#137 "CASH" Money

Posted on Mon Jan 9th, 2023 @ 1:38am by Warrant Officer Shannon Money {Meji} & Major Jackson "JJ" Barnes {Meji}

Mission: BUGS OH NO!!
Location: shuttle bay 2
Timeline: current

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Both Alesha and Shannon were all giddy over the transfer being approved, and also over the promotion to warrant officer. It had to be done according to regulations as a pilot officer. One had to be either warrant or commissioned. This was not the era of Pappy Boyington where sergeants and what not were allowed to fly fighters. But, after hearing Rivers out both the Commander and Commodore saw no problem with the rank, Alesha's report on her simulation trial sealing the deal.

The two women ended up back in shuttle bay 2, where Alesha assigned the Viper to her and gave her full access to her fighter. After which, Rivers had to go add her to the pilot manifest in her office, and then go see to some private matters. Alone in the bay except for the maintenance crews, which she had one assigned to her fighter specifically. With that in mind Money had them use the anti-grav sleds and move her fighter out from behind Alesha's and set next to it. Once done she mounted her ladder and sat down in her cockpit, arranging her dash the way she had had it in the simulation, and pre-setting her power output, dropping both life support and inertial dampeners by 25% and adding that power to her maneuvering thrusters. After that was done Shannon got up and put her seat back forward, placing her rifle and a small survival pack behind it, and also checking out the storage area. It was cramped but she could squeeze a person in there or more gear.

As she worked on examining everything about her fighter Money also came up with a better callsign than huckleberry. That was a mouthful on a comm channel. But, with her own name in mind she giggled at the thought, then gathered some black paint and created a block letter stencil with the name chosen. Going back up she placed the stencil along the bottom edge of the canopy, on both sides of the fighter, spraying her callsign in place: "CASH".

Another giggle as she finished the second stenciling, Shannon tossed the stencil aside and let it flutter to the deck, the paint can handed off to one of the crew mechanics. "Would you, please. Sorry, new to this so I'm all jacked up."

The guy gave a chuckle and took the can. "No prob, Warrant. I get it." He walked away as Shannon took another look inside HER fighter. She rubbed the fuselage just below the canopy edge, like stroking a beloved pet. "This is it, baby. You and me against the galaxy."

"Hey, Warrant? You got a minute?"

Money thought she recognized the voice but was not sure until she turned around and looked down. There stood Barnes, thumbs hooked into his gunbelt like some guy from the old west, grinning up at her with a smoldering cigar in his mouth. He reached up and took a few puffs before removing the tobacco product from his face. "I see you did it. And, I hate to say it, but I told ya so," he said, indicating her new collar device.

Money gave a smile and descended the step ladder, coming over and shaking hands. "Yeah, yeah, asshole," she quipped, to bring up how they first met. "You still want to touch my butt?"

"Maybe," he said around the cigar back in his mouth, which he pulled free and blew smoke away. "But, not to move it away, that's for sure."

Shannon laughed which caused him to. "You got another one of those?"

"I surely do." Barnes reached into a breast pocket and brought out a small three cigar protective case made from a silvery alloy. It popped open with the sound of being hermetically sealed and he handed her one of his stoagies, then put it away. Digging out his cigar lighter and clip, he handed them over. "If you can't circumcise the damn thing, you're not old enough to smoke it." He gave a chuckle, watching her to see if she knew what the hell she was doing. Murdering a prime cigar would really put her in his bad graces.

Money accepted that challenge since this was not the first cigar she had ever smoked. A gunny she knew used to offer her one on occasion and taught her all the tricks of the trade. She clipped it just right then licked around the base to moisten the tobacco before locking it into her teeth and lips to puff-start it as she lit it. Within moments she was toking on her own stoagie.

"Walk with me," said Barnes, moving around her fighter and towards the open bay door and the forcefield that kept space from sucking them into vacuum. With a foot he kick-pushed two tool cases over by the field and then plopped his ass down, motioning for her to sit on the other. He blew his smoke through the field and into space, which always gave him a small thrill to watch. It was the small things that counted, after all. "Congrats, Money. I mean that. But, do me a favor."

"What's that," asked Shannon as she took the offered seat and leaned forward like he was, elbows on knees.

"Keep training with the unit. I saw your scores from Basic. I also noticed there is a big blank spot in your file. You do something naughty, or classified?" Barnes was curious and did not really need to know.

"Sorry, JJ, it's classified. I can't talk about it." Money wanted to tell him but she had swore an oath to never speak about it. "Honor prevents that, and duty."

Barnes nodded a few times. "Enough said, then. Must have been quite an Op."

Instead of saying yes or no, Shannon gave a neutral answer. "It was an experience and educational. I'll say that much."

Content with that much Barnes began to go down different paths, the two of them smoking cigars together and chatting. As it stood they were now friends and it felt good to just relax and talk easy with another person. Money was ready for duty, and with the upcoming planetary situation she had seen while on the Bridge, she may just get her chance to actually put some hours in her Viper.

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