Star Trek: First Duty #2 - "Borderline Justice" (WIP)

For those of you who enjoyed Leo's first adventure in "Trial of Transfer," (the WIP version is here on TrekBBS) we continue with his fledgling JAG career with his second story in "Borderline Justice." As before, what you're reading is essentially a first-draft, likely riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. The usual caveats apply in terms of changes and revisions likely coming that might alter the plot or scenes as you've read them here. Feedback and suggestions are welcome as this is a learning opportunity to improve my writing.



Story Summary: In his first field mission since joining the JAG Corps, Leo Verde and his team are dispatched to investivate a suspicious death aboard the Starfleet Border Service cruiser USS Detmer. What appears to be a straightforward case of manslaughter unravels as Leo digs deeper into the events leading up to the incident, uncovering hidden motives and conflicting eyewitness accounts. With his own personal history in the Service coloring his perspective, and the political pressure of the ship's pending classified mission near the Neutral Zone, Leo must navigate through the hard evidence in order to determine the truth before time runs out.

Part One: In Media Res

NCC-2131 (USS Detmer)
Patrolling the Federation-Rihannsu Neutral Zone, Warp 2.5
February 16, 2318 (Stardate 139166.3)
Mess Hall

Boatswain's Mate Second Class (BM2) Leslie Sutton took her customary seat within the mess hall aboard the Georgiou-class light cruiser USS Detmer. She preferred the table with the least amount of overhead lighting in the corner, far from the bank of replicators. The table, along with the early hour, allowed her to avoid the crowds of enlisted personnel that clogged access to morning meals for the better part of an hour.

When the large double doors leading in from the corridor opened to admit a trio of familiar faces, Sutton grinned. "Hey, morning," she greeted them.

BM2s Michael Kawhena, Bromin, and Xosom waved at her from the replicators. Within a minute, all three carried their trays to sit with Sutton.

"Morning, Les," said Xosom, a Rigellian woman with bright red hair, golden eyes, and an athletically tall build. "Did you get enough sleep?"

Sutton looked down at her meal, allowing her dark brown bangs to fall down and obscure her eyes. "I guess so."

The stocky Bolian petty officer, Bromin, sighed. His luminescent blue skin almost shimmered under the lighting of the hall when he shook his head. "Rol bothering you again?" he asked her, already knowing the answer.

"Not.. directly," she continued to gaze into her breakfast, rather than meeting the eyes of her teammates. "He just called me down to the shuttle bay to inspect the gear."

Kawhena chewed his food slowly as he listened to Sutton explain the reason for her mood. "It wasn't your shift for small craft. It was Chief Loyola's. Why did he call you?"

Xosom scoffed. "Why else?"

"We don't have to talk about it," Sutton told them in a small voice.

"Les," Kawhena said as he placed his fork down on the tray. When she gave him her attention, he continued. "You do not need to put up with his bullying. Have you talked the Chief about it?"

She scowled. "I can handle him. I don't need to go running to the Chief every time someone is mean to me."

Bromin said, "It's more than that. If you want, we'll go with you to tell him."

Xosom agreed with a nod. "We all will."

"Well," Sutton said, softening her tone, "I have been talking with a Chief. During my last TAD in security, Sherrif Taki offered some additional unarmed training and I've been working with her the past few weeks."

The other three shared a grin. "Here we thought maybe you and Taki were enjoying some special private time," Bromin teased.

Xosom slapped Bromin's shoulder. "Don't be a jerk."

"What?" Bromin protested with his raised hands. "What did I say?"

Kawhena wondered, "While you were with Taki, honing your unarmed combat training, did you mention the reason?"

"Reason?" Sutton asked with a shrug.

"Why you were so keen to learn."

She shrunk in her seat. "No."

"Taki wouldn't care about the reason, anyway," Xosom said. "She thinks everyone should know how to defend themselves in case of a boarding action."

Bromin noted, "Right, but if Les had talked to Taki about Rol, then maybe…"

"What?" Kawhena asked Bromin. "Arrest him? You think Taki would really do that?"

"Taki'd go directly to the Gold Ring," Xosom said. "They're pretty tight." Her use of the slang "Gold Ring" referred to the ship's command master chief petty officer, the designated commander senior enlisted member of the crew who reported directly to the ship's commanding officer. All designated command senior enlisted wore the gold-ringed rank insignia instead of the usual silver.

Sutton said, "I don't want that. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Last night, after we got done, Rol didn't… I mean, I noticed something-" She paused as the subject of their discussion made his own entry into the mess hall.

When she stopped talking, Kawhena glanced up and peered over his shoulder to see the new arrival. "Ah, shit."

Bromin and Xosom followed suit. Bromin grimaced while Xosom let out a curse in her native tongue.

"Well, well," said Damage Control Specialist First Class (DC1) Rol Th'qilres. An Andorian with an intimidating muscular build approached their table with his usual arrogant swagger. "Petty Officer Sutton," he greeted her slowly. "I sincerely hope that I didn't interrupt your much-needed beauty sleep last night by asking you to assist me."

Sutton shook her head. "Not at all," she lied.

"Good, good," Rol said with a shit-eating grin. He stepped behind her and placed his hand on Sutton's right shoulder, squeezing hard. "Very good. Then you won't mind if you assist me tonight with another maintenance project, would you?"

She did not respond.

Rol applied more pressure to her shoulder, causing a wince on the young woman's face.

"Hey!" Kawhena shouted. "Get your hand off her, now!"

"Watch how you speak to me, Boats," Rol snarled. "I outrank you."

"I don't give a shit, Snipe," Kawhena got to his feet as he spoke, dropping his fork atop the table with a loud clatter. "She's in my section and my responsibility. Remove your hand."

Bromin and Xosom also stood up, ready to support Kawhena and Sutton.

Rol, seeing the three hostiles threatening to flank him, raised both hands up in surrender. "Fine, I will play nice."

"And she doesn't have to do shit with you tonight," Kawhena pressed his advantage. "Find some other snipe to help you."

The Andorian offered a friendly smile. "If that's what young Sutton wants. I was merely trying to broaden her professional horizons by helping her to-"

His words were interrupted by Sutton's tray hitting his throat near his collarbone. In a matter of seconds, she forcefully removed her tray, causing her omelet to splatter against the bulkhead. With a firm hold, she unleashed her full might, sending Rol tumbling.

 

This looks very promising.

 

While disturbing to see that kind of abusive bullying within a Starfleet ship, good to see her crewmates backing her up and looking out for her... not that appeared to need any help, but DAMN GIRL, where'd that move come from??

 

We all have a snapping point and it would seem that Sutton had reached hers. I really like how this starts, looking forward to more.

One thing I did notice was the misspelling of Sheriff (unless Sherrif is Taki's first name).

 

I did say this would be riddled with spelling and grammatical errors.

 

Looks like a worthy case in the making... Thanks!! rbs

 

Special preview of the cover for you!



Artwork by Pundus (Star Trek: Picard), and lettering by yours truly.

 

Sutton got to her feet, tray still in hand. The sight of Rol on the deck, unable to move his throat after her attack, brought her great satisfaction. Despite witnessing his struggle to breathe, nobody offered help because of the collective shock of the violent escalation.

Rol attempted to kick her away by lifting his leg and foot, but she evaded the attack and forcefully stomped on his midsection with her sturdy boot. To protect himself, he turned over and gasped, "Wait!"

She expressed her disdain by sneering at him. "'Wait?' What are you telling me to wait for, you jerk?" Suton retaliated by forcefully kicking him in the side. Feeling confident, she closed the distance to deliver another blow, but he surprised her by coming to a kneeling position. But Rol swiftly defended himself by twisting his core and delivering a backhanded blow to her face before she could react.

The backhand struck Sutton's lower jaw. He used his considerable strength to propel her backwards into the table; the edge knocked the breath out of her. Each of them now laid hands on different areas of their own bodies as if it could somehow ease the immense pain.

Sensing the break in the action, Kawhena ordered, "Bromin, call sickbay. Xosom, help Sutton." He moved to determine Rol's condition after he collapsed, laying prone on the deck with his arms tucked underneath the weight of his form.

"Sutton?" asked Xosom as she brought the woman to her feet. "Are you all right?"

The injured petty officer tried to open her mouth, but tears streamed from her eyes and moving her jaw caused her sharp spikes of pain running up and down her face, neck, and ears.

Xosom saw the unnatural lumpiness of her cheeks. "I think he broke her jaw."

Kawhena did not respond, instead continuing to prod at Rol with his hand. "You all right, snipe? Or did you let a little girl knock the shit out of you?" Again, he prodded and added, "Get up."

Sutton moaned through the pain as she clung to Xosom for support. Blood dribbled from her lips as she tilted her head in the other direction.

"The corpsmen are on the way," Bromin said after closing the circuit on the intercom. He looked down at Rol and asked, "Is he okay?"

Kawhena chuckled. "I think she knocked him the f*** out."

Xosom said, "Hey, she needs a doctor. Look."

As both men turned, they witnessed Sutton's bloody mess on the deck. The doors then opened for a junior grade lieutenant and two corpsmen.

Lieutenant (jg) Soni Toer, M.D., took the lead and assessed the situation. Medical tricorder already in her hand, she waved it over Sutton, first. "Mandibular fracture, right shoulder contusion, and an acute spinal cord injury. Immobilize her and get her to sickbay, stat." She shot an angry look at Xosom. "You shouldn't have moved her."

The shorter corpsman took Sutton from Xosom and gently placed her on the gurney. Within seconds, both departed for sickbay.

Doctor Toer had turned to scan Rol Th'qilres. A warning of impending death shrilled loudly from the medical device. "Cardiac arrest. No signs of respiration. Turn him over and begin compressions."

Kawhena assisted the remaining corpsman in rolling the heavy Andorian to a supine position. The doctor broke out another device from her kit. She began attaching the leads to the sides of Rol's forehead.

"Toer to Transporter. Medical emergency. I need a site-to-site transport to sickbay for three," Toer said, after a quick tap of her commbadge. "I've got a patient coding."

The doors parted once more and Master-at-Arms Senior Chief (MACS) Taki and a team of three similarly rated junior non-commissioned officers entered. Taki approached Xosom and asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know exactly," she admitted with a shake of her head. "One minute we were all having breakfast and chatting amongst ourselves, the next, Rol comes in and starts putting his hands on Sutton. She tried to defend herself, and he broke her jaw."

Taki glanced downward at Rol just as he, and the medical team, dematerialized. "And she did that to him?"

In a tone, Xosom sputtered, "No way. She got in a few good licks, but he broke her jaw!"

The senior chief pulled Xosom, Bromin, and Kawhena from the mess hall to clear the immediate area, and they both found themselves in the corridor. Finding a secluded spot, she instructed Xosom to start from the top.

 

That is a serious fight. Actually liking that as most unarmed combat scenes are treated lightly in terms of the outcome.

Thanks!! rbs

 

​

In quiet confines of Detmer's wardroom, Executive Officer R'raia relished her mug of actual non-replicated kla'ah. Since graduating from Starfleet Academy, the Caitian officer spent the entirety of her nine-year career in the Border Service. Beginning from her time as a newly commissioned ensign, she mastered the art of restraining her craving for the creature comforts of home. After reaching a field-grade rank and following her appointment to her current billet, she allowed herself the luxury of enjoying a single mug of her favorite beverage in the morning. The chef prepared and arranged for daily delivery, ensuring freshness using R'raia's personal stores aboard.

While savoring her morning routine, Senior Chief Taki contacted her through the ship's intercom.

"Good morning, Sheriff," Lieutenant Commander R'raia responded with good humor. "How may I assist you on this lovely morning?"

Taki spoke solemnly, "XO, sorry to spoil your mood. Petty Officer Rol Th'qilres died a few minutes ago in sickbay. Doctor Saager has transferred the body to stasis pending a full autopsy."

R'raia set her mug down on the table and sighed. "An accident?"

"No, sir." Taki's contralto responded crisply. "There was a physical altercation in the mess that may have contributed to his death, according to witness accounts so far."

"Are you holding the other person or persons involved?"

"No, sir," Taki repeated. "Our lead suspect, Petty Officer Sutton, is in surgery. Doctor Toer has not yet released her from sickbay."

"Sutton? Leslie Sutton?" R'raia blinked in surprise as she failed to imagine the petite, introverted woman killing an Andorian twice her size. "She killed Th'qilres?"

"Allegedly. We've cordoned off the mess hall and are still gathering evidence. I presume a JAGMAN will be forthcoming."

"Almost certainly. We'll reach out to Starbase Ten, update them, and they'll dispatch a team."

"Understood," Taki said. "My team will be ready to assist them, sir."

"Thank you, Sheriff. I'll handle notifying the Skipper. If there are any developments, please report forthwith," R'raia ordered.

"Aye, sir."

"XO, out." As the circuit closed, she took a long quaff from her mug and tapped on her PADD to call up the commanding officer's present location. She lamented her need to gulp down the rest of her beverage briefly, then set herself to the immediacy of her duty. R'raia returned the empty mug to the bus tray for the ship's stewards and hastily exited the wardroom.

In minutes, she reached her destination and touched the left panel next to the hatch. A muted voice responded from within, "Enter." When the hatch slid open, she complied with the order.

Commander Straat, a tall and wiry dark-skinned Vulcan with dark brown hair and eyes to match, did not turn his head to greet the entrant to his cabin. He wore his botanist's smock over his departmental white turtlenecked shirt and uniform trousers. Before him, a small arrangement of flora and fauna hung underneath a series of specialized lighting. Said plants held his attention as he fed and watered each one meticulously. The lack of visual confirmation of his guest's identity did not prevent him from greeting her properly, "What can I do for you, XO?"

R'raia said without preamble, "Suspicious death reported from the mess hall, Skip. Petty Officer Th'qilres died a few minutes ago in sickbay." She continued with her briefing, including everything disclosed by Taki in their discussion.

Straat immediately paused his ministrations. "An unfortunate incident," he noted in his bassy tones. "Have you informed the Command Master Chief?"

"No, sir, I felt it prudent to inform you first, as the convening authority," she replied, matching his solemn voice.

He turned his head partially and inclined his head. "Thank you. Please notify her presently. I shall contact Starbase Ten and request a field investigation."

"Aye, sir," she said. "I presume we cannot return to the starbase, given our orders."

"Correct," Straat confirmed. "We shall consider our options once the Judge Advocate General Corps responds."

She nodded, forcing a stoic expression. "Logical."

He faced her fully now. She saw only the barest hint of a twitch along his lips that she understood to be his equivalent of a smirk. "I am gratified."

She held no such repression and showed off her canines as she smiled. "A small bit of levity, under the circumstances." She offered thoughtfully, "I have a friend who recently transferred to JAG, but he's assigned to Starbase Eight."

"Given the distance between our present location and Starbase Eight, it is highly unlikely that they would dispatch him," he said as he returned his attention to his plants.

R'raia frowned. "You're probably right, Skip. Still, it would have been nice to see Leo again."

 

Somehow I have a feeling Leo will turn up for this. 2nd degree murder? I'm sure there's a twist coming... Thanks!! rbs

 

A great start! A raucous fight ends in an unexpected fatality, and now JAG's going to be prowling around in the Border Service's business. Loving the look at shipboard life among the Border Dogs!

 

Fascinating. I have been a little bit curious about the Border Service of that time period. That includes Starfleet JAG.

 

Just a note of caution: If you have not read the entirety of "Trial of Transfer," there's a massive spoiler in the next part of the story. I encourage you to click on the first link in the thread so it's not a shock.

 

Okie dokie - I only had three chapters to go with TofT, so went ahead and knocked those out. I had been savoring the story one chapter at a time. Thanks!! rbs

 

Oh man you didn't have to do that. Enjoy at your own pace, but I would be remiss if I didn't at least put a spoiler warning.

 

Part Two: Acta Non Verba

Starbase 8
In orbit of Memory Alpha
JAG Complex, Level Four
February 17, 2318 (Stardate 139174.57)

Commander Leo Verde returned to the JAG Complex after meeting in the starbase's command conference room. The starbase's commanding officer, Vice Admiral Pavel Chekov, made sure that Leo's new rank insignia sat in its proper places on his uniform. As soon as he passed through the double doors into the reception area, his commanding officer, the tall and lithe Andorian woman, Captain Janeera Ch'charhat greeted him with a Cheshire smile.

"Morning, Leo," she nearly sang as he closed the distance to her. Her ice-blue eyes drifted to the new rank insignia on his shoulder strap while her antennae twitched. "Congratulations on your promotion, Commander," she added in a clarion voice, alerting the entire office to his presence.

Everyone in the bullpen and a few officers exited the small break area. Enthusiastic applause broke out within the bullpen..

Leo's blush deepened. With raised hands toward the impromptu crowd, he addressed them, "Thank you, everyone. Now, get back to work." He turned to his boss and smirked. "Thank you."

"Oh, it's my pleasure," Janeera giggled. Holding her smile, she added with a somber voice, "You really impressed Admiral Devereaux."

He blinked. "Well… thank you, Jan," he repeated, this time in a somber tone.

She leaned in and lowered her voice. "Tell me, before Admiral Chekov arrived, was Thelk deranged?"

With a slight shrug, he admitted, "Not quite. He was ramping up, but Colonel Sullivan held him back."

She considered that momentarily, with a quiet "Hmm." Her tone suggested disappointment.

Leo tilted his head in askance. "What?"

"I wish I could've been there to see his face when the admiral walked in and promoted you, is all," she said with a smirk. "Thelk's a pompous idiot. Don't worry about him."

"Xaraq said the same thing. Not to worry about him," he replied, referring to the starbase's shore patrol commander.

"Ah." Janeera added, "Yes, well, it's a popular opinion. He is of little consequence." She moved toward her office but called back over her shoulder, "Oh, and come see me after lunch. Bring Reter."

Leo grinned. "Understood. See you, then." He walked past the reception desk and offered a warm smile to Yeoman Lara Zenn. Several people acknowledged him with a nod as he entered the bullpen before he entered his office.

Lieutenant (jg) Barzel Timel, Leo's assigned paralegal, entered after him. "Good morning, sir. Congratulations."

"Thank you," Leo replied cordially. "It was definitely not how I thought my morning would go."

Timel grinned. "I can imagine." He switched gears and got down to business. "Major Bex's JAGMAN wrapped up, but Valkyrie got called away on a distress call. They provided a short-range shuttle to deliver them to Starbase Twenty-Three, and if they can catch a ride on a long-range shuttle from there, it'll still be a week's trip back."

"A week?" Leo furrowed his brow.

"There's a chance that they might transfer to another starship, but a week is a good estimate, for now."

Leo let out a heavy sigh. "I guess that can't be helped. I hope now that Captain Reter's part of the team, he can pitch in. Hey, is Angela in, yet?" he asked, referring to Corporal Angela Torres, the marine who transferred to JAG to act as Leo's orderly.

Timel checked his PADD. "She needed the morning to transfer quarters. Her time in the VIP suite is up, but Ensign Maroni found her some NCO quarters on level seven. She should be back here after lunch."

"Could you help her out and make sure she's not missing anything? The paperwork can be a little daunting for someone who's not used to it." Leo's divided his attention between the conversation and the information flowing across his screen.

"Certainly," Timel promised. "We're meeting up tonight to go over some prerequisites for the criminal investigator course. A little study session."

Leo looked up. "That's very kind of you. I appreciate that." He returned his attention to the screen and noted, "Hey, my afternoon appointments are gone."

"I should have started with that, sorry. The captain asked me to push your interviews and personnel matters until further notice."

"Why?"

"She didn't say. But, I suppose you'll find out at the meeting," Timel surmised.

Leo sighed, feeling his heart sink into his stomach. "We were going to interview some candidates for the open roles."

"She said she would handle that."

"Ohhh-kay," Leo weakly drew out the words. "I feel like I'm being fired or something."

Timel grinned. "Definitely 'or something,' sir. No way she promotes and then fires you in the same day."

"I'm sure she wouldn't." Leo touched his chest and sighed. The painful memory of being relieved of his duties aboard Hansen flooded back to him. He calmed himself with a few deep breaths and admitted, "Just a little trauma response from the last time a captain took away all my duties from me right before a meeting."

 

Nice verisimilitude in Leo's reaction to his duties being reassigned. Been there, done that, got the tee shirt.

Thanks!! rbs

 

Yeah, I'll be totally honest... I was writing from personal experience on that sinking feeling. It's traumatizing for sure and you never forget it.

 

​

Captain Reter, the Edosian officer recently transferred to the JAG Corps from the starbase's marine garrison, plodded along using all three feet to keep up with Leo as they walked together. "Did she inform, advise, or notify you as to the substance of the meeting?" he asked.

With a simple shake of his head, Leo replied, "Not a word besides bringing you." He glanced down at Reter's uniform front and noticed his new JAG badge under the commissioned officer's version of the Starfleet Marine Corps Delta, Star, and Anchor. "The new hardware looks good on you, by the way."

Reter peered down at his chest briefly. "Thank you, sir."

"Call me Leo," he reminded.

They passed by Yeoman Zenn's desk, and before he said a word, she nodded and pointed to Ch'charhat's door. "Go right in, Commander," said the yeoman quickly. "She's eagerly awaiting you."

Use of the word 'eagerly' turned his head toward Zenn in curiosity. "Oh, my," he noted without breaking his stride.

They passed through the doors. Leo noted Janeera had a report on the large viewscreen behind her, showing the progress of a shuttle on approach to Starbase Eight. When her attention turned to them, she waved them over with her right hand. "Come in."

Reter replied in the marine fashion, "Aye, aye, sir."

She wasted no time in getting to the key aspect of the meeting. "Starbase Ten has passed one of their JAGMAN requests to us and I'm sending your team out there to deal with it."

Leo tilted his head and cocked an eyebrow. "I have a team? Wait… Starbase Ten? Don't they have their own JAG office?"

Janeera sighed, "Last month, I mentioned we were too short-staffed to take on all the requests for field investigations. We'd been passing a majority of them to other sectors, and they did us a lot of favors in taking them on while we worked on our numbers."

"I recall," Leo said as he remembered all the paperwork associated with those favors.

"Well," she continued, "since adding the two of you, my esteemed counterpart on Starbase Ten has called in one of those favors."

Leo frowned. "Uh oh."

Janeera sighed. "Couldn't put it better myself." She pointed to the screen behind her. "I recommend taking at least a legal specialist and a yeoman to assist. Your team will catch a lift on the shuttle Giamatti when it arrives in just over an hour. It will take a direct course to the starship Detmer, which on a slow patrol near the Neutral Zone, awaiting your arrival."

"I know that ship," Leo said, perking up when he heard the name. "She's a Georgiou-class light cruiser assigned to the Border Service. The CO is a Vulcan named Straat."

With a wary eye, she asked, "Is your relationship with Straat going to cause a problem, Leo?"

"Uh, no. Never met him," Leo assured her quickly after sharing a glance with Reter. "But,… his XO and I served together on Decker about six years ago. We keep in touch."

Janeera paused. "Sounds like you have a cordial relationship with Detmer's XO. But all the same, keep your attention focused on the investigation."

Reter asked, "Sir, might I ask the nature of the investigation?"

"Suspicious death," she replied, saying nothing more on the matter.

Leo nodded and shot a glance at Reter to stall for time as he considered his team. He decided, "We'll take Chief Saego. She's reputed to be amongst the best."

"You don't want to take Lieutenant Timel with you?" Jan's surprise was clear in her tone.

"Oh, I absolutely would take him with us. But, Barzel's helping Angela with her application and studying for the exams, and I'd like for her have the best possible chance at getting into the criminal investigators school."

"That's very kind of you."

Leo held up a hand to dismiss her praise, "Totally self-serving. I want Angela as one of my team investigators later." He then asked, "Would you be willing to part with Lara?"

She cast a sidelong glance at him, expressing her annoyance at the request. Certain she would deny him her lead yeoman, Leo blinked when she relented. "Fine, take her. She's overdue for some sea pay, anyway."

Leo grinned. "Thank you, sir. It'll be helpful to have two experienced NCOs to hold our hands out there."

Janeera's eyebrows jumped upward as she recalled an important detail. "An agent from SDCI will join you for the trip. They'll assist with the investigation and make the arrests if necessary."

Leo whistled. The Starfleet Division of Criminal Investigations typically appeared when JAG investigations of a high enough felonious nature required them. "Wow, SDCI… how did you manage that?"

She replied, "Everyone owes me a lot of favors just for taking this job, don't you know?" Off his smirk, she tightened her tone to admit, "Detmer's mission is of significance to Starfleet Command. They offered a lot more than an agent if we needed it. But, several Admirals have informed me it is critical we close this quickly so they can resume operations."

Leo noted. "So, we'll be on the clock. Understood."

"On the clock and with many eyes looking over your shoulder," she added. "Including mine."

Leo leaned forward slightly, with his hands clasped behind his back. "And all of this pressure on our first field investigation."

She grinned and settled back into her seat, looking very comfortable. "I know. Get used to it."

He smirked and shook his head. "Fair enough."

"All right, you two. Have fun. Safe journey." Both officers expressed their thanks. With the same hand she used to usher them in, Janeera pointed to the exit doors. "Get out."