



“Now you’re in my ship,” Rax said, frowning at Brak. “You don’t know how goodbyes are supposed to work.”



“You need the money,” Brak said. “It’s a lucrative contract, three times what you wanted for Hoff.”



“And what’s *your* end of the deal?” Rax sighed. “Even you wouldn’t fly all the way out here just to screw me out of a few thousand credits.”



“I’m in the facilitation business now, Dreyton,” Brak shrugged. “You know that. I make things happen. In this case, a client would like it if Ms. Chen was returned to her cell, and you are in a sudden need of a payday. And there’s money for me on both sides of the deal.”



“I do the work, you take a cut,” Rax sighed. “I don’t need an agent, Brak.”



“Everybody needs an agent,” Brak said. “Look over Chen’s file, Dreyton. Do what you do. It’s not like you’re good at anything else.”



“Fine, I’ll consider it,” Rax said. “Now get lost.”



“I’ll be in touch,” the Ferengi said, giving Raxl a toothy grin. “It’s nice to do business again, Dreyton.”



=[/\]=



LOCATION: USS PHOENIX

SCENE: Crichton’s Quarters -> Corridor



Jake’s face was still a little puffy, but all things considered he looked and felt a lot better. Cade Foster wasn’t Jake’s favorite person in the galaxy, but the old son of a bitch knew his trade. If the PHOENIX was cut off from typical Starfleet resources, Jake was glad that at least they had a good doctor aboard.



It was strange, under the circumstances, but Jake was looking forward to settling back into the routine of being on the ship. It was the life he knew best, after all, and it was a welcome change from his latest stint planetside, which had started pleasantly enough but had ended with a protracted stay in Colonel T’Prell’s face-tenderizing stockade. It was all there; the subtle background hum of the warp core, the faint vibrations of bulkheads beneath his feet… and now, he even had his family along for the ride.



If not for the fact that they were all wanted fugitives in a galaxy that had once again exploded into war, Jake Crichton could almost say he was living the dream.



“This ship is spooky,” Benito said from his seat at the breakfast table.



“It’s just quiet,” Dahlia said.



“It’s haunted,” Benito said, matter-of-factly.



“There’s no such things as ghosts,” Dahlia said. “Right Jake?”



“In my experience, they’re usually some kind of vapor-based lifeform,” Jake shrugged. He finished his orange juice- the sharp, sweet taste was a shock after the days of undernourishment at the stockade, and Jake shuddered a little- and stood up.



“Can we come to work with you?” Dahlia asked.



“Better not,” Jake said. “Not yet, at least. I’m going to need a day or two to get Main Engineering squared away before we have guests.”



“We can help,” Benito said.



“I might hold you to that,” Jake winked, tousling Ben’s hair. “We’re understaffed.”



“We’d stay out of the way,” Dahlia said, obviously not wanting to concede defeat.



“In a couple of days,” Jake said. “I promise. Just give me a few days to get things up and running, and then you can come visit.”



“Okay,” Dahlia and Ben said, sounding disappointed.



Xana emerged from the bedroom, yawning.



“You didn’t wake me up,” she said.



“I thought you could use the sleep,” Jake said. “It’s been a busy couple of days.”



“For everyone,” Xana said. She inspected the swelling on Jake’s face. “You’re looking a lot better. How are you feeling?”



“I’m okay,” Jake said. “Cade gave me a clean bill of health.”



Xana thought about pressing Jake to stay home, take another few days rest. She doubted Kane would like it- understaffed as the PHOENIX was, the Captain wanted everyone back at their stations and working as quickly as possible- but surely Jake had earned it. But she could tell that Jake *wanted* to go back to the job. Just being on a starship again had seemed to reinvigorate him, even after his experience in the stockade.



Of course, that left Xana wondering just what she and the kids were going to do today.



“The secondary systems are still offline?” Xana asked.



“That’s what I’ve heard,” Jake nodded. “Not enough hands to run everything at optimum efficiency. I’m going to take a look at my staff, take a look at this ship’s specs, and we’re just gonna have to figure something out.”



“I don’t suppose you’ve got a secret holodeck running somewhere, do you?”



“I’m not even sure we have all the lights on,” Jake said. “I can see about getting the entertainment consoles back online in here, at least give you something to do.”



“It’s fine,” Xana said. “You have other priorities. Today we’ll explore the ship, maybe we can find some other kids aboard.”



Jake glanced at Ben and Dahlia, who were still eating their breakfast at the table, then turned back to Xana.



“I can stay home,” he said quietly. “Kane will give me another day, at least.”



“It’s okay, Jake,” Xana smiled at him. “There’s no point in putting it off. I’m going to have to find something to do with myself.”



“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Jake said, kissing her lightly. “If you need anything…”



“I’ll comm you,” Xana said. “Have a good day, Jake.”



Jake nodded. He kissed her again, then waved to Ben and Dahlia.



“Bye dad!” Ben waved back.



“Bye Jake,” Dahlia said.



Xana went and sat at the table to pick at the fruit portion of Benito’s breakfast that the boy was ignoring in favor of the stack of waffles Jake had replicated for him. Jake took stock of all of them, at the table, his family. Then, he turned and stepped out into the corridor.



As he rounded a bend in the corridor, Jake saw a lean Andorian standing before the turbolift doors. Jake didn’t recognize him, but Xana had mentioned that the PHOENIX’s ExO was Andorian and Jake reasoned there couldn’t be all that many of them aboard.



“Commander Jos?” Jake asked as he approached.



The Andorian turned to look at him, his expression polite.



“Yes?”



“Jake Crichton,” Jake said, standing at attention. “Sir.”



“At ease,” Aerdan Jos nodded, one of his antennae twitching slightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Crichton. I’m pleased to see you’re feeling better.”



“Thank you, sir,” Jake said. “Mind if I ask how much you’ve heard?”



“As much as I needed to,” Aerdan said. “I trust your skill as an engineer is not as questionable as your testimony and subsequent incarceration would suggest?”



“I hope so, because I sure can’t afford a ticket,” Jake grinned.



The turbolift doors parted before them and they both stepped in and announced their destinations, then stood side by side as the turbolift doors hissed closed.



“Permission to ask a question, sir?” Jake asked.



“Granted,” Jos said.



“You’re not gonna nerve-pinch me when my back is turned, are you?”



Jos turned to look at Jake, one of his antennae twitching curiously.



“Nevermind,” Jake said. “Long story.”



=[/\]=



NRPG: Limbo is getting a bit more company, plus a little more stuff aboard ship.



SARAH and JAMIE: Hope I did okay with your characters!



Shawn Collins

a.k.a.

Jake Crichton

Chief of Engineering

USS PHOENIX