Reunions
Posted on Jan 03, 2015 @ 1:38pm by Captain Peter Aspinall
Edited on on Jan 03, 2015 @ 1:38pm
Mission: USS Pendragon
"Reunions" (contd-"Conversations in the dark")
Location: Starbase 9
Scene: Kal’El quarters
Stardate: 2.141227.2114
The door slid open as quietly as it always did, the dark quarters beyond a familiar and well known domain. As she stepped in and shrugged her uniform jacket from her shoulders however her body tensed, she wasn’t yet sure what the problem was, but something was different, something was wrong.
Normally her jacket would have been draped over the back of a nearby chair by now but instead she held it loosely in her hand, ready to make use of everything she had to hand if she needed to defend herself.
She felt the movement from her left and spun; her jacket already whipping up and around aiming to blind whomever it was if just for a moment.
They say that all the senses are equally as powerful, you just have to learn to listen to them all, and it was certainly true that there in the dark, unable to sense properly with her eyes that the sense that gave her information about her attacker was her nose.
They also say that scent memory is powerful, and it certainly was for her just that. Her spinning jacket was let loose and her arms enveloped the presence instead as her emotions soared from the memories that scent brought.
“Petacov.”
The firm body she threw herself against shifted as arms came up to encircle her.
The muttered response of “Magpie” was muffled as the speaking lips found her neck.
They each spent a few moments reassuring one another that they were safe, their halting words and their exploring touch proving to one another they were there, they were safe, they were together again.
“When I heard about the explosion….”
“I know, I’m sorry I…”
“I knew it wasn’t you, I knew; how many?”
“Only one of us.”
“Still too many.”
“Uh hmm.” Any last reply lost as their lips met.
They each pulled away from the other at the same time, aware they could not let this go any further at the moment.
“We have to go don’t we?” Whispered Lara.
“I’m afraid so; too much is going on and too many people are involved for us to be safe here.” Sighed Drake.
Her hands caressed his jawline, “You shouldn’t have even come back should you?”
Drake didn’t answer but she could almost feel the slight blush that was nodoubt creeping up his face; her hand traced the line she imagined it was making and carrier on up towards his hairline where she stopped; unfamiliar protrusions on Drakes forehead.
She knew what they were; her own head had them but Drake was no K’tarian.
“Really?” She asked quite amused at Drake’s current ‘disguise’
“Well if I am travelling with you and Hex I figure I can pretend to be your brother or something.”
Lara coughed, “Well this seems a little inappropriate then don’t you think; hiding in the dark with my ‘brother’?”
Drake chuckled and called for the lights in Lara’s quarters.
“Well if we are leaving I should go fetch Hex; kit is where you suggested for me, Hex’s is by his bed and don’t forget Maggie. “
Lara gave Drake a peck on the cheek and chuckling flicked one of his fake horns as she left.
He had found the three packed survival bags out by the time Lara returned, a small moment while he stopped to smile at the cuddly magpie strung to the side of Hex’s smaller bag.
Tear once again threatened to fall as the high pitched yell heralded his son launching himself in to Drake’s arms.
Neither of them really wanted to let go of one another but as Drake urged his son down Hex spotted the bags by the door.
“We going?”
Drake knelt to bring himself down to his sons level. “I’m afraid so Ionn.”
Hex draped his arms around his dad and hugged him again, “Ok Ada.” The cute effect was spoiled when Hex noticed the horns that Drake now wore on his forehead and started to giggle. It wasn’t long before Lara also joined in and Drake followed bare moments after.
“Hey, come on ! Don’t you think they look good?” Asked Drake, managing to control his laughter for a moment. It was only a moment as his question and the expression on his face caused Hex and Lara to laugh even harder.
Hex was still sniggering a little to himself 5 minutes later when the three of them walked hand in hand down some of the quieter corridors of the station towards the docking bays.
Location: USS PENDRAGON
Scene: Cargo bay – situation room
It played horrible to the stereotypes of engineers and scientists but Peter found the ‘science of the mind’ to be a very uncomfortable subject when he had to explore it, unfortunately it was also a subject he current had no way to avoid.
He was, as seemed to be his perch lately, staring at the situation console in their converted cargo bay.
The PENDRAGON has arrived with a clear picture of events as they would occur, the trouble was of course for every action they took events would diverge from the ones they knew of, and they were now at the point things were well and truly getting unpredictable.
They had of course expected the problem, after all changing their history was what they were here to accomplish, they had planned and explored the personalities and likely outcomes of everyone involved to plan a likely course their actions could take.
It hadn’t worked.
They had obviously missed something or someone somewhere but there was no help for it now anyway.
The activation of the PHOENIX a day early would likely prove to just be the first of an avalanche of events that differed from what they had expected, but the PHOENIX’s launch was very much a critical event. It didn’t seem like such a massive event on the scale of things but the thing that now worried Peter was the potential for deaths given the PENDRAGON assets were not all likely to be in position to protect the others.
Peter had seen or heard of the deaths of all too many acquaintances and friends in the short time they had spent hidden away from Edgerton’s Federation and there had been little they could do, but here and now they had a chance to safeguard people, a chance that seemed like it might be slipping away.
“You look like a spider watching over his web.” Commented Kat as she walked in to the room from behind him.
Peter sighed, “I feel more like I am caught in someone elses web.”
Kat moved up to him and gave his arm a companionable squeeze.
“That or if I am the spider then something is unravelling my web.”
“Stop focussing on your worry Peter, it’s only gotten worse since you sent them out there.”
“Of course it has, I worry about everyone of course but especially my own.”
“It’s natural, I worry about my kids daily but if you focus on the worry you aren’t going to help them.”
“I don’t know if I can help them anymore anyway.” Grumped Peter gesturing at the changing map.
“We knew the predictions wouldn’t hold indefinitely.” Observed Kat.
“I know, and my stomach was already knotted before the STONEHENGE ever brought us the news.”
The PENDRAGON in this time was officially missing and with their cloak still damaged they had little choice but to remain at ELANDIPOLE IV which unfortunately was hardly a communication hub given its ultra secret status. This had necessitated most of their information coming from returning PENDRAGON crew as they finished various missions or on information passed on by the STONEHENGE.
The STONEHENGE had left many days before ostensibly on a supply run to a number of small bases, four of which were the reason the STONEHENGE ever ran the route. Although the Locusta threat had long since ebbed and other trans-dimensional foes had largely been defeated or had no real way to reach them a network of four trandimensional scanners monitored other dimensions for potential threats. The technology was pretty vague and detail was sketchy at best but what it could pick up on quite readily was technology designed to break dimensional barriers.
This was what STONEHENGE was now set to sabotage.
A virus designed by a number of the PENDRAGON engineers and refined further by those on the STONEHENGE more familiar with their own technology would subtly alter the transdimensional sensor network effectively giving the STONEHENGE the ability to hide from its own warning system. Should the worse come to pass and Edgerton gains full control once more the STONEHENGE would truly be able to escape. It was a last resort to save as many people as they could and they had all hoped they would never have to use it.
STONEHENGE was about half way through it’s scheduled run when it had dropped out of transwarp straight in to orbit of E4 in a very risky manoeuvre.
Peter’s fears had been quickly confirmed by Rharn, through several methods of communication the STONEHENGE had received word of the PHOENIX’s activation .
Peter has struggled to prevent his already substantial worry about his children, whom he had sent in to the heart of the power struggle, from consuming him, and had managed to settle instead on overwhelming worrying about everyone he had sent out there and he had still been at that emotionally wound up point when Kat had found him.
“What more can we do?” Prompted Kat.
“Not a lot; hence the worrying.” Pointed out Peter despondently.
“Which as you well know doesn’t do any good.” Growled Kat getting irritated with him.
Peter signed, his hands curling in to fists as he leaned over the central console.
“There’s nothing more to do for the PHOENIX, any orders I give or people I send will be far too late to help the, I just have to hope the people who have got in to position are enough.”
“Exactly, so stop thinking about what might be happening right now; what can we do to that is useful.”
Peter stared at the map for long enough that Kat prodded him heavily to make sure he was still awake.
“The shipyard.” He sighed.
Kat nodded, she knew exactly what that would mean. “Drake hasn’t returned?”
Peter shook his head, “And Lara hasn’t showed up so I have to assume something has happened.”
“So send someone else.”
Peter turned round to look at his long time friend.
“It’s a Starfleet facility; only the Drakes had a chance getting in, everyone else would be recognised.”
Kat nodded, she knew this already, and Peter knew she did, she was just waiting for him to make his decision.
“There’s no choice is there?” He asked.
“I don’t think so, all the other Drakes are deployed, there’s only one other way to get on that shipyard.”
“Then I guess I have to leave my little web.” Said Peter although he still made no move to actually do so.
“You do realise how dangerous this is ?” Commented Kat, already aware he probably was but also unwilling to leave it unvoiced, even if she too felt this their best option.
“I know, I know all the plans, all the mission, everyone that’s out there; if I get caught it’s all over.”
Kat again gave his arm a squeeze, “Then don’t get caught P’ball.”
Peter snorted a laugh and turned to leave.
Location: EARTH
Scene Aspinall estate
As Jackie stood by the familiar front door, her hang falling away from the chime, she began to regret ever convincing her father to let her have an assignment. Almost subconsciously her hand slipped to her belly as she thought about it.
Location: USS PENDRAGON
Scene: cargo bay – situation room
As usual Jackie and Benham had found Peter in the operations centre in the cargo bay.
Also as usual he looked tired and it took him a few moments to even realise they were there, an impressive lapse considering the telepathy he and Benham shared.
His eyes drew immediately to the coffee that Jackie held and she could swear she could hear his stomach rumble from several feet away.
His eyebrows had risen as Benham had then passed him the pastries he had carried behind his back, sometimes it was worrying how predictable their father had become in some ways.
As Jackie watched him though she took note of his eyes as they took in everything they could about them; including their lacks of uniform she was sure.
“Make your case.” He said between sips of coffee.
Benham blushed and opened his mouth but Jackie interrupted.
“There’s no denying in Ben; Dad already knows what we want, and he didn’t have to use telepathy to know either, we were hardly difficult to predict.”
Peter gestured with the pastry, flakes flying off unnoticed by him to slip to the floor. “A trait we share it seems.”
Benham scowled, “That was easy, you haven’t been looking after yourself for weeks.”
Their dad didn’t argue, he couldn’t really.
Jackie filled the silence before it stretched longer, “We want to be given assignments.”
“You both want to go undercover?”
“Yes dad.” Answered Benham, “We want to be useful we don’t want to be cooped up here…” he stopped realising what he had said, so many of the PENDRAGON crew had to stay here as they would be too recognisable elsewhere.
“”I didn’t mean…”
Peter stopped him with a gesture as he took another mouthful of the coffee.
Jackie took up the argument, “You have limited options for people to send off, we all know this, Benham and I are mission viable you know we are.”
“Your DNA will still be on Starfleet databases, sending you on to a ship or installation could flag you immediately.” Commented Peter.
“Drake’s updates to the databases should hold you know they should but even if we are a high risk there what about none Starfleet missions?” Argued Jackie.
Peter stared at them for a while, Jackie could practically see his concern and worry wash over his features, but she knew they were right.
He reached behind him and grabbed a couple of pads before passing them each one; Benham seemed to practically bounce as he started to read his, Jackie didn’t even look at hers as she pondered her father.
“Jackie could you give Benham and I a minute.”
As she moved out of earshot so that Peter could talk to Benham about his assignment she glanced at her pad to see her own. Her emotions roiled jumping across most of the emotional spectrum.
She glanced at her brother and father and although they both tried to hide it she could tell they were both glancing at her, aware through their connection of her emotional wave in that moment.
Benham was frowning but Peter smiled at her and gave her a little nod.
Location: EARTH
Scene: Aspinall estate
The door in front of Jackie opened to a very familiar face.
“Hello?” Asked Paul Aspinall, not perhaps recognising his granddaughter, and why should he when she was nearly 20 years older than she had any right to be at this point in time.
Jackie opened her mouth to explain when her grandmother joined them.
It took Irene a moment of looking at Jackie’s face, a puzzled expression causing her eyebrows to almost meet as he brow furrowed.
Her face paled however and a gasp escaped her lips and Jackie dashed forward to hold her steady.
“Careful Grandma. I’m sorry to cause such a shock; can I come in?”
Paul was gaping at his granddaughter, “Of course, I think we have a lot to talk about yes ?”
“You don’t know the half of it Granddad.” Sighed Jackie feeling a little relieved.
NRPG: Shocking I know, a post !
I’m sorry this largely deals with my characters but as you can tell this was pieced together over quite some time so was done this way to not step on any toes.
Hopefully this will spur me in to writing more again and getting up to date, and using other people !
Peter Aspinall…
The voice of
Captain Peter Aspinall
CO
USS PENDRAGON
