**Action** - New Captain for a New Mission pt3 of 3

**Action** - "New Captain for a New Mission" pt3
The Blue Dwarf docked at Jupiter station for repairs, refuelling and
to restock on supplies, since the last few weeks most of the crew had
been eating emergency rations made from recycled cardboard. Even the
emergency stack of `Go' bars were starting to sound appetising.
The pedestrian walkway between the ship and station was extended and
the doors opened. Jay, Amber and Phil were the first to be seen when
the doors opened, and they were greeted by the flashes of press
cameras and many reporters pushing their way towards them for a story.
"So how do you feel, being the destructor and saviour or humanity?"
one reporter asked Jay.
"What was it like being in the Hymenoptera hive mind?" another
reporter asked Amber.
"Where has the Blue Dwarf been for the past 2 months?" another
reporter asked Jack, who walked through wearing celebrity shades and a
leather jacket to look cool.
"Who are you?" They asked Jed and Mk7 who walked out later.
A few crewmembers stopped to answer questions and have their photos
taken for the press, but most of the senior staff pushed past, to
avoid the hounding press. They were told they had a very important
meeting with the Spacecorps.
Things started to get out of control as Jed Calvert, self-proclaimed
fastest draw in the western-spiral arm drew two hand pistols and shot
several cameras before anyone could blink.
"Move move move!" he yelled in a Texan accent and helped everyone
through the crowd.
"Make sure you get my good side" said Seymour, coming off the Blue
Dwarf and posing for a photo. Calvert tried to drag him through the
crowd but he protested. "I'm a Royal Ambassador you know! I can do
what I like, and I want to be on the front cover of Time magazine!"
"Suit yerself." Said Jed and left him to it. His spurs jangling as he
ducked into the room with the others, firing his pistols wildly at the
crowd of reporters.
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Who: Blue Dwarf Senior staff, and Admiral Matthews
Where: Meeting room, Jupiter station
When: 1400 hours, space time
Admiral Matthews was an old-looking man with a beard. He looked more
like an Icelandic fisherman than a Space Admiral.
"Psst. He looks like that man off the frozen chicken nuggets!" Efof
whispered to Chris Harris next to him.
Chris laughed quietly. "Maybe his first name is Bernard!"
Efof laughed even though he didn't get it.
The Admiral stood up.
"You're all here because the crew of the Blue Dwarf did so well in its
efforts to save the Earth. So you've show you're a capable crew."
Some of the crew beamed with delight. If Seymour were there he would
have whole-heartedly agreed that he was brilliant. But Efof put his
hand up, "We're not all brilliant sir!" He admitted.
Harris next to him forced the aliens hand down. "Shh Efof! He's giving
us praise!"
"Yes I know but I don't like the way this is going!" Efof whispered.
"We've set a standard now, he'll expect us to do a good job all the
time, so he'll give us more difficult jobs to do!"
"True." Said Harris, the addressed the Admiral. "Actually, we're not
that good…"
"Nonsense!" Said the Admiral, and moved on. He drew everyones
attention to a very large projector screen. It was holographic and
very very pretty.
It showed a map of space.
"This is an area of space that the Space Corps don't normally deal
with. It was colonised by various nations of Earth a decade ago who
didn't like the way things were on Earth, so certain portions of each
countries populations bought planets in the region of space (which was
going pretty cheap at the time) and started their own countries."
He pointed to the map.
"Here are some French planets, Planet Lyon, Planet La Rochelle, Planet
Bordeux and its capitol, planet New Paris."
He pointed to a new section of the map. "These are the British
planets, New Manchester, New Cardiff, New Edinburgh, planet Leeds, and
its capitol New London and a few other border planets. This is the
Italian sector with its planets New Rome, New Turin and - "
"Yes, we get the picture." Said Jed, urging the Admiral to move on.
"Ah'm fallin' asleep over here!"
The Admiral flashed Jed a dirty look. Jed flashed his laser pistols
inside his jacket. The Admiral quickly moved on.
"Anyway, we call this the `Nouveau Terran sector'. All the planets
here get their oil from one planet in the sector. New Texas."
Jed's eye twinged slightly. But nobody noticed.
He pointed to a giant ball of dried up dirt.
"This is Planet New Texas."
It was a dusty dessert planet, with no major oceans or very much
green. But it did look from space like it had a few very large cities
and built up areas. Also the main thing to notice about this planet
was that it had massive long pipes coming out of it, pointing in all
directions
"These pipes go to all the major planets in the sector of space. The
oil is shared out as equally as possible to the major factions.
Although admittedly, some factions are getting more of an equal share
than others. And after years of pumping, the planet only has a few
years worth of oil left, and the planets have started fighting amongst
each other for the remaining oil."
"This is all a hootenanny an all, but what's it got to do with us?"
asked Jed.
"Ah!" Said the Admiral. "I'm sending the Blue Dwarf into the area to
preserve the peace. And Jed… you're a very important part of this
mission, I'm glad you've already got to meet some of the crew."
Jed's eyes squinted. He'd always thought he had two extra senses, a
sense for danger and a sense for alcohol. It was his danger sense that
was twanging right now, he was about the hear something that he didn't
want to hear.
"Jed Calvert, I'm assigning you as Captain of the JMC Blue Dwarf. Your
first mission is to lead the ship into the `Nouveau Terran' sector."
"No goddarn way!" said Calvert.
"Hey we're not that bad!" Said Efof.
"No, I mean ah'm mighty proud to be in command of a ship as
tough-looking as the `Dwarf, there'd be plenty of room of smugglin'
space -"
he suddenly caught the Admirals eye and he quickly changed his tune.
"Ah mean, um… well it's a mighty ship. But I don't want to go back to
that part of space!"
"But you're perfect. You grew up on New Texas!" said the Admiral.
"Hey, I thought you were from the proper Texas?" Said Callum.
"I never said that!" Said Calvert. "No, ah'm from that thar planet.
Since I was a little kid, then I got into the smugglin' trade and made
myself a few too many enemies. I `aint wanting to go back any time
soon! Well, not without enough compensation anyhow."
All eyes in the room turned back from Calvert to the Admiral.
"What kind of compensation?"
"Moonshine! Liquor, spirits, beer, whiskey, anything, but plenty of
what you've got!"
"But you get paid for being a Captain! Anything more is a bribe!" said
the Admiral.
"Oh yeah!" Said Calvert, and lit a cigar.
"Oh alright then," the Admiral said giving in. "I do happen to know
that cargobay 4 in this space station has a few barrels of contraband
moonshine, as well as a few crates of whiskey, vodka and beer. And I
also happen to know its not guarded between 7 – 8pm!"
"It's a deal!" Said Calvert, leaping across the table and extending a
grubby, weathered hand to the Admiral.
"So Captain Jed Calvert!" Said Phil, who also stood up to congratulate
him. "What's your first order as Captain of the Blue Dwarf?"
Jed put a hand on Phil's shoulder. "I'll need my Chief of security to
take a team and steal us some booze!"
< Tag! So we have a new Captain, a new mission, and anyone fancy
stealing us some booze? >