Disclaimer: see ch 1
Scott was at a table in the mess hall drinking… something. He knew better than to ask, especially since it tasted good. Jean had been placed in a room and the others were on a tour of the spacecraft with Ch'od and Raza. Hepzibah was comforting Carrie back to sleep in the room she and Scott would share, and Chris was sitting across from Scott, waiting for an explanation.
"Your drink alright?" Chris asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"Yes sir."
"Not even going to ask what it is?" Scott cringed.
"I'm afraid to," he said honestly. Chris chuckled.
"It's black tea. From Earth." Scott gave him a sheepish look.
"I thought it was the guts of something…"
"No, that doesn't keep as well. Plus, Ch'od gets to it first." Scott paled and Chris laughed even harder.
"That's disgusting."
"That's how they see tea. You calm enough to talk to me?" Scott flicked his eyes to Chris and then looked back down.
"She brought Carrie in case Jean's body wasn't strong enough."
"She as in the Phoenix?" Scott nodded. "I need you to start at the beginning, son, because I'm confused as hell."
"It started after Lilandra asked for help. We came to capture D'ken. Alex, Gabe, and I caught him, and the rest of the team rounded up those who were loyal to him. Emma and Beast said Jean was fine, and then she got hit and went down. But she was up seconds later and started beating the crap out of the rebels. I guess we didn't think much of it… When we got home, she wasn't… She was subdued and listless. I was talking to Emma today- yesterday?- and Carrie busted in saying Jean had collapsed. After a while of sitting with her, she lifted into the air calling herself Phoenix. That's… that's basically it."
"How did she get you guys on my ship?"
"She sensed the communicator and followed it here."
"Hm."
"I need to get Carrie home. I need to call Emma. Grandma and Grandpa were expecting them… And Grandpa wants me to remind you that Grandma's birthday is in August and he wants you there." Chris nodded, and then shook his head.
"I can't get Carrie home right now, Scott. We're nowhere near Earth, and it would take me a few days to get there."
"Hyper speed?"
"Do you know how much fuel that takes? I don't have that right now. We were on our way to… uh…"
"Pillage and plunder?" Scott asked with an amused look.
"Yep," Chris smirked. "But the score from that was going to get us our fuel. It was supposed to take about a week."
"Great," Scott said into his hands.
"I'm sorry, kiddo."
"Did you happen to hear anything about the Phoenix?"
"Not yet." Scott nodded and took another sip of his drink.
"Daddy!" Scott and Chris turned and saw Carrie running towards them.
"Hepzibah is sorry, Scott-boy. Carrie-girl did not want to sleep."
"It's alright, Mom. You ok, princess?"
"I want Nate and Mama," she said, climbing into his lap. Scott wrapped his arms around her.
"I do, too. But Grandpa was just telling me about how he doesn't have a lot of fuel, and it'll be a week before he can get more. We're… we're stuck here for a bit."
"I don't have clothes," she complained. Scott mentally cursed Jean- the Phoenix- for bringing Carrie.
"I'll figure something out, Carrie."
"We'll make a pit stop," Chris offered quietly. "Just… Keep her tucked away."
"Yes sir," Scott said knowingly.
"Grandpa?"
"Yes?"
"Is… Is there anything for me to eat?"
"Of course. Would you like to eat now, or in a bit?" The rumbling of her stomach had Chris smiling. "I suppose that answers that."
"Hepzibah will find food for Carrie-girl," Hepzibah said as she stepped away.
"Thank you Grandma Hep," Carrie smiled. Scott took another sip of his tea and considered their few options.
"What are you thinking?" Chris asked.
"Hm?"
"I know that face, son. You're evaluating and reconfiguring plans. How can I help?"
"I need to call Emma. I'm sure she's out of her mind with worry. And then… What if I called Lilandra?" Chris leaned back and rubbed his chin.
"She'd definitely respond better to you than us. But Scott, I can't let you do it from my ship with fuel so low. They could lock our signal and be here faster than we can escape. I want to help, but I can't put my crew in danger."
"What about that pit stop? Could I reach out to her there?" Chris briefly glanced at Carrie before looking back at Scott.
"It's not safe."
"I'll stay with Beast or Wolvie, Daddy," Carrie offered.
"Beast," Scott confirmed. "I'll have to ask him, but I'm sure he'd be fine with it. I'll take Iceman and Wolverine with me for cover." Chris gave a single nod.
"Cr'reee and Sikorsky will remain on the Starjammer. They'll help keep them safe." Scott nodded before looking confused.
"Who the hell is Cr'reee?"
"Ch'od's pet. It's like… a ferret mixed with a chihuahua? One of the things we were supposed to deliver, but Ch'od got too attached."
"So a giant green lizard alien pirate has a chihuahua. Sure. Why not?" Chris smiled and grabbed Hepzibah's hand as she put a bowl of something in front of Scott and Carrie.
"What is this?" Carrie asked in a disgusted tone.
"Just… think of it as a brownie surprise?" Scott recommended, also feeling slightly green at the sight of the supposed food.
"It's like what the astronauts eat," Chris told his granddaughter. "It looks gross, but it doesn't taste that bad. Unless you want me to look for the guts?"
"No thanks!" She took a tentative bite and nodded. "It's not the worst thing in the world, I guess."
"Better than Emma's cooking?" Scott teased.
"The guts would have been better than that, Daddy." Scott laughed and carefully slid Carrie off of his lap.
"I'm going to go try to call her. Finish eating, and then we need to get some sleep, alright?" Carrie nodded and Scott kissed her head.
"Carrie. Your father gave you an order. How do you respond?"
"Sorry, Grandpa. Yes, Daddy. I'll eat and be ready to sleep soon." Scott put a hand on Carrie's head and glared at Chris.
"Can I talk to you?" Chris nodded and stood.
"The communication system is this way. We'll talk as we walk," Chris said as he led Scott out of the mess hall.
"You're not her father," Scott started as soon as they were far enough away from Carrie. "Nor will I allow you to walk over my authority like Grandpa did with you. I don't require a 'yes sir' or 'no sir' from my kids with every response, and I won't have you demand it on my behalf, either."
"It's a sign of disrespect-"
"No it's not."
"Scott-"
"Dad, you raised us your way. Let me raise my kids my way."
"I don't like it."
"You don't have to, but you do need to respect it." Chris seemed to take an appraising look at Scott before nodding.
"Just as long as we understand each other," he said as he approached a screen and typed something in.
"Thank you."
"Call for Hepzibah when you're done and she'll lead you to your quarters."
"Yes sir." Chris gave Scott a single nod and walked out to give him privacy.
"Xavier- Scott!"
"Warren? What are you doing back so soon?"
"Emma called and said you were missing! Where the fuck are you, Summers?!"
"It's… complicated," Scott said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Can you put Emma on?"
"She's trying to get the kids up for breakfast. Carrie isn't wanting to wake up."
"About that-"
"Hang on," Warren said, putting a hand on his head. "Oh shit. Scott, Emma just said Carrie was gone! Where are you?! We need-"
"Carrie is with me. I need to talk to Emma, Angel. Now." Warren stared at the screen in shock.
"You… you took her?"
"No. I don't want to explain this a bunch of times, and Emma-"
"You found Scott?" Scott heard Emma say before seeing her on the screen. "Scott? I don't understand. Where are you?"
"Jean Phoenixed out. She felt the Starjammers communicator and demanded it, and when I went up to get it, she said she was taking me. I was able to get Hank, Logan, Bobby, and Remy to go with me, but she'd said something about Jean's body being weak, and Carrie being a backup. She Star Trekked us to Dad's ship, and that's when I saw she'd brought Carrie, too." Emma and Warren both had several emotions filter across their faces.
"She kidnapped my baby?"
"You didn't tell anyone what was going on?" Warren demanded. "That's like rule number one, Scott!"
"What time did I have?! I barely got some teammates down-"
"You had enough time to get them, but not others?!"
"She was watching me, Warren! She'd already threatened Carrie! I might not have been the perfect leader at the moment, but I was busy being a dad!" Warren looked away, slightly abashed.
"You're with your parents?" Emma confirmed.
"I am. I already asked about getting Carrie home. They don't have the fuel for it, and they won't for another week. So we're stuck here… But Dad's making a pit stop for clothes for Carrie tomorrow and I'm going to call Lilandra to see what help I can get."
"I… Scott, I know it's not completely your fault, but I can't help but be angry with you."
"I'm sorry, Emma. I don't blame you. I'm angry with myself," Scott said with his head bowed.
"How can we get to you?"
"The only one I know with a ship is Dad. I'll…" Scott stopped. "Wait. The helicopter."
"The what?" Warren asked.
"The helicopter. We made it completely without metal and Logan flew it to space to Asteroid M when I first learned Alex… If I get you the coordinates, you might be able to make it to us? Or Lilandra can transport you if I ask her…"
"I don't think we'd be able to travel lightyears away in that," Warren told Scott. "Our best bet would be Lilandra."
"Then I'll ask for help tomorrow. But they can't meet up with the Starjammers. They're still pirates."
"Clemency for the duration of the Phoenix debacle?" Emma wondered.
"I'm afraid of asking and admitting I'm with them. I can't turn in my dad, Emma."
"If it was between him and Carrie?" Scott looked away.
"But it's not and I don't want to dwell on the 'what if's.' Please don't make me."
"No one is saying that's what's going to happen," Warren mediated. "You're Cyclops. It's going to work out for you. For everyone."
"What do I tell Nate?"
"Tell him the truth. We were abducted by aliens. One is already getting on me about how I raise my kids, and another is trying to fatten Carrie up," Scott said, grinning. It didn't seem to have the desired effect on his partner and best friend, however.
"I need to go. Nate needs me," Emma said, walking away.
"I love you," Scott told the back of her head. Emma acted as if she didn't hear him and continued walking until she was out of view.
"You know she loves you. She gets like this when she's scared."
"I know. I'm doing what I can, Warren. But I should go, too. I need to rest while we head to that pit stop. I'll call again soon and try to talk to Nate. Please apologize to Betsy for me."
"She's fine. Makes her feel good that the leader of the X-Men is more trouble than me," he laughed. "We'll see you next call."
"Can you remind Emma to call my grandparents? She was supposed to take the kids to the cabin today." Warren nodded and the screen vanished in front of Scott. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"Scott-boy?"
"How much of that did you hear?"
"Hepzibah heard most of conversation. Scott-boy is good son for not wanting turn in Corsair. Corsair would prefer that over Carrie-girl hurt." Scott gave his stepmother a small smile.
"Let's just plan on it not being necessary, Mom. Can you show me to my quarters? I'm running on about an hour of sleep." Hepzibah nodded and took Scott's hand.
"Scott-boy will sleep beside Corsair and Hepzibah."
"Yes ma'am." Hepzibah led a quiet Scott to the section of the ship that had their rooms.
"Raza is flying ship," Hepzibah told him as she pointed out his and Carrie's room. "Does Cyclops need clothes for sleep?"
"Does Dad mind?"
"Hepzibah will help. Go see Carrie-girl." Hepzibah opened another door, but Scott grabbed her hand.
"Thanks Mom."
"Hepzibah is happy to help, Scott-boy." Scott let her go and she stepped into the room she shared with Chris, quickly returning with a pair of pajamas for Scott to change into. Scott took them with a grateful smile and went into the shared bathroom the crew used to change. He went back into the room with Carrie, seeing her in a long shirt of Chris' as well.
"I see Grandpa is in a sharing mood." Carrie gave him a sad smile.
"I want to go home, Daddy. I'm scared." Scott picked her up and held her close to him.
"Being scared means you need to be brave sometimes, Carrie. I need you to be brave."
"I don't want to be." Scott chuckled as he put a hand on her head, gently pulling her down to his shoulder.
"I know the feeling."
"Scott-boy?" Scott turned.
"Yes ma'am?"
"Hepzibah would like to show Carrie-girl and Scott-boy view. Other X-Men saw."
"What do you think, Care-Bear?" Carrie nodded, still gripping him tightly. "Alright, Mom. Let's see it." Hepzibah led the two down several corridors. Scott and Carrie turned to look around everything, trying to take it all in. When Hepzibah opened a door, Scott didn't wait for her to tell them to step through and just walked onto a balcony of sorts with a clear dome all around them.
"Wow," Carrie said quietly.
"Wow indeed," Scott agreed as he looked around. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Did you see this when you came before?" Carrie asked him.
"Not exactly something you can get tired of seeing," he smiled. "And technically, you've seen it, too. I sent you and Nate to space with Grandpa when you were a year old."
"I don't remember that."
"I'd be impressed if you did," Scott chuckled.
"Earth is like star, that way," Hepzibah said, pointing towards the right. "Too small to see."
"I don't think I was this far away last time," Scott admitted.
"Can we take a picture?"
"I don't have my phone or a camera," Scott frowned. "But you can let Emma read your mind to show her." Carrie nodded and rested her head on Scott
"I think I'd like to sleep now, Daddy." Scott adjusted his hold on her and turned.
"Mom, can you show us back? I wasn't paying complete attention." Hepzibah nodded and turned to lead them back when suddenly, the ship shook. Alarms started going off and Hepzibah stiffened.
"Scott-boy must hurry," she said as she started running. Scott turned Carrie so she was diagonally across his body and ran behind Hepzibah.
"Sit in the room," he commanded once they arrived, thankful he still had his visor on. Carrie nodded and sat on the bed, bringing her legs up and wrapping her arms around them.
"Cyclops?" Bobby asked, ice forming over his body. "What's going on?" The ship lurched again and Scott saw the Starjammers running towards them, Chris with his hand on his sword.
"X-Men," Corsair said as the ship shook a third time. "We're being boarded. Go into your quarters and remain there until one of us lets you out!" Scott watched his teammates retreat, but he stood his ground.
"Dad, I can-"
"I gave you an order, Cyclops. Go."
"Go, Scott-boy," Hepzibah pleaded. Scott hesitated, but nodded. He backed into the room he shared with his daughter and the door closed. He put his ear up against the cold metal and listened.
"Corsair and the Starjammers."
"Empress Lilandra," he heard his father say, slightly surprised. "To what do we owe this pleasure? Most rulers don't want to be in the presence of dirty pirates unless it's an execution." Scott felt the fear grip his heart and opened his door.
"Lilandra, wait!" Scott saw the Imperial Guard standing behind Chris and the rest of the Starjammers, who were on their knees in deference to Lilandra.
"Cyclops. What is an X-Man doing onboard a pirate ship?"
"Cyclops," Corsair warned.
"Please, your majesty. The Starjammers are assisting the X-Men with understanding the legend of the Phoenix. They are integral to our mission," Scott explained, heart hammering in his chest.
"The Phoenix?" Lilandra questioned.
"Yes. It has inhabited my teammate-"
"Impossible," a blue man- Gladiator, Scott recalled- scoffed. "The Phoenix is a myth, a legend. It is not real."
"And yet our ally claims otherwise," Lilandra defended. "Tell me, Cyclops."
"It happened during our assistance with capturing the tyrant D'ken. When we returned home, we noticed something odd with my teammate, and yesterday, she collapsed. The Phoenix took over her body and said she needed assistance. The next thing I know, I'm here with the Starjammers. The captain was willing to assist me once I confirmed my part in the capture of the man who killed his wife in front of him." Lilandra looked at Scott and then turned to the Starjammers.
"I had heard this crew was the best at locating objects once thought hidden from existence. I have it on good authority that my... brother is alive. The so-called tyrant I executed was nothing more than a loyal follower with the ability to change his appearance. D'ken is after the M'kraan crystal, a gem legend says is protected by the Phoenix. I was looking to employ the Starjammers. Discretely, of course."
"We would be honored, your majesty," Chris said, bowing his head. "But we have little fuel and less sustenance for an undertaking such as this. I cannot ask my crew to go without-"
"Gladiator." The blue man pulled out a leather-like bag and tossed it to Chris. "Please accept this as the first half of payment for our agreement." Scott watched Chris peak inside.
"I need what you know about the crystal," Chris said in acceptance.
"Gladiator will inform you and your crew. I must return to the search of my brother. Cyclops. It was good to see you once more. Knowing the X-Men are working with the Starjammers has me... pleased to pick these pirates. If there is anything I can do-?"
"There is," Scott said, quickly. "The Phoenix... She accidentally transported my daughter instead of my team. Even if my team is unable to join me, I need my daughter returned safely to her mother."
"Where is your daughter?" Scott opened the door to his quarters and held his hand out.
"Carrie? This is Lilandra, Empress of the Shi'ar." Carrie hesitantly stepped out and looked around her before looking .
"H-hello. Um. Your majesty." Lilandra smiled at the girl.
"Hello, daughter of Cyclops. I am Lilandra. Your father wishes you to be returned home."
"Oh, please! I have nothing here and the food is different and my mom and brother aren't with me and I'm scared!"
"I will send you home to your mother and brother, child."
"Thank you," Scott said emotionally. Lilandra nodded and held up a small device. Carrie was surrounded by light and then gone.
"She is home safe, Cyclops." Scott closed his eyes in relief.
"Thank you, your majesty."
"Starjammers. Gladiator will leave a way for you to contact me on your progress." Lilandra and most of her entourage disappeared, leaving only Gladiator.
"Raza," Chris commanded as the Starjammers returned to their feet. "Take down Gladiator's information. Hepzibah, put us on a course to the nearest place to fuel up. Sikorsky, call the X-Men and confirm the girl was returned safely to her mother. And you," Chris said, turning to Scott. "How DARE you-?"
"My presence only helped you!"
"I gave you an order! As captain of this ship-"
"You're not my captain," Scott scowled. He gasped as he felt Chris slam him against the metal wall behind him.
"Listen and listen well, boy. This is MY ship. Here, you listen to me and my crew. If you can't handle that, then you will be remanded to your quarters until such a time where we can deliver you back to Earth."
"What the hell, Dad?"
"I am NOT here to be your father! I have a crew to lead, Scott. Not a son to raise. You can either get in line or get out," Chris said, letting Scott go.
"You bastard." Scott regretted the words instantly as he saw the fiery anger in his father's eyes.
"Ch'od."
"Captain," Ch'od said, looking worried between father and son.
"Take him to the stockade."
"Corsair!" Hepzibah protested.
"Until he learns to respect my position as captain of this ship, he will remain in the stockade."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Scott said and Ch'od tried to gently usher him away. "Damn it, Dad, just because you're called a pirate doesn't mean-" Chris reached out and grabbed Scott's arm.
"You want on my ship? You follow our rules. For insubordination, it's either the stockade or a public flogging."
"Then I'll take-"
"A flogging that leaves a reminder. I won't do that to you. Not after... This is the only special treatment you will receive from me as captain, Scott. Go to the stockade." Stunned, Scott allowed Ch'od to lead him away.
"You put him in a difficult position, Cyclops," Ch'od explained. "With Lilandra and her men. For her to see the disrespect you showed, it makes him look weak. Gladiator will return to her with this, and he-"
"Will look better in her eyes for not letting anyone get away with shit. I got it," Scott said as he stepped into a cell-like room with the clear door coming down behind him. "So what. Do I just get ignored down here?"
"Corsair will be with you after Gladiator leaves. You will show him the respect the captain deserves, or he will leave you here until you do." Scott scowled.
"Tell him he can stick his authority up his ass." Ch'od shook his head and soon, Scott was alone. He sat on the cot in the cell and sighed, wondering how he always got himself into this mess.
A/N: Devastating news- Cable #11 won't be out until June 30th. I learned this at the comic book store today when I went to get it (I was going off the release dates in the back of the comics and didn't pay attention to the news that it was being pushed back for unknown reasons). So yeah. "A Father's Authority" will just have to wait a bit longer, I suppose. Oh well. The one person following will just have to wait :)
But hey, the Hellfire Gala is coming up, so at least there's that to look forward to? And that'll lead to the Trial of Magneto... It's going to be an expensive summer.