work,” King said.
Dr. Gentry stepped forward. “Commander, open the bag, would you?”
Chang looked from Gentry to Jessica. The Captain nodded her consent.
Chang opened the sack, and the scorpion scuttled backwards out of it.
Dr. Gentry swiftly pulled Chang’s sidearm from her holster and before any of them could stop him from doing so, he aimed the gun at the scorpion’s head and fired.
* * *
“My God!” Dana shouted in surprise as the shot echoed in C-1.
Lieutenant Jackson had Dr. Gentry on the floor in seconds. It took Jessica to yell at Jackson for him to ease up and get off of the Doctor.
“Lieutenant! Back off! Come on,” she ordered. “Calm down!”
Davies walked Jackson away from the situation so he could calm down as Jessica dealt with Dr. Gentry. As the older man got to his feet, dusting himself off, Captain King grabbed him and got in his face.
“If you EVER try something like that again, I will have you locked in the brig till we return to Starbase 6. Do you hear me?”
Gentry nodded. “It had to be done, Captain. I saw no other course of action.”
She let him go, turned to Commander Chang. “Get it in the bag, and call through for someone to come collect it from the airlock.”
“Aye,” Chang said.
“As for you, Doctor,” Jessica said, facing Gentry again. “Consider yourself warned. Next time I won’t get Jackson to back off.”
“I — I — understand. I’m sorry,” Gentry said, back to the stammering misfit he’d been before. As much as they’d been shocked by his action, the Doctor himself looked shaken by the way he’d been pinned to the ground.
Jessica turned and left for C-2 along with Lieutenant Jackson and Dana Oriz, eager not to have to look at him any longer – at least until she’d calmed down a bit herself.
* * *
Selena Walker answered her comm. to be met with a familiar Texan drawl on the other end.
“Guess who, sweetheart?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, I don’t know. Who could it be? Who else aboard the Defiant sounds like a mock cattle rustler?”
“Ouch, darlin’. You really know how to kick a guy where it hurts.”
Selena smiled. “One of my specialities. Nut cracking.”
“Maybe you can demonstrate some time . . .” Dollar said.
“Get off the air!” she said and broke into laughter. “Anyway, what’re you after?”
She walked away from the others so she could get some privacy. Though they couldn’t hear Dollar on the other end, they could hear her responses. Already, there’d been a few raised eyebrows at her mention of cracking nuts.
“Do I have to be after somethin’ just to hear yuh angelic voice?”
“You old smoothie,” she said.
“Thanks,” Dollar said. “Just thought I’d check, see if yer okay.”
“Yes. I’m all right. We had a bit of drama over here a couple of minutes ago, but nothing too interesting. The Captain dealt with it,” Selena told him.
“Whoever it was, I feel sorry for ‘em if the Cap got involved,” Dollar said, followed by a high pitched whistle that made her ears ring. “I was on my way down to the hangar…”
“To work on your baby,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Her name’s Dragonfly,” Dollar corrected her. “And I’ve nearly got her done.”
“Good. I hope you’ll take me on a ride when I get back,” Selena said.
Dollar sighed on the other end. “I hate bein’ apart.”
“We’re not. Don’t go soppy on me. I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, you’ll just have to . . . play with your spanner,” she quipped.
Dollar laughed. “That’s what I love about yuh, darlin’, you got sass.”
“If I keep eating your southern food, I’ll end up with a whole lotta ass . Now I’m ending this before it goes too far,” Selena said, mid-laughter. “I love you.”
“Love yuh too.”
* * *
“Understood, Captain,” Commander Greene said from the captain’s chair. “We’re monitoring Team Two. I’ll let you know if Gentry shows any sign of acting
Dr. Gentry stepped forward. “Commander, open the bag, would you?”
Chang looked from Gentry to Jessica. The Captain nodded her consent.
Chang opened the sack, and the scorpion scuttled backwards out of it.
Dr. Gentry swiftly pulled Chang’s sidearm from her holster and before any of them could stop him from doing so, he aimed the gun at the scorpion’s head and fired.
* * *
“My God!” Dana shouted in surprise as the shot echoed in C-1.
Lieutenant Jackson had Dr. Gentry on the floor in seconds. It took Jessica to yell at Jackson for him to ease up and get off of the Doctor.
“Lieutenant! Back off! Come on,” she ordered. “Calm down!”
Davies walked Jackson away from the situation so he could calm down as Jessica dealt with Dr. Gentry. As the older man got to his feet, dusting himself off, Captain King grabbed him and got in his face.
“If you EVER try something like that again, I will have you locked in the brig till we return to Starbase 6. Do you hear me?”
Gentry nodded. “It had to be done, Captain. I saw no other course of action.”
She let him go, turned to Commander Chang. “Get it in the bag, and call through for someone to come collect it from the airlock.”
“Aye,” Chang said.
“As for you, Doctor,” Jessica said, facing Gentry again. “Consider yourself warned. Next time I won’t get Jackson to back off.”
“I — I — understand. I’m sorry,” Gentry said, back to the stammering misfit he’d been before. As much as they’d been shocked by his action, the Doctor himself looked shaken by the way he’d been pinned to the ground.
Jessica turned and left for C-2 along with Lieutenant Jackson and Dana Oriz, eager not to have to look at him any longer – at least until she’d calmed down a bit herself.
* * *
Selena Walker answered her comm. to be met with a familiar Texan drawl on the other end.
“Guess who, sweetheart?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, I don’t know. Who could it be? Who else aboard the Defiant sounds like a mock cattle rustler?”
“Ouch, darlin’. You really know how to kick a guy where it hurts.”
Selena smiled. “One of my specialities. Nut cracking.”
“Maybe you can demonstrate some time . . .” Dollar said.
“Get off the air!” she said and broke into laughter. “Anyway, what’re you after?”
She walked away from the others so she could get some privacy. Though they couldn’t hear Dollar on the other end, they could hear her responses. Already, there’d been a few raised eyebrows at her mention of cracking nuts.
“Do I have to be after somethin’ just to hear yuh angelic voice?”
“You old smoothie,” she said.
“Thanks,” Dollar said. “Just thought I’d check, see if yer okay.”
“Yes. I’m all right. We had a bit of drama over here a couple of minutes ago, but nothing too interesting. The Captain dealt with it,” Selena told him.
“Whoever it was, I feel sorry for ‘em if the Cap got involved,” Dollar said, followed by a high pitched whistle that made her ears ring. “I was on my way down to the hangar…”
“To work on your baby,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Her name’s Dragonfly,” Dollar corrected her. “And I’ve nearly got her done.”
“Good. I hope you’ll take me on a ride when I get back,” Selena said.
Dollar sighed on the other end. “I hate bein’ apart.”
“We’re not. Don’t go soppy on me. I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, you’ll just have to . . . play with your spanner,” she quipped.
Dollar laughed. “That’s what I love about yuh, darlin’, you got sass.”
“If I keep eating your southern food, I’ll end up with a whole lotta ass . Now I’m ending this before it goes too far,” Selena said, mid-laughter. “I love you.”
“Love yuh too.”
* * *
“Understood, Captain,” Commander Greene said from the captain’s chair. “We’re monitoring Team Two. I’ll let you know if Gentry shows any sign of acting
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