As Crazy Does

Posted on Mon Dec 23rd, 2019 @ 12:40am by Commodore Jane Saulitis

Mission: Promenade
Location: Promenade- Poseidon Station
1701 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Jane wasn't in uniform and her hair was down. It was a bit untraditional for her, but she was enjoying her time on the station. Other people could handle the ship while she was docked and taking a little time for herself never hurt anyone. She was standing at a view port looking out at the beauty that was space and trying to remember a list she'd made for some shopping while she was wandering around the station. There were a couple of things she'd thought of looking for that had slipped her mind so she was ticking things off with her fingers hoping to trick her brain into stumbling upon the items.

Behind her, hundreds were walking around the main promenade on the station as they enjoyed the various sights and smells of the area's largest hub of commerce. Hundreds of shop owners and purveyors sold their wares out of shops, carts, backpacks, and whatever else they could use to conduct business. The smell of fresh baked bread wafted out of a nearby bakery, mixing with the sound of a multi-limbed, busking musician playing and singing just outside.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, two men had gathered in the shadow of an dark alley to discuss their plans for the day. The open market meant lots of options for shoppers, but it was equally full of opportunity for those who operated in the fringes of society.

"So, we're agreed then, first clueless tourist with an armful of shopping is the mark?"

"Yeah. You do your thing with the distraction, and I'll swoop in and get whatever I can. Quick and easy. We'll fence off what we make and finally get ourselves off of this godforsaken station."

There was nothing more than a nod exchanged between partners before they split off and waited for their target.

[Main Promenade, Thirty Minutes Later]

"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls of all ages! I don't mean to intrude on your day of shopping, but my name is Clark Stanley, and I need three volunteers for a quick demonstration of sleight of hand! Come! Gather around! A free show for all, please, come in close and witness for yourself why they say I have the quickest hands in the sector."

A crowd of curious shoppers slowly began to form slowly around the man. Had someone borne witness to the meeting in the alley a half hour prior, he or she would have recognized the man standing on the table as one of the two men with a plan. However, their earlier discussion had gone unnoticed, so with relative anonymity, "Clark" began his show. His performance was heavily assisted by a pair of holo-emitters built into the bracelets around his wrist, but the act was convincing enough to captivate the gathered audience.

Packed tightly together, the members of the crowd were completely unaware of the second display of sleight of hand that was going on. The real skill belonged to Clark's partner. With a deft touch, he was able to relieve several pieces of fine jewelry from the very hands of the congregation. Stashing his bounty away into the inside pocket of his jacket, the thief gave his partner a signal that his part of the proceedings was complete. He walked away unnoticed.

Or so he thought.

To the thief's great surprise, a pair of boots stood his way. In them stood a middle aged man dressed in nondescript, dark clothing. Each and every attempt by the thief to step around the man was mirrored, leading to no other option than a terse conversation.

"Excuse me."

"Son, don't even start. I saw it all. The way I see it, you've got two choices here. Neither of 'em end with you stealing from these innocent folk."

"Oh yeah? And what are my choices, old man."

"Turn yourself in or..."

The older man was stopped mid-sentence by a heavy blow to his midsection from the thief. The punch doubled him over for just a moment. He took a breath to collect himself and turned to pursue the fleeing thief.

"Stop that man! He's a thief!"

The pursuit began with a decision. Did it matter enough? Would these strangers miss whatever trinkets they were missing? As he continued to run after the thief, he eventually convinced himself it was worth it. The thief weaved in and out of shops and tried to put as many people between him and his pursuer as possible but little by little, the distance began to close between them. Sensing the proximity of his pursuer, the thief opted to stop weaving and started running as fast as he could towards an open area of the promenade.

"Call security!"

The chaser shouted between breaths to any and all that would listen. He had closed the gap to his quarry to just a few meters, but his stamina was running low. The corridor they were running down led to the main atrium of the shopping area. If the thief managed to make it there, all he would have to do would be to blend into the crowd. He and his partner's plan would be successfully completed, despite the unplanned variable.

But the unplanned variable did something unexpected and dove for the thief's legs. The pursuit ended as suddenly as it had begun as the two men tumbled to the deck plating. A brief struggle ensued, but the pursuer managed to pin the thief to the floor, though the thief continued to struggle to break free.

"Hey you," the older man called out to the woman looking on nearby. "Can I get a little assistance here? Security should be here any second now, but I could use some help."

Jane sighed, it always happened that something came up to distract her back to actually working. And she wasn't even in uniform. Apparently work could see through her disguise as could the man who was holding down the thief. Admiral Harrington wasn't going to like this at all. "Would you like me to sit on him for you?" She gave no hint as to whether or not she was joking. But just as she approached a couple of Starfleet security officers arrived to pick the thief up off the floor.

She turned back to him once he was on his feet. "You hold your own pretty well. You've obviously been doing this a while." She fought the urge to pull back her hair as if she were out of uniform in the presence of someone above her rank. Well he did look older than her, but not by a lot.

"A while, huh? It's quite alright, call a spade a spade. I'm old," the man chuckled, dusting himself off from having rolled around on the floor a moment ago. "Thanks for the assist ma'am. I'm sure security will be able to handle it from there."

"Actually sir, I was hoping I could take a statement," one of the station's security staff interjected.

"I'll be right back," he held a finger up and turned his attention to the latest task at hand. They continued out of Jane's earshot and had a brief conversation. Eventually, one of the guards reached into the thief's inside jacket pocket and retrieved the bag of stolen items. The guards dragged the thief off for processing. Handshakes were exchanged.

"Apologies," the man returned. "Again, thanks. The name is Jared, and you're right - I have been doing this for a long time. Too long, in fact. I stopped counting after they gave me my pin for thirty years in Starfleet. Although," he stroked his chin, "and forgive me if I'm being too forward, but it seems like you don't have an issue stepping in to help. You had no idea which one of us was innocent."

"True, technically. But a simple search was going to produce the item and you weren't trying to get away. Why would an innocent person run?" She eyed him briefly. "I'm Jane." There was no need to make any of this about rank or station. In fact it was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment. She thought about asking if he was stationed here on Poseidon but that would again bring things back to what she did and honestly she just wanted to be Jane for as long as she could. "Have you eaten? Would you like to join me for lunch?"

"No, I haven't. If you'd believe it, I was on the way to this place that makes the most amazing beef broth based noodle soups before my day got interrupted," Jared tilted his head and looked to one side. "Put simply, some of these street performances are not all they appear to be on the surface. Anyway, were you headed somewhere? I'm fairly new to these parts, so if you've got suggestions, I'd love to hear 'em."

"Just exploring really. Thought I might get some shopping done until well . . . the show. I did go to a little Bajoran cafe with one of my new officers and it was nice. I guess it all depends on what you're in the mood for because I'm not a picky eater. I'm sure I could find something no matter where we went. Noodle soup would be fine with me."

"New officers, huh?" he cracked a knowing smile. "Don't worry, I'm not going to ask. It's clear you don't want to be spotted as a fleeter today. Me either."

"It's not often we get to escape into civilian clothing and get off the ship. I plan on enjoying myself as much as I can before I have to slip the uniform back on. Don't get me wrong, I made a lifetime commitment to the fleet. But it's still nice to not be known occasionally."

"Agreed on all counts. Come on," Jared motioned back down the passageway he had chased the thief through a few moments ago. "Let's go find that noodle house and see if we can keep our noses clean long enough to grab some chow."

---

Captain Jane Saulitis
Commanding Officer

and introducing...

Commander Jared Hanover
Executive Officer