Keeping People Happy
May 24, 2521
Nighttime
Bridge of the Summer's Gift
It had all quieted down as much as quiet could happen on the Gift. She made her way to the cockpit, fairly certain that everyone else had gone to their cabins, and that the Captain was alone. The lights of the cockpit were soft, almost soothing, in the black and she smiled. Spacing was still wonderful and the freedom it gave her from her family and the burden of their expectations was just darn perfect. Absence did make the heart grow fonder and as far as she was from her family, she fancied that she might manage to like them a little at the moment. However, that wasn't what was foremost on her mind. She had thought of clever ways to introduce the subject, subtle segue that might slide the question into normal conversation, but in the end she did what she did best.
"Captain, who is Mike Carter and why did the air pressure drop when his name was mentioned? I thought the oxygen warning would come on with all the inhalations. And now everyone's as grim as death. What's up?"
--
Sitting in the dim cockpit, Nika didn't have music playing. She was lost in her own thoughts on the situation at hand. She'd known since all of this started that if push ever came to shove, she'd have to choose which way to go. So far she'd managed mostly to just stay out of things... and she kind of liked it that way. She could be a warrior, she could be a fighter. She was never happier than when she was flying ridiculous maneuvers to pull their fat out of the fire. It was the only adrenaline she found these days, and she missed the rush.
The voice from the door brought the blue-eyed pilot's eyes toward the speaker. She gestured for Kiera to have a seat in the co-pilot's seat without removing her booted feet from the console. "Mike Carter was an infiltrator, from what I can tell. Deep cover, he could pretty much go anywhere in the Alliance under any name that suited him during the war. For some folks, the war never ended -- and to the best of my knowledge, Mister Carter continued to do what he did best. Gather intelligence. Don't know who for specifically, don't really know what he has been up to aside from rumors here and there that he was attempting to bridge an ideological schism in what's left of the Independent movement."
Nika dropped her head back onto the head rest. "He is also the man Rina's been involved with for more than a decade. He's been on board here before, spent a few months with us. And the grim is comin' in because on the one hand.... I think she's gonna expect that of course we're going to go haring off to rescue him. We've done it before... for friends of hers, and friends of mine." And yet Nika had already put her foot down hard on the fact that she would *not* do it in this case.
--
Kiera made herself comfortable in the indicated seat, tucking a foot up underneath her. "You've done it before. . .but you ain't doing it this time?" Kiera's face was open, friendly, but her gaze was sharp under a raised eyebrow. "How is that being tolerated?"
These people had so much history, ties that bound them together and interwove everything that they did. It was a good thing and yet it could go so very bad. Already there was strain and chaffing and that wasn't good for her business.
--
"Don't know," Nika replied quietly, her eyes on the ceiling of the cockpit. With her boots propped like that and her elbows on the armrests, she looked like she should be the most comfortable woman in the world. But the lines of her body weren't relaxed and her expression was taut. "Figure Rina needs some time to work through this on her own before we attempt to have that conversation," she admitted quietly with almost no hint of the Border accent that lightly flavored her speech most of the time. "It'll go one of two ways, I reckon: Rina'll come to me and admit we haven't got enough to go on and she'll chafe at the bit to try to get more information. Or she'll come to me and it'll be a knock-down, drag-out of some kind. Wouldn't be the first time we've skirted the edges of that happenstance."
Nika quirked a faint grin toward her companion, her usual gentle drawl in evidence. "It could get loud for a while maybe. But I'm pretty sure when she gets around the shock, she'll understand my stance. I ain't sayin' I won't go at all -- but we'll have to do a bit of clearin' the way before I could see gettin' involved."
--
"Hmmm." Cat-green eyes narrowed, as Kiera considered the pros and cons of being attached to future sturm and drang. "I don't want to go to the Core and agitate the powers that be. It's bad for business. I know I'm a passenger and all, but I've been more than willing to offer my help with your ship commitments. I know the kind treatment of me is because I pay, but I'd hope that my uncompensated past effort shows that I'm willing to fight with you all. You've been more than welcoming and I appreciate that."
She leaned forward, her expression intent, and after a moment's pause added, "However, I have friends that may have opinions that Rina may not share. I have contacts that will not want to be used by the government to find your crew through their association with me if something untoward were to happen. They should not be unhappy." The heavy accent was gone, replaced by the sound of the Core, and the smile, though easy and friendly, was undone by the glitter of her eyes. "I will not make them unhappy. So I suppose that I am asking that I need to know what the Gift is going to do about Mr Carter before the Gift acts."
--
Nika studied their passenger for a time, quiet as she assessed something. And then she simply nodded. "If we opt to get ourselves in deeper, I'll give you the same courtesy I'd give any passenger. I don't much like the notion of dragging unsuspecting people into war efforts unless they decide they've got a hankerin' to fight. That said..." There was a pause and the easygoing tone of previous was far cooler. "I expect in return the courtesy of knowin' if you're goin' to be doin' business with folks that me and mine might do best to steer very clear of in light of their... opinions. Not only for their comfort, but for mine. Are we on the same page, doc?" Just as much as Kiera's friends and contacts wouldn't want to be used by the government, Nika wasn't planning on getting her crew hauled in because someone realized they have History.
--
Once again, the warmth of the smile was matched by the twinkle in the eyes and the drawl came back. "Well, I ain't gonna let my new friends be done wrong by my old ones. I owe y'all more recently, you saving my hinny out of the fire and all back on Angel." She rose to her feet and stretched leisurely. "If it turns out that we need to follow Rina's heart, I'll make certain that my ties that bind don't cross y'alls. I'll help if you need me to. . .it didn't sound like Mr Carter picked his battle too wisely and you might need a gun or two. And I'll see what I can do to make certain that we all have a heads up for whatever comes our way, whether it be her trouble or mine. I just like to keep people happy." She winked and wandered back to her quarters.
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Go to Kiera's Page or to Nika's Crew Page
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