Calvert - "Defiant"

Who: Jed Calvert, Seymour Niples and baby Alota
Where: Captain's Office
When: A few hours after the meeting at Jay's quarters
Seymour had decided to take the direct approach, which was unusual for
someone as cowardly as he was. But Seymour wanted to at least try to
talk the Captain into following the Spacecorps' recent order because
things would get a lot more messy later on.
It was only as Seymour was leaving his apartment that he remembered
how violent Jed's moods could be, so decided to take along baby Alota
for protection. Surely he couldn't hurt anyone with a baby?
"Fer the last time yer lilly livered pompous daisy, I 'aint budgin'
mah stance."
"But please..." Seymour whined. "Don't you see that it's causing
tension on the ship?"
Jed stood up and Seymour clutched baby Alota in front of him for
protection.
"Well the ship should be glad! Ah'm doin' this fer every single person
on this hyar ship who'll loose their job if we just give in and go to
Earth."
Seymour put Alota down on Jed's filthy desk and hoped she didn't touch
anything and catch a horrible disease. "Well, I'm sure they appreciate
that, but turning our backs on the entire Spacecorps isn't going to-"
Seymour stopped as he saw his child pick up some small flask of
whiskey. He took it off her.
"Ah'm not budging." Jed said defiantly and crossed his arms.
"Then I fear you may have a mutiny!" Seymour said, and grabbed baby
Alota, clutching her to his chest again.
Jed's eyes went red. "Mutiny?!" he said, appalled at the idea. "After
all I've done fer this – what's that gorram stench?"
It was then that both Seymour and Calvert realised that baby Alota was
naked from the waist down. Her nappy had fallen off and was sat on
Jed's desk. Oozing with baby poo.
Seymour was stunned to silence. His eyes shot from the nappy to Jed,
and back again quickly. He sidestepped towards the door in case Jed
exploded like a volcano. Jed's face turned into a scowl and his
fingers hovered over his pistol.
"Yer better clean that up." He said flatly.
Seymour took a deep breath. "No."
"No?"
"Not until you surrender this ship to the Spacecorps."
Jed was so stunned he almost laughed. "Yer blackmailing me with a
nappy full 'er baby shit?"
Seymour thought for a moment then said "Yes. Yes I am."
Jed's eyes locked onto Seymour's and didn't turn away. "The answer's
still no. I'm gonna leave that nappy there and tell everyone that
comes through those doors that Seymour left it there."
"You wouldn't'!"
Jed nodded. "If I have to invite every crewman on this ship to come
see it."
Seymour sighed. Then looked at the nappy.
Finally he broke. "Fine." He picked up the nappy and started wiping
the area of the desk where it had overflowed. Then he took baby Alota
and left.
After the door had slid shut, the Captain rubbed his stubbly chin and
thought. He didn't want to go back on his word, but he also didn't
want a mutiny.
He hated people telling him what to do, and half expected another
visit from the blonde woman who claimed to see the future. He hated it
when she told him what to do too.
Just as he sat down and reached for the bottle of whiskey on his desk
(reaching over the stains of baby poo), the sound of static made him
turn around.
The video screen that he used for personal two-way conversations was
displaying all static. It faded several shades of grey, and then Jed
started seeing images in the blurred fog. He looked at the whiskey and
back at the screen, then necked the whole glass.
He reached out with his hand to the screen, and gave it two hard
bashes, hoping to shake a loose connection together. A face appeared,
at first he thought it was Holly, but this face was different.
"There is another way." It said.
The screen went blank. Jed moved his eyeballs from left to right and
pursed his lips.
He walked out of his office into the busy Drive-Room.
"The last transmission... where did it come from?" He demanded from
the communications officer.
"Sorry sir?" Said the officer carefully. "I'm not sure what
transmission you mean?"
The young ensign at the Navigation computer however wasn't so careful.
He could smell the alcohol on the Captain's breath.
"You sure you're not imagining it sir?" he asked with a cheeky grin.
Jed's face immediately went red. "GET OUT!" he bellowed, pointing at
the door.
The young ensign left with his head hung low.