Updates in Life, Pt 4
Posted on Sat Apr 6th, 2024 @ 1:32am by Major Jethro "Jett" Sherman & Colonel Ezekiel Bagwell
2,288 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Episode 119 - "Shattered Mirror"
Location: Starbase 400, Marine 1st Division Offices
Timeline: MD02, 0800 hrs
Starbase 400, Marine 1st Division Offices
“Major, it's agreeable to see you again.” Ezekiel said with the big smile on his face, they had just completed the formalities of checking in. Ezekiel is curious to know how Jett was doing. He hadn't seen him much over the past couple weeks mainly because his unit was training pretty hard.
“I’ve been really busy training and making certain we are more than ready should something happen.” Jett explained. He wanted his people to be at their very best. “We will keep training but my people have excelled, Sir.”
“The last 6 months have been pretty blissful, which tells me that in any moment we could be faced with the potential situation. I'm glad your Marines are taking this seriously. I will not have a son prepared. You're doing incredible work with your Marines, Major.” Ezekiel said, as he was reviewing the performance stats regarding his team. They were all above exceptional.
“I don’t want to see what happened to us ever again.” Jett explained. “There is a passion among my people to keep everyone safe. They believe in what they are doing.” His eyes met Zeke’s. “That is what I have always thought. To do your best, you need to believe.”
“The new security for procedures should help, we just need to make sure that we assist our security forces here and implement those if it ever becomes an issue again.” Ezekiel said to Jett. You wanted to make it clear that that can never happen again. And that they would be prepared if it did.
“I will make certain my people understand and on board.” Jett replied. “If that kind of fight comes here we will make sure it ends differently.”
“Is there anything you need from me, the floor is yours.” Ezekiel asked, as he was getting ready to end the meeting but wanted to make sure before he did that.
“No, Sir.” Jett replied. “Things are going well and at this time I don’t have any issues to bring to you.” He felt like he should have something but he didn’t.
“Well Major, I look forward to Future briefings with you. You're doing a great job.” Ezekiel said he sat up from his desk and reached his hand out to shake Jett's hand.
“Thank you, Sir.” Jett replied as he put out his hand and shook his commanding officer’s. He was proud to be a part of Starbase 400’s marine division. He felt like he had finally come home.
Location Starbase 400 Promenade
The short time passed and Jett agreed to meet Leia at the Promenade for lunch, over the past few months they had become really close, so much so that Leia was deciding it might be time to take the next step. She was a little bit of a traditionalist and thought he should ask her out, but the thought had to cross your mind about her asking him to be in a committee relationship.
Jett headed across the Promenade, looking forward to his lunch with Leia. He had been happy to hear from her and relieved he could juggle his schedule to meet her. He had strong feelings for her and had been giving it a lot of thought to come out and tell her he wanted to date her. The problem was, she had made it clear to him when they first met she wasn’t ready for a relationship. Still, he considered them close friends at the moment and didn’t feel it was right to hide how he felt. His eyes lit up when he saw her and he headed towards her.
“How was your meeting with Colonel Bagwell?” Leia asked, hoping everything went smoothly. She believed it did. He appeared to be in a good mood. She loved to see him in a good mood.
“It went very well.” Jett said with a grin. “He respects my training methods and complimented me on how well I am doing.” He paused for a moment. “I am not trying to brag or pump myself up, it just made me feel relieved to see that the colonel sees my worth.”
“I'm always a firm believer that if you work hard, you should be credited for it. Sounds like the colonel is an honorable man and will give credit when credit is due.” Leia suggested to him. He didn't know the colonel as well as he did, but everything she's heard from the Falcon crew he is definitely a man that gives credit when it's due and an honorable man.
“He is.” Jett nodded. “I am lucky to have this assignment.” He paused for a moment. “So how has your morning been?”
“An event though compared to yours, I spent most of my morning going over system reports. The Falcon is almost ready to launch again. Now we get Admiral bremer to sign off on it, we could launch.” Leia said to him.
“I bet you are all ready to head out on a mission.” Jett said with a smile. He knew that most Starfleet personnel lived to be out in space. “How are things going with the crew? Have Dustin or Aubrey said anything about being engaged yet?” They talked about their jobs and the people they work with, she knew he wouldn’t repeat anything she said and it was true in reverse.
“No, I don't know why everybody is afraid to talk to her. I know she's been very stressed about getting the Falcon operational again, but I assume that they'll discuss it when they're ready too.” Leia said to Jett. She believed that they were discussing it when they were ready to.
“I hear engineers are a bit territorial.” Jett said with a grin. “I don’t know what that is like. As you know I am a plain speaker. If something is on my mind I just say it.” He paused for a moment. “And there is something I would like to ask you once we sit down and order something to drink.”
“Don't even try to play innocent, you Marines are very protective about your Marine decks. The few times I tried to go down there just to say hi to you I had like a thousand eyes on me, and don't say it's because of my looks.” Leia snarky said to him.
“I was trying to be funny.” Jett said with a grin. “It is true that marines are very territorial and when others come into the decks, we can be wary.” His eyes met hers. “But I am always comfortable with you there.”
“You're not the only Marine on that deck.” Leia pointed out to him, trying to get him to see the bigger picture.
“I know that.” Jett nodded. “And they will be suspicious, I wanted you to know I am comfortable with you being there is all.” He smiled at her.
“Well I appreciate that, I will attempt not to overstay my welcome.” Leia advised him, knowing that the rest of the Marines didn't feel the same way.
“You don’t.” Jett assured her. “And they are getting used to seeing you.” He paused for a moment. “What are you hungry for?”
“You're adorable, even when you're wrong. Do you really want to go back and forth bantering about this? Or would you like to move along with the conversation?” Leia flat out asked him. He didn't want to argue about it, she knew what she knew based on her 300 plus years of symbiote history. She believed that he would do his best to try to make her feel welcome there but it wasn't him it was the rest of the Marines.
“I would like to move along.” Jett said with a smile. “Where do you want to eat?” He looked around at the restaurants. “Our usual or something new?”
“I guess it depends on what you mean by our usual?” Leia asked, she did not think they had a usual but if she did she was curious to know what it was, because the idea eluded her.
“The last time we went to that new cafe.” Jett said in reply. “I am good with somewhere new though.” He looked around .”What about the Italian place?”
“You didn't like the new Cafe?” Leia wondered what he meant by that comment. Maybe he wanted to explore more of the Promenade or did he have a bad experience at the Cafe?
“I loved it.” Jett said with a smile. “We always seem to try something new. I am good with going back there if you are. Last time we were there I saw a chicken sandwich that I wanted to try.”
“Chicken sandwich does sound nice.” Leia said to him with a big grin on her face. She wondered what place he had in mind.
“Let’s head to the cafe then.” Jett said with a smile. “We can order and then catch up on our day.” He wanted to ask her the all important question after they ordered.
Leia grinned as the scene started to fade away. “I would like that.”
Jett had a good feeling about their lunch. He was suddenly a little more confident that when he asked her out on a date, she would say yes. He certainly hoped it went well. He valued her as a friend as well as being attracted to her.
Location Starbase 400 Promenade
Leia and Jett went through the mess hall line and now prepared to eat their food. “I'm so glad you recommended this place, this chicken sandwich is pretty delicious.” Leia you said with a big smile on her face.
“It is.” Jett said as looked at his sandwich. “Except for that one day we ordered the lasagna and it had spinach noodles.” His stomach got queasy just thinking about it.
“That sounds disgusting.” Leia said that she tried not to vomit over this mere suggestion of spinach noodles.
“That is what you said when it came to the table.” Jett grinned at the memory. They had left that place in a hurry and didn’t go there again.
“I don't remember saying that the table sounded disgusting, I don't eat tables though I'm not sure where you got that idea.” Leia said with a big teasing grin on her face.
Jett laughed and shook his head. “I stand corrected, it was the food not the table we didn’t like.”
“He admits when he's wrong, I like that about you.” Leia said with a smirk on her face. He started discovering that her feelings for him were getting stronger.
Jett smiled back at her. “What kind of a man would I be?” His eyes met hers. “I do need to be wrong once in a blue moon.”
“You are a good man.” Leia said to him. She felt he needed to hear that from him.
Jett smiled at her. “I have a question I want to ask you.” His eyes met hers as he paused for a moment. “I admit to being a little nervous at your answer but I won’t let it stop me.”
“Seems like to me that you're stalling.” Leia suggested to him. She wonders what was on his mind.
“We’ve been friends for a long while now.” Jett began, keeping his eyes on hers. “I value you as a friend and I feel like I need to be honest with you.” He paused and continued. “I have more than feelings of friendship and I would like to take you on a date, if you are interested.” He hoped she felt the same, at times it felt like it to him. He had to know.
“It might be interesting, it all depends on where you want to take me.” Leia said teasingly. She liked the idea of them going on a date, and she was curious if he was ever going to ask. She wondered why it took him so long.
Jett smiled back at her. “I heard there is a new restaurant opening this week on the station. They are going to serve many different cultural foods and some are from your homeworld. I thought it would be nice to go there and then dance, if you are up for it.”
“And when would you like to do this?” Leia asked, thinking in her own mind the sooner the better. She tried to contain the excitement in her tone.
“Tonight?” Jett said with a grin. “I find that I am eager to take you on a date.” He paused then. “Or if that doesn’t work I am free most evenings this week.” He waited for her to answer him. Did he sound pushy? He hoped not.
“My schedule happens to be free for the night.” Leia said, it really wasn't but she could reschedule her appointments because they weren't time sensitive. And she really wanted to go on a date tonight.
Jett smiled. “That is perfect!” He thought for a moment. “Is seventeen hundred a good time for me to come and pick you up?” He was going to knock at her door like a gentleman would.
“I'll do my best to be ready.” Leia said teasingly, she'll be ready by then but a lady always took her time to get ready. With a smile on her face the scene starts to fade away.
Jett smiled back at her. He felt really good about this and at the same time kicked himself for waiting so long. At the same time, Jett knew they both needed the time to be certain this was the direction they wanted to move forward with.
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