Jed Calvert - "Cowboy Captain" pt1

Who: Jed Calvert
Where: On the passenger cruiser "Myra Belle"
When: Not long after Jed's sold the cattle
Jed sat alone in the Passenger Cruiser's bar. After the last encounter
with the ship's Captain, nobody else onboard dare confront the haggard
looking stranger. Jed Calvert was like that. He had a very
intimidating look that most people took to stay the hell away from
him. It was a combination of his matted dark blonde hair, and rough
stubbed chin, that can only be achieved if you shave with your enemy's
sharpened jawbone.
His leather jacket and torn brown khaki jeans were ruffled and dirty,
giving him the heroic look of Indianna Jones, but still people would
steer clear of him in case he HAD actually slept the night in a stable.
The ship rocked and Jed was covered in plaster from the ceiling. The
ship rocked a couple more times, it was under attack, yet Jed remained
seated and calmly sipped his firewater from his dirty hipflash. As his
barstool rocked, be merely rode it like a bucking bronco. Jed was the
kind of man so stubborn that even an attack from space pirates wouldnt
shift him from his seat unless he wanted to.
As intimidating as he looked, someone still approached him. Jed turned
around using his eyes, never turning his head.
"Um... mister Ca...Calvert?"
It was a young man, barely older than 17, dressed in a makeshift Space
Corps uniform. Although there was no way that the young man was a
trained Space Corps officer, he had probably been elevated to a
command position due to the emergency situation.
"Mister Calvert are you busy?" The young man said nervously.
Calvert looked around the lonely bar. "Aiiiim havin' a right good ol'
hog killin' time lad, what does it look like? Yeeeehaw!" He said
sarcastically.
"Um. Yes, well we have a situation in the Drive Room... you might
notice we're under attack." He kid pointed to the ceiling as more
plaster and sparks flew off it.
"No shit kid. But we're all still above snakes 'aint we?"
"I... I don't know what that means, but the Captain... well the
Captain's dead. And we're not very good at ... well anything really.
Theres not many people onboard that have much experience with...
dealing with people. But we've heard how you negotiated with the
Captain and thought you might be able to help us out..."
Jed removed the big dirty cigar he'd been biting and looked at the
young officer with confusion. "Now let me get this right kid. You're
beating the devil about the stump and asking a lone stranger to come
up to that bridge of yours and.. do what? Play Captain for a day
rather than stay round here bending my elbow with some good firewater?"
"Um yes sir. We need you to be Captain... even...even...if just for a
while."
Jed paused for a few moments, then chomped hard on the cigar and put
his arm round the young officer, shaking him violently and making him
jump.
"Well no shit. I used to be a Captain, I think i'll fit into the job
perfectly! You've made an ol' buckaroo's day!"
Then he thought for a moment. I won't have to get into my best bib n'
tucker will I?"
"I beg your parden?"
"My clothes. I won't have to put on a fancy ass namby pamby flight
suit dinner jacket like yours will I?"
"No, that'll do. A wash wouldn't go amiss though."
"Now watch your tongue thar boy! One step at a time."
< To be continued >