Disclaimer: Starship and it's characters belong to Team Starkid; If I owned Starship, the Spayonder moments wouldn't have been cut from the Youtube recording... But don't forget to review, enjoy!
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE NOT GOING?" February yelped, looking scandalized, "YOU HAVE TO GO!"
"I just explained this to you, February," Specs sighed, "I don't wish to make a fool of myself. Haven't you noticed that social gatherings such as this are not my forte and should be left to you? Girls like me simply do not belong at fancy parties."
"But, it's a masked ball for the G.L.E.E! Everyone is going to be there!" the blonde whined, "No one would even know it was you if you wore a mask. It's a chance for you to meet your Prince Charming; then he'll fall madly in love with you without judging! If you would just let me-"
"I'm not attending and that decision is final," Specs stopped her, closing the novel she was reading. Her mind was made up, the closest she would ever come to a fairy tale ending were the ones she read about in books. Besides, Specs already knew in her heart there was only one person for her, but he would never know. She got up from the table and quickly left the mess hall before February could say another word.
The girl wandered back to her room, in an attempt to find some peace. Once Specs reentered her quarters, her eyes flicked over to the desk, where she left a small mechanism unfinished. Naturally, she was inclined to finish her project before she did anything else and sat down in the chair, beginning to fiddle with the various gears. If programmed correctly, her surveillance agent would be capable of recognizing a human presence and warn it's technician in time for her to escape.
After tinkering with the machine for almost an hour, Specs finally discovered what had been blocking it's reception. She reached into the drawer for her screwdriver, but came back empty-handed.
"Damnit," she muttered, "Tootsie must have taken it again, even after I specifically told him to never loosen the screws on his zapper. One of these days he's going to blow himself all the way to the moons of Enivder." Specs threw open the doors of her closet and began to rummage through large boxes of spare parts and extra tools in an attempt to find a screwdriver. A few minutes passed before her gaze landed on a wooden chest, hiding behind several empty tool boxes.
It may have looked like any other old chest, but to Specs, it was much more than that. It had belonged to her grandmother, Rose Albain. Specs had always looked up to her, even as a little girl; Grandma Rose had been intelligent, confident, rebellious, compassionate, and daring. When she was only eighteen, she went against her family's wishes to marry. She had joined the Galactic League of Extraterrestrial Exploration to traverse the galaxy and avoid being tied down. Whenever Specs was mad or upset, she always knew exactly who she could talk to. Her grandmother had always understood her in a way that her mom, dad, and sisters never could. Specs wanted to be free to make her own choices and gain her own merits, only Grandma Rose approved and understood that. The day news came of her grandmother's death came a few weeks after Specs enlisted, her heart felt like it had been broken in two. However, when Rose had passed away, she left the wooden chest and all it's contents to Specs. Gingerly, Specs used both hands to lift the box and set it down on her bed.
As smart as Specs was, she had never found a way to open the chest. She traced the initials that had been carved into the wood, RA; Rose Albain. Specs' touch fell to the tiny keyhole, her brain trying to solve the puzzle. Instinctively, her hand went to her throat, fingering the other memento left to by Rose on Specs' 21st birthday, a gold chain hung with a key. Cursing herself for not realizing it sooner, she scrambled to unfasten the clasp around her neck and insert the small key into the lock. It gave a telltale click, allowing Specs to gently lift the lid.
Inside the box, she found photos, dog tags, medals, an old uniform, even a disguise or two. All memorabilia from when her grandmother had been a part of the G.L.E.E so many years ago. Specs read the inscription on some of the medals, most had been given for bravery in combat but others were given for breakthrough engineering designs. Specs couldn't help but smile at this; thank dead god she had inherited her grandmother's intelligence. Next, she pulled out the vintage uniform, along with the set of dog tags. However, her strangest discovery had been lodged underneath the silver vest; a blonde wig almost the exact color and cut of February's hair.
Curious, she pulled a photo out of the very bottom of the box that had four women with their arms wrapped around each other. The women on the farthest left was built the same way as Taz, but was somehow much less intimidating, with light brown hair instead of jet black. The next was slightly taller, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to almost sparkle. The third woman's hair fell to her shoulders in dark curls and a wide smile spread across her face. Then, Specs recognized her grandmother, her eyes dancing happily from underneath the same blonde wig Specs had found seconds before. Even from underneath the wig, it was obvious that her grandmother was beautiful, with skin that glowed and eyes that looked almost gold. People had always said Specs was the spitting image of Grandma Rose, she could never see it. Flipping the photo over, she read the small caption on the back.
"Lauren, Jaime, Meredith, and Rose. Undercover operations team for the GLEE." Specs sighed and thought of her own team; a country hick,a previously murderous robot, a commander who was all heart, an angry Hispanic, a sometimes unstable private, a ditzy blonde, and well, her. As strange a combination as it was, it worked somehow.
Suddenly, a green envelope caught Specs' eye from the corner of the chest. In her grandmother's neat scrawl it read, 'To Julia Marie, my loving granddaughter." Specs felt her chest tighten, but slowly slid her finger underneath the seal and pulled out a sheet of matching green paper. Swallowing hard, she began to read the letter slowly, not wanting to miss a single word.
"My darling Julia, my wonderful, brave girl. As I write this letter, I've received word that you are going to be joining the Galactic League of Extraterrestrial Exploration in a few short months. Knowing that I will most likely be gone by the time you ship out, I wanted to let you know just how much I believe in you. It would be safe to say that your mother isn't exactly pleased with your decision and blames me for filling your head with 'unattainable dreams and nonsense.' Usually I wouldn't try to correct your mother, but there is no such thing as an unattainable dream. Nothing will ever be impossible, no where is too far to go when you are following your heart.
I hope, in the deepest part of me that you will find the friendship, love, and happiness that I did while traveling the galaxy. Just remember that whatever may happen, you are intelligent, warm, trustworthy, loyal, and compassionate. Nothing can take that away from you. I also wish that you can find courage and learn to be brave the way I did. Know that I don't fear my death, because I know there's something greater in store. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious never live at all. It's okay to be afraid, it's only human, but never let it stand in your way. Life is all about taking a leap of faith and never looking back, wondering what you would have or could have done differently. Take chances and make your own mistakes. I love you, Julia, and I know you'll make me proud, no matter what. Love always, Grandma Rose.
Specs swallowed hard as a single, sparkling tear trickled down her cheek. She would never be as brave as Rose, she couldn't even tell the guy she liked how she really felt. Even going to a party where she might actually be given attention scared her, she was hopelessly afraid. She had let fear stand in her way, she had let it hold her back.
"I have to prove that I can be brave, for her," Specs swallowed, a feeling of determination rising inside of her,"If grandma believed I could do it, I have to at least try. But I already told February I wouldn't be attending, and dead god knows how much she would gloat if she found out..." Another characteristic to be noted about Specs, she had inherited Rose's will and was dead god damn stubborn. The engineer had already made it clear she didn't want to go, how would it look if she broke down and went? While turning this concept over in her mind, Specs' eyes wandered back to the wooden chest and she spotted the blonde wig sitting in a crumpled heap at the bottom. An idea struck her, a plan that was so illogical it just might work. She would go to ball incognito, wearing both the mask and the blonde wig to conceal her own features. However, Specs would have to sneak into February's dorm to borrow articles of clothing to wear. The only concern was how could she get in and out of the blonde's room without being seen? Her gaze falling on to the surveillance agent, a hint of a smile crept across her face.