Nicole was certainly frustrated and just plain mad. She sat in the cockpit of her freighter and tried to think of options besides just slipping out the next time they lowered the forcefields...her employer certainly wouldn't like being blind sided with that. She could certainly call his office and start the ball rolling on whether or not Captain Maruu could really ground her and her ship... She loved Stephen and decided that until she could have a rational conversation she wouldn't start something that would bring in outsiders or legal representatives.
She slid down in the seat and put her feet up on the console of her flight deck and stared out the windows. She wished Stephen would call in or stop by to visit. Finally, she spotted another freighter docked not terribly far away from her slip in the bay...the Remington, a Bajoran light cruiser. Aston Liteboughlt, was a man she'd met once through Colonel Tarik...maybe there was a way they could work out a business deal and get this cargo delivered to Serenity.
She climbed out of the seat and exited the bridge. Nicole stopped long enough to finger comb her long hair down out of its ponytail, pull on her deck boots, and her black leather flight jacket. She headed out to the promenade to find Ashton's shop.
After looking it up on a directory she found it right off and entered to find a young female with sandy blond hair working behind the counter. "Hello I'm Denise. Welcome to the Information Station. Is there anything I can help you with today?"
"I'm looking for Captain Liteboughlt." Nikki said with her hands in her pockets.
"Do you have an appointment?" She asked.
Nikki frowned and shook her head.
"I'm sorry but Captain Liteboughlt isn't in, would you care to make an appointment?" She asked with a smile sure to make any male hormonal.
"I would like to leave a message for him."
"Sure." The Denise handed Nicole a PADD and she moved away to help another customer. Nicole used the graphic pad and using common short hand glyphs wrote out an introduction and request of aid in the matter.
"Captain Liteboughlt, this is Nicole Shea," she wrote, "and I am currently in need of help making a cargo drop on Serenity, do to technicalities. Maybe we can work a deal or I can transfer the payment fee to you for this run. Please contact me at Shea26." Nicole handed the PADD back to the woman and browsed for a minute before leaving the shop.
Nicole stopped at an outside coffee vender and purchased a cup and a roll before taking a seat at a small round table where she could watch people moving around the promenade.
Ash entered the store a few moments later, carrying a satchel and a PADD. He placed the satchel on the counter, and put the PADD in one of the organizing drawers. "Anything interesting happen while I was on Serenity?" he asked. He walked back around towards the counter topick up the satchel.
"A woman by the name of Nikki stopped by. She left you a message." Denise handed the PADD to Ash as she walked passed to head towards one of the computer terminals.
Ash began reading the note on the PADD. Hmm... he thought to himself. The idea of running some supplies sounded like a decent business opportunity. He also knew that Nicole Shea was working for Colonel Tarik. It might give him an opportunity to increase his workings, and pay, through Starfleet. The only problem was that the timeline was shrinking. Ash was supposed to deliver a group of Marines on a mission for Colonel Tarik to Mulluran space. What the hell, he finally said to himself. He headed to the docking bay to find Nicole's ship.
Nicole had enjoyed the coffee and had arrived back on board her ship and found she'd missed a call from Stephen, but that Ash hadn't returned her message. Good, she thought to herself.
"Nice ship you have here," Ash said from one of the seats on Nicole's freighter. His feet were propped up on the table as he read over a PADD. "Security needs a little more work."
"Nothing worth stealing onboard," she said taking the seat opposite him. She was slipping. "Well. So you've heard me replay my messages and have helped let yourself in. You interested in the job?" She asked?
"Good possibility," Ash replied. "Depends on what type of reimbursement there is."
She smiled, and said, "Two metric kilotons," she paused and saw him shrug. Then, she added,"I'll rebid it to you for what I got for it and that's 5000 credit." She watched him smile.
"That sounds better," Ash smiled. "I guess I should really inform you of another assignment that you'll have to accompany me on before we head back to the station. If you want me to run the cargo, this will have to be done."
She nodded and then narrowed her eyes. "Figured there had to be some catch as that amount of cargo is nothing to the Remington and 5K wouldn't pay your expenses out of space dock."
"Care to tell me since I'll be putting myself in harms way shipping with you...what's the mission?"
"Oh, it's nothing. We're just going on a little trip to see our friendly Mulluran neighbors." A small grin crossed his face.
"I see." She said leaning forward, resting her forearms on the table and said, "Since, you've listened to Captain Maruu's played back message...how do you feel about taking 'myself' as a potential danger into space on your craft?"
"No problems babe," Ash smiled. "I've had a little bit of time to go over the communications, defensive, and offensive abilities of your ship, and I believe that the Remmington would be much better suited. Besides," he added, lifting a glass that was sitting on the table, "yourship's computer doesn't seem to know how to replicate a proper ale." She stayed where she was and listened to his sauve educated word explain the logic of using 'his ship'. She saw his eyes wander up and down her frame, and smiled. "If you become a 'hazard' then there are ways to deal with that if need be..." Nicole gave him a slightly scornful look. "If there's nothing further, I'll be leaving. I suggest collecting your goods and getting ready to head out. We'll be leaving in two days at 19:30 hours." Ash stood, and made his way off the ship.
Nicole looked around her small living area thinking of what she would need to take with her. Just some personal items, and she could be ready in less then ten minutes. She would call and leave a message for Stephen just before they shipped out.
Later on.....
"The weapons systems on this ship are fairly simple," Ash began going over the technical data of the Remmington as the two sat on the bridge area. "The panels are layed out in a modified LCARS format, so they shouldn't take that long to adjust too. I assume you know how to operate the weapons systems if things were to go awry for some reason?"
She sat back in her chair for they had been at this for eighteen hours, and said, "I've worked small sublight and two FTL family ships--done everything from clean up, damage control tech'ing, and weapons trainee and sat a station on the bridge long enough to qualify for my Cargo License." She waved her hand to indicate her ship across the way. "I don't own any phase weapons, but a most hardened crews on tramp freighters use knives and chains, in fights--but do know how to shoot. ...I can hold my own." She said with a smile.
"I see," Ash said quietly. "So the whole 'dust' incident was because you were lazy, or just needed a challenge?"
"Neither." Nikki crossed her arms over her chest, and bit her lower lip, then said, "I was out numbered 5:1--incase you missed that when you read securities report, and they were hopped up on 'dust'." She snorted and got up to go herself a cup of coffee, then asked, "Care for a cup?"
"No thank you dear," Ash replied. He began to go through some of the files on the ship. The cargo had been beamed over a few minutes earlier, and he was beginning to go through the manifest to make sure everything was accounted for. "We'll be leaving at precisely 19:30hours. Do NOT be late. Marines tend to run things like clockwork."
She clenched her teeth and fists and left the bridge.... "How did I manage to get rooked into crewing for him? Did he say Marines? What in the hell would marines be doing on board the Remington?" She asked her self but was controlled enough not to turn around and ask a question only to get one of his damnable smiles.
She went aft and said to the replicator,"Coffee, black--hot." He'd given her the grand tour, explained, the cargo hold, the drives, had her toss her gear onto a bunk in an area off the bridge. The ship certainly did put hers to shame on size and systems. She was sitting at the table when then the hatch to the docks opened and she shivered as she'd left her jacket on the back of the copilots seat in the cockpit. She looked at her time piece and it was 1900hrs....these must be the marines, she thought to herself.