Judgement – Executive Officer? Really?
by Arrival James Grayburn & Commander Karen Villiers
Post Details
ON
The station's promenade had more places to get a drink for the evening than James could possibly visit in a month of evenings. He'd visited the Box of Delights the night before. He thought he might try something different tonight. Perhaps something a bit more specialized. Grayburn's train of thought was lost as he noticed an incredibly attractive woman walking into one of the establishments he'd been considering.
James smiled, ran his hands over his shirt to smooth out the imaginary wrinkles and took a couple of breaths before entering behind the brunette. He wore jeans and a grey button-down shirt. The sleeves were rolled halfway up his forearms. As soon as the door closed behind him he looked for the woman he'd followed in.
Karen found an empty table and as she waited for the waiter she looked at the menu. She didn't really need to; the place did teas, coffee, pastries and light snacks. Karen already knew what she would order but it was something to do to pass the time.
Hearing someone approach Karen looked up and was about to place an order but he didn't look like one of the waiters. She shrugged, and smiled. The place was quite full and her table could easily seat four, "Go right ahead," she said with a nod toward the empty chairs, "I'm not meeting anyone."
James was taken aback. He hadn't even seen the woman he was looking for, but there she was, at a table right in front of his nose. It didn't speak well for his skills of observation. Granted, he was used to looking for furtive glances, people trying to look discreet. He shook off his surprise and smiled as he spoke. "Thanks." The table, though small, was still large enough to not be considered intimate. The bounty hunter picked up a menu and browsed through the offerings. He decided what he'd get fairly quickly and put down his menu. "Is the food here good?" he asked. It was a lame question, but the man's innate confidence made it seem less-so. "I just arrived on-station yesterday, so I'm still trying to figure out what's what."
Karen nodded her agreement. "It takes a while," she said, "its a big station, I don't think I've made my way round half of it yet. Its hardly fine dining, but the open sandwiches are very good, and the salads, they get fresh produce from an entrepreneurial farmer who set up shop in a vacant storage bay and turned it into a hydroponic farm. They supply a lot of the restaurants here now. Mind you," she added conspiratorially, "I mainly come here for the coffee."
James consciously returned a conspiratorial glance, "I see. I may have to have some then." The waiter came by, and James ordered a custard-filled bear claw and a cup of coffee. After the waiter left the tall man turned back to his dining partner. "I'm sorry," he said with a smile and an extended hand, "I'm James Grayburn, I'm a.." he paused uncertain what title she wanted most, he finally decided on, "I'm an entrepreneur, up one level."
Karen extended a hand, "Commander Karen Villiers," she said with a slight quirk of her left eyebrow, "What does an 'entrepreneur up one level' do, James?" she asked unsure what he meant by that.
Here was where he wanted to be extremely careful. Not only was this bombshell Starfleet, she was a Commander. That usually meant command in some respect. Even on a Starbase he supposed she would hold a significant position. When he was in the fleet he'd rarely dealt with anyone over the rank of Lieutenant JG. Someone of rank could be a valuable asset, especially if she had nice "assets" as Commander Villiers clearly did. Without skipping a beat James threw caution to the wind. "Most people would call me a bounty hunter."
He let that loaded term hang for a second before he added, with his most self depreciating charm, "I don't think that really explains the job though. I'm Federation licensed as a private investigator, bail-bond enforcement agent and I'm contracted with quite a few bondsmen. " He shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. In a calculated, but seemingly nonchalant move he looked at the mug as he lowered it, "Wow, that is really good."
Karen pursed her lips, "You might want to clear that with the Command team first. There're a lot of civilians on this station, and any activity that caused risk to the population likely wouldn't be smiled on. Licensed or not, you should also check in with security and intel," she added, giving no indication of where she fitted into that structure, "there'd be a scene if you happened to be targeting someone they've got their eye on, or are using to get to someone else. I'd start with the XO if I were you," she suggested.
A silent "damn" went through Grayburn's mind, but it never showed on his face. He decided to try to dance around the challenge, completely unaware of who he was messing with. "Oh, of course." He took another quick sip and shrugged as he set the mug back on the table. "I always try to work with the authorities, but it's hard when poor opinion can get in the way." He tried to play the sympathy card. If Karen were set against the profession it wouldn't work so well. "I used to be a security officer a few years back, and sometimes my DH would go way out of his way to screw over some 'd-bag bounty hunter'. I mean, this is my livelihood. I want to be able to work with everyone and have full disclosure and all that, but I worry that someone's poor opinion of my profession will make it so I don't have any work at all."
Karen wrapped her fingers around her cup, "As long as you're behaving professionally, there shouldn't be a problem, should there?" - a rhetorical question. "They just need to know who you are and who you're interested in so that nobody gets their toes trodden on."
"Fair point. I'll make sure I take care of that then." He hoped that would be the end of the discussion about his work. James took a bit of his pastry. A small bit of the cream filling remained on his lip and he used a napkin to wipe it away. "Anyway, now that we know about my work, I was wondering if you could suggest any other places to grab a good meal?" He tried to undo some of the damage he'd done by focusing on his work so much, so as he asked he put on his most charming, and conciliatory smile.
She was a little bit surprised that he hadn't twigged yet, but Karen let it pass. As she considered the question Karen also mused on her recent conversation with Rick Dunham - she probably did need to get out a bit more, and the present company was not objectionable. "There's a Ferengi called Squink who has a cart on the promenade, he moves about a bit but you can usually track him down at lunchtime. He's an absolute genius at fusion, the guy mixes ingredients you'd never think of trying together. He's got a following though, and once the day's creation is gone, that's it." Karen paused, aware that he might be more interested in more formal eateries than lunch out of a carton, "apart from that I've not really had time to go anywhere other than the replimat or my own replicator," she added with a swift, wan smile.
"Really?" James asked incredulously. He had eaten more than his share of replicator meals during his time in the fleet, and he was done. Sure, there wasn't any discernible difference, except psychologically, but food cooked by real hands sure went a long way to real satisfaction. "So this Squink guy sounds like he might be worth checking out." The bounty hunter smiled at the thought that just came to mind, "I'm trying to figure out what's good around here, and you need to get out. How about dinner tomorrow night?" Because not many Fleeters liked his profession--it tended to soil their idyllic picture of the Federation--he didn't associate much with them, but if she hadn't stormed off yet so James figured he had a chance.
"I could do that," Karen agreed, adjudicating over Gabriel's trial certainly wasn't buying her any friends though for the life of her Karen oculd not fathom why any of her colleagues supported the man, unless they were in deep denial. Still, her job was to weigh the evidence, not to make a subjective judgement on personal experience.
"Pick a place and we can explore together," she suggested lifting her cup and draining the last of her coffee. "So when do you think you'll speak to the command staff?" Karen asked with a jint of amusement in her tone.
James silently sucked the remaining cream filling from his index finger and nodded, "I'll try to set something up tomorrow." He pulled the napkin from his lap and set it on the table. "Well, Karen, it has truly been a pleasure." He stood and turned to ask two more questions, the answer to one of which had been coming at him like a freight train. "Oh, you said I should contact the station's XO, who is that?"
Karen raised her hand and wiggled her fingers, "You're looking at her," she told him.
James was speechless. It wasn't a condition that was easily achieved for him. He blinked a couple times before he found his voice once more. "Wow. I guess that one was just waiting to hit." He shook his head and chuckled. "I guess I'll be seeing you twice tomorrow. When are you free?"
"For dinner," Karen replied with what may just have been a smirk, "I don't need to give you another interview, just make sure you check in with security et al and send me a copy of your documentation. Nice to meet you, James," she added.
James left the small diner and shook his head. He'd walked right into that one. Regardless, he had a date tomorrow, not to mention several meetings to set up.
OFF
Commander Karen Villiers
Executive Officer
James Grayburn
Bounty Hunter
by Arrival James Grayburn & Commander Karen Villiers
Post Details
| Title | Executive Officer? Really? | |
| Mission | Judgement | |
| Author(s) | Arrival James Grayburn & Commander Karen Villiers | |
| Posted | Mon Mar 07, 2011 @ 11:43pm | |
| Location | The Red Lion | |
| Timeline | SD37 - Evening |
The station's promenade had more places to get a drink for the evening than James could possibly visit in a month of evenings. He'd visited the Box of Delights the night before. He thought he might try something different tonight. Perhaps something a bit more specialized. Grayburn's train of thought was lost as he noticed an incredibly attractive woman walking into one of the establishments he'd been considering.
James smiled, ran his hands over his shirt to smooth out the imaginary wrinkles and took a couple of breaths before entering behind the brunette. He wore jeans and a grey button-down shirt. The sleeves were rolled halfway up his forearms. As soon as the door closed behind him he looked for the woman he'd followed in.
Karen found an empty table and as she waited for the waiter she looked at the menu. She didn't really need to; the place did teas, coffee, pastries and light snacks. Karen already knew what she would order but it was something to do to pass the time.
Hearing someone approach Karen looked up and was about to place an order but he didn't look like one of the waiters. She shrugged, and smiled. The place was quite full and her table could easily seat four, "Go right ahead," she said with a nod toward the empty chairs, "I'm not meeting anyone."
James was taken aback. He hadn't even seen the woman he was looking for, but there she was, at a table right in front of his nose. It didn't speak well for his skills of observation. Granted, he was used to looking for furtive glances, people trying to look discreet. He shook off his surprise and smiled as he spoke. "Thanks." The table, though small, was still large enough to not be considered intimate. The bounty hunter picked up a menu and browsed through the offerings. He decided what he'd get fairly quickly and put down his menu. "Is the food here good?" he asked. It was a lame question, but the man's innate confidence made it seem less-so. "I just arrived on-station yesterday, so I'm still trying to figure out what's what."
Karen nodded her agreement. "It takes a while," she said, "its a big station, I don't think I've made my way round half of it yet. Its hardly fine dining, but the open sandwiches are very good, and the salads, they get fresh produce from an entrepreneurial farmer who set up shop in a vacant storage bay and turned it into a hydroponic farm. They supply a lot of the restaurants here now. Mind you," she added conspiratorially, "I mainly come here for the coffee."
James consciously returned a conspiratorial glance, "I see. I may have to have some then." The waiter came by, and James ordered a custard-filled bear claw and a cup of coffee. After the waiter left the tall man turned back to his dining partner. "I'm sorry," he said with a smile and an extended hand, "I'm James Grayburn, I'm a.." he paused uncertain what title she wanted most, he finally decided on, "I'm an entrepreneur, up one level."
Karen extended a hand, "Commander Karen Villiers," she said with a slight quirk of her left eyebrow, "What does an 'entrepreneur up one level' do, James?" she asked unsure what he meant by that.
Here was where he wanted to be extremely careful. Not only was this bombshell Starfleet, she was a Commander. That usually meant command in some respect. Even on a Starbase he supposed she would hold a significant position. When he was in the fleet he'd rarely dealt with anyone over the rank of Lieutenant JG. Someone of rank could be a valuable asset, especially if she had nice "assets" as Commander Villiers clearly did. Without skipping a beat James threw caution to the wind. "Most people would call me a bounty hunter."
He let that loaded term hang for a second before he added, with his most self depreciating charm, "I don't think that really explains the job though. I'm Federation licensed as a private investigator, bail-bond enforcement agent and I'm contracted with quite a few bondsmen. " He shrugged and took a sip of his coffee. In a calculated, but seemingly nonchalant move he looked at the mug as he lowered it, "Wow, that is really good."
Karen pursed her lips, "You might want to clear that with the Command team first. There're a lot of civilians on this station, and any activity that caused risk to the population likely wouldn't be smiled on. Licensed or not, you should also check in with security and intel," she added, giving no indication of where she fitted into that structure, "there'd be a scene if you happened to be targeting someone they've got their eye on, or are using to get to someone else. I'd start with the XO if I were you," she suggested.
A silent "damn" went through Grayburn's mind, but it never showed on his face. He decided to try to dance around the challenge, completely unaware of who he was messing with. "Oh, of course." He took another quick sip and shrugged as he set the mug back on the table. "I always try to work with the authorities, but it's hard when poor opinion can get in the way." He tried to play the sympathy card. If Karen were set against the profession it wouldn't work so well. "I used to be a security officer a few years back, and sometimes my DH would go way out of his way to screw over some 'd-bag bounty hunter'. I mean, this is my livelihood. I want to be able to work with everyone and have full disclosure and all that, but I worry that someone's poor opinion of my profession will make it so I don't have any work at all."
Karen wrapped her fingers around her cup, "As long as you're behaving professionally, there shouldn't be a problem, should there?" - a rhetorical question. "They just need to know who you are and who you're interested in so that nobody gets their toes trodden on."
"Fair point. I'll make sure I take care of that then." He hoped that would be the end of the discussion about his work. James took a bit of his pastry. A small bit of the cream filling remained on his lip and he used a napkin to wipe it away. "Anyway, now that we know about my work, I was wondering if you could suggest any other places to grab a good meal?" He tried to undo some of the damage he'd done by focusing on his work so much, so as he asked he put on his most charming, and conciliatory smile.
She was a little bit surprised that he hadn't twigged yet, but Karen let it pass. As she considered the question Karen also mused on her recent conversation with Rick Dunham - she probably did need to get out a bit more, and the present company was not objectionable. "There's a Ferengi called Squink who has a cart on the promenade, he moves about a bit but you can usually track him down at lunchtime. He's an absolute genius at fusion, the guy mixes ingredients you'd never think of trying together. He's got a following though, and once the day's creation is gone, that's it." Karen paused, aware that he might be more interested in more formal eateries than lunch out of a carton, "apart from that I've not really had time to go anywhere other than the replimat or my own replicator," she added with a swift, wan smile.
"Really?" James asked incredulously. He had eaten more than his share of replicator meals during his time in the fleet, and he was done. Sure, there wasn't any discernible difference, except psychologically, but food cooked by real hands sure went a long way to real satisfaction. "So this Squink guy sounds like he might be worth checking out." The bounty hunter smiled at the thought that just came to mind, "I'm trying to figure out what's good around here, and you need to get out. How about dinner tomorrow night?" Because not many Fleeters liked his profession--it tended to soil their idyllic picture of the Federation--he didn't associate much with them, but if she hadn't stormed off yet so James figured he had a chance.
"I could do that," Karen agreed, adjudicating over Gabriel's trial certainly wasn't buying her any friends though for the life of her Karen oculd not fathom why any of her colleagues supported the man, unless they were in deep denial. Still, her job was to weigh the evidence, not to make a subjective judgement on personal experience.
"Pick a place and we can explore together," she suggested lifting her cup and draining the last of her coffee. "So when do you think you'll speak to the command staff?" Karen asked with a jint of amusement in her tone.
James silently sucked the remaining cream filling from his index finger and nodded, "I'll try to set something up tomorrow." He pulled the napkin from his lap and set it on the table. "Well, Karen, it has truly been a pleasure." He stood and turned to ask two more questions, the answer to one of which had been coming at him like a freight train. "Oh, you said I should contact the station's XO, who is that?"
Karen raised her hand and wiggled her fingers, "You're looking at her," she told him.
James was speechless. It wasn't a condition that was easily achieved for him. He blinked a couple times before he found his voice once more. "Wow. I guess that one was just waiting to hit." He shook his head and chuckled. "I guess I'll be seeing you twice tomorrow. When are you free?"
"For dinner," Karen replied with what may just have been a smirk, "I don't need to give you another interview, just make sure you check in with security et al and send me a copy of your documentation. Nice to meet you, James," she added.
James left the small diner and shook his head. He'd walked right into that one. Regardless, he had a date tomorrow, not to mention several meetings to set up.
OFF
Commander Karen Villiers
Executive Officer
James Grayburn
Bounty Hunter