Chapter Text
As soon as Boimler squeezed out of the door of the captain’s ready room, she raised an eyebrow at the two standing in front of her. “Anyway…” she paused for effect, “the Ankorrians have strict rules on who sets foot on their planet.”
“Yeah, yeah we know it all. They’ve got all that soulmate bullcrap,” Mariner yawned, lazily; the man next to her tensing and flicking his eyes between her and the captain.
“What they DO believe in,” she cleared her throat, “is NONE of our business, but as their second contact, we must abide by their rules.”
“You could have literally sent like. Anyone!” Mariner snapped, and Jack wants to agree with her, “but oh yeah!” she turned to him, “Mister Suckup here would loooove to go!”
That’s it, she’d earned the ‘Ransom Glare’, which he shot, his mouth set in a straight line. Captain Freeman cleared her throat again, and she looked to her first officer, “Thoughts?”
“To be completely honest with you here, I’m inclined to agree with Ensign Mariner on this one…” He trailed off, first noticing the captain’s glower in front of him, and then Mariner’s smile to the side.
“Great,” she said, after a moment, “Continue agreeing like this, and the mission will be over in no time.” She patted Jack’s shoulder, “I’m gonna give you a day to put together a convincing act.”
“YOU can't give us ANYTHING!”
“You are dismissed,” the Captain firmly nodded, and Jack turned to leave before Mariner continued.
“Literally! They gave you ONE day for a buffer time. WHY don't you just send a REAL couple in? Anything’s more believable than” she pointed at Jack and then back at herself, squinting.
“I’m sure the captain has her reasons,” he placed a placating hand on her shoulder.
“She has NO reason,” Beckett turns, not sure how she feels about the hand on her shoulder, and chooses to ignore it, “She’s literally doing all this to spite me.”
“You. Are. Dismissed.” Freeman’s voice sounded as sharp as a bat'leth, and Mariner (for once) doesn’t want to stretch her mother any further.
But Ransom surprised her, “Yeah I gotta ask….Captain Freeman. What were the logistics behind this?”
“I will throw you two into the Brig for insubordination,” she threatened, hand hovering over the security button on her panel.
“Yeah, no that’s not a great choice.” Mariner scowls.
“Yeah that’s because she-”
“Loves the brig? Yes, I know. I know.” Freeman sighed, and slumped back in her leather chair, a hand running over the bridge of her nose.
“Listen. You,” she gestures to Ransom, “are my First Officer, my number one. The one guy I can trust.” And when she says this, Mariner can almost see Ransom’s face light up with the praise.
Pshh, he looked like the biggest suckup in probably ever.
In a kind of sweet way.
Perhaps.
Almost.
Jack ransom did not look sweet and adorable at all. No.
“And Ensign Beckett,” she continues, “because she can think on her feet faster than even me. She’s got more hands on experience than any of the crew. She has properly seen things.”
What she failed to mention, was the fact that she’d seen Jack Ransom giving multiple sappy glances at Mariner, and she wanted to know why