Repeat That Again
Posted on Aug 12, 2019 @ 4:56am by Iphigenia Bonviva
Edited on on Aug 12, 2019 @ 4:57am
Mission: Last Days of Empire
“Repeat That Again”
=Cont’d from “Down Darker Trails” =
=/\=
Location: USS PHOENIX
Scene: The Vulgar Tribble
STARDATE: [2.19] 08011.1931
Iphie Bonviva, the Chef/Bartender of the USS PHOENIX, looked over at her niece and nephew. “Repeat that again, anklebiters.”
“The whole thing?” Ben asked. “From the beginning?”
It was amazing that procreation ever became a thing, Iphie thought to herself; she liked her sister’s kids when she could spoil them and send them off on their way rather than being responsible for them. “Yes,” she replied.
“Okey-de-dokey,” Ben replied. “In the beginning, there was the universe and it began as a very hot, small, and dense supery force with no stars. Then stuff happened, space got fat and *poof* it became the “Big Bang”.”
Dahlia, with all the wisdom of a teenager, rolled her eyes and looked at her aunt. “I’ll smack him for free for that, if ya want.”
“So, so, tempting,” Iphie muttered as she rubbed her head. Waving her hands around as she sat down she said, “Replay the message, I want to hear it again.”
“It’s going to be the same as before,” Ben grinned as he tapped the PADD.
The symbol on the PADD changed from the symbol of the Federation to that of Ambassador Xana Bonviva -- the children’s mother and Iphie’s elder sister. For the last 2 years, Xana had been dying, wasting away; her azure skin becoming slowly waxen; her vivid violet eyes had become sunken; but the most apparent thing was that her non-stop energy was zapped. She had hardly any energy and she increasing lost feeling to her extremities.
The woman on the screen looked quite different; in fact, she looked like a vision of the past. Her azure skin was glowing and her eyes were bright.
{{Hello Dahlia and Benito,}} Xana smiled. {{I hope you’re enjoying your time with your father and Aunt Iphie. I know both of you, despite what one of you might say, were looking forward to it.}}
“She means Dee,” Ben stage-whispered.
“Shut it, gagh for brains,” Dahlia muttered, intently re-watching the screen.
{{Please let me know what you're up to. I miss you both so much but I’m so happy for you both at the same time,}} the mother smiled. {{I have to admit that I’m contacting you to let you know about something about something for me.}} For a moment Xana paused as if weighing her words, {{This is not a message I expected to send and I wanted to give it a little time before sending it because I had to be sure. But totally unexpectedly, but quite happily, I have 100% been cured of my illness. Now I’m not a doctor, so I don’t really know how to explain how it happened. Then again, when I first got sick, I didn’t know how to explain how that happened either. I suppose it’s a good thing I’m an Ambassador and not a doctor,}} she smiled.
Leaning in she said, {{This illness, my illness, has been unfair and cruel to both of you. I know it forced you to grow up too quickly. There is nothing I can do but apologize and try to make it up to both of you and Erika and Gavi for all the time lost. I love you, and am so proud of you each and every day.}} Pausing for a moment as if considering something she said finally. {{I’ve already sent a message like this to Erika and Gavi,}} referring to Dahlia and Ben’s siblings, Xana’s children from her previous marriage,
{{but I’ll leave it up to you how you want to tell Aunt Iphie and your father/stepfather. Te amo.}}
The screen faded then and went back to the Federation symbol.
“I am so telling Dad,” Ben announced as soon as the screen changed, bouncing up out of his seat.
Dahlia looked over at her aunt before glancing over at her brother. “Hold it,” she yelled. Once Ben paused (comically with one foot in the air), Dahlia said, “You know he’s not here, right?”
“He’s coming back,” Ben pointed out.
“He’s not going to care,” Dahlia pointed out. When Ben blinked, several times at that, the teenage girl sighed. “Hello. Again I remind you. Mom and Jake are *divorced*. I mean I’m sure Jake doesn’t want her dead but he’s not going to be celebrating with us.”
Ben, still with one foot in the air, looked at his sister. “You’re wrong about this too and I’m going to prove it.” With that the young boy went dashing out of the Vulgar Tribble with all the speed of a 10 year old boy.
Iphie looked at Dahlia who was alternating between looking at the black screen as if the visage of her mother would reappear and at her brother. Standing up she wandered over to Calvin and Hobbes and after some negotiation got a water bottle and more popcorn. “He’s about to get his heart crushed and he can’t keep collapsing on his Tribbles,” Dahlia said.
“So you’re going to go help him when he realizes that Jake and Xana aren’t getting together,” Iphie said.
“No I’m going to drag his bony butt to Counseling. Maybe Captain Smooshy has some openings,” Dahlia sighed. “Bye Aunt Iphie!”
The Bolian/Human chef sighed and looked at the screen. A better sister, a better aunt would make sure those kids are okay, she thought to herself. “I am not that woman,” she admitted out loud.
=/\=
NRPG:
Hello from the Vulgar Tribble -- sorry for the timing but wanted to get this out to continue the cross-story telling.
Shawn: Tag to you but no rush. Ben can find Jake whenever ;-)
=/\=
Sarah Albertini-Bond
~writing for~
Iphie Bonviva
Chef/Bartender of Vulgar Tribble
USS PHOENIX
