MayDay

Chapter 2

By: CosmicGibby

"So what does a person do for fun around here?" Jet inquired, setting her tray of a turkey sandwich and chocolate cake on the polished, metal table of the commissary.

"Surprisingly there is actually quite a bit to do around here. There's swimming, all manner of sports and teams, plus there's the holographic simulation rooms. Whatever your pleasure, there's something here to please your taste." Randy replied flirtatiously,

before taking a spoonful of his soup.

Embarrassed, Jet looked down at her food before her blush could reach her steel blue eyes. She took her fork and took a bite of her delicious looking chocolate cake, watching him from the tops of her eyes. Swallowing her cake Jet asked conversationally, "What do you do for fun?"

"I like to play around in the holo rooms. My favorite sim is climbing the rock cliffs of Valjo 5. I grew up rock climbing with my dad. We would go out on camping trips and just climb, eat and sleep." Randy explained animatedly. "I've also created a few fight training sims. What about you? I mean what did you do for fun at the Academy? Are they still making cadets go through 'initiation'?" He asked, just as she had taken another bite of heavenly cake. "I'm sorry, bad timing."

Jet grinned, finished chewing and swallowed; she wondered how he knew about 'initiation', Jet realized that he must have been a graduate as well. She looked at his hand and saw his ring on his right ring finger. "What year were you?" She inquired of his graduation date, pointing at his ring.

"Seven years ago." He replied before taking another spoon full of soup. "Now your turn. What did you do for fun at the academy?" He persisted.

Jet studied his eyes and determined that he wouldn't judge her for her more colorful activities. "Let's just say that I had a penchant for choosing the more unorthodox activities." Jet said with finality.

"Oh, come on." Randy complained when he realized that she wasn't going to explain any further. "You can't do that to me it's not fair. You can't dangle a juicy tid-bit of knowledge like that in front of me and not follow through. What are these 'unorthodox activities' that you speak of?" He needled.

"Let's just say that while many of the other cadets were running their brains out or studying I chose to learn how to throw knives, I competed in sniping and hand-to-hand combat. I did pretty well for myself. Don't get me wrong I studied and did the requisite running as well, but I was more interested in learning something new. Unfortunately, because of my extracurricular choices many of the other cadets ostracized me." She said nonchalantly, looking Randy in the eye and daring him to say something. He broke from her gaze to look at the food line, but not before she could see the look of pity in his eyes.

Jet changed the subject to more familiar ground, wanting to dispel the awkward silence that interrupted their conversation. "So…" she began, "What do you do on this rather large luxury vacation vessel?"

Randy looked at her intently just before he burst into laughter, her attempt at humor obviously working. He took big gulps of air to calm himself, "Luxury vacation vessel?" He asked with laughter clinging to his voice.

"Well, you know. We have all these state of the art facilities and for our own personal use. We didn't even have holo rooms at the academy…well just the one, but that was strictly for training purposes. A cadet two years behind me was expelled for using it even though he was just using it to brush up on his escape and evasion tactics. I just find it amazing that we get to use these facilities, just like guests on a luxury System Cruiser."

"I see. I was surprised when I was first stationed here, too." Answering her first question, "I am the Prison Controller. I studied Criminal Corrections and Justice at the Academy. What are you stationed on this luxury vessel for? Will you be lounging by the poolside? Going to the spa? No, no I know. You will be getting spa treatments while sitting by our luxury pool." Randy joked.

For the second time that day Jet blushed, this time she didn't look down. She smiled brightly and laughed deeply, pleased that he had such a quick wit. "Actually, I will be eating chocolate cake in this elegant dining room." She replied continuing the joke while spreading her arms indicating the commissary. "Well, actually I'm not quite sure where I'll be stationed. I'm assuming I'll be working in the Fighter Hangar…I studied to be a Pilot, but my degree says Aerospace Engineering." Jet confided, looking at the salt shakers as if they were the most interesting thing in the universe. "I suspect I'll find out when I report for orders." She added, before eating her last bit of cake.

"What made you decide to become a pilot?" Randy queried.

"Do you want the long or the short version?

"Oh, Long. Most definitely."

Jet looked at him questioningly before launching into her narrative. "When I was a little girl, I think around Five, my parents took me to Siala Three for a couple of weeks. Well, on the Transport ship an attendant asked me if I would like to visit the cockpit. Excitedly I followed her up to the cockpit. When I saw the stars and all the planets surrounded by the blackness of space I just stood there reverently. The captain let me fly the transport and I remember thinking that this was what I wanted to do. I wanted to have that pin sitting on my uniform. I wanted to move about the universe without any restrictions, I wanted to see a star and travel there..." Slipping out of her reverie, Jet finished her story, embarrassed that she had divulged such a childish, yet precious story from her past. She wanted to get away, be alone for awhile. "You know, I have to do some things before I report for duty." Jet stood up abruptly and picked up her tray of now empty dishes and walked away without a reply; leaving him there to stare after her in dismay and confusion.

Jet walked onto the elevator and pressed the button to close the doors, hoping that they'd close before Randy caught up to her. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid.' She thought to herdelf. Jet wasn't comfortable talking about her past and couldn't believe that she had revealed such a deep look into her past to someone she had only just met. The doors opened and Jet walked off the elevator, she looked up and saw Randy walking straight towards her with determination in his step.

"What the hell was that? Did I say something wrong? The last thing I remember is your recalling a pleasant memory and then you just up and leave without so much as an explanation." He asked harshly.

She was unable to believe that he had reached Gamma Level before she did, "What? How in the Hell? How did you get up here before I did?" Jet yelled at him in disbelief.

He replied authoritatively. "What are you going on about? This is the Beta Level…"

Jet interrupted his explanation, "No, no, No! I got on the elevator, I pressed the close button and…" she stopped suddenly realizing her mistake.

"And?"

"And in my haste I forgot to push the button for Gamma Level." She said in defeat. "Look, I'm sorry. I…I…At the Academy no one was as nice to me as you have been and I'm just not use to sharing things about my past to anyone." Jet looked up to his eyes during her apology and saw amusement and understanding in those chocolate brown eyes. "What's so funny?" She asked defensively

"Nothing, just your explanation about why you ended up on this floor and not the barracks." He replied, trying to control the laughter that was breaking through his voice. He stared at her eyes and then they both erupted in laughter realizing the humur of her mistake.

Both of them smiling and half-way giggling walked onto the still open elevator and Randy pressed the button for Gamma Level 1. She looked at the polished metal walls of the barracks and wondered why she hadn't seen many people. Sure the commissary had been rather empty, but it's not as if it was around the usual eating. She had just been expecting to see more people in the halls.

"Hey! Randy! Whose the bitch?" Jet cringed at the derogatory term. Randy and Jet stopped and turned in their tracks to look at a tall man with wide shoulders. To Jet he looked as thick as the elephants of Old Earth. He wasn't fat, he was just large. Large with muscle.

"Lutar, this Lieutenant Jethenna Jarrison. She's just graduated from the Acad…" Randy's explanation trailed off as Jet briskly walked away from the obvious friends, leaving Randy, for the second time that day to stare at her back in disbelief. Quickly recovering from his shocked stupor, he ran after her saying in annoyance, "You know this is getting on my nerves."

"Your nerves? Your nerves? I didn't go through four years at the Academy to be called a bitch. I went through my time of derogatory terms. I have insignia that demand respect and such, he…" she said pointing to the other man, "is an officer in the Core System Guard and it is expected of him to treat another officer with said respect." She told Randy offensively, looking at the other man with steel in her eyes folding her arms.

"I don't mean nuthin' by it." Apologized the big man sincerely, scuffing his shoes on the spotless, metal floors of the barracks. Jet looked hard into his green eyes and decided to not hold it against the man, he looked like a man who is just rough around the edges.

Jet put on a sincere smile and said, "Apology accepted Commander…?" She held out her hand in hopes that a handshake my signify peace.

He smiled at the mesmerizing girl, taking her hint he shook her hand and answered, "Lutar. Lutar Jenis. Your name is Jethenna?"

"Jet. Everyone calls me Jet." The pretty blonde explained.

"I really am sorry about my mistake, ma'am. Sometimes I just talk without thinking, tends to get me inta lots of trouble." He apologized again, running his hand through his curly red mane. "Whaddya say we all go down to the commissary for some chocolate cake." Randy and Jet looked at each other with a knowing glance and laughed at his friendly suggestion. "What? What I say?" he asked, wondering what it was he'd done this time. He thought to himself, 'At least she's laughin' and not yellin'. Damn, she's got some spirit.'

"Sorry man, I've already introduced Jet to the Chocolate Cake." Randy answered Lutar's question.

"I really would like to get some more chocolate cake, it was so good." She reassured the red-haired lion. "But I've still got time-lag and I would really like to get some rest before I'm expected to report for duty." She informed them.

"Wait," Randy stopped her before she could walk off, "Do you…you…uh…youwannagorockclimbingwifmes'time?" He said bunch his words nervously together.

"Come again?" questioned Jet, successfully hiding her amusement at his predicament.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go rock climbing with me sometime." He asked again enunciating every word with perfect clarity. "You know in one of the holo rooms."

Jet looked into Randy's distressed eyes and said soothingly, "I'd really like that." She then turned and walked towards her room. Jet stopped in her tracks remembering Randy's question from lunch and said, "Randy! Yes."

"Yes, what?" he asked confused at her statement.

"Yes, they still make cadets go through initiation." With that explanation, Jet turned back to her room.

Randy smiled to himself, pleased that she had remembered his question. For the first time since coming to the Explorer Randy thought about the Academy and wondered what it would have like to attend with a