Job Market

Posted on Sat Feb 2nd, 2019 @ 10:38am by

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: Deep Space Nine
1226 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Back on Deep Space Nine, Jessica had tried in vain to find a decent job. She became a deck hand on a Bajoran freighter but that one got stopped by authorities on the first run she was aboard for, for carrying ultritium explosives to a group of separatists on a Klingon world. She had been lucky that only three of the freighter’s crew had been executed by the Klingons, and the others sent home because they knew nothing of it. But she was back on Deep Space Nine, with the freighter gone and no pay for her effort. This could have gorn better, she thought.

She sat on one of the benches on the promenade, reading through job offers while drinking raktajino from the replimat. At least that beverage was something the Klingons had shown her which she actually enjoyed. She admired the Klingons. They were strong, took no shit from anybody and wouldn’t be oppressed no matter what. She hadn’t told them her story, for fear they might lose any bit of respect that they had for her. She grumbled, none of those offers were any good, they all required qualifications she simply didn’t have.

Ludmilla walked into the replimat, wearing tiny denim shorts and a partially opened flannel shirt tied at the waist, having shucked her cadet uniform the second she hit the station, ~I’ll be wearing it for the next four years.~ She surmised, ~No need to do it now.~ She saw a fairly attractive woman with short, dark hair sitting across the way drinking a raktajino, there was something familiar about her. As she approached, Ludmilla began to recognize her. This was Jessica Clarke, the woman Aunt Anje wanted to start a war over, ~Kinda cute.~ Without asking or being asked, Ludmilla took a seat across the table from her, “Good morning.”

Jessica looked up and saw a very young woman had sat down in front of her. She smiled at the unknown visitor, though there was something familiar about the woman which she couldn’t place. Surely she had never seen her before? She’d not spent a lot of time here, she figured she’s remember anyone she’d seen on the station, and others she had once known she wouldn’t recognise, certainly nobody who would just now have reached adulthood, if they were even still alive. “Good morning to you, too.” Jessica had put on a few pounds, with good and regular nutrition now available, and no longer looked emaciated. Yet, she felt there would be the need for quite a bit of work to make her beautiful enough to compete with others her age, let alone younger women, after the harsh life she had lived. Seeing this so eerily familiar face reminded her.

“Name’s Ludmilla. Ludmilla Brett.” She introduced herself, “And you are the famous Jessica Clarke. Nice to finally meet you.”

“Of course!” Jessica blurted out. “I knew your face looked familiar. Anje’s sister, you are?” She shook Ludmilla’s hand. “Great meeting you indeed.”

“Yeah, that’s my sister.” Ludmilla sighed, ~Or at least what’s left of her.~ “So, what brings you to the replimat?”

“I’m looking at job offers”, she said, putting the PADD on the table now that she wasn’t reading it any more. “Well, and this raktajino is great. I need to start watching what I eat, everything just tastes so good, and I can have it whenever I want.”

“You sound like you’ve never eaten before or something.” Ludmilla laughed.

“I’ve never eaten anything this good, at least”, Jessica said. “You see, on Turkana, there are all kinds of problems, and agriculture is a mess. They use poisons for pest control, and that makes it into the food. And there’s hardly ever enough of it, with spices and herbs and what not. This replicator technology? I don’t see why people find fault with it. It’s amazing.”

“I guess you don’t know what you’ve got if you’ve always had it.” Ludmilla replied, she felt bad for Jessica, also felt a little guilty as she was one of those people who ripped on the replicated foods, “So, what are you doing now? I mean, have you been unemployed this whole time?”

“I got back yesterday, have been unemployed since”, Jessica said. She wasn’t a layabout, didn’t want to be seen as one. “That job I took… well, once the Klingons executed the command staff… let’s just say, it didn’t pan out.”

“Holy shit.” Ludmilla gasped, as if having to escape Turkana IV wasn’t bad enough this poor girl had had a run in with the Klingons, too, “You’re not having a great run of it, are you? You’ve got a place to stay and all that, right?”

“Thanks to your sister and her friend, yes”, Jessica nodded. “But I wanted to find something to be able to take care of myself. If I had known they were going to smuggle explosives, I wouldn’t have boarded that freighter, though. I don’t want to do anything illegal.”

~You don’t know all the fun you’re missing.~ Ludmilla thought, though she didn’t voice any of it, “Yeah, well, maybe I can help you. I mean, there’s got to be something here for you to do. What are your skills?”

“Yeah, that’s the thing”, Jessica said. “I can move cargo, and I can repair farm machinery that’s so old nobody uses it any more.” She sighed. “I tried to be a waitress at Quark’s but he said he only takes pretty women, not people like me.” He hadn’t exactly said ‘people’ but she didn’t want to repeat his exact words.

“What?” Ludmilla asked angrily, “How dare that little turd! And, btw, you totally are pretty! Too pretty to be one of his dabo whores anyway. In fact, you know what? Come with me, we’re gonna show that jackass something.” She reached a hand out for Jessica, she had plans, BIG plans.

Jessica took the hand but held her back, remaining seated. “No, let’s not. It’s not worth it. I couldn’t work for him anyway, if he doesn’t want me. He’d find another reason to fire me inside a day or two. That’s how this works.”

“Oh, who said you were going to work for him?” Ludmilla laughed, “You’re too good for that. Just trust Milla, okay? I promise it’s going to be fun.”

“We’re not going to get in trouble, are we?” Jessica asked. “I can’t afford a stay in the brig. They might even send me back to Turkana if I don’t behave.”

“Jess, sweetheart, Milla will never get you in any shit, okay?” Ludmilla promised, “We’re just going to go to my place and I’m going to polish the diamond up a little. Then we’re going to show Quark what he missed out on hiring. That’s all. Totally legit.”

“Oo-kay”, Jessica said. “That sounds safe enough.” She emptied her mug and picked up her PADD, then stood. “Right, if you think it’ll work?” She quickly recycled her mug before joining Ludmilla’s side.