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"Deadly Negotiations"
Rating: PG-13 Captain Sandosh and the Vhrum crew and Captain Dhoaliu come from “Boomer Bust”. “BB” also explains the deal with Travis and his brother Paul. Please read and review! Thanks:) R/S implied. Six The hovercar swooped under a bridge and through a tunnel. It made a left-hand turn into the general area of the main Centaurian spaceport. Unlike the Montclaire’s private airfield in Cochrane Commons, this one was jammed in the corner of the industrial sector. The bright colors became muted maroons and grays, and huge transports blocked the skyways. The little hovercar swerved around a ore transport, earning a loud honk for its trouble. “Jesus, Lieutenant, you’re enjoying this a little too much!” yelled McKenzie. She gripped the inside door handle with white knuckles. “They don’t let you out enough, don’t they!” “Sorry, Fiona,” Travis apologized and eased up on the accelerator. The hovercar straightened out and headed for the spaceport parking area. “It’s been a while since I’ve piloted a ‘car like this. I guess I got a little carried away.” McKenzie laughed, her long blonde hair streaming out in the wind behind her. She waggled her eyebrows and replied, “That’s all right...you never know when you’d need to make a fast getaway. Helps to have a good pilot at the stick.” “Yeah.” He flipped a credit chit at the parking attendant and pulled into the spot the young man indicated. “You sure you’re up to this? You just got outta the hospital.” She flashed him a look of irritation. “I’m fine. Being in a hospital drives me crazy. There isn’t anything to do except go watch trashy holoprograms on the tube, and Centaurian ones are the worst.” “‘Three Gals and a Denobulan’ isn’t your speed, huh?” Travis laughed at her dirty look. “You sound just like Lieutenant Commander Reed whenever he’s stuck in Sickbay. Although the Centaurian holoprograms are an idea—“ “You do that and I’ll deny any involvement. I’ll even tell the Commander it was your idea to begin with.” “Ouch. You’re cruel.” Travis waggled his eyebrows. “How about we go ahead and buy a subspace subscription for Hoshi and put it in his name as a gift for next Valentine’s day? Think she’ll appreciate it?” McKenzie glared at him, then her eyes softened and she let out a peal of raucous laughter. Travis realized how carefree she looked when she relaxed her guard. “Oh, I forgot...you’re the resident prankster on board the ship aren’t you? Oh man, that’s really cruel. Though I’d like to be a fly on the wall when Hoshi opens her gift.” “Yeah, me too.” They left the ‘car in the garage and boarded the transport tube to the spaceport’s main section. Travis took off his cap and placed it backwards on his head, while McKenzie pulled her ponytail through the back of her cap. They both wore the overalls of cargo transport crew, with Travis also wearing his trusty captain’s vest. The pair drew hushed whispers and looks of approval; he chuckled at the reactions of the passers-by. No one would suspect Starfleet’s top consortium negotiator and his MACO bodyguard among the rougher edges of Centaurian society. Of course, there was that little tangle with the Orions, but that hadn’t really been their fault. Travis sighed as he remembered how their cover had been blown. Damn Section 31 and Harris. I hope Malcolm chewed him out good and found out who leaked the info to the Orions. Though I bet Guillem also had something to do with that too. An electronic board listed the most recent arrivals. He and McKenzie looked down the narrow columns of names until Travis found the ones he was looking for. “Over here, Fiona. Port Forty-Seven, Deck G.” “Let’s go,” she said. The doors to Cargo Port Forty-Seven opened immediately as they approached. A Tellarite captain looked up from his manifest lists and grinned as he recognized Travis. “Captain Travis!” he shouted. “He’s here!” A minute later, Travis was swarmed by the crew of the Vhrum. He recognized Thor the Khorian, Rudis the Orion boy, and the swarthy form of Captain Sandosh. Sandosh swept Travis into a huge bear—porcine—hug, then set him back on his feet with an abrupt jolt. He saw McKenzie’s hand on her phase pistol, but her hand dropped when he gave her a huge smile. “Sorry, Fiona. Let me make the introductions. This is Captain Sandosh of the cargo transport Vhrum; his helmsman and communications officer Thor; and—“ “Steward and sometimes engineer, Rudis,” Sandosh said. “We helped Captain Travis and his friends recently. And this young lady—“ “Fiona. She’s one of Malcolm’s security people,” Travis said. “She’s supposed to keep an eye on me.” “Then I wish you luck in your mission. He can be a challenge to keep track of.” Sandosh chuckled, then waved his crew back to work. When the Tellarite turned back to Travis, his expression was a lot more sober. “I gathered as many freighter captains as I could find at such short notice. The ones who were agreeable to listening, at any rate. I cannot guarantee they will be enthusiastic to your news. Many of them believe the Cargo Transit Authority is selling them out to Starfleet and the Consortiums.” “I don’t blame them, but we have to find some sort of compromise. If the Boomers don’t make themselves heard, they’ll be run over by the Powers that Be and I’m not gonna stand for that.” “They are gathered in Port Sixty-Eight, Travis. We will make sure none of them become too unruly.” Sandosh gestured with his massive paw. “This way.” The tiny conference room in Port Sixty Eight was packed with familiar and unfamiliar faces. When Sandosh had apologized about the small turnout, he’d underestimated the number of interested parties. Travis greeted the Varlon captain, Dhoaliu; the Varlon remembered Travis from the bar on Auring Five. He also saw some of his father’s old Boomer connections and they had brought friends. “I see you still care about us after all, Big Brother. Knew you’d come back sometime.” Travis froze at the quiet voice near the back of the room. “Paul?” “Yeah, I’m here.” Paul Mayweather leaned back on the bench he was sitting on and crossed his arms. “Sandosh told us about this unofficial gathering and we’d just happened to be by. Quite the coincidence, eh. My new employer told me family’s important, even if they aren’t exactly on good terms.” Travis gave him a cautious nod. “So...Tanaka told you to attend?” “She suggested it.” Paul returned a wry smile, “but I came of my own free will. Heard this isn’t really an ‘official’ negotiation. Bending the rules again, Big Brother?” “Sometimes ‘official’ isn’t the best way to do it. I’m sure this’ll get back to Admiral Forrest somehow, but I’ll listen to his ranting later.” Travis sighed and shook his head. “Thanks, Paul. I wasn’t sure you’d be here after, well—“ “I’m here, and I’ll listen. Can’t guarantee more than that, though.” Travis nodded; at least it was a start. “All right.” He raised his voice and brought the room to order. “Thank you all for taking the time to come here. I’m sure you’ve all heard rumors about what’s going on, but I’m here to set the record straight. All I’m asking is that you don’t shoot me before you’ve heard everything I’ve got to say. All right?” There were sounds of grudging agreement; Travis took that as a sign of cautious optimism. He took a deep breath and told them about the various proposals from Admiral Forrest. To their credit, the Boomers held their objections until he was finished. Not surprisingly, they weren’t thrilled with what Travis was telling them. “I don’t like the sound of it. We’re being forced to pick between the consortiums and Starfleet. Talk about between the devil and the bottomless sea,” quipped Captain Ariael Sanjawani of the Lakshmi. “I’d rather stay a free agent, but it sounds like we’d be restricted in where we want to go.” “Yeah, security issues,” spat Captain H’waaa of the Xlavier. “Security issues, my reka! If they were really that concerned about us, they’d have done a better job of patrolling space to begin with.” There was a murmur of agreement. “Admiral Forrest and the Vulcan High Command are reorganizing Cargo Operations to include a stronger Security force. That includes stepping up patrols and improving sensory capabilities.” Travis added, his quiet voice still carried over the audience. “I don’t know any details yet, but I’m planning on making that a high priority.” “We are not going be forced to run at the Consortiums’ beck and call, are we?” asked Captain Dhoaliu. The Varlon looked sick to his stomach. “They cannot just draft us to do their bidding?” “No, they have to compete for contracts just like everyone else. That includes Earth as well. And no, they can’t just impress Boomer crews into their personal fleets. I’m not gonna let that happen.” Travis scowled at the thought. “I’m gonna stand in front of the Starfleet Council if I have to, but they aren’t gonna run roughshod over us.” “How reassuring, Mayweather,” muttered Captain H’waaa. Travis speared him with a glare. “I’m not gonna lie to you. I can only do so much. The Boomers are gonna have to make some compromises too, if this whole thing will work.” He sighed. “All right, that’s all I have for right now. If I hear anything else that could help the Boomers, I’ll relay it to Captain Sandosh—“The Tellarite captain nodded in agreement, “—and he’ll pass the word on. If you have any ideas, let him know and he’ll let me know. All right?” The meeting broke up on that note. Travis listened as the cargo captains grumbled under their breaths as they left. That wasn’t a good sign. He sighed, rubbed his temples, and once again thought some choice words at Admiral Forrest and the mess they were all in. “That went well, all things considered,” McKenzie commented dryly. “Yeah, right.” “I’m serious. No one tried to kill us.” “She’s right,” Paul added. Travis turned to face his brother. “You’ve always been honest, no matter what’s going on at the time. I don’t think they have any reason to doubt you.” Again, that neutral tone, as if Paul was just discussing the weather. The words didn’t reassure Travis as much as he wished. “Thanks, Paul. Will you tell Mom about this? I’m gonna be stuck in more negotiations for God knows how long and I don’t know when I’ll be able to get in touch with you.” “Sure thing, Big Brother.” Paul got up from the bench and stretched. “Mom’s in a comfortable house on Vega, courtesy of Tanaka Enterprises. Maybe they’ll let you go long enough to pay her a visit. I’m sure Tanaka would like to meet you...she has to be better than Montclaire.” “I dunno. I think I’ll reserve judgment till I actually meet her,” Travis replied. “I think Malcolm’s paranoia’s rubbed off in me in a major way the past few months.” Paul nodded. “Well, see ya around. Take care of yourself.” “You too.” Travis watched his brother leave. Paul hadn’t even told him how his new captaincy was going, whether or not he liked working for Tanaka Enterprises, or even about his new ship and crew. Raven’s Revenge, Travis remembered, and he winced. The closeness between the two had dissolved, and it hurt. Hurt far worse than he was willing to admit. At least Paul was talking with him. That was better than absolutely nothing. “You all right, Travis?” He nodded at McKenzie’s question. “C’mon, Fiona. Let’s get back to Bellevue. I wanna talk with Philippe about EdML.The sooner he makes his decision, the better.” “You sound like you might already know what he’ll do.” McKenzie’s expression was unreadable, but her eyes betrayed her worry. “Yeah. I think I know what he’ll do.” With that, he nodded and they strode out of the cargo bay back towards the main section of the spaceport. |
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