Goodbye New Kasmir, Back to the Black (Take Off)

“Captain? You awake, Sir?” Riley called, waiting a full minute for a response. If you want something done… well… at ALL, you have to do it yourself. Riley snorted as she left the sanctuary of the cockpit to find Keller. It would just be that much worse if he didn’t get to do his “Captaining.”

“Captain?” She tried again. Rolling her eyes, she climbed down the ladder taking care not to step on the note left behind. Ugh, and speaking of behinds, his bare one was still up in the air as he snored loudly.

“Did you have a fraternity over?” She asked, kicking aside a pile of bottles on the floor. She gingerly picked one up, using the neck of the bottle to poke the captain on the shoulder. “Hey… Keller. Captain.” She said, louder. “Captain? Licking his lips dramatically, Captain Keller sounded like a pig rooting around for truffles. She poked him again with the bottle.

“Wake me when we touch down.” He said lazily.

“Yeah, no. We’re taking off, and I don’t want to hear you crying you didn’t get your chance to Captain.”

“I’m good, I’m good, I’m good.” He said with a swishy wave of his hand.

“Sure. Meanwhile someone literally kissed your ass.” She shot back, throwing a shirt from the ground over his bare backside. “When was the last time you cleaned in here?”

“When did you take up the “Mommy” mantle?

“When you took gorram kids on my ship, Sir.” A sleepy hand dragged itself across his face. Progress, the Lieutenant thought, we are making progress. “We got a full up boat. Full up enough that we gave crew bunks to passengers.”

“We got rid of the crew?”

“No, Sir, apparently the opposite. According to the note you were left, you hired back Marisol.” She was met with a blank stare. “Short woman. Yay high, dark hair, Latina….”

“I sleep with her?” He asked sitting up, plucking a red strand of hair from his pillowcase.

“Possibly? I find it best not to ask where you been, Sir.”

“I sleep with...?” He asked, holding up the hair.

“Oh hell no,” Jackass. “If you managed to get laid, it was Yeva, according to the note.” Riley turned her back on the man to pull the taped note off the ladder to his bunk.

Keller looked down at little Keller and nodded knowingly. *Yeah we did*. He could have hi fived himself, but that’s a lesson you only have to learn once.

Turning back around, Riley rolled her eyes and threw another shirt towards him to cover himself as she handed him the note.

“Right, right, ohhhh… right, the firecracker…” He chuckled to himself.

“She’s Adler’s assistant.”

“The nun?” He asked warily

“The widow.”

“Oh, right, right. The… red hair. Well, least I don’t have to worry ‘bout her husband coming after me and getting another ass full of buckshot, unless the doctor fella’s taken a shine to her.” He chuckled.

Riley bristled. “Sir? Are you going to make the ruttin’ announcement, or can I just get our boots in the air?”

“No, no, it’s an important part of Captaining.” He replied, standing up.

“Pants!” Riley replied, throwing a pair at him. “Just make the announcement from here. You look like shit.” It wasn’t the time to bring up the shit problem to him either. Keller shuffled to the mic near the ladder of his hatch. “Noon, on to High Gate, the first stop they can disembark will be Verbena, 24 hours”

“Watch me work.” He replied, cueing up the mic. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain, Colt Keller speaking. The local time is 12 pm and we’ll be taking off in just a moment, we ask that all passengers please remain in their cabins until after we break atmo.” He looked smugly towards Riley. “After that, you’ll be free to move about until we’re ready to make our landing on Verbena. The ship will be making our way to High Gate. Please remember that the bridge and cargo bay are off limits to all passengers unless a crew member is escorting you. We hope you enjoy your journey with the Lunar Veil as much as you’ve enjoyed Solstice on New Kasmir. I know I for one particularly enjoyed the fireworks.” The lieutenant scowled and was met with another smug look. “Once again, please return to your cabins as we will be lifting off momentarily. Welcome aboard the Lunar Veil.” He handed the mic to Riley to put back in its place as his whole body once again took the posture of a man who’d spent the night over imbibing in more ways than one.

“Sir, did you want…” But the captain was already back on his bunk, face down, ass in the air, drool making its way to his pillow. “Way to Captain.” She said while shaking her head. “You heard the man,” Riley loudly called once she reached the Cargo bay, her voice echoing throughout the ship as she headed towards the bridge. “Chavez, Engine Room, Jat, Edwards, Roose - make sure passengers aren’t milling about my ship. And someone put on some Gorram coffee.”