A Day in a Dusty Town

Posted on Tue Aug 14th, 2012 @ 9:44pm by Lieutenant Commander Joseph Thompson & Lieutenant JG Miranda Blackfur

Mission: Episode 1.0 - "Enduring Legacy"
Location: Holodeck I
Timeline: MD04, 1835

ON: [[Holodeck I, USS Yorktown, Mission Day 04, 1835 Hours]]

As Joe approached the entrance to the holodeck and saw Miranda already waiting there, he sighed. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I would have been here sooner, but a last minute issue with the duty shifts took a bit longer than expected." He came to a stop and glanced at the holodeck controls. "So, which shall we try first, yours or mine?"

"Let's try your's first," Miranda curiously as her tail whipped back and forth behind her in excitement. Ready to see what this Ancient Western was all about.

Joe had expected Miranda to say that, so he had come prepared; a bag slung over his shoulder held clothing appropriate to the program he was about to run. Normally, he wouldn't have a problem just walking down to the holodeck in that kind of clothing - it's not like the rest of the crew cared, even if they might talk about it - but if Miranda had wanted to do her own program he didn't want to be dressed in clothes that frankly had only one purpose. Stepping to the holodeck controls, Joe activated a recently-modified version of one of his favorites.

"Shall we?" Joe asked, motioning for Miranda to follow. The large holodeck doors slid aside to reveal a slightly-disconcerting change in decor; the clean, simple ship corridor gave way to a dry, dusty packed-dirt street. Further inside the holodeck, the street ran through the center of a small town filled with comparatively crude wooden buildings. It could have been any of a hundred such towns that were the hallmark of the Ancient West. There were even tumbleweeds blowing lazily across the road just outside of the town.

Joe stepped inside, immediately feeling the rise in temperature. At least it's dry heat, he thought to himself. Off to the right was a new addition to the program: a small building with no decorations on the outside; the interior, Joe knew (because he'd programmed it) was just as plain, with two simple bedrooms connected by a sitting room. The building was new because it served only to provide a place to change from 24th Century clothing to 19th Century clothing; Joe wouldn't have needed it if he had come down already dressed, but it also gave Miranda a place to change if she wished.

After withdrawing his own clothes from the bag, Joe turned to pass it to Miranda. "If you'd like, you can wear anything from there," he said. "I took the liberty of appropriating all sorts of clothing from the era, so you have your choice. Of course, if you prefer to wear your normal shipboard clothing, I can always adjust the program so that the townsfolk don't notice."

Miranda took the offered clothing and stepped into one of the bedrooms to change into her outfit. It was a nice long dress, minus the corest, but kept the bustier to provide the necessary support to bend in with the rest of the womanfolks. Then pocketed the lady's two-shot derringer in the dress's pocket, where she could get to it easily. Letting her hair loose from it's ponytail and let it hang loose down her back.

Stepping out into the main room of the "house", making final touches to her hair to at least keep it out of her face. She enjoyed the dry heat of the Ancient Western Town that Joe had programmed. "I'm ready," smiling at Joe.

Having quickly changed into his favored white-themed western clothing - complete with white cowboy hat on his head and a white-handled Colt revolver in its holster on his right side - Joe was also ready. While he had replicated the clothing for Miranda, Joe's own had actually been handmade for him years earlier. In fact, the only think Joe hadn't previously owned was the Colt - he had gotten that from the holodeck, as it wouldn't do to go shooting his 500-year-old antique.

"You look good," Joe remarked as Miranda emerged from her room. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were part of the program; you'd look right at home in the Ancient West."

"It's abit warm to wear in this climate," Miranda looked at Joe and purred in satifaction at his appearance, "You look very handsome and rugged." giving her lips a quick lick with a flash of her pink tongue. "Shall we go meet the locals?" taking his arm way a lady would do it, her paw/hand resting gently on his non-weapon arm.

"Yes, let's," Joe replied, and they strolled towards the town. "Tell me, how much do you know about the Ancient West?"

"Not very much, except it was a very violent time in Sol-3's history and alot of vids shows were made of that era." Miranda spoke softly.

"Well, true, it could be very violent at times," Joe said. "But it was also a time of adventure and pioneering spirit. Just as we spread through the galaxy now, they were spreading through the unknown wilderness. It's a hard life, and thus produced the kind of hardened people that, yes, turned to violence to solve problems. For normal townsfolk, however, every day was enough of a struggle just to survive; most didn't bother creating violence where there didn't need to be any."

Miranda nodded as her ears swiveled, picking up the tunes coming from a building, "Music!" In almost childlike delight, "let's go in there!" Pointing to the saloon. "Unless you have another destination in mind?" Looking up at Joseph, admiring his rugged looks. ~~How well he fits in with this era and handsome too boot!~~ The thought shot through her mind as her tail brushed up against the back of his leg.''

"Are you sure?" Joe asked with a grin. "Saloons are usually where the trouble starts..." Despite his words, he turned with Miranda to stroll towards the saloon. He certainly didn't miss the look - or brush of tail - she gave him, but for the moment he chose not to remark on it.

"It'll find us sooner or later," Miranda returned the grin as they entered the cool interior of the saloon, taking note of the scattered patrons in various garbs and activities. She moved and settled at a table near the wall, letting him get their drinks.

Joe was halfway back to the table Miranda had chosen when he noticed a flicker of movement. It was in his peripheral, but he was already assessing the situation even as he turned to bring it fully into view: ten feet from the door, four men sat at a card table with what appeared to be high stakes, and one was beginning to rise. Joe's instincts would not have tagged it as a threat unless...there, he was going for his gun. Joe could also see a town deputy a couple tables away, but the lawman's gun hand was gripping a drink and wouldn't get to his own gun in time. Fortunately, there was a clear line between Joe and the rising card player; he quickly made his move.

All of Joe's assessments, thoughts, and action took the briefest of moments. The card player's gun was just clearing the holster when Joe kicked at an empty chair; the angle of his kick was enough to send it sliding across the wood floor but not enough to tip it over, and it slammed into the card player's elbow just as it was bending and exposing the nerve. The man howled and dropped his gun - by sheer luck it didn't go off and hit someone - and then the deputy from the other table had drawn his own gun and hurried over to deal with the situation. Unnoticed by the saloon's patrons, who were more focused on the card player and the deputy, Joe slipped back to Miranda's table and slid into a seat across from her, passing her drink across to her.

"Sorry for the wait," Joe said nonchalantly. "The barman had to clean some glasses first."

Miranda watched the entire ordeal take place and was smiling for the brief interlude of action, taking her drink as she spoke, "the floor show was entertaining and worth the wait for the drink," eyes flickering between the gunman, who had lost his gun, being escorted out of the saloon by the Deputy and Joseph. "So how do you fit in all of this?" purring softly as sipped her drink, relaxing back in her chair.

She noticed several other women about the bar, scowling at her, when a busty woman somewhat scantily clad for the times came over to Joseph, in a soft husky voice, "Joe, honey, whose the kitten?" As she rubbed up against him, now making her scowl abit.

"Hello to you, too, Adelaine," Joe replied calmly, taking a sip of his drink and generally acting as though the woman was not anywhere near him. "This is Miranda. She comes from back where I live." Joe deliberately turned away from Adelaine. "Don't mind Adelaine," he told Miranda. "She just needs a little extra attention now and then." He didn't need to look back to know Adelaine's expression had suddenly gone sour.

Miranda nodded, relaxing back in her seat as Adelaine moved on to another more appreciative customer. Whispers softly, "very realistic," Then abit louder in normal conversational tone, "So what is it you do out here in middle of nowhere?" Trying to fit in with the scenerio that he likes to enjoy so much. "Round up the those rolling balls of brush?" She had seen the tumbling sagebrush when first entering the holodeck.

Joe grinned, relaxing in his chair. "Well, folks around here know me as a wandering traveler that stops by from time to time," he said. "Adelaine's been trying for quite a while to get more out of my stay, but she gets around too much for my tastes. I usually just drop by for a round of cards, and chat with some people, but occasionally there's a tournament or something else interesting. I let the program surprise me."

"Fascinating," Miranda gave a sudden sneeze from the dust, "excuse me. I'd picked abit more of a greener environment with less dust." Curiousity building, "What type of tournaments that goes on out here?"

With a shrug, Joe took another sip of his drink before replying. "Like I said, it's always a surprise," he said. "Sometimes it's as simple as a gambling tournament, sometimes as thrilling as a shooting contest - and sometimes that shooting contest." He smiled; both of those examples appealed to him, the gambling because his observational skills allowed him to excel and the shooting because of his affluence with weapons.

"Gambling is not my forte'. Not to familiar with these type of weapons to be shooting." Miranda smiled, enjoying the time with Joseph, as the batwings doors were shoved open with a bang and walked in several dust covered cowboys with guns slung low on their hips in typical gunslinger style, drawing the eyes of the patrons towards them.

"Whiskey for us and beer for our horses, bartender!" Yelled the one that was obviouly the leader as they stomped through the bar towards the barcounter. His two partners chuckled at his comment as one snagged a barmaid around the waist, carrying her with him to the bar.

Miranda didn't know how to react to this, glancing back at Joseph to follow his lead scince was more familiar with this era.

"You know, I could have sworn you were told to leave town and never come back," Joe called out, looking calm and relaxed despite the hostile gazes that suddenly snapped to him. Turning slightly towards Miranda, Joe murmured, "I've seen him before in the program. Last time he was run out of town, but now that the deputy's left..."

Sure enough, the loud man was looking around dramatically. "Don't see any lawmen here," he said with a smirk. "Unless you plan on doing something about it." He and his men laughed harshly, knowing they outnumbered Joe.

Miranda watched alertly, as her paw/hand slipped below the table to grab the lady's two shot derringer in her pocket. With the other hand, picked up her glass and took a sip. "I got your back," softly, just loud enough for him to hear.

The patrons slid from between Joseph and the three gunmen. The barmaid quickly squirmed free and fled when the grip on her relaxed from the gunslinger that grabbed her. She left the saloon to go get the Deputy.

"I'm sure there's no need for trouble," Joe said easily. "Just so long as you tuck your little tails between your legs and run off like good little doggies." The jibe was clearly too much for the three men, who went for their weapons. Joe was faster and, more importantly, more accurate. The two side men dropped their guns and howled in pain as they clutched suddenly bleeding hands, but their leader staggered back with an extra bullet in his chest.

Miranda drew her derringer and aimed and fired quickly at the leader, aiming for center mass of the torso. Wincing at the loud sharp reports from the blazing gun of Joseph's. Her derringer shot was hidden by his shootings.

Joe raised an eyebrow at Miranda. "For not being familiar with that weapon, you had a pretty good shot," he remarked.

Miranda shrugged, "I always had good eye paw cordination," having troubles opening the derringer and once open, extracted the spent casing to replace it with a fresh bullet. Pocketing the casing in her pocket along with the derringer as the Deputy came bursting into the Saloon with several more Deputies, guns drawn and ready to use.

The Deputy looked at the two hopping around with bloodied hands, smirked, motioning his partners to take them away and then to the body laying on the floor, quiet dead. "Well well Arc. I guess you'll be resting up on boothill for along time!" Looking at Joe. "Self Defence?" Nudging the body with his booted toe.

"You could call it that," Joe agreed. "Will you want to be questioning us?" As he expected, the Deputy shook his head; Joe had a reputation here, it seemed. Glancing at Miranda, Joe asked, "Shall we leave these fine men to their business?" as he stood and offered a hand.

Miranda stood with his assistance, "yeah." Smiling at him as she moved to be with him. Making sure nothing was left behind with a quick glance, Letting Joe take the credit for good shooting and a jolly good showmanship of his weapon prowess.

As was customary in such events, Joe flipped a few coins to the bartender as payment for the disturbance. He left them with the unspoken assumption that he alone had shot; it wouldn't do for them to start looking into Miranda's involvement. Leading Miranda outside, Joe glanced up and down the street. "Well, have you had enough excitement for one day in the Ancient West?"

Miranda laughed softly, "I've enjoyed the time being here. Wouldn't've missed it for the universe." Turning to face him and giving him a soft lick/kiss on his cheek. "Need to cut down on the dust abit..." Moving back in time to watch a dust devil dance down the street with the breeze playing with her loose hair. "hope you're up to some serious physical exercise or I could go easy on you with mine?" giving a soft purr as she remained against him.

The sun lowered slowly to highlight the colors of the towering mesa rising into the deepening blue sky and the town surrounding them into sharp contrast in colors and lengthening shadows.

Joe took a moment to enjoy the colors of the sunset before replying. "You never need to go easy on me," he finally said, grinning at Miranda. "Let's see what you got."

Off:

A Post By

Lieutenant Commander Joseph Thompson
Chief Security/Tactical Officer, USS Yorktown

AND

Lieutenant JG Miranda Blackfur
Chief Flight Control Officer