"Blast Off!" - Part 10
"Why, hello Darla." Fury gives the blonde a smile that's half an inch short of a leer, "I didn't know you'd be assigned here."
"I'm sure you didn't." Darla replies, archly, "You never call, you never write ... and you certainly never mentioned your new friend." She gestures languidly at S'Ondra, "Latest conquest, Johnny?"
"I am Venusian Princess S'Ondra." the other woman declares, her back straightening. "I am certainly not his conquest."
"Well, that's a surprise," Darla shrugs, "Don't tell me your skills must have slipped as much as your standards, Johnny?"
"Perhaps you could take us to see the Base Commander," Fury smiles bravely over S'Ondra's inarticulate gurgles of outrage, and links his arm with that of the beautiful blonde, "I'm sure we can continue this discussion later."
"I do not zink zat would be wise." Gustav shakes his head, "We do not have ze time for ze fraternising, ja?"
"Oh, there's always time for fraternising, Doctor." Fury calls over his shoulder.
Darla leads the four space adventurers along a series of plain, white-washed corridors, then knocks respectfully at a brass-plated door.
"Come in." the voice is male, stern and fatherly, but with a smooth timbre that doubtless set female hearts aquiver, thirty years ago - and could still do so now. The group enters, revealing a sparsely-appointed office. Seated behind a white, plastic-veneer desk is a man in the uniform of a Space Force Commander. His hair is thinning slightly and his face shows signs of a life well-lived, but he's still fit and hale. A brass plate on his desk names him as Commander Dawson.
"Ah, Lieutenant Gregg, I see you've brought out visitors." He waves for them all to take a seat, "Good to see you, John."
"And you, Sir." Fury salutes smartly, then grins and pulls a silver foil bag out of the box he is carrying, "Fresh Prince of Wales, sir. Just came in with the last shipment."
"I see you're as popular with the shipping clerks as I was at your age." Commander Dawson smiles and takes the bag, "I think I'll put a pot on, now. Are you staying long?"
"Just a whistle-stop visit, sir. Actually, Lieutenant Gregg -" Fury gestures at Darla, "- has asked me to take a look at an anomaly in her readings. If we may be dismissed?"
"Certainly." The older man nods, "Let me know if anything big comes up."
"Oh, I'm sure it will."
"Eh?" Gustav blinks.
"I said, 'I sure will'." Fury pats the scientist on the shoulder, "Too many dashed Americans in the Force these days. Must be picking up bad habits from them."
The Captain and the smugly smiling Darla Gregg disappear from the room, as Commander Dawson invites the others to take a seat and join him for refreshments.
"Vell, actually, I vos vanting to hear about your operations here." Doctor Gustav nibbles on a shortbread biscuit from Fury's 'emergency supplies', "Have you discovered any signs yet of ze hostile alien intelligence?"
"No signs so far." Dawson shakes his head, then brightens, "But we're still looking!"
As the Commander passes around cups - S'Ondra pointedly refuses the offer - the door opens, readmitting Fury and Darla Gregg, whose once perfect hair is now a little mussed.
"Ah, Fury, you're back quickly."
"No doubt it was a very small anomaly." Archie deadpans.
"Well, since you've expressed an interest in our operation, Doctor, I'll have the Lieutenant show you around the base." Dawson offers.
"Oh, zat will be vonderful." Gustav appears to have forgotten his earlier concerns about wasting time.
"Perhaps we should be on our way?" Fury suggests, looking slightly uncomfortable at the prospect of keeping S'Ondra and Darla in the same room any longer than is necessary.
"No, we really must see the base." S'Ondra gives him a dismissive glance, "I know you've have seen everything the Lieutenant has to show, Captain - as has everyone in Space Force, I should expect - but the rest of us haven't had the tour, so far."
Darla sputters for a moment, then gives the Venusian a glare by which the Princess - who grew up with people who really were trying to kill her - is utterly unintimidated. Finally, the Lieutenant musters a thin-lipped smile.
"Well, I won't show you everything - some of the systems are very technical, and I wouldn't want to bore you - but there are some areas, such as the main monitoring station, are simple enough for you to appreciate."
"So that would be where you work, then?"
A very thin-lipped smile indeed.
"And of course, there are other areas that you can't access due to security reasons. The crew quarters, for instance. Only serving Space Force personnel - like Johnny here - can enter those."
"I'm sure he already has." S'Ondra dismisses the thought with a regal toss of her head. "So we shan't need to go there."
All things considered, it's remarkable that the tour concludes without actual bloodshed.