a hand outstretched. “May I introduce you to my daughter
Toni? She's a bit of a fan admiral.”
Irons
studied the girl. She was standard Terran stock, mid teens, blond like her
mother but with black streaks in her hair, with an air of exasperation hovering
around her. She rolled her blue eyes. He snorted softly.
Cora
poked the black and blond haired teen. “Say something silly,” she growled.
“What's
to say?” Toni said as her mother pushed her forward and retreated.
“Not
much. Are you interested in the fleet?” Irons asked.
She
shrugged. “A little. I like to hear some of the stories. I'm a writer.”
“Really?”
Irons asked with a nod.
“Yes.
Mom and dad don't think it's important but...” she shrugged again.
“I
think it is,” Irons mused. She blinked at him.
“You
do?” she asked surprised. “Really? You're not just saying that?”
He
shook his head firmly. “No. What do you like to write?” His eyes locked onto
hers.
“Um...
I sort of bounce around. I like poetry but I also like reading and writing
history. Interviewing the people on the ship, writing about events and the
places we go to...”
“A
reporter,” Irons said with a nod. “I've met a few. If you get a chance talk to
Knox news. Maybe they will hire you as a correspondent.”
“Really?”
she practically bounced up and down. He hid an amused snort at the squeal in
her voice. A few around her winced.
“Sure.
Knox has gone interstellar. I believe some of the other media outlets will be
following shortly. I was dating a reporter a while ago.” He shook his head,
feeling like he had put his foot in his mouth.
“Really?”
she asked, going coy. She played with her hair as her lips drooped. He sighed,
recognizing the flirting. He really didn't need the complication. Her parents
would flip and he was on thin ice as it was.
“Yes.
She's well... she's hopefully going to be better soon. I'm ah, got to get busy
here. We need to monitor the bottle, make sure it's stable.”
“Oh
yeah sure, we'll talk later,” she said. She turned and bounced off to her
parents and the officers. She turned and waved and then spun back in place. He
sighed at the look the captain shot him. Pure poisonous stay away from my
daughter look. Wonderful.
Cora
caught her husband glaring and cleared her throat. He looked at her for a
moment, not meeting her eyes and then looked away. He had deliberately kept his
wife out of the loop about Irons, hoping to get the sordid business done and
over with before she had found out. He'd even arranged distractions for her but
apparently the crisis had changed things. Or she'd seen them for what they
were. He wasn't sure. What he was pretty sure about was that he was going to be
sleeping on the couch again soon.
“I
want him gone. We can't trust him. Not after this,” captain Chambers growled
desperately. He knew he was sinking fast from Cora's expression.
“Cap...”
“Gone,”
he snarled.
“Let's
not be too hasty,” the Veraxin said, moving his second hands together. “Please
consider the benefits of a man with his expertise on this ship.”
“He's
not interested in staying for long cap, I've talked with him,” O'Mallory said,
trying to smooth him over. “And Hir'ruk is right, I need him. Damn if he can
pull a miracle like this off in a day then think what he can do while we're
here and on our way to Antigua?” she demanded, hands on her hips. “I say he
stays.”
“I'm
the captain here,” the captain snarled. “My word is law.”
“Oh
stop it! Robert you are being an unmitigated ass and if you don't stop
and get your head out of your ass soon you will spend the next couple of years sleeping on the floor,” Cora growled.
Toni
silently whistled at her step mother's cold determination. Cora stared into her
husband's eyes, making damn she got her point across.
“Cora...”
“I
mean it. Every word of it. You and I are going to discuss this again at a later
time. You will not like
Toni? She's a bit of a fan admiral.”
Irons
studied the girl. She was standard Terran stock, mid teens, blond like her
mother but with black streaks in her hair, with an air of exasperation hovering
around her. She rolled her blue eyes. He snorted softly.
Cora
poked the black and blond haired teen. “Say something silly,” she growled.
“What's
to say?” Toni said as her mother pushed her forward and retreated.
“Not
much. Are you interested in the fleet?” Irons asked.
She
shrugged. “A little. I like to hear some of the stories. I'm a writer.”
“Really?”
Irons asked with a nod.
“Yes.
Mom and dad don't think it's important but...” she shrugged again.
“I
think it is,” Irons mused. She blinked at him.
“You
do?” she asked surprised. “Really? You're not just saying that?”
He
shook his head firmly. “No. What do you like to write?” His eyes locked onto
hers.
“Um...
I sort of bounce around. I like poetry but I also like reading and writing
history. Interviewing the people on the ship, writing about events and the
places we go to...”
“A
reporter,” Irons said with a nod. “I've met a few. If you get a chance talk to
Knox news. Maybe they will hire you as a correspondent.”
“Really?”
she practically bounced up and down. He hid an amused snort at the squeal in
her voice. A few around her winced.
“Sure.
Knox has gone interstellar. I believe some of the other media outlets will be
following shortly. I was dating a reporter a while ago.” He shook his head,
feeling like he had put his foot in his mouth.
“Really?”
she asked, going coy. She played with her hair as her lips drooped. He sighed,
recognizing the flirting. He really didn't need the complication. Her parents
would flip and he was on thin ice as it was.
“Yes.
She's well... she's hopefully going to be better soon. I'm ah, got to get busy
here. We need to monitor the bottle, make sure it's stable.”
“Oh
yeah sure, we'll talk later,” she said. She turned and bounced off to her
parents and the officers. She turned and waved and then spun back in place. He
sighed at the look the captain shot him. Pure poisonous stay away from my
daughter look. Wonderful.
Cora
caught her husband glaring and cleared her throat. He looked at her for a
moment, not meeting her eyes and then looked away. He had deliberately kept his
wife out of the loop about Irons, hoping to get the sordid business done and
over with before she had found out. He'd even arranged distractions for her but
apparently the crisis had changed things. Or she'd seen them for what they
were. He wasn't sure. What he was pretty sure about was that he was going to be
sleeping on the couch again soon.
“I
want him gone. We can't trust him. Not after this,” captain Chambers growled
desperately. He knew he was sinking fast from Cora's expression.
“Cap...”
“Gone,”
he snarled.
“Let's
not be too hasty,” the Veraxin said, moving his second hands together. “Please
consider the benefits of a man with his expertise on this ship.”
“He's
not interested in staying for long cap, I've talked with him,” O'Mallory said,
trying to smooth him over. “And Hir'ruk is right, I need him. Damn if he can
pull a miracle like this off in a day then think what he can do while we're
here and on our way to Antigua?” she demanded, hands on her hips. “I say he
stays.”
“I'm
the captain here,” the captain snarled. “My word is law.”
“Oh
stop it! Robert you are being an unmitigated ass and if you don't stop
and get your head out of your ass soon you will spend the next couple of years sleeping on the floor,” Cora growled.
Toni
silently whistled at her step mother's cold determination. Cora stared into her
husband's eyes, making damn she got her point across.
“Cora...”
“I
mean it. Every word of it. You and I are going to discuss this again at a later
time. You will not like
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