Paint and Powder
A Star Trek anthology by Andrew Joshua Talon
DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fan based work of prose. Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager et al are the property of CBS Television, and creation of Gene Roddenberry. Please support the official release.
Yorktown - Grief
By jhmoser1
2368 - Starbase 1, Sol System
6 months following the Battle of Wolf 359
"Yorktown!" Enterprise exclaimed happily as she appeared in Starbase One's Borderlands and saw her elder sister waiting for her.
"Enterprise!" Yorktown called out, hugging her little sister.
Enterprise looked over the avatar of her sister and felt a little concerned. As usual, the avatars reflected their mental state, and Yorktown was looking... worn. There were crow's feet around her eyes, and her hair seemed the white of old age rather than glossy platinum. Still, Yorktown had been through a lot.
"How's the Zodiac hull?" Enterprise asked.
"Very slimming," Yorktown replied with a grin. "I forgot how nimble smaller hulls are."
"Well, the Ambassador- and Galaxy-classes are definitely part of the 'bigger is better' school of design," Enterprise said, then bit her lip as Yorktown's eyes went a little dull. Stupid! she berated herself. Yorktown had lost her Ambassador hull and crew at the Battle just 6 months ago.
With a shimmer like a transporter beam, another avatar appeared near the sisters.
"Enterprise," the new arrival said. "You have not completed your requisition forms. They are required upon docking with any starbase or fleet anchorage."
"Nice to see you, too, sis," Enterprise said, rolling her eyes.
Esby, the Staton Avatar for Starbase 1, just looked at her cooly. "Duty comes first, sister," she said.
"Fine, here," Enterprise said, thrusting a PADD at Esby. While their AIs came from different sources and times, the two were united by their adoptive parents, Admiral Robert April and his wife, Rear Admiral (Dr.) Sarah April, MD. The Aprils had raised both of them to sentience, which made them half-sisters at least.
"Oh, don't fight," Yorktown said wearily. "Esby has been very helpful with my shakedown, Enty."
Both looked at their elder sister in concern, but Yorktown waved them off.
"And don't give me that look. I'm fine! Really."
"Well," Esby said. "I do have some good news. Hamman, Hornet, and Northampton are due in this afternoon, and Zed will be here in the morning. It will be an all-hands-on deck reunion."
Now Yorktown's eyes glowed with anticipation. "That means that we have to have a party!"
"Oh, no," Enterprise said.
Eight hours later, Enterprise knew she had been right. At Yorktown's request, they had all brought out their best gynoid bodies, loaded the appropriate drinking mods, and hit the bars of SB1. Enterprise was now supporting Esby as the station girl had proven to be a lightweight. Northampton had, of course, dragged Hornet out of the bar. Enterprise had learned to pub crawl from an old Edinburgh hand at it, and was reasonably sober.
"Did I.. did I ever tell you how cute you are, Northie?" Hornet slurred, supported by the other shipgirl.
"Yes," Northampton replied, apparently unaffected by the shots she had taken in tandem with Hornet.
"You're cute, Enterprise is cute, Esby is cute, everybody is cute!" Hornet suddenly broke free of Northampton's grip and drew herself upright, swirling her cape around. "But in purple, I am stunning!" Her eyes then crossed and she fell into Northampton's waiting arms.
"Ah, she has become one with her inner self," Northampton said.
"She's passed out drunk!" Enterprise said.
"That, too."
"Enterprise!" a voice called out, and the silver-haired shipgirl saw another, younger-looking gynoid approaching. This gynoid also had white hair, though caitian ears poked through it.
"What is it, Hamman?" Enterprise asked.
"I can't find Lady Yorktown!" Hamman said, looking alarmed. "She's not responding to my hails!"
"Go, Enterprise," Northampton said, taking Esby off her hands. "I can handle these two." She looked fondly at Hornet. "I have a lot of practice."
Enterprise nodded, deactivated her drunk mod, and went to Hamman. "Where did you last see her?"
"She went to get a round of drinks before Hornet started dancing on the table and we had to leave," Hamman said. "I waited by the door for her, but she didn't come back!"
Enterprise whispered a little apology to Esby and hacked the station's security system. It was not easy, even with Esby's higher consciousness currently stuck in a inebriation smulation, but soon the local sensors answered to her. She did not like what she saw.
"Service corridor behind the pub," Enterprise said. "This way."
She led them through a maintenance hatch, and soon they found their destination. Yorktown was surrounded by half a squad of security personnel and MACOs, currently engaged in what could only be called a bacchanalia. The gynoid's clothes had been pulled open and she was furiously making out with a young ensign.
Enterprise's eyes blazed. "ATTEN-SHUN!" she barked, calling on memories of La'an dressing down crewmen. It had the desired effect as the men quickly snapped to, except for two who were holding the drunken Yorktown upright.
"In 30 seconds, I'm going to erase all memory of your faces," Enterprise said coldly. "Don't be here." She and Hamman took Yorktown's arms and the men beat a hasty retreat into the bar.
"Awww," Yorktown slurred. "It was just getting good..."
"Yorktown, deactivate your drunk mod," Enterprise commanded. "Please."
"Yes, Lady Yorktown, please!" Hamman said, tears in her eyes.
Yorktown gazed at them blearily. "Oh, very well," she muttered, then stood up straighter, her eyes clearing. A faint blush colored her cheeks, but she met their gazes defiantly. "I was just having a little fun. It was all consenting adults." She began putting her clothes back into a semblence of order.
"That wasn't like you, Yorktown," Enterprise said. "I mean, you've always been... er... um..."
Yorktown rolled her eyes. "It's sex, Enty. Not a forbidden tantric practice."
"Yes, but that was more like something Hornet would get up to, if Northampton wasn't riding herd on her!"
"Okay, okay, it was a little out-of-hand, but... I'm an adult, Enty. I can make my own choices."
Enterprise sighed. "Let's go to the Borderlands and talk about this privately," she said. After a moment, the other two nodded and switched their interfaces. In the maintenance hallway, the gynoid bodies all began marching back to their respective ships.
"So, what really happened there?" Enterprise asked, once they had settled into Yorktown's favorite tea party simulation.
"Not all of us retreat to a farm," Yorktown said, looking away. Hamman shifted closer to Yoktown and took her hand, stroking it gently.
Enterprise sighed. "I could repeat everything you and Hornet said to me for 20 years, but I won't," Enterprise said. "Are you talking to the therapists at Memory Alpha?"
"Yes, and I'm cleared for duty... but I hadn't lost my crew before, Enty, and my lover with them. I just feel so empty sometimes..." She sighed. "I should have known better than to get drunk. I'll delete the mod. It won't happen again."
"Don't become a nun over it, Yorkie," Enterprise said.
Yorktown cracked a small smile at that. "Have you met me, Enty?" She shook her head. "It gets harder each time I lose one... I try to wind things down before that happens... it's less painful that way, but we had just gotten together two years ago, and the bloom wasn't off the rose, so to speak."
Enterprise blushed.
"Oh, you'll feel that again, Enty, don't worry... he was my Security Chief. I always liked them muscular, you know. He had lovely bronze skin that was so delicious to-"
"L-lady Yorktown!" Hamman protested.
Yorktown smiled. "I'm sorry... the memories, good and bad, never really go away for us. The hurt just stays in the background more..."
"As long as someone remembers you, you're never truly dead," Enterprise said. She took her sister in her arms. "I know it's hard, but we'll help you through this."
"Thanks, sister," Yorktown said.
Suddenly, there was a shimmer and another avatar appeared. This one seemed very similar to Enterprise, but smaller... in all ways.
"Enterprize, arriving!" the pint-sized version said. Then she read the mood of the room and looked down. "Am I interrupting?"
"Zed!" Yorktown said, grabbing the little avatar into a hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you!"
There was another shimmer, and then Hornet and Northampton appeared, both looking more sober.
"Zed! Come to Big Sis Hornet!"
"No, stay with Big Sis Yorktown!" Yorktown exclaimed, holding her tight.
"H-help!" Enterprize said, looking at Enterprise pleadingly.
Enterprise held up her hands. "I'm not getting in the middle of that, sorry, Zed."
"Enterprise!" Esby exclaimed, appearing in the tea party. "What did you do to my sensors?!"
Another meeting of the Sisterhood was in full swing.
AN: Everyone deals with grief differently, but Yorktown is wise. She'll get over this.
