A Family Affair
Posted on Jun 25, 2015 @ 11:31am by Lieutenant Izshlana Vort
Edited on on Jun 25, 2015 @ 11:32am
Mission: USS Pendragon
“A family affair”
(Cont’d from “Threshold”)
=[/\]=
Location: USS PENDRAGON
Scene: Kat’s quarters
Stardate: [2.15]0624.2039
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY. “ at this point there was a noise of many voices singing mum or Kat.. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU.” Kat buried her head under the pillow growling quietly.
**happy birthday** her husband added silently.
**@4*k off**
“Now now, there's no need for swearing.” Kat lifted the pillow to look at him, “I'm 58, retired, I do not need to be up at...” She glanced over her shoulder at the clock. “o six hundred.”
“You're fifty eight, sure you don't have a rank but you're very far from retired dear. Get up, the kids want to spend the day with you.”
“The kids have spent every day for the last twenty years with me. Fancy staying in bed?”
Jeff grinned at her and then got up. “I think we've terrorised the four of them enough for one life time, get up.” He showered and Kat considered joining him until she heard the front door buzz go.
“Computer open the door.” She ordered, the familiar beep accepted her command.
“Morning Mum!” Ely called.
“Still in bed.” Kat yelled back to her eldest. “You want to train?”
She heard El'hron laugh “Mum it's your birthday.”
“So? I'm getting old, need all the exercise I can get.”
“Well that's a new excuse.” The half Klingon called back.
Jeff got out the shower and Kat went in, he got breakfast out of the replicator and by the time she was ready and dressed her family were all there. She stopped in the doorway, the table had been taken over by fruit, cereal, cooked foods. The tables, including the sofa where all full.
Maddie was sat, straight backed in one of the kitchen chairs. Jeff was sat near to her, laughing at something the Captain had said. All four of their children were sat around, El'hron close to the half Vulcan, the twins sat next to each other as always. John was sat next to Jackie's empty seat but the scientist was holding his own with his uncle Xordin.
Izzy and Xordin sat on opposite sides of the table but their hands were all but touching across it. Neither of them looked a day older than when they'd left twenty years ago. Kat scowled as the Alterian turned and grinned. “Morning birthday girl!”
“You already said that once this morning.”
“That was a recording, one we did weeks ago, Peter left something for you.” The security chief informed her friend. Kat glanced at the computer and then took an empty seat. Zandria looked up at her aunt and grinned. “Surprise.” It was since the teenager should have been at the academy.
'What the hell are you doing here?”
“Well mum said you were home, and OLD... So I had to come and see for myself.”
All of Kat's kids laughed and the 58 year old sighed. “Love you too sweety, thanks for coming.”
Maddie unsuccessfully hid a grin behind her hand. “Shall we toast?” Jeff asked. Kat looked at her orange juice and then raised it.
“To family, and absent friends.” The toast was echoed around the table.
Kat looked at the empty seats, Peter, Jackie and Benham were all missing and she hated the fact that she wasn't with them. She looked at her youngest son and saw a similar look in his eyes.
“So what's the plan?” Maddie asked.
“We're going to the beach,” El'hron stated, “and we're building a sandcastle.” Kat looked at her daughter and laughed at the thirty two year old. She laughed more as her Canadian husband visibly shuddered at the thought of the temperature on the planet.
The family ate together, chatting and when they were done Maddie went to work.
They went down to the tropical planet together. “What's a sandcastle?” Izy called following El'hron and John across the sand. Xordin fell in with Kat and Jeff. They found a bit of flat sand, Jeff lay a blanket over it, and Xordin put the umbrella up. Kat flopped down and looked up at the sun.
“You know I could almost pretend that nothing bad is happening. We're home, the kids are safe, everything is fine.” Jeff smiled at her and nodded.
“Kids,” he teased looking at their grown up children. “Although hiding is almost nice.”
“Except our future daughter in law is absent... I'd slap Peter but he disappeared too quickly.” Kat scowled.
“Our future...” Jeff sighed. “Why am I always last to know.”
The twins laughed. “Oh come on dad, it’s been obvious for years.”
“Well... I...Help me out Din?”
The Atleavkith shrugged. “I can barely tell what Izzy's doing half the time, you're on your own with your family.” He paused.
“Spit it out Din.” Kat ordered picking up the pause as a desire to say something.
“Do you think it'll be possible to go through the wormhole? I've heard nothing about my family and...”
Kat shrugged. “There's that whole not being seen thing Din, and your wife is pretty obvious.”
“She seems to be under the misapprehension that she is a master of disguise.” Xordin answered.
“She's very good at changing colour, but you know, there aren't that many aliens who change colour, have a tail, look like a teenager and are dangerous in a fight, I mean frankly of all the people likely to be spotted it's you and Iz, you've barely aged.” Din nodded but still looked downcast.
Kat watched the others. Izzy was enthusiastically attempting to build something out of sand, the problem there was that she had no idea what a castle was supposed to look like. John seemed to be trying to make some strange engineering construct between the water and the buildings. The twins and El'hron were building walls. Kat went and joined her kids all five of them as she pointed out to Izzy cheerily just to watch her friend scowl and then pull tongues. As if to prove Kat's point she then proceeded to bounce into a handstand and run down to the beach upside down.
El'hron wandered over to her mum, “I want to do something.”
“I know.” Kat answered honestly, “All four of you have the same look as Izzy, and Din, and me, we all want to do something.”
“You've been training us for over 20 years mum. You've made us a team, we could do... something.”
Kat laughed. “Ely, if I could think of something for you to do that was worth your life I'd send you. But I'm not starfleet, and Peter couldn't come up with anything.” El'hron looked at her mother.
“You were thinking of something.” she accused.
“If I could send you to your grandparents, we have an in with the high council, but I don't know what hold Edgerton has there. Plus, they're likely to approve of him, and asking for help. I was wondering if they'd join with us against the Romulans but...”
El'hron nodded. “I get it, but this is big, and we're just sat...”
“There will come a time for you to fight hon... You know I wouldn't sit on you because I was trying to protect you, I'm just not going to throw a single one of you away without a reason. You're too damn important.”
“That was almost emotional.” Kat looked at her daughter and then beckoned to her, the tall half klingon bowed her head and her mother pressed her forehead against hers.
“I love you, I'm just pragmatic.”
El'hron grinned. “Soon?”
“Soon.” Kat agreed.
****
NRPG: POST. Bit rusty, hopefully the next one will be better. But this one is kind of traditional.
Joy Phillips
Katlina Gorman
Civilian and broodmother
USS PENDRAGON
Lieutenant Izshlana Vort
Chief Sec/Tac
USS PENDRAGON
