They Want You (Chapter Two)

Posted on Jul 21, 2018 @ 3:11am by Ambassador Xana Bonviva
Edited on on Jul 21, 2018 @ 3:12am

Mission: Blue Planet

"They Want You -- Chapter 2"

**********************

Location: EARTH
Scene: Bonviva Villa


“What are you doing?”

Ben Bonviva-Crichton looked up from where he was sprawled on a chair in the living room tossing a ball carelessly in the air and mostly catching it. Focusing on the ball he said, “Waiting for mom; I’m thinking we have time to go out tonight.”

His sister sighed. “Ben, you heard what Gran said,” Dahlia pointed out. “Mom got a call from the Federation government. It means we’re moving again.”

The young boy screwed up his face. “We just got home.”

“Home is a myth,” the teenager pointed out. “It’s like unicorns or war-tribbles.”

Ben screwed up his face at the thought of no war-tribbles; that was a disturbing thought. Shaking his head, he insisted. “This is home.”

“We have no home,” Dahlia sighed. “For the sake of argument, who was she talking to?”

“The dude who she sometimes went to dinner with? I don’t think he was stepdad material but maybe? I forget his name,” Ben admitted.

Dahlia gave her younger brother a strange look as she snatched the ball away. “How many times has this hit you on the head? What dude that maybe stepdad? Mom isn’t getting married again. She’s dying, she’s in no position to get married. *Again*,” she sighed.

The eight year old boy jumped up and tried to get the ball back from his sister; he was sneaker than she was but unfortunately as she had 5 years on him at this age she still had height on him, so the she was able to hold the ball high in the air. “I think,” Ben huffed as he jumped up, “Mom can do whatever she wants. Cause Mom *isn’t* dying. Stop saying that.”

“Whether or not I say doesn’t change anything,” Dahlia pointed out as she dove out of the way of her annoying younger brother. “Go back to what we’re talking about. What guy did you think Mom was going to marry but clearly isn’t?”

“The guy she would hang out with at the Council before. I don’t think they were best friends but...dunno...” Ben said as he changed tactics. Backing up away from Dahlia, he went charging at her, head first into her midsection before she realized what hit her. Flying down onto the marble floor the small red ball went flying out of her azure hands and into the dining room.

“Great, neither one of us has it,” Dahlia sighed as she cuffed her brother.

Ben grinned at that. “At least you don’t have it.”

Dahlia rolled her eyes; dusting herself off she said. “Ben, you should know. Mom has probably been dating after the divorce. Jake probably has too. But Mom isn’t getting married.”

The young boy made a face at that, a flurry of emotions he didn’t have names for nor wanted to name warring inside of him. “Mom is dating? My dad is dating?” He paused for a moment before he asked, “And not each other?”

There was the urge to be sarcastic but for once the teenage girl suppressed it and instead chose soft kindness. “No not each other,” she said. Dahlia raised up her arms to hug her brother but dropped them awkwardly when he stayed curled up. “Look, I don’t know for sure. Probably? It wouldn’t shock me. People get lonely,” she said quietly. “It’s why Mom has those dinners from time to time. I know she says it’s work but I can’t imagine it’s always work.”

“She has us,” Ben pointed out as he got up to a kneeling position.

“So you can tackle her too?” Dahlia said with a raised eyebrow as she raised herself up and sat cross-legged on the floor. “Even Mom, as she’s dying--”

“She’s not gonna die!”

“--might want an adult around for a dinner some nights,” Dahlia pointed out. Seeing her brother’s face, all scrunched up in disgust and confusion, had the teenager rolling her eyes. “And that face maybe why she doesn’t say anything. You’re not the only one who can sneak around.”

“I’m never dating,” Ben swore.

“Good be alone; Mom will be thrilled,” Dahlia exhaled. “Anyway you never answered me. Who did you think Mom was talking to?” At Ben’s blank look the Bajoran/Bolian/Human teenager sighed, “The guy you referred to as the next stepdad but clearly won’t be?”

“Ohhhh….the dude with the arms,” Ben replied, waving his own arms in an exaggerated fashion.

Dahlia paused. “Ben...I can’t think of anyone that Mom knows who *doesn’t* have arms. Can you be more specific?” she tried, as patiently as she could.

“You know, the guy with the extra arms. I can’t remember his name or where he’s from but he’s no longer on the Council like Mom is but is now the--”

“Vice President,” Dahlia filled in. “Ben you’re talking about Vice President Noellex, the former Risan Councilmember.” Shaking her head she said, “Definitely not stepdad material.”

=/\=

Location: ELANDIPOLE
Scene: One Eyed Jo’s Dive Bar


The concept of a dive bar was an old one; and although it started on EARTH it had spread across the galaxy. People wanted to drink, maybe socialize, trade information, and do it all cheaply. One Eyed Jo’s Bar, near the jetty, probably had another official name, but people just called it by this now, after the woman who worked behind the bar with the plaid eyepatch and wild blonde hair.

“New around here?” Jo asked as she wiped down the bar. The chairs didn’t match, nor were intended to be in any particular pattern, the ceiling was decorated with a painful variety of overlapping posters of musical acts that would never come to ELANDIPOLE, and the bartender watched as the man looked from the chairs to the ceiling until his eyes rested to the skull and crossbones behind her head.

Sliding into a chair, the man smiled. “Sorry, is it obvious?”

“Yeah, ‘Fleet, it’s obvious,” Jo said as she stared at the khaki shirt and white shorts.

The man didn’t blink. “I’m not ‘Fleet,” he replied.

“You’re as ‘Fleet as they come,” she replied. Jo walked to the otherside of the bar, grabbed her least grimest glass and poured a beer. “Look, I knew who you were when you stepped in this bar. I knew who you were when you stepped on this planet. I don’t mind. You got a job to do. It’s life.” Sliding the beer down she said, “Welcome to ELANDIPOLE, here’s your first beer on the house. After that you pay.”

The man sipped on the beer. “For the sake of argument, if I am ‘Fleet, what am I doing here on this backwards planet?”

“You are here for Mavia,” she said. “And she isn’t coming out for the likes of you.”

The man set the beer down and ran his long fingers around the rim. “I’m not here for Mavia.” When Jo looked at him he clarified, “I’m here because you asked for someone in particular to talk to Mavia.”

“Ah yes,” Jo nodded. “We asked for Bonviva. She’s on her way.” Looking over she said, “Told you ‘Fleet. I know when people step on and off what’s mine. Since you’re here on what’s mine, you can see her soon.”

The man smiled at that, but the light didn’t reach his eyes. “Why her?” Bringing up the beer he asked, “She wasn’t the most important person in the ‘Fleet. Not the most important person in the Federation government.”

“She has access,” Jo pointed out. “We need that.”

The man enjoyed the beer for a moment. He couldn’t argue that point. “She does. So do many others you’ve turned away, including me. There’s something specific you want from her access,” he mused. Thinking about it he said, “There’s someone she knows, someone you know she knows, that you want.” Pausing for a moment he said, “Or perhaps don’t want her to go to. That’s just as powerful.”

For the first time since ‘Fleet walked into the dive bar, Jo smiled. “Drink up,” she said. “Like I said, you pay for the next one.”

=/\=

Location: Bonviva Villa
Scene: Xana’s Room


The kids were pissed at her that she was leaving on them on EARTH while she went to ELANDIPOLE. Her parents were inconvenienced by having to watch her kids. In other words, the Earth still was still the third planet in its solar system and spinning around the sun.

Sighing, the azure woman eased herself onto the bed. The variety of medications she took throughout the day did not keep up with time; hours in the day or the days left in her life. The hypos pushed her through the day; let her do what she had to for another day. One more day pushing through pain, bureaucracy, anger and all other matter until only the questions and loneliness remained.

Kicking off her flat black ballet shoes, the Councilwoman wiggled her toes, staring at the swelling. Inhaling she mentally geared herself up for getting back up so she could change into her nightclothes when her PADD began give off a series of beeps. Frowning she gave a started to give a passing glance over at the PADD, figuring it was another message from Noellex about her upcoming trip to ELANDIPOLE or perhaps from the President of BOLARUS IX when she realized that her PADD was downloading something. Another series of quick beeps indicated that it was done and that a message was flashing for her. Knowing there was no “off-hours” for public servants, she picked up the PADD. After the symbol of the Federation Government the screen blinked at her and went black before words flashed on the screen:

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE COURSE

OF SOMEONE’S LIFE?

PERHAPS RUIN IT FOREVER?

Xana read the words over, turning the words in her mind. “What do I do when I want to change the course of someone’s life and perhaps ruin it? Well usually I marry them,” she muttered dryly.

As she said the words in jest, the words displayed on screen. Even as the Bolian/Human woman tapped the screen to delete the (however true) words the screen blinked again before the screen blinked.

NOT AN OPTION HERE.

“Good to know,” Xana said softly, not as shocked to see the words pop up on screen. Rolling her violet eyes she muttered, “I wasn’t auditioning anyone to be ex-spouse number four.”

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU MAKE A MISTAKE?

IS A MISTAKE EVER A GOOD THING?

The azure woman stared at the question for a long time, re-reading it so many times that she lost count. Words swirled around in her mind, incoherently, as she re-read it over and over again. “A mistake is when your outcome does not meet your expectations and there’s no satisfactory explanation for it,” the woman said softly.

Exhaling a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, Bonviva said, “As to whether or not a mistake is a good thing that is a metaphysical question that depends upon your moral compass. I cannot answer that for you.”

Thinking for a moment, while tapping the PADD the Councilwoman clarified, “I should say that it’s entirely likely that you can go into a situation, fully prepared, and make a mistake and it have it be a really bad one morally.”

The PADD seemingly churned at that for a moment before another question.

WHAT WOULD THAT MAKE THE DECISION MAKER? IF THEY WENT INTO A SITUATION FULLY PREPARED, THEN MADE A MISTAKE THAT WAS MORALLY “BAD”?

“I’m not a Counselor, but I think I’ve heard the clinical diagnosis being “normal”,” Xana commended dryly. “Every home as someone who has done just that.”

WHAT IS HOME?

At this point, the azure woman was not surprised to say something and get a question in response. Sitting back against her pillows she thought about this but the answer came frighteningly quick. “To some it is a place; others a particular time. But if you’re asking me...it’s a person -- people,” Xana said, even as she said in her ancestral home. “A building or a ship can be anywhere but is always cold. Time is free but fleeting. Without love, then everything is meaningless.”

WE WILL TALK AGAIN ON ELANDIPOLE.

“Are you Mavia?” Xana asked.

WHO IS MAVIA?

Then the PADD hissed, a small spiral of smoke climbing up into the air indicating that it was done of being functional, leaving a very confused Bolian/Human woman to sit there staring at the now defunct PADD. “What the in the name of 99 hells was that?” Xana muttered.


=/\=

Sarah Albertini-Bond
~writing for~
Councilwoman Xana Bonviva
BOLARUS IX

“I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.”

-Richard Feynman