Goodbye, Gavi

Posted on Feb 26, 2017 @ 11:35pm by Ambassador Xana Bonviva
Edited on on Feb 26, 2017 @ 11:38pm

Mission: Aftermath

=/\=

“Goodbye, Gavi”



=/\=

Location: VULCAN

Scene: Spaceport

SD: [2.17]0226.2200

It should have been easy to drop off Gavi at the Spaceport. But as usual they were delayed leaving the house in last minute dash packing bags which meant even with Xana’s piloting skills they were late getting to the Spaceport. Thus five souls went on a mad dash through the Spaceport to find Gavi’s shuttle, the SS GANDHI. All through check-in and parading pre-check in, the group was morosely quiet except for the questions that Gavi had to answer.

Finally they reached the point of no return. “This is it,” Gavi sighed. It took a moment but once Erika started, then Dahlia, and then Ben crowded around Gavi; seemingly never wanting to not let him go, hanging on for dear life.

“It’s time,” Xana sighed sadly from the side as she leaned on on the cool railing. She hadn’t joined in the group hug, knowing it was important for the siblings to have this moment to themselves.

After *one* more hug, another promise for some word whenever he could send it, Gavi extricated himself and walked over to one of his mothers. Xana looked her eldest in the eye, instinctively brushing back the dark hair that never wanted to seem to stay back. “You have everything,” she asked again for what seemed to be the millionth time that day.

“I think so,” he said. Shrugging as he picked up his bag he admitted, “Little late now, isn’t it?”

Xana bit her tongue at that, wanting to say it wasn’t too late, that he could still stay. Instead she shrugged her shoulder at that. But Gavi, who had come into her life already half-formed, scarred beyond measure, had done the unforgivable: he had grown up. He had learned to conquer his very real demons, become an adult and now was going off on his own to live his own life.

“Listen,” she said quietly, “I get to do the annoying ‘mom’ thing.”

“You’ve been doing that for a while,” he half grinned.

Over Gavi’s sarcasm, which Xana promptly ignored, she tapped his nose like she did when she was young to get his attention. Once she had his attention, a brief swell of panic gripped her. She wanted to tell him to dream big; that honesty was key; that despite what he had learned as a young boy to never stop trusting people; and to give and accept nothing less than respect. But he was leaving and those lessons...well either he had learned them from her and Daisy...or he’d learn them now on his own. “I love you and you’re mine,” she said quietly. “Not just because of this,” she said tapping his arm where below his sleeve was the Bolian tattoo he got when she adopted him which was similar to the tattoo that all her children had, “but just because...you are. You’re family.”

“Per famiglia,” he nodded, repeating the first phrase he learned from her.

“Per famiglia,” she repeated. Inhaling she said, “Listen...if you need anything, always call me. ALWAYS. No matter what, I don’t care what time it is, where you are. No matter has happened or you may do, call me and I will come. I am so proud of the man you are.”

“Love you too, Mom,” he said giving her a hug. With that he picked up his bag and turned to walk onto the SS GANDHI, off to start his own life.

=/\=

Location: ACAMAR III

Scene: Customs Office -> Landing Pad

Lt. Moe Modesto and Lt. Larry Todd, Jr. of the USS CAIRO were on duty at the Main ACAMAR III Customs office which sounded far more official than it was. The layer of dust was thick all over the perfunctory official Customs PADDs and chairs that hadn’t been used in sometime.

“Why are we here again?” Larry again.

“Cause Cap has it in for us,” Moe replied.

Larry took a swig from his canteen. “No I mean on this backwater planet.”

Moe shrugged as he kept reading. “It’s not that backwater. I mean they have technology.”

“It’s gotta be some kinda backwaters, they need us to do protectoring,” Larry replied.

Moe gave him a look. “Protectoring? Did you really just say that?”

Larry took a long gulp of water. “Yeah. Why?”

“That’s not even a word,” Moe pointed out.

Larry blinked his almost cross-eyed brown eyes and nodded vigorously. “Is too!”

Before they could get into a fight to break up the boredom, the computer interrupted. [[The SS BOREALIS has landed and is requesting permission to pass through.]]

“Shiiit, we gotta work,” Larry sighed as he hefted himself up. Looking around he found his phaser rifle stored away under the desk while Moe did the same. They shuffled out the doors and outside to the old Spacedock. As the SS BOREALIS popped its hatch. “Do you know what to do?”

“Of course I do,” Moe lied. “You know what to do, right?”

“Yeah I was just testin’ ya,” Larry replied.

And the loudest music started to blare, with strong guitar chords and blaring vocals vibrating out of the shuttle to the point that rattled the ground.

Larry and Moe looked at each other before yelling, “YOU NEED TO TURN DOWN THAT NOISE.”

A voice in the midst of the shuttle (in between the lyrics) replied, “Eh?”

“TURN DOWN THE MUSIC!”

A slim dark haired woman with a tall chauffeur's cap over her messy black hair, a white tank top, and black cargo pants stuck her head out of the SS BOREALIS. Pulling a lollipop out of her mouth she waved it around and asked again, “Eh?”

“TURN DOWN THE MUSIC!” Larry and Moe yelled for the third time.

Evangeline Montoya rolled her eyes. “Sheesh, why didn’t you say so,” she muttered. Crawling back into her shuttle, she said something under her breath about people who didn’t appreciate the classics, before coming back out. Back to sucking on her lollipop she stared at the Starfleet officers.

There was a long moment of silence that stretched on uncomfortably before someone finally realized what they were supposed to do. Sadly that person was the *former* Starfleet officer. “I need to present my Bill of Lading so I can, ya know, drop my shit off,” Evangeline said.

“Right,” Larry nodded. He waited until Montoya passed over the PADD; not understanding what he was reading at all he bobbled his head and passed it over to Moe. “Looks good to me.”

Not at all going to contradict Larry, Moe agreed. “And-uh-your plans for ACAMAR III?” he asked.

“Can we ask that?” Larry whispered.

Moe looked around for an authority figure and finding none he tried to find a reason within himself. “I was being nice,” he nodded.

“Good idea,” Larry replied, before they both straightened up.

Montoya widened her chocolate eyes. Something wasn’t right here, and every damaged cell in her brain was trying to fire off *something*

Folding her skinny arms over her chest she stared at the officers. There was no way she got lucky to get two of the dopiest officers ever to be commissioned. Granted she had the mental capacity of a Tribble right now but even she knew that something wasn’t right. Picking up her lollipop (orange cream) she stuck it back in her mouth, rolling it around her tongue as she considered her options.

Yeah, she couldn’t put any together; so she jutted her bony hip on the shuttle doorway and stared at them. Not that a skinny pilot from a quasi-legal entity was intimidating but maybe something would jar something to life here. “Just here to ah-eff-well,” she stumbled, pulling the cap further down on her head. “Well dropping off,” she said waving her free hand back to the crate, “Picking up and somewhere doing the 4 S’s,” she said referring to the colloquialism that freighters and even some in the Fleet said after long bouts in deep space. Looking at the two lugs in front of her she amended, “Yeah...I may skip the third S and go for 3 this time.”

Before Larry and Moe could say anything suddenly there was the familiar shimmer of a transporter and they were surrounded by a stampede of boots--

**There’s a name for these boots. Congregation? Herd? Swarm? Troubling? They’re in dark uniforms, that means Starfleet, but they have names like this,** Evangeline thought as her brow furrowed and she continued to work on her lollipop.

“Ma’am? We’re the 392nd assigned to the USS CAIRO,” the Marine officer in front said. “You need to step away from that shuttle.” When Montoya did not move, he cocked his rifle, aiming it at her as all the others in his...cloud (no that wasn’t it, Montoya thought, as it continued to bug her) followed suit.

Finally, the Human woman stepped away from her shuttle. “Can I ask a question?”

“No, you may not,” the angry man yelled at her. “We will inspect your shuttle and if we find it appropriate we will inform you. State your business on ACAMAR III.” As Montoya swirled the lollipop in her mouth he yelled, “There will be no illegal substances here either.”

Evangeline widened her dark brown eyes. Slowly pulling out the lollipop out of her mouth she dropped it on the ground and said, “Na-na-gonna ask about the 4 S’s.”

“Good,” the man nodded. “I’m Sgt. Saul Curly and you’ll be coming with me.”

=/\=

Location: VULCAN

Scene: Outside Bonviva Home -> Inside Bonviva Home

The sandcruiser dipped precariously to the right, spun 360, then dipped to the left, before looping around and doing a loop, before shuddering with a large *boom* to the ground never before heard. After a moment the hatch opened and all was quiet from the area around the Bonviva house and the sandcruiser.

Then the youngest member of the family went dashing out, running out of the sandcruiser flung himself on the ground, and began screaming for all of VULCAN to hear, “GROUND -- SWEET GROUND.”

Erika Byrne glared at her brother as she clomped out of the sandcruiser, “Shut up, Ben.”

“I think I’m gonna hurl,” Dahlia groaned as she followed Erika out of the sandcruiser.

“You can shut up too,” Erika muttered with a glance over her shoulder as she continued her stomping towards the house.

Xana was the last one out of the shuttle; and if possible the azure woman looked green. Still she took several deep breaths, nudged her youngest child up, and tried to put the best on the situation. “Erika, no one said you had to be a pilot when you go into SFA. You just need to be familiar with the controls, that’s all,” she said consolingly as she wrapped an arm around the young woman.

Dahlia opened her mouth, not to hurl as previously implied but to say something to the other teenager as she shared a knowing glance and mouthed the words “She doesn’t know?” behind her mother’s back as she tugged Erika towards her.

But both Ben and Xana were oblivious to that as Ben yelled, “MOOOOOM.”

“Benito, I’m right here,” Xana sighed.

“There’s a man in front of our house!” the young boy continued on pointing to a muscular Bolian man who up until Benito pointing at him had been resting against the outside wall but now having been sighted straightened up and waited expectantly.

Thoughts of relieving themselves of lunch briefly as Xana walked closer, her hand fluttering her to where she kept her concealed weapon. After a few steps she relaxed, dropping her arm, a smile gracing her face. “Hello Traxx.”

“Really?” Traxx Vara, her former partner at Bolian Office of Protection (BOP), saw the movement and called out. If he had any hair, his eyebrow would have been raised.

Xana continued to smile at that; with the assassination attempt on Karimi (not to mention several on her and her family over the years) it wasn’t worth mentioning that she had reason to be nervous of intruders. “Can’t be too careful.” Before she could say anything Dahlia and Ben, who had met Traxx on BOLARUS IX, greeted the man as they came closer and Xana introduced Erika as Xana and Traxx exchanged a traditional Bolian handshake where each of them extended their hands but with the palm down and the fingers curved part way.. Shepherding everyone inside, Xana got out food and drinks for her and Traxx while the kids went to play games.

“I’m happy to see you,” Xana admitted once they passed pleasantries once they sat across from each other in the living area, “but I don’t think you’re just in the neighborhood.”

Traxx said nothing as he picked up a mug of tea. “When was the last time you heard from Nykke?”

Nykye Xiranat, the Director of Researcher at BOP, had reached to Xana regarding the Fund to Save BOLARUS…”It was a few weeks ago. She asked me to look into the Fund to Save BOLARUS. I told her what I knew. But I was running into walls admittedly,” Xana said.

“Maybe. Or maybe it was just enough to get her going,” Traxx said. Digging through his bag he pulled out a small memory stick. “This has all of the investigations on the Fund.”

Warily Xana leaned in and took it from Traxx. “Why are you giving this to me?” When Traxx said nothing she asked, “Traxx, why are you here?”

“Nykye is dead. Whoever did it made it look good, but I know a murder scene and if you were there you would have seen it too. She was many things but she didn’t have any reason to be killed. Except for this,” the large Bolian man said quietly.

Xana sat back, her hand coming over her mouth as she thought back to her boisterous cheerful Researcher who openly was happy for Xana when she was reunited with her family. The young woman who had joined BOP to help people and had happily dove into learn everything. Xana knew she’d be requesting what she could on Nykye Xirant’s death but she strongly suspected that she’d agree with Traxx’s assessment. He was one of the best investigators she had the worked alongside with. He was SF trained and had returned back home to BOLARUS to help his homeworld when they needed them most.

Traxx stared at Xana for a long time, piercing her with a hard gray eyes. Finally he got up and walked over to the windows, staring out at the desert. “How can you stay here? There’s no water,” he murmured.

Xana was inclined to agree with him; both Venice and her home on BOLARUS were on the water but she knew that wasn’t really what he was here to talk about.

After a moment, the Bolian man turned back around. “You and I fought in one war,” he said quietly. “It was brutal and ugly but we knew who we were fighting. There was blood, destruction and hostility...but there was a goal. There is something else going on now on BOLARUS IX. There is a quiet war, I can’t tell you what it is, but I can feel it. There is no blood, but there is a conflict, and don’t ask me who we’re fighting, but there will be a winner and there will be a loser.” Shaking his head he said, “I don’t fight those wars and Nykye just died in one of those battles. I’m giving you all we had.”

Leaning in she asked, “You’re giving up?”

“Don’t,” he warned.

“It’s a different battlefield, a different terrain,” she admitted. “But you can fight this, and you'll win. If BOLARUS is at stake, don’t you think--”

“No,” Traxx said shaking his head, not unkindly. Coming over he knelt in front of her, “I can’t sacrifice my family. I give you and your husband credit for doing this but my family and I can’t. We can’t risk everything, not again.” Sighing he said, “If they came after Nykye, then they won’t hesitate to come after me. The only thing she did wrong was ask the questions. I did worse in investigating the Fund. The clock is ticking for me. My priority has to be my family.”

“I understand,” she nodded.

Traxx refused her offer for help; explaining that he wanted to get back to his family. Sitting in her chair, Xana Bonviva played with the memory stick thinking about the sacrifices she had made; the sacrifices her family made; wondering what life would be make if different choice would have been made.

=/\=

NRPG: I’m going to end there. I had other ideas but I’ll save that for another post -- hey I’m just happy I posted!

To sum up:

Gavi Bonviva (Xana and Daisy’s eldest child) has gone off to work with refugee camps.

Nykye Xirant (seen in the posts “Terminus” and “All That Glitters Is Not Gold…”) has been killed because her investigations on BOLAURUS IX for the Fund to Save BOLARUS upset someone. Traxx Vara (Xana’s former partner as desribed in “Terminus”) has turned over all related materials of Nykye’s investigations and has bowed out to keep his own family safe.

Evangeline Montoya has made it to ACAMAR III and even though she can’t quite put all the pieces together or articulate it, she knows that things are right. Why would the Federation (in this case the officers from the USS CAIRO) be protecting/providing assistance so strongly?

[The 4 S’s that Montoya refers to be found here (NSFW): http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=The 4 S's ]

All these riddles and more will be unraveled (maybe - who knows) next time on the FRPG ;-)

=/\=

Sarah Albertini-Bond

~writing for~

Xana Bonviva


“When I am brave enough to say goodbye

I'll use the wings you gave me

and away I'll fly”

― Celia McMahon