Crowded

Posted on Aug 26, 2015 @ 7:01pm by Captain Peter Aspinall
Edited on on Aug 26, 2015 @ 7:01pm

Mission: USS Pendragon

“Crowded” (contd-“What we don’t say in the silence”)


Location: England, EARTH
Scene: Study in the Aspinall family home
Stardate: [2.15]0826.2253
Time Index: a day or so after the council building explosion.

The summer sun flooded in to the room and lit the wall, the occasional rustle of the trees outside and the chirping of birds the only counterpoint to the occasional tone from the padd.

The trees and birds didn’t care that the world was changing around them, but the sunlight played on the cascade of red hair belonging to someone who very much did.

For a rare change Jackie sat with her long hair unbound spread out behind her, a little shield against the heat of the sun streaming through the window. The padd in her hand beeped occasionally as the end of a file was reached and she moved on to the next. A puzzle in logistics that held the lives of people in the balance was on the padd and in her head, a desperate race to save people who’s lives were in danger, even more so now that Edgerton’s plans were clearly accelerating. And behind it all the thought that in doing this she was placing more lives in danger, the lives of her grandparents and all the family friends who helped in their underground railroad to the stars.

She had tried to spend time with her grandparents but it was awkward, the difference in her age from their perspective was huge and they kept trying to baby her, she couldn’t really blame them but it was tiring, she felt almost guilty that the explosion had given her an excuse to dive even more in to her work.

Her finger paused above the padd as she felt a change come over her, and a nagging feeling that she should turn around.

The source of the feeling was immediately obvious, the lone figure trudging up the path towards the house. His eyes the same piercing colour as their father.

Jackie raced to the door and although she didn’t beat the knock she beat anyone else to the door which she flung open to be immediately enveloped in her brother’s arms.

“Oh thank the stars you are alright.” She mumbled in to his shoulder.

He just pulled her even tighter, glad to have someone familiar again.

Speaking of familiar, as Jackie whispered about being so worried after the explosion he pulled away from her to look at his now arrived grandparents.

The very presence of Jackie meant they would know of his age but still the look in their eyes pained him; they had missed so much of his childhood.

Of course that didn’t stop his grandmother who soon had her arms wrapped around him, joined swiftly by her grandpa.

“We didn’t know you were here too.”

“Jackie hasn’t told us anything.”

“I am not sure what I think of this Captain of yours, sending you off on dangerous missions like this..”

Benham glanced at his sister, she clearly hadn’t told them all that much as they obvious didn’t know Dad was Captain. She just shrugged before asking the pointed question, “Where’s Drake?”

Benham’s face clouded, “I don’t know, we were outside by the council building;” he hear his grandmother gasp, “He followed one of the Secretary’s staff and I never saw him again, he didn’t show up at the safehouse after the explosion but I only stayed a few hours, I have no idea how compromised if it all this has made us.”

“Edgerton seems to be making people disappear at an alarming rate.” Commented his sister, “I have been contemplating evac since the explosion and now with you here….”

“You’re the highest ranking officer Red, how do you want to do this?”

Jackie looked at her grandparents and didn’t say anything.

Her grandfather looked back.

She raised her eyebrows.

“Are you wanting something young lady?” He asked.

“Oh come on Gramps, did you really think I hadn’t noticed?”

“Noticed?” Asked Paul, his tone remarkably even still.

“Momento’s disappearing from where they had always been, the staffing reduced to almost none, not to mention some of the art and books are clearly fake.

“Fakes ?” Asked her Grandmother.

Jackie rolled her eyes and glanced at her brother, “The Benham.”

He chuckled.

Her grandfather sighed, “Fine yes its all on the AVISFORD, now shall we go?” He smiled, pleased never the less that his granddaughter had spotted it all.

As they quickly gathered a last few pieces, Paul ushering the others about, Jackie couldn’t help but notice him take lingering looks at each room they passed; who knew if they would ever be able to return home.



Location: USS PENDRAGON
Scene: Bridge
Time Index: Present

Izzy had just received yet another negative report from Kyle and Ryan and was settling down to yet another boring few hours in charge of the bridge when there was an alert.

There had been a few alerts, rogue comet, odd sensor glitch, but little all told to break the monotony of their hidden vigil so Izzy wasn’t expecting much.

“Sensor buoys have registered an incoming ship, small, probably a shuttlecraft.” Commented one of the junior officers behind her.

“The Captain?” Asked Izzy as she stood.

“Too soon to tell.” Commented the same officer.

“Call Kat up here anyway please.” Ordered Izzy, her tail swishing behind her, her skin already changing to a colour indicative of expectation.

The wait was agonising, more so than the absence of anything happening the knowledge something was about to but there was still a wait was torture. It was perhaps good though that the delay gave time for Kat to appear on the bridge.

“Incoming comm.” Called out the same officer as before, their voice loud and excited, “It’s the Captain.”

“On screen.” Called Izzy curtly.

The Captain’s aged face appeared on the viewscreen, {{PENDRAGON this is GWYNEDD, permission to come aboard.}}

“Permission granted, welcome home sir.” Smiled Izzy.

{{It’s getting rather busy around here;}} Noted the Captain, the PENDRAGON being flanked by the ACREMAN and STONEHENGE, [[Tell Engineering I have a present for them, see you soon.}}


Scene: Shuttlebay

The number of people gathered to meet the shuttle seemed almost over the top but Peter was glad when he disembarked and felt immediately at home with the people he had spent such a long period of his life with. He gestured Kyle and Ryan in to the shuttle’s back area while he joined Kat, Izzy and Jeff.

“Did he listen?” Asked Kat.

“He seemed to, the only way to know for sure though will be when we use an override.” Said Peter though he was pretty confident in James in this instance.

Jeff glanced at the shuttle at Kyle and Ryan started clamoring.

Peter smiled, “I brought them a present; at least now they just have to get the cloak to work with our tweaked engines; not rebuilding the cloak aswell.

As one Izzy and Peter’s comm badges beeped.

[[Bridge to Shuttlebay; incoming signals.]]

Those present all shared a worried look and Peter asked the questions, “Bridge did you say signal*s*?”

[[Yes sir, two signals, one at the far extreme of the range, its starship sized;]]

People breathed a sigh of relief; if there was only 2 contacts, and not together, it was unlikely they were about to be attacked unless there was a particularly confident captain.

“And the second?” Queried Izzy.

[[Much closer, smaller craft, very small sensor profile but there seems to be an energy bleed; I think it’s damaged sir; both ships are heading this way.]]

Peter wasn’t surprised, there was generally no traffic in this region of space; that’s what the base was on ELANDIPOLE.

[[Sir; the smaller ship is hailing.]]

The comm crackled and a much worse signal came through, [[..ENDRAGON this is the ….. DHINEN…]]

With the name of the ship, or at least a part of it, Peter knew who he was listening to. “Lara?”

[[Yes! We have taken damage; the FEREDHIR a…..s me we haven’t …..n followed but control is getting harder.]]

“Understood, stand to if you can Lara.” Peter saved the question of why Drake wasn’t on the comm for once the ship was safe, “Bridge, intercept course on the small contact; tractor them in to the main bay.”

[[Understood sir.]]



NRPG:

God I feel rusty writing fiction, this is what writing formal reports is doing to me... ugh.

The other contact is intended to be the AVISFORD; the ship belonging to Peter’s parents; a decommissioned Excelsior class refitted for civilian use but feel free to have it be any other contact we should be expecting;


Peter Aspinall

The Voice of ….

Captain Peter Aspinall
CO
USS PENDRAGON