Author's Note: I'm sorry I have no excuse! I got sidetracked really bad because I discovered the joys of playing Assassins Creed! I've been playing all the games from morning till it's time for bed. My humblest apologies! Please forgive me! Anyway, I hope this chapter makes sense as we inch our way into Beyond!
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek! All rights belong to JJ Abrams (movie references) and Gene Roddenberry (TOS references). Any grammatical errors or mistakes you find I hope you can forgive me! Happy reading everyone!
"So! Ally! Do you have any plans for when we make dock into Yorktown?" Scotty asked as the two of us sat comfortably by our consoles in the transporter room, passing time until Jim called for us to bring him back aboard the ship.
"Nyota and Carol wanted to check out some of the shops while we're there so I'm pretty excited about that. To just splurge and go on a shopping spree for once. Maybe take Leonard and Khan out to dinner or do some fun activities together." I smiled at Scotty. "What about you?"
"Sleep." Scotty nodded his head as if to confirm his own plans. "Being separated from my metal lady there's nothing much I can do or want to do. I may read more of my technical journals, but I'm gonna just enjoy the free time that I do have until I have to go back to dealing with Khan."
"Has Khan been giving you trouble?" I asked Scotty in concern to which my friend furiously started to shake his head.
"No! No, it's not that. He's been well behaved that man. I'm always excited to pick at his brain when he offers new alternatives that would last us until our next stop." Scotty smiled, glancing around the room before leaning closer to whisper into my ear. "He's a bit intimidating though…when I crack a joke that man never smiles. Never! No sense of humor in his bones."
"You're right, he doesn't have a sense of humor." Scotty and myself shared a laugh. "Don't tell him I said that though."
"So long as you don't tell him what I said? Lass my lips are sealed." Scotty smiled.
"What about doing something with Keenser?" I asked.
"I could, but I think he's caught something. Wee man needs his rest which he will get once we make port in Yorktown." Scotty said and after a few seconds I let out a hum in thought as I checked the time on our console.
"Jim's been gone an awful long time with no communication…I hope he's okay." I sucked in the bottom of my lip.
"I'm sure he's fine. He's just negotiating a peace offer." Scotty brushed off my concern. "Why, I predict any second now, he'll call for us to beam him back to the ship to report a mission well done."
And right on cue, Jim had started to hail our communicators, though we had both jumped in our seats at the sudden urgency and panic in his voice.
"Scotty! Ally! Get me out of here!" Jim started to yell.
"That was quick." Scotty commented as he readjusted the singular lens on his temple while I activated my eyepiece to lock onto Jim's signal and fed my readings to Scotty's screen
"Scotty!" Jim yelled.
"Something must've gone wrong." I concluded as I tapped a few buttons on my own console, my eyepiece fizzing in and out of focus as I attempted to lock on to his signal. "There seems to be a bunch of mass accumulating around the captain's signal, I can't pinpoint clearly his whereabouts."
"There's quite a bit of surface interference, sir." Scotty informed.
"Ally! Now!" Jim sounded like he was on the verge of panicking before my eyepiece finally locked on to a single signal.
"Got him!" I called out. "Energize!"
Golden swirls started forming from inside the transporter and before our eyes Jim's form started to materialize from the golden swirls. His whole body came together before the swirls vanished leaving him standing alone on the platform…or not entirely alone as we watched him struggle with the creatures crawling all over his body.
"Security!" I called to the men that we had stationed just outside the transporter room the second I saw a couple Teenaxi's still attached to Jim's body, clawing and biting at his uniform and exposed skin. As Jim was fighting off the little creatures the officers jumped into action, rushing over to where Jim was flailing as they attempted to pry the creatures off our captain, struggling as they tried to get them under control.
"Welcome back, Jim." I greeted our captain who let out a sigh in exhaustion, waving lazily in my direction as he dragged his feet off the platform. "Another ripped shirt?"
"And I almost lost my shoe…" Jim pouted to the boot in his hand as he walked past Scotty and I, the two of us watching Jim leave dejectedly.
"How'd it go?" Scotty called to Jim's retreating form before I jumped in fright when one of the Teenaxi's slammed against the plexiglass that was protecting us.
"Just another day in the fleet…" Jim's disheartened voice called back just barely above a whisper as we watched him turn left.
"Jim, wrong way." I called to our captain as I saw his body backtrack and head in the opposite direction, passing the transporter doorway once more.
"Yeah…" Jim mumbled as he continued walking. "yeah, you're right…"
"He's not looking too good." Scotty observed as we turned back to our station.
"Hate to say, but everyone's not looking too good…" I suddenly saw one of the Teenaxi's run past us and out the door, and I could only let out a sigh.
"Sorry ma'am." One of the officers apologized as he attempted to keep a firm grip on the other Teenaxi he was holding, the little creature grabbing at his hair and giving it a hard yank as it attempted to do all it could to get out of our officers grip. "They're…they're a menace to deal with."
"It's okay, we just need to get them back under control, or at least calm them down." I nodded my head as I gave the officer a sympathetic smile. I watched as the Teenaxi that was in his arms jump out of his grip, dropping to the ground and making a dash out of the room with the officer trailing not far behind to recapture it again. "They deserve a raise…"
"Commander DeLuca." Sulu's voice came through from the intercom on our console.
"Commander DeLuca here." I responded.
"Commander, the Captain has given us permission to chart a course to Yorktown and has asked you to report to the bridge to oversee our voyage to the starbase until he and Commander Spock return." Sulu reported.
"Where's Commander Spock?" I asked curiously.
"By the Captain's request, he's gone to log the ancient artifact in the vaults." Sulu reported.
"Understood, I'll be right there." I ended the transmission before looking to Scotty, giving his shoulder a couple of pats. "Good work Scotty, I'm going to head back to the bridge. You should head back down to engineering."
On my way to the bridge I took the time to reflect. Things seemed to have been quiet since the last incidents I had with everyone aboard the Enterprise. Everyone seemed to have settled down as a heavy feeling lingered in the air. No one dared or wanted to talk about it anymore. It was almost as if they had buried their problems and worries, to simply attempt to carry on until we reached Yorktown.
Though I took extra care to monitor all my friends without them noticing, making sure that no matter what time it was, sleeping or not, if I got a message from anyone I would read it immediately in case anyone was having another breakdown. I especially took great care to hide the alcohol in my shared quarters along with doing a few checks in any of the observatories in case Leonard or Khan were attempting to hide what they were feeling from me.
Leonard, thank goodness, had no recollection of what he had confessed to me the moment he woke from his slumber. He was ashamed and embarrassed, sure, and he had asked me if he had said anything out of character to which I simply denied knowing anything about it. He had accepted my response, though a little suspicious, and was most concerned about the intense pounding in his skull. He was in an awful mood for the majority of the day, but I made sure to stick close to him in hopes to ease his hangover.
I've caught Khan a couple of times, after the two of us spoke, standing alone in a different part of the ship, and when I did catch him I offered him the same treatment that I would give Spock. The offer of contempt silence. We simply sat, or stood around, and I got him to tell me all that he's been through and his struggles three hundred years ago along with what the world was like. I realized that we love the same type of music! I also made him promise to teach me how to dance, though I already knew due to my family insisting that all DeLuca's need to know how to properly dance for any gala's or parties. Something about always making a good impression on people.
Khan told me that being a ruthless leader he had no time to dance or even time to learn, but I was positive that even in his busy schedule he found the time to have some kind of fun.
Anything I could do to make their lives, and my friends lives, better…easier I did before they could even ask. If I couldn't offer a solution then I could at least give them a moment of peace. To help them keep their mind distracted from the darkness that still lingered in the back of their mind, I would do it without question.
"Commander DeLuca on the bridge." Chekov was the first, as always, to notice my presence as he announced my arrival to those that were working on the bridge.
"Commander, we'll be arriving at Yorktown in 10 seconds." Sulu informed me as I walked to overlook my station.
"I see that everyone has gathered on the bridge to get a glimpse of our newest starbase." I commented as I noticed Scotty had made his way to the bridge along with Khan instead of going to engineering.
"It's a beauty I did not intend to miss." Scotty smiled in excitement.
"We'll be dropping out of warp and coming up to Yorktown in five, four…" Sulu began to count down as I reached over to my station and searched for the whereabouts of Jim, seeing two blips pop up on my screen and I simply smiled.
"Captain," I attempted to get in touch with the nearest intercom to where they were situated. "Yorktown will be in our sights very soon, I suggest you and Leonard make your way to the bridge."
"…understood…" Jim responded after a minute of waiting, noting the strain in his voice just before the line went silent.
When I lifted my gaze up my eyes had widened at the sight that greeted us the moment our ship dropped out of warp. There was a large translucent globe suspended in space, the glow from the starbase standing out against the darkness of space. You could see the inner working of the civilization living within and I could feel my heart pick up at the beauty of such a spectacle.
"Wow…" I stared at our viewscreen in awe. "it's Yorktown…"
"That is impressive." Chekov complimented.
"Aye, she's a beauty, isn't she?" Scotty seemed quite giddy as he, just like myself, was admiring the magnificence that floated in front of us.
"I've seen beauty," Khan said as he suddenly moved close to me, invading my station and coming to stand directly beside me causing me to look up at him in curiosity. "nothing can compare to it, but the advancements Starfleet has made I can admit is truly something to marvel at."
"What a damn monstrosity!" Leonard's voice suddenly interrupted as Jim and himself walked onto the bridge, coming to a stop just a step below and in front of my station. Leonard leaned his back against my console as he glared at the viewscreen. "Can't we just rent some space on a planet?"
"Showing geographical favoritism among inducted Federation worlds could cause diplomatic tension." Spock defended.
"Oh, you don't think that looks tense?" Leonard held out his hand to the screen. "Looks like a damn snow globe in space just waiting to break!"
I giggled at Leonard's analogy as I noticed Spock and Jim turn to glance down at Leonard before Jim spoke out. "Oh, that's the spirit, Bones."
"Let's just enjoy our leave while we have it Leonard." I smiled down at my Mate.
Leonard turned his body around to look up at me, giving me a light glare before letting out an irritated sigh. "How can one enjoy this leave knowing that at any second, caused by just a tiny crack on the glass from a stray rock, we could be sucked out into space."
"That's everyday on this ship McCoy." Khan commented as I saw Yorktown getting closer and closer on the viewscreen. "It would explain why you're never in an enjoyable mood."
"I'm not in an enjoyable mood around you, but…" Leonard mumbled before reaching out for my hand which I gladly gave. "I'll try to enjoy our leave."
"We're coming into Yorktown." Sulu announced.
"Ship wide broadcast: inform everyone to prepare for our leave." Jim nodded his head to Sulu in thanks before Carol and Nyota came rushing over to my station.
"We're going to borrow Ally for today." Carol announced, staring pointedly at Khan.
"More like stealing Ally for the day." Nyota smiled cheekily at Leonard. "You two get to spend every day and night of our leave with her back at your shared living arrangement. So, it's only fair that we take Ally from you right this second."
"We'll have her home before bedtime." Carol waved as the two of them shoved Khan away, coming over to my sides and linking their arms with mine before dragging me off the bridge.
"You guys were sure excited about taking me away from Khan and Leonard." I smiled as I shouldered my duffel bag. When the Enterprise had made dock, a bridge was extended out to connect to the area where all the officers aboard our ship were waiting for departure. The three of us were part of the first group to step off from the Enterprise, passing through the terminal and straight into Yorktown.
"It gives them the opportunity to miss you more." Nyota winked. "So, ladies, where should we hit first?"
"We can use one of those mini transporters." I suggested, pointed toward the glass box that was showing the schematics of the whole starbase. "We can see more clearly what Yorktown has to offer."
"Or we can take the rail?" Carol suggested, pointing up toward the sky just as one of the rails passed overhead that was traveling around and cutting through the starbase. "We can see the whole base from the windows."
"I could go for some coffee and a pastry." I hummed as I felt my mouth salivate at the thought of the sweet taste of a chocolate pastry, and I could practically smell the caramelized, nutty goodness of newly roasted coffee. "I haven't eaten yet."
"Let's go find a cafe and then we can take a trip on the rail." Nyota proclaimed. "Then! We play tourist for the day!"
"Let's go, let's go!" Carol was jumping in excitement at the idea. "We should find the shopping district as well! I need to stalk up on a few things before we head back out into space. I want to get it done now just so I don't need to rush when our leave here is close to coming to an end."
While I continued to laugh and talk with Carol and Nyota, either planning or winging our plans for today, I had accidentally bumped into someone. My shoulder had bumped into someone's arm without me paying attention.
"Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going." I immediately apologized with a smile, bowing my head just a bit to show my sincerity. But the moment the stranger spoke my smile had vanished for I knew this voice well…a voice I had not heard from in years.
"Allyson," the male addressed as I slowly lifted my head to confront the man standing in front of me, noticing the woman who leisurely pulled up beside him. "you kept us waiting, almost walked right past me if I didn't step in your way."
"Ally," Carol, being the first to notice my silence, turned to stare back at the man suspiciously. "do you know these two?"
"Barely." I muttered under my breath as I glared at the two new people that instantly soured my mood. "Aurelius, I did not expect to see you and Celestyn in Yorktown."
"I had sent a message in advance to notify you that we would be here waiting for you and your ship to arrive." Aurelius spoke, just as dignified and proper as I remembered his voice to be. His sharp honey colored eyes staring down at me with indifference, his light brown hair that could almost be mistaken for blonde was slicked back as he kept his posture rigid. Just as you would expect from a good little soldier.
"Forgive me, I made it a point not to read them." I stated, plain and simple, causing Aurelius to let out a huff.
"I suspected as much." Aurelius then turned his stare to my two friends, his eyes zeroing in on them as he dangerously glared at them. "You two are dismissed, you have no business being here. Listening to our private conversation."
"You're not their captain." I snapped as I stepped up to my brother to bring his attention back down to me, staring up and challenging my brother who stood at 6'2.
"Now, now…" Celestyn came to place herself between us, lowering her voice to barely above a whisper as she spoke for only us to hear. "remember where we are, we're in the public eyes. We wouldn't want Father to hear about any disorderly conduct caused by his own children. We know better than to act this way."
"We know better, she doesn't." Aurelius returned his gaze back to my two friends. "Hurry and dismiss your crew, Allyson, so we can get down to business."
"Allyson-" I quickly turned my back to my siblings, giving my friends a reassuring, pleading smile. "I promise, once this is over I'll explain everything later. For now, you two should go wait for the others. This is a bit of a…family matter."
Nyota and Carol looked at me with worry before taking a quick glance back at my two siblings. Nyota gave a hesitant nod as Carol reached out to give my hand an encouraging squeeze.
"We'll be close by if you need us." Carol whispered as the two of them walked back the way we came.
When they were out of earshot I steeled myself and my emotions, mentally preparing for the potential fight that was about to erupt between the three of us.
"I would've thought you'd get the message that I wasn't interested in anything you had to say when I ignored your first contact." I pointed out as I turned back to face my older brother. "I'm not interested in attending the party. Do give our family my heartfelt regards."
"You are obligated, as a DeLuca, to attend Allyson." Aurelius pointed out. "We've had to withhold our planning because we had no clue where you would show up. It was by my power that I was able to pinpoint where your ship would dock to have a momentary shore leave."
"I apologize for delaying your planning, but knowing the great Aurelius, you can pull out a plan at the last minute and make it seem like you had planned it for years." I sarcastically remarked. "If I recall correctly, you had specifically told me after I left all those years ago that I wasn't a DeLuca." I held my ground. "Now that it would reflect on the image of our family, I'm suddenly a DeLuca? Which is it, brother mine?"
"How very typical and predictable of you Allyson." Aurelius ground his teeth together. "I expected this rebellious nature to come from Celestyn, but to have it come from you? The meek, spineless black sheep of our family?" Aurelius spoke out before scoffing. "Out of all the habits you could have acquired, it had to be Celestyn's attitude and outlook."
"Any chance to bring me down as well, eh brother?" Celestyn smugly smirked as she brushed her hair out of her face. "News flash, I'm unbothered."
"We're never going to see eye to eye." I pointed out. "Better to not have me there else it would cause disruption among our relatives, isn't that the better option?"
"And have shame brought upon our Father? I will not allow that." Aurelius scoffed as he reached out to grab for my wrist in an attempt to drag me to follow. "Now, come dear sister. We have urgent business to discuss for we are running out of time."
"This is my shore leave, I'm not going to be working when I'm supposed to be relaxing to prepare for the next few years in space." I shook my head as I wrenched my wrist free and backed away. "You're not my Captain, you can't force me to go anywhere with you."
"No, I'm not your Captain, but I am your older brother. The eldest in our family." Aurelius glared down at me. "Remember your place, Allyson, stop this stubborn behavior and be the obedient little DeLuca I know you to be."
"That obedient little DeLuca is gone, and has been gone the moment I left the family." I growled back as I stepped up to my brother. "My time away from our father's iron grip has taught me much, Aurelius. I will not be pushed around any longer." I motioned to our sister. "Celestyn can attest to that."
Aurelius turned to Celestyn for answers to which she simply shrugged at our brother's murderous stare.
"She was transferred briefly over to my ship back when Marcus called a meeting back at Starfleet headquarters in San Francisco. When Harrison had attacked our meeting, Allyson surprised me by fighting back against my command and controlled the situation perfectly. Saved a lot of people." Celestyn dramatically brought her arms up and shrugged. "What can I say, little Ally grew up. Can't help you here Aurelius."
"Typical of you Celestyn." Aurelius grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I have denied the invitation. You can tell our father that I was busy with other commitments. Make up some excuse. You're good at coming up with something sound proof that would cause our parents to listen." I glared.
I've been making large strides to being a better version of myself, and it showed when my older brother had nothing more to say to convince me to fall back in line. It also showed on my brother's face how furious he was at me and himself for not taking back control of the situation.
"There you three are!" A boisterous, shrill voice cut through the crowd that seemed to cause the sea of people to part as our attention was drawn to where the voice had come from. An older woman had sprinted over to us, jumping and wrapping her arms around Aurelius's neck as he attempted to hold his posture before the woman went over to Celetyn and squished her cheeks in her hands.
"My darling children, together once more, what a sight to behold! It could make a woman like me cry!" The woman came over to stand in front of me, reaching out and placing countless kisses all over my face. I would not be surprised if her red lipstick left any stains on my face. "My baby girl! Oh, how I've missed you so!"
It was a struggle to get out of her grip, but when I did I reached out to wipe my face clean as I stared back at the woman standing proudly in front of me. "Hello…mother."
Leonard and Khan in the beginning had their differences, anyone could see that, but as the years went by their relationship had improved. At first they wouldn't be caught dead in each other's presence, a possibility of a fight or argument was always inevitable, but now because Allyson was their Mate they had to play nice. And through their constant interaction they've learned to at least tolerate each other. Even going so far as to realize that they had many things in common.
So it came to no surprise that they were walking off the Enterprise and into Yorktown together, striking up a small conversation while simultaneously wondering where their Mate had run off to.
"We have to get used to sharing Allyson." Leonard commented. "We should be happy that so many people love her."
"They seek out her company, I have no problem sharing her. In the end she will always be ours." Khan said which caused Leonard to laugh.
"What have you done with the real Khan?" Leonard asked as he slapped Khan on the back. "Before you were apprehensive and strongly against sharing her with me, now you don't seem to mind one bit."
"She deserves free time away from us, and no matter how much I've tried she still wishes to keep you around." Khan stated before being the first to notice Carol and Nyota standing at the far end of the tunnel. "I see the girls who 'kidnapped' our Mate, but I don't see our Allyson."
"Ladies," Leonard had jogged up to reach Carol and Nyota first. "where'd Allyson run off to? I thought you three had big plans today?"
"We did, but…" Carol continued to stare forward as Leonard and Khan followed their gaze to see Allyson speak to a man and a woman.
"Those two suddenly showed up, and rudely dismissed us." Nyota glared. "Ally said it was a family business…"
"I recognize the woman…she showed up back in San Francisco. Celestyn DeLuca, Allyson's older sister." Leonard said as he watched Allyson and the man exchange what looked to be some heated words judging off their expressions and reactions. "The man? I can only assume is her older brother. What was his name again…? Airelius? Aurelioos?"
"Are you guys trying to say Aurelius?" Jim suddenly interrupted, coming to stand just behind Carol. "As in Captain Aurelius DeLuca of the USS Evolution? Why are you guys interested in Ally's family all of a sudden?"
Nyota motioned with her head for Jim to take a look, and just as the group turned their attention back to the group of siblings the man had reached out to grab for Allyson's wrist in an attempt to drag her away. This caused Leonard and Khan to react as the two simultaneously took a step forward to go to Allyson's defense.
"Hold it you two." Jim stepped around to stand in front of the two angered Mates, placing a hand on each of their chests to prevent them from storming over. Jim looked over his shoulder just as Allyson wrenched her wrist free and started arguing with her older brother, her older sister briefly adding in to whatever they were discussing. "Judging off how heated they look, you two going over won't help Ally's situation."
"Then what do you purpose we do?" Khan asked through his teeth.
"We do nothing, but wait." Jim reasoned as their group saw a woman in her late 50's come rushing over to where the siblings stood. This woman was as thin as a twig, with dark brown hair pulled up in a neat bun and a slight sparkle in her dark brown eyes. Though this woman seemed harmless, there was a sense of authority to the way she held herself as she looked to swell with pride the second her eyes landed on the siblings. The woman had wrapped her arms around Aurelius before going over to squish Celestyn's cheeks, and finally running over to Allyson. Peppering her cheeks with kisses that left red lipstick stains all over the Commander's face. This new woman looked to be an exact replica of Allyson's older sister. "That must be the mother, Admiral Denali DeLuca."
"I wonder what they're doing here…" Leonard mumbled before Jim snapped his fingers in front of his friend's face.
"We can't keep staring at them, they'll notice." Jim warned. "I'm sure Ally will tell us why they're here when she finishes speaking to her family."
As inconspicuous as they could be, they averted their attention elsewhere while still being in view of the family. Denali, Allyson's mother, seemed to be the only one talking as they realized that the siblings immediately all stopped to listen. Neither of the three dared to speak. Aurelius was hanging on every word his mother was saying, Celestyn seemed uninterested though her attention was focused on the joyful looking woman, but Allyson seemed uncomfortable at the situation she found herself in.
Though Jim couldn't hear or see what the matriarch of Allyson's family was saying, Leonard had taken note of the sudden change in Allyson's demeanor the second Denali had pointed down toward Allyson's exposed wrist. Denali had reached out and clamped both her hands over her youngest daughters wrist as she continued to speak.
After a few minutes of Denali talking, Allyson had simply nodded her head which seemed to satisfy the woman who let go and addressed the eldest siblings before taking her leave with Celestyn and Aurelius following close behind leaving Allyson standing alone in the sea of people that were passing by.
"Ally," Jim suddenly yelled, startling the woman as she turned around to see her captain walking toward her with her friends trailing not far behind. "is everything okay? We saw you talking to your mother and siblings."
"Yeah…" Allyson responded in a drawl before blinking a few times, turning back to her friends and Mates. "yeah, everything's okay."
"What is your family doing here?" Leonard asked as he went over to Allyson's side in concern.
"They're just passing through," Allyson nervously chuckled as Khan heard the slight hesitation in her voice as he turned to share a look with Leonard unbeknownst to Allyson. "mother invited me to a family dinner, and I couldn't say no."
"You don't have to go, if you don't want to." Leonard reached out for Allyson's hand.
"I may as well get it over with else she'll continue to be persistent on getting together throughout my leave. Her stubbornness is the worst out of all of us. Hates to be told no." Allyson looked to Nyota and Carol apologetically. "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to take a rain check on our outing."
Without hearing their response, Allyson had turned to leave her group of friends which was an uncharacteristic response from Allyson. Whatever had happened, whatever was said and exchanged, Jim noted had shook his friend to her core.
The way she held herself, the way she spoke, it reminded Jim of the Allyson he saw back in San Francisco. Jim wasn't pleased with whatever her family had discussed with her to cause Allyson to regress back to the shell that he met back in Starfleet headquarters.
"We have a lot of planning to do, my darlings. So much stuff that needs to be done before your Great-Grandfather's birthday." Denali, our mother, had proclaimed to Aurelius, Celestyn and myself as we listened closely to what mother had to say. It was a known rule that the second mother opened her mouth to speak, when she addressed us, we would keep quiet and listen. Zoning out and ignoring her would result in whatever punishment she saw fit, and I hated that I fell in line just as I did before. "Due to your sister evading your contacts, Aurelius, we're still so far behind! It's been decided that the celebration will be held here in Yorktown! We need potential venues, menus, decor, servers, seating arrangements, and many more things still! We need to make your Father look good in front of all your relatives. Nothing can be mediocre. So, we shall discuss all of this more in detail during dinner."
"Mother-" I attempted to interrupt the woman who turned her chocolate brown eyes onto me, noticing her eyes lower. Mother had suddenly let out a loud gasp before she pointed to my arms.
"Sweetie!" Mother suddenly reached out and grabbed both my wrist in hers, making it a point to cover my Marks with her own hands. "What are you doing? Why are your Marks showing?"
"Starfleet uniforms are sleeveless." I pointed out before our mother lightly glared at me.
"We had ordered you a custom made one!" Mother harshly whispered before she stepped closer to me and began to whisper. "What if people see them."
"No one pays any attention to them, mother, who's going to care?" I said before mother clicked her tongue against her teeth.
"Relatives from all across the galaxy will be gathering here in Yorktown. Everyone will see them! Everyone will care! You should know better!" Mother let out an exasperated sigh as she continued to scold me. "I raised you better than to forget too easily about such an important thing." "Mother-" "We'll speak more about this at dinner. Tonight. I'll send you the information to your datapad." "Mother-" "Do read your messages dear, Aurelius has told me that he's been having difficulty getting in touch with you. You wouldn't want to cause more trouble for us then you already have, do you Ally?" "I-" "I don't want to hear any excuses, Allyson DeLuca, after all that I've done for you you should at the very least check your datapad. And! When you come to dinner please, for me, cover those accursed things up."
Mother looked to be on the verge of throwing a fit when I hadn't responded, but the DeLuca side that was instilled into her caused her to keep her head on her shoulder.
"Am I allowed to speak now?" I asked hotly which was the worse choice of words on my part as I saw mother's face turn red.
"Don't get smart with me, Allyson. Where did you learn such manners of disrespect! You're lucky that it was I and not your Father that caught you with your Marks exposed. Especially when all our relatives are gathering here for your Great-Grandfather's celebration party!" Mother turned her back to me and I watched her shoulders move up and down in her attempt to calm her racing heart. "Aurelius. Celestyn. Come. We're leaving. Allyson, I'll be seeing you tonight at dinner."
"Will father be there?" I asked as I watched mother storm away.
"No, he's far too busy escorting his Father and Grandfather to this starbase." Mother called back without sparing me a second glance. Aurelius turned his back to follow mother away while Celestyn was at least kind enough to give me an apologetic smile before doing the same.
Seemed like something came out from our talk back in San Francisco. Maybe I'll have one ally to get through this family dinner.
"Aurelius, are you taking all this down?" Mother continued to speak as we sat in one of the round tables in a private section of whatever this restaurant was that mother had specifically picked out.
"Yes, Mother." Aurelius said as he continued typing into his datapad.
"I've already scoped out the best venue fitting for our Great-Grandfather." Celestyn said as she showed mother images from her own datapad. "I've taken the liberty to reserve the whole day for the special occasion."
"Wonderful, wonderful." Mother smiled as I simply continued poking at the food on my plate. "Allyson, are you not hungry?"
"I'm on a diet." I lied, it was the first thing that popped into my head the second I was asked. The atmosphere and the situation I was in had squashed my appetite.
"Yeah, I suppose with you being out in space for so long you have let yourself go." Mother nodded her head in agreement. Please…someone save me. "What do you think of dress code, Allyson?"
"Formal wear." I sighed, forcing out a reply.
"The venue provides the best food along with the needed help to serve the guests, though it's a bit on the pricey side." Celestyn added in.
"Money is not a problem, nothing but the best for this celebration." Mother reached out to Celesytn. "Do you have a menu?" Mother asked, but Celestyn was already one step ahead as she shoved her datapad into our mother's waiting hands. Mother gave the menu a look over before smiling in content. "This menu looks amazing, sweetie."
"Celestyn had sent me the menu in advance, I had picked Great-Grandfather's favorites per Father's advice." Aurelius stated. "Allyson, what have you to contribute to our conversation."
"I've been too busy on my Five Year Mission, brother." I said, emphasizing that I had put duty before all else as we were rigorously taught. "I've been a very busy woman."
"Yes, the Five Year Mission, remind me sister, was that assigned to the Enterprise before or after you and your infamous crew overthrew Admiral Marcus?" Aurelius leisurely questioned as I gripped the cutlery in my hand.
"Marcus violated countless Starfleet regulations that he vowed, just as we have, to uphold. Regulations, need I remind you brother, that we were taught to respect above all else." I growled.
"Yes, and if memory serves, you as well disobeyed regulation and the prime directive when you made an attempt to save your Vulcan First Officer back on Planet Nibiru. Revealing yourselves to the indigenous life forms on that planet. A tribunal was held and you were transferred over to serve under Celestyn, though even that was overturned when you went after John Harrison. I went back to read the reports after our interaction back at the terminal, Allyson, the perks of being a captain." Aurelius turned his eyes to me. "Tell me, where is John Harrison? That report was withheld, only authorized officers with the highest position were granted permission to know about the incident. Not even Father or Grandfather was allowed in that circle."
"Settle down you two." Mother scolded before letting out a dramatic sigh. "Why can't you two get along for once like you used to? I've raised you two better then to act this way."
"We should be grateful that they're just exchanging friendly words, Mother." Celestyn had suddenly reached out to my clenched hand, pinching my skin as she looked toward Aurelius. "I'd take an exchange of words, over an exchange of fists."
"We're in public." Aurelius stated. "If we were in the privacy of our own ship then I would have resorted to putting our dear sister in her place."
"You'll find that it won't be as easy as you proclaim, brother, I've grown." I glared at Aurelius as I retracted my hand out from under Celestyn's. "Being out from under our family's thumb has taught me much."
Aurelius let out a huff of frustration before he went back to speak to mother. Celestyn had leaned close to me a second after our eldest brother and mother were too preoccupied in their planning.
"Behave, Allyson!" Celeystn harshly whispered.
"Behave?" I whispered back. "I will not roll over and submit as I once did!"
"I'm not telling you to do that! You just need to pull off this facade, grin and bear through this ordeal and party, then you'll be home free!" Celestyn glared. "Keep arguing, putting up a fight, the time will tick by slowly and you'll be exposed to countless more low blows!"
"Since when were you concerned about my wellbeing!" I said through gritted teeth.
"I'm not! I want to leave this dinner just as much as you do! I have better things to do! I dropped everything just to be here when all I want to do is be out in space!" Celestyn whispered before our mother clearing her throat brought our attention back to the woman.
"So, it seems we have everything planned out, we just need our relatives to show up." Mother stated as she reached over to take a drink from her glass of water. "I have ordered and hemmed your outfits for the evening to specifically fit your needs and match your personalities. You'll be the center of attention, this I promise."
"Must we really wear such extravagant things?" I asked.
"There has never been a gathering as big as this in our lifetime. Everyone will be making an attempt to make a lasting impression, along with showing up the others. Father wants Great-Grandfather's attention on our family." Mother stated.
"Why do we specifically want our great-grandfather's attention?" I asked curiously.
"The blessing of the DeLuca patriarch is an honor that can affect us for the long run along with our future children, and our children's children." Aurelius stated. "The same could be said for condemnation."
"And we cannot have that staining our family! It would be talked about for years to come and never forgotten!" Mother said as she looked pointedly at me. "I'm happy I took the liberty to order our outfits, if I gave you free rein you would've shown up with your wrists exposed. We cannot have that at this party. It has remained our family secret, and Father wishes for it to remain that way."
I was about to open my mouth to retort before I felt a hard kick to my leg causing me to let out a choked yelp. Celestyn and myself glared at each other before I let out a cough in an attempt to cover my slip up.
"Yes, mother." I mumbled.
"Mother always knows best." Aurelius said with a nod. "That concludes our meeting."
"Meeting? This was a family dinner with my children!" Mother giggled. "We just needed to take care of a few things for the party, other than that I'm so happy to be able to eat together for the first time since you all flew out into space!" My communicator suddenly whirred to life which caused our mother to scowl. "Allyson, I specifically said that all communicator's are to be turned off during this dinner."
"Apologies, mother, I must take this." I dismissed mother's stare as I got up and excused myself from the table, thankful for the opportunity to leave for some fresh air. When I put a good distance between my family I answered my communicator. "Allyson DeLuca here."
"Allyson." Jim's voice came from the other end. "Sorry to interrupt your family dinner."
"I welcome your interruption, things are going terrible. I feel suffocated sitting with them." I whispered as I nodded to the host as I made my way out of the restaurant. "You know, mother has this delusion that we're a perfect family when in reality her children can't stand being in the same room as each other. Either that or she refuses to see it." I sighed as I leaned against the wall of the restaurant. "Anyway, what's going on?"
"I know we just started our leave, but we've been asked to head back out into space. I'll fill you in when we're back on the ship." Jim chuckled. "Then, after, you can thank me all you want for saving you."
"I'll be right there." I closed my communicator as I let out a sigh of relief. 'I owe you one, Jim.'
I went back into the restaurant and to no surprise, mother was waiting expectantly for me to return, impatiently tapping her well manicured nails on the table.
"Apologies, I must excuse myself, duty calls." I informed my family without bothering to sit back down. "Starfleet is sending us back into space, details were withheld until I return back to the Enterprise."
"You can't leave, Allyson." Mother started to argue. "What about your Great-Grandfather's party?"
"Another ploy of yours to disappoint our parents?" Aurelius sarcastically spoke as he continued to eat the food on his plate. "I'm shocked."
"You may ask Starfleet to confirm my whereabouts if you doubt me, but the fact of the matter is is that I'm needed back to my ship." I shook my head, biting my tongue at the accusation, though I'm happy to take the opportunity to miss the party.
"If you were Captain, you could have passed on the responsibility to another capable ship." Mother brushed me off, making one final jab at my character which was the last jab for me that I will sit and listen to.
"If I deny my summons back to my ship, then I would be slacking as an officer, deserting my position. We were taught better, weren't we?" I turned my back on my family. "If I miss great-grandfather's party, then everyone would understand. Duty above all else, right?"
"Captain Kirk."I greeted Jim as the two of us met halfway in shuttlebay to walk together back to the bridge.
"Commander DeLuca." Jim greeted me with a smile. "How'd your mother take to you having to leave unexpectedly after just arriving."
"Never took it well, but then again when does she ever take anything I do well. I'm just happy to be out of there." I said with a shrug as I saw Jim taking another glance back at me. "What?"
"I haven't seen you wearing that uniform in a long time." Jim commented as I looked down at my outfit.
"I hadn't even realized I put on my custom made long sleeve Starfleet uniform." I was in shock, when had I grabbed my old uniform? "Anyway, our mission?"
"Six hours after our arrival to Yorktown, an unidentified unauthorized non-federation ship breached into Yorktown airspace. By Commodore Paris's request, I stood in to listen to the questioning of Miss Kalara who was flying the ship. According to Miss Kalara her ship suffered a critical malfunction inside the nebula during one of their science missions. Their ship had crashed and landed on a nearby planet and in the last minute Kalara took an escape pod and made her way here." Jim read off as we continued to walk. "As you know, the nebula is a difficult expanse in space to navigate."
"So, our ship and crew was nominated for this search and rescue?" I asked as Jim nodded his head.
"Kalara had requested for a capable ship, and Commodore Paris had said that there was no other ship and crew who would be up for the job. Capable for such a rescue." Jim said. "Uncharted nebula, dense space, we were unable to do any long-range scan on what to expect."
"So we're going in blind." I sighed dramatically before instantly regretting it, being reminded of mother. "Just a normal day for the Enterprise and her crew."
"While we are away, Commodore Paris will be discussing with the General Council about my request for Vice Admiral." Jim suddenly said as we exited on one of the ships levels and made our way to the next lift that would take us straight to the bridge. "I'll get my answer when we return."
"Have you…?" I asked hesitantly as Jim simply shook his head.
"Spock had been called away by a couple of Vulcan leaders, I was unable to speak to him about the situation." Jim said as the door to the lift opened and the object of our discussion was standing just on the other side. "Mister Spock."
"Captain." Spock greeted with a nod of his head as Jim and I stepped in. I situated myself between my two commanding officers as I took a small step back to allow for us to have enough elbow room in the lift.
"I was thinking…" "Perhaps there…" The two spoke up at the same time, and you could literally see the tension in the air, feel how awkward the situation was, as I stared up at the two men. Watching as they fiddled around what they wanted to say and get off their chest. I knew full well what was going on in each of their minds, but was now really a good time to break such news?
"No, please." "Captain, after you." The two shared a look, neither of them knowing what to say or simply waited for the other to continue and I wished I had taken a different lift. "I insist."
"After this mission, we should, uh, sit down." Jim nodded his head, stumbling a bit over his words as he spoke to Spock. "There's something I need to talk to you about."
"I as well have something to share." Spock agreed as the two went back to staring straight ahead. I felt completely awkward just standing in between them, suffocating under the heavy tension that lingered in the space between, knowing that this was possibly a conversation I shouldn't be listening in on even though I already knew what each of them wanted to say.
"We make a good team. Right?" Jim suddenly asked as he took a glance back at me then straight to Spock.
"I believe we do." Spock answered just as the lift doors opened.
Spock motioned for Jim to exit first before Jim shook his head and mirrored Spock's motion. "I insist."
When it was just Jim and myself I decided to speak.
"You know I love you two a lot, you're my best friends and the family I always wished for," I said as I exited with Jim. "but I don't like this situation you're putting each other in, I like it better when you're agreeing with each other. I'll even take how you both acted when you both first met over whatever that was in the lift."
"Sorry," Jim apologized with a sad smile. "it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make it known that we needed to sit and talk about a few things." Jim's lips turned into a thin line as he gently patted my shoulder before walking away. "Come on, Ally. One last adventure."
Family drama? Jim to the rescue! We've only just grazed the surface on the DeLuca family drama and I hope I introduced them well. Not much interaction between the three Mates, but I promise there will be more!
Cat Nari: I'm still kind of hoping that there will be a Star Trek 4 lol even if it's less likely to happen I can still hope. I was planning that after Star Trek: Beyond it'll be completed (after some added chapters), but I could very well incorporate the other movies (minus Wrath of Khan). It's an idea, but I won't know until I finish this movie. I could also do a side story of the Enterprise's many adventures and incorporate the movies there instead of on here. So many possibilities and different ways to go, but it all comes back to how I end this arc. I hope that makes sense.
If you are enjoying yourself and my story: review, follow, and favorite! But it's not mandatory =) just knowing that you gave my story a chance, decided to read my creation makes me incredibly happy! Hope you all are staying safe!
-SO
