Don't feed the Gremlins

Posted on Jul 28, 2014 @ 10:57pm by Captain Kassandra Thytos

Mission: The Tangled Webs We Weave
Location: USS CENTURY

"Don't feed the gremlins"
Cont. "vacation"
=/\=
Location: USS CENTURY
Stardate: 2.140718.1222
Scene: The Gymnasium

*Whomp*

Kassandra slammed the lime sized ball against the lighted wall to her
left and grinned with satisfaction as it bounced off and struck a
colored square on the adjoining wall. She quickly sidestepped as the
ball careened past her and a new wall and colored square lit up. She
dodged the ball again as it whizzed past her midsection and bounced
off another wall. The ball lost no momentum with each bounce, and she
‘caught’ it neatly in the inertial redirection field formed by the
gloves she wore. It stopped dead, hovering in her palm for a split
second as she quickly flung it forcefully towards the lit wall.

It bounced off of the wall, and ricocheted towards the colored square
only to land on the very edge of it. Five millimeters off. As if to
add insult to injury, the computer made a rude beeping noise to let
her know that she’d missed. She ducked as the ball whizzed over her
head.

She was about to let fly with some of her choicest blue language when
her sensor nets picked up the shapes of the four children hovering
just outside of the area she’d been concentrating on.

“Stop game” Kassandra said briskly. The ball which had been merrily
speeding towards her head suddenly lost all momentum and dropped to
the floor with a thud. “Major Thytos to Commander Crichton.”

[[Commander Crichton here. Something I can do for you Major.]]

“Well Commander Crichton, your little cretins are down here in the
gymnasium with me.” She was a little proud of the pun. She turned
around a smiled at the aforementioned and waggled her fingers
cheerily.

[[Shoot. Sorry they’re getting in your way Major, I’ll be down-]]

“Nah, I’m just lettin’ you know where they are and getting’ your
permission to tire them out for you.” Kass winked at the younger two.
“Also I’m wonderin’ what your policy is on sugary treats.”

[[Thanks Major. I’m really tied up here and I’m sure they’re getting
bored. The sugar policy is you wind them up, you’re one who has to get
them into bed.]] He sounded a bit relieved, the poor man had been
working hard to try and keep the long derelict CENTURY afloat.

“So I’m hearin’ you say… Ice cream.” Kass grinned at Benito as he
squirmed in delight. “Alrighty, Commander. You get back to work.
Right, Dahlia, was it? Whatchya starin’ at me for?”

“You used to serve with my Dad.” The young girl’s hazel eyes were
serious. “I remember seeing you a couple of times, visiting his grave
and the memorial.”

“I did. And?” Kassandra peeled off her gloves and walked over to the kids.

“Is that why you’re being nice to us?” Dahlia bit her lip.

“No…” Kassandra was puzzled. “I like mini-adults. Had two of my own
for a while, though they’re regular adults now. Why do you think
that?”

“Lieutenant Rochemonte said you were mean and scary.” Benito blurted out.

“Did she now? Well we just don’t really see eye to eye, is more like
it. The mission we just finished I found myself accidentally hangin’
out with the wrong people, and that’s kinda colored Miss Rochemonte’s
opinion of me. Yes, Dahlia?” The girl was working her face in an
attempt to suppress a question.

“Aren’t you going to say something to me about my dad? Or tell me I
look like him?” She demanded.

“Would’ya like me to?” Kassandra already knew the answer was somewhere
between yes and no, so she continued “You want me to talk about your
da, you come find me, and I’ll oblige. But who your da is really ain’t
more important to me than who *you* are. So, let’s just move past that
issue for the moment. Meanwhile, there’s precious little to entertain
you on this ship, so how about I teach you how to play Cartesian
Handball, and then we’ll go up to the Lucky 13 and grab some lunch and
ice cream, or my favorite, cupcakes?”

Benito nodded, eyes wide.

Kassandra trotted over to the replicator and replicated some more of
the gloves and safety equipment for the kids.

“You two can go relax.” Kassandra said over her shoulder to the two
teens. “You’re probably tired of babysittin’. Or come and learn how to
play, if you want to.”

She spent the next hour and a half showing the three youngest how to
catch the ball and bounce it off the wall to hit the target square.
Even though Kassandra slowed the ball down to a lazy bounce, they kids
still gained a respectable collection of bruises.

“Alright. Lunch time.” Kassandra said, when she judged that Benito had
reached the cusp of cranky tired. “Let’s go up to Lucky 13, eat lunch,
and then we’ll see if we can scrounge up some holovids.”

“ICE CREAM!” Benito’s tiredness vanished instantly.

=/\=

Scene: Lucky 13

John Doe had cleaned the lounge up as well has he could. All the
furniture was upright and clean, if not in the best of repair, and
he’d made do with what little remained of the nonperishable supplies
to make the place feel normal. Gavirosh, one of the rescued kids had
decided to assist, and was using the small cooking range and some
replicated food to make a ‘special of the day’ for the crew to eat.

Kane had come down to talk to Isadore and John Doe, he knew that many
of the DISCOVERY’s survivors had taken refuge in the Lucky 13 to try
and forget the last couple of days for a while, and he wanted to get a
sense of morale and the wellbeing of the crew. John Doe, large,
hulking, and demonic looking as he was had a good memory, was a keen
observer, and more importantly, people talked to him.

John Doe and Isadore were the defacto counselors for the ship. Cold
and calculating though it was, Major Thytos had managed to rescue only
the crew most crucial to survival of the CENTURY, and the Counseling
department had not been on her list of priorities. So with no one to
talk to, people naturally gravitated to the ethereal and patient
Preserver, and the bartender. People always talked to their bartender.

It was fairly dire. Kane suspected that much of the crew was only able
to function because the situation demanded it. Once they got to
safety, all bets were off, it sounded like they’d mostly fall apart.

His conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Major Thytos, who
had the other three children in tow.

For a moment he wondered if he’d entered the twilight zone. The
normally rough and tumble Marine looked positively motherly and
nurturing. She was even smiling, and it wasn’t her usual smirk.

She was arguing spiritedly with the four year old whom she was giving
a piggy back ride to. She caught his eye, and put the child down.

“You have to have your vegetables if you want dessert.” Kassandra said
in that overly solemn and sincere voice people used to talk to small
children. “Captain Kane has very strict rules about dessert, you see.
Don’t you Captain?”

She gave him a broad wink.

“Uh. Yes.” Kane tried to muster up his best stern but not scary face.

“None of us are allowed dessert unless we eat our vegetables, not even
me.” She said, her face very serious. “And after dessert, we have to
brush our teeth, and take a bath, making sure to clean behind our
ears. If we don’t, we don’t get dessert the next day.”

“Absolutely. And everyone has to get ready and go to bed when they’re
told.” Kane nodded sagely, getting into the spirit of things. He
dropped his voice. “Don’t tell anyone else, but Major Thytos didn’t
get dessert THREE TIMES last week.”

The Marine- God help him- actually stuck her tongue out at him.

“That’s a total load of ho-“Dahlia began. Kass raised an eyebrow at
her warningly.

“And people over 8 who don’t eat their vegetables have to do PT with
me and the Marines at 5 in the morning.” Kassandra put her hands on
her hips.

“You can’t make me.” Dahlia began.

“Nope. But the Captain can. Can’t you?”

“Uh. Yes. Eat your vegetables.” Kane watch as the 9 year old sulkily
allowed herself to be herded towards the replicators.

Kassandra turned back over her shoulder and mouthed ‘Thanks’.

“You’re good with children, Captain.” Isadore teased as he turned back
to her and John Doe. “You really ought to consider having some of your
own.”

=/\=

NRPG: Fluff... Because we've all been far too dramatic, or emo ;)

Alix Fowler
as
Major Kassandra Thytos
Babysitter in Chief
USS CENTURY