[Blue Dwarf] Frank Harris "On patrol"

<<Yes, another one>>
Major Frank Harris
Promenade
Blue Dwarf
Day two 1045 hours.
Harris watched as the families, crewmembers and techs moving about the promenade, even spotting the odd scutter dotting their way through the jungle of legs.
Who's crazy idea was it to allow families onto a mining ship and all those bloody restaurants, where the hell were they going to get new stock from when they run out and no one was going to make any money. One coin spent at a restaurant could easily end up back in the pocket of the spender by the end of the week.
Harris' gaze fell upon the MacDonalds, how he hated that giant yellow M and the restaurant that came with it. They got bloody everywhere. Even in jail he wasn't safe from MacDonalds as they supplied the jail's canteen with burgers every Thursday. He could imagine where they would get their new stock from, well at least it will keep the rat population down.
It was only the second day aboard the Blue Dwarf but he had already busted a tech that had tried to steal a chocolate bar from one of the vending machines with that coin-on-a-string trick. He'd of got away with it expect he was too business trying shut out the vending machine to do a runner and he had failed to notice him while threaten to pour chicken soup down the machine's speaker.
Not only that but someone had also tried to steel Jill, or rather the watch she came with, he was easy to catch, as Jill never stopped shouting. "Help, help! I'm being nicked by a thief!" Thank god they were in the lower levels where no one could hear that draft computer. In the end he finally gave himself up to security, Jill was driving him right round the bend. There where almost times Harris felt like shooting himself then having to deal with her.
His gaze fell upon a man dressed in black leather jeans and jacket, trouble, he throught. He watched him for about another two minutes until it happened, he bumped in an old lady or rather the old lady bumped into him. She swung out with her handbag and knocked the unsuspecting man off his feet, she grabbed the wallet from his jeans, hitched up her skirt and took off, surprising Harris with her bust of speed he didn't believe her to be capable of.
He pulled the gun from his belt, which he wasn't meant to have, and fired one round into the air and shouted. "Stop right there, granny!"
Almost everyone dropped to the floor with their hands over their heads, the old lady stopped in her tracks and slowly turned to see Harris aiming the gun at her. She dropped the wallet and stuck her hands up in the air.
Security office
1115 hours
Harris looked at dismay at the pile of paperwork that sat on his desk. He had forgotten how much paperwork there was for the chief of security to fill in just for one case of minor theft, let alone three counts of it and one protestor, who had been protesting against protesting, must be on something, Harris throught chewing on his gum.
Harris looked up as the door rang and he shouted. "What?!"
The door slide open and Nipels entering the office not looking too pleased.
"Let me guess what this is about." Harris started. "This is about the distasteful use of a firearm on the Promenade."
Nipels crossed his arms across his chest and started. "You know the regs about the use of firearms."
"And the Captain knows about the regs about animals aboard spaceships but his still has that rat of his." Harris replied.
"That is no excuse for the use for what you did!" Nipels snapped. "Someone could have gotten hurt!"
Harris pulled open a draw in his desk, pulled out the gun and it to Nipel, resisting the urge to fire the weapon at the Commander.
"Blanks." Harris commented. "I haven't carried a weapon with live ammo for over four years!"
Nipels removed the ammo clip to check what Harris had told him was true and when he was happy he slotted the clip back into the gun, then handed it back to Harris.
Harris told the gun and put it away in the draw.
"Anything else, Command." Harris demanded to know.
"There is going to be meeting of the senior staff at 1200 hours." Nipels told Harris. "Be there."
Harris watched as the Commander left, great, he throught, having to sit through a senior staff meeting. Maybe going to jail wasn't such a bad choice as he first throught.