Incoming

Posted on Fri Aug 14th, 2009 @ 3:55am by Petty Officer 3rd Class Vaxx

517 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Behind the Mask of Familiarity
Location: SS Tracer, enroute to Citadel Prime
Timeline: Near 'Now'

Vaxx took a break from going over his inventory plan for the Archimedes. He was sure he’d be able to get a good portion of his own inventory on board. He wasn’t sure about the command staff and how strict they were. The XO had a reputation that preceded her, but he felt confident that he could strike the right balance between duty and profit, to the benefit of Starfleet and his bottom line.

“Never seen one of ye Ferengi in Starfleet before. Are they treatin’ ye right?� The Scottish brogue of Captain Fitzhugh wasn’t too severe, but Vaxx had never heard the dialect and it was a little strange to his ears.

“Certainly. I find their enlightened attitudes and the subtle desires to have things to make them feel better an interesting combination.�

“I must say, I appreciate your business. Getting’ Starfleet to okay transportin’ their material is a wee bit tough. Been a long time since I had me baby full up.� Vaxx looked back into the adjacent cargo bay, stacked to the top with various Starfleet cargo. Intermixed within various containers was his own personal inventory. He hoped he had done the calculations correct. He’d had the Tracer make various stops at Federation Bases and Outposts to pick up the needed materials along the way, stacking and mixing the cargo in a strange array of his own plan. The Tracer was now pointed to its final destination, Citadel Prime, where it would link up with the Archimedes.

“Trust me. I'll have need for you in the future. I can always use reliable private transport. Oh, almost forgot. I have your bonus since we’ll be arriving ahead of schedule, just like I promised. Let me fetch it from the cargo hold.� Vaxx got up, stretched his legs and walked into the cargo hold. He moved around the maze of containers he’d set up. It looked chaotic unless you knew the system. He found a box marked “Reverse-ratcheting routing planer� and opened it up.

Fitzhugh’s eyes lit up when he saw the bottle of Scotch in the hands of Vaxx when he returned to the cockpit area. “It’s single malt, I think. Something from some place called the Highlands on Earth.�

“Oh. Lad, ye done good. I’m glad I metcha.� He took the bottle and placed it in a storage area near the navigational control. “I’ll have a wee bit after ye been delivered to the Archimedes.�

Vaxx smiled. He liked making business connections. He could envision his profit line increasing now that he had transportation lined up. The whisky was a small expense in the long run. “How much longer, Captain Fitzhugh?�

“About 4 hours. And for the last time, call me Fitz.�

“Alright ‘Fitz’, I’m going to crash out. Let me know about 30 minutes before we get there.�

“Absolutely!�

Vaxx headed back to the makeshift rack and laid out for his rest. Captain Fitzhugh periodically eyed the storage bin for the whisky in anticipation of the future bliss. And the Tracer quietly hummed along…

 

RSS Feed