Stingraaaaay Stingray! Stingraaaaay Stingray!Stingray! Stingray! STING RAY!
"Yet another day of WASP routine, Phones." Captain Troy Tempest grimaced as he clocked in for duty.
"Two and half hours on patrol, a half a hour on standby, break for lunch then out again and repeat till home time, eight till four thirty." Phones grinned.
"Unless anything exciting happens." Troy replied. "Which it hasn't."
"You're getting mightily riled you about this, skipper-"
"Nothing Phones, not for nearly three weeks! I'm going crazy out there with just sticking to paper work stuff. It's like everything's left the ocean! I never thought I'd see the day I'd want to take on a Mechanical Fish just for fun."
"Oh now relax Troy. Least it's on the 'daylight' shift." his lieutenant shrugged. "Better then lates for getting it outta the way. You know young Porter next door to me? Why his crew landed getting the nocturnal hours two weeks straight! Say he hasn't able to go out or do anything but sleep. "
"Poor guy! Still riding around them Mark four Shark Sub-tubs too." Troy mused, "I thought I hadn't seen him around. Wonder what the bar's doing for entertainment with out him on the Karaoke."
"Hey speaking o' free time which how'd the date with Atlanta go last night?"
"It wasn't a date." Troy corrected. "And it went well. Although Commander Shore privately threatened if I every drop his daughter off home ten minutes later then I promised, then he'd have me-"
What would happen to Troy, Phones never found out, as the door to lounge rose and the hover chair bound Commander entered the room, both men jumping to attention.
"Good morning Commander!"
"Is it?"
Uh-ho thought Troy. As a commanding officer, Samuel Shore would have been at work an hour earlier then the Stingray crew and to see him chewing on the butt of a stubbed out cigar was never a good sign. Considering Troy was already in the officer's bad books outside of work, the young captain hoped he wasn't going to get into anymore trouble with Shore, but he knew he wouldn't be so lucky. If Commander Shore was in a bad mood everyone got it in the neck. Give me a Mechanical Fish anyday, he thought.
"Morning gentlemen. Nice to see you clocking in on time for a change. Forgotten something have we?"
Phones checked himself. He had his cap, his id, house keys, he hadn't left the stove on when making his breakfast, is uniform was neat and tidy and he'd already checked his sonar-hydro phone equipment that was hanging round his neck ready for action.
"I don't think so Sir-"
"Oh really?" the older man snapped. "You seem to be a crew member short!"
Troy and Phones looked around and saw that Commander Shore was right, they where indeed missing a Marina.
"That's odd. Sorry sir, she's normally here by now."
"Your right Troy. Normally before us," Phones shrugged apologetically. "Sorry sir I didn't realise she wasn't in what with her being so quiet and all."
"With that mascot bellowing seal following her every where?" the commander glowered up at him disbelievingly. "How in tarnataion would you miss that racquet?"
"You tend to get used to it after eight hours straight." Troy muttered before he could stop himself but he was saved by Phones putting his larger foot in it.
"We're early yet aren't we? What's the problem? She'll show."
"Phones, when I said you were on time, I was being sarcastic!" The Commander was really het up now. "once again you've both breezed in here barley in time to do system checks before briefing and now you've let you your slack methods rub off on Marina. This is the WASPs not junior high for starboards sake!"
"Maybe she's just running late commander," Tempest said with gritted teeth. The commander could bawl and shout at the captain all day long but it was another mater to yell at his two best friends and crewmates especially as one was a girl who couldn't shout back. "Or she could have just slept it. I'm sure if we give her time she'll be here. I can even pop over to her quarters-"
"Tempest, you wanted her to stay on the base as a member of your crew and as such she will be treated just like all other personnel." Commander shore snarled. "We do not give special treatment. If she's a bit late fine, it's only a few minutes walk to the tower the WAF quarters even with the security checks no problem but if she misses her tour of duty without reason, her pay will get docked just like anyone else would."
"But sir-!"
"No arguments Captain or I'll have you both working in the typing pool! If Marina is not here by the times I've finished this morning's brief, you are to leave without her understand?!"