Thanks to SugarSugar, Kiddo, Sara, FishFace12, and anyone else who reviewed
the last chapter. To answer your questions -
No, none of the seaQuest crew knows anything about Lucas's past, none of them even suspect yet since he's learned to be good at hiding his emotions.
Yes, I do intend to write a story where they find out. (I have one little one to do after I finished this one, that is going to be a little flash back thing to when Lucas was about 6, before his parents got divorced, and then I'm going to write a "discovering Lucas's past" story.)
And lastly, no, I'm not really going into his past in this story. I didn't intend to mention it at all, but it kind of sneaked it's way in. So, I'm now going to pretend that I intended to include all the time, to set the scene for the next story I plan to write.
Oh, by the way, I don't own the seaQuest or the characters that serve upon her, I'm not making any money, and I intend no infringement of copy write towards those people who do.
Now, since I have definitely babbled enough, on with the story. This chapter is bit longer than the last two.
Chapter 7.
"Actually, we were just discussing the food, Captain." Said Ben, since he was the first one to reign in his surprise and kick his vocal cords into action. "I don't have anything except the food in the mess, as per regulations."
"Since when have regulations bothered you, Krieg?"
"I'm turning over a new leaf, Captain, I want to be a good influence on-" Ben stopped when Miguel 'accidentally' kicked him in the leg.
"On... on Lucas." Ben said realising the mistake he was about to make.
"You want to be a good influence on... Lucas?" The Captain arched his eyebrow in surprise.
"Yes, Captain."
Bridger nodded, but looked decidedly sceptical. Ben Krieg was never going to be a good influence on any body, when he wasn't trying to make a quick buck; he was planning his next practical joke, or something equally unsuitable for an officer in the UEO.
Deciding that they were probably planning something a Captain shouldn't know about, he made a quick exit soon after. Although he did wait around until Krieg 'remembered' that he did in fact have a small amount of real food in the storeroom, and handed it over.
***** ***** *****
Katie was not happy. In fact, she was starting to think she was going insane. She'd kept waking up in the middle of the night, convinced she could hear music. It wasn't unpleasant music; it was a classical piece that she couldn't quite put a name to, which was annoying in it.
At about five o'clock in the morning, Katie had given up trying to sleep through the music, and instead tried to find out where it was coming from, it was impossible. There were no speakers, it wasn't even coming from a particular direction, the music was just there.
In the end she had contacted the communications and sensors officers on the bridge, but they had both assured her that there was no music.
Then had come the final straw, she was being stalked by a dolphin. At first Katie had told her self that she was imagining things. But every time she woke up, Darwin was in the aqua tube watching her, now, as she made her way to work on the Gazelle, she knew without even looking behind her that he was following her in the parallel tube.
Katie was not entirely sure she wasn't paranoid, of I've someone was really trying to drive her crazy. Either way she was not impressed as she entered the Gazelle's new home.
***** ***** *****
"Tim do you think this is all going to work?" Lucas was more than a little worried; he'd expected everyone to laugh when he had told them what he had found out while doing his research, instead they were taking it as some kind of law.
"Well, the food plan is a disaster waiting to happen, but since no one took any notice when you pointed that out, there's not much we can do about it now." Tim replied as they walked down the corridor towards the bay the Stinger was being held in.
"Yea, well, when I mentioned that listening to classical music was supposed to be a good idea, neither of us could have guessed that they were going to decide to pipe it in to her room when she's asleep." Lucas added shaking his head, and sending his blond hair tumbling into his eyes.
"That was Miguel's idea." Tim reminded the teen. "But what I don't understand" he continued, "Is why, when we were the only ones who noticed that the ideas were stupid, we still seem to be doing all the work?"
"I know, and I still don't understand how they can all think the whole thing is such a good idea. Ben, well, we all expect Ben to be..." Lucas paused trying to find the right word, "a bit eccentric, but the others are supposed to be more sensible. I mean even Ford is getting carried along, with little more than a token protest."
"They think they're helping." Tim said shrugging his narrow shoulders.
"Yea," Lucas snorted, "But they didn't even change the plan when I pointed out that she should avoid stress. What could be more stressful than a bunch of morons messing around with your whole life?"
"I'll have to think about that one." Tim said with a smile, "Good luck in there." He added as they reached their destination.
"I think I'm going to need it." Lucas said opening the hatch.
***** ***** *****
"Hi Katie."
Katie looked up from her work but only grunted in reply.
"How's the realignment going?" asked Lucas.
Another grunt.
"Anything I can help with?"
Katie stopped what she was doing. "Could you hear music last night?"
"No, why?" Lucas responded warily.
"Have you noticed anything strange about Darwin recently?"
"No, is he acting strange?"
"Yes, Lucas he is, he's stalking me!"
"Oh, um, are you feeling stressed Katie?"
"Just a little bit, yes." Katie said sarcastically.
Lucas thought for a moment. Debating what to do next. There was only one thing he could think of doing to help, but he would have to wait a little while before he could do that.
***** ***** *****
A few hours later, Katie came back from the mess hall with two cartons of Apple juice. As she opened the hatch, she saw Lucas jump away from what he was doing and stand in front of his work station so she couldn't see what he had been doing when she was gone.
"What are you hiding Lucas?" she asked suspiciously trying to peer over his shoulder.
"I um, nothing important, um, err..."
Katie gently moved him to one side, and looked at what he had been doing. On the workbench was a small nameplate with "Gazel-" engraved on it.
"Lucas?"
"Well, you seemed really stressed... and I thought... well, it's not that bad a name... not as good as, um, stinger would have been... but, um... I thought it might cheer you up... um... I still have two more letters to go... um." Lucas stammered going a very interesting shade of red.
"Lucas, thank you, that was a lovely thing to do, it really has cheered me up." Katie said smiling and giving the embarrassed teen a quick hug. Lucas froze for a moment before timidly returning the gesture.
"We'd better get back to work if we're going to get the alignment sorted out." Said Katie, looking much like her old self.
***** ***** *****
Once again the storeroom was full.
"Katie is just getting more and more stressed, she thinks Darwin is stalking her." Lucas reported. It was later that day, and Katie was taking her shift on the bridge.
"O.K. any one have any ideas how to make Katie less stressed?" Ford asked.
"Proper food!" Said Miguel.
"No classical music being played all through the night." Added Tim.
"Stop Darwin stalking her." Shan suggested.
"When it comes down to it, all these measures are for her own good, it's the right thing to do." Ford responded, he was a great believer in doing the right thing.
"I don't think Katie sees it like that." Observed Crocker.
"What do you think I should name him?"
"Krieg, what are you talking about?" Ford sighed. Ben still seemed to be suffering from a degree of shock; he kept interrupting with seemingly random comments.
"What do you think I should name my son?"
"Why do you assume your going to have a son?" Tim asked, "You may have a daughter."
Ben tilted his head on the side, as if considering this possibility for the first time.
"That would be nice, a little girl, just like Katie."
"Kids don't always turn out just like their parents." Lucas said with out lifting his eyes from the screen of his laptop. "And, you shouldn't put too many expectations on the kid anyway. Let them decide what they are going to be like in their own time."
They all looked at him for a moment, waiting to see if he was going to add any explanation.
"I like the name Aurora?" Volunteered Miguel.
"Wasn't that the name of a Disney character?" Ben asked.
"She was the Roman Goddess of the Dawn." He paused before adding, "She may have been a Disney character as well."
"I'm not naming my daughter after a Disney character."
"Mary's a nice name." Said Tim.
"It's a name that lends itself to extremes though," said Miguel "I mean on the one hand you have the Virgin Mary, on the other hand you have Mary Magdalene. Hey!" Miguel was cut off when a pillow hit him full in the face.
"What do you think Lucas?" Ben asked noticing Lucas had been quiet for some time.
"Anastasia Roza." He replied slowly.
"Any particular reason?" Ford asked when it seemed Lucas was, yet again, going to add no explanation.
"It was my Grandma's name." The teen replied smiling slightly sadly.
"I think that sounds just right" Ben responded, showing more than usual tact. "What about if he's a boy?"
"Well, Miguel's a nice name..." said Miguel, and laughed when everyone groaned or threw pillows at him.
***** ***** *****
Nathan and Kristen sat in front of the vid unit and looked in horror at Bill McGrath.
"What do you mean you want to discuss the science budget? We've just finished finalising the budget."
"Well, the space programme is looking for more funding, and since few of the board can really understand what exactly it is your doing, it looks like the funding is going to be re-arranged."
"We are-" Kristen began, but Nathan interrupted her before she could get into full flow.
"We want to talk to the board, Bill."
"I guessed you would, the meetings are starting in a few days time, I've arranged for the two of you to attend, and since the crew is over due some shore leave, they can take that at the same time."
"OK, Bill. We'll see you in a few days. I want to talk to you about this business with Admiral Trent at the same time."
"OK, Goodbye Nathan."
As the screen reverted back to it's UEO logo, Nathan sat and let Kristen's very detailed descriptions of what she would like to do to those who controlled her science budget flow over his head, while he went back to the problem of Lucas, Juliana, and the little talk they had yet to finish.
***** ***** *****
To be continued...
That's all for the moment, if you want any thing special to happen in the rest of the story feel free to mention it when you Review. I'm thinking of focusing the next chapter on the shore leave, good idea? Yes? No? Maybe?
No, none of the seaQuest crew knows anything about Lucas's past, none of them even suspect yet since he's learned to be good at hiding his emotions.
Yes, I do intend to write a story where they find out. (I have one little one to do after I finished this one, that is going to be a little flash back thing to when Lucas was about 6, before his parents got divorced, and then I'm going to write a "discovering Lucas's past" story.)
And lastly, no, I'm not really going into his past in this story. I didn't intend to mention it at all, but it kind of sneaked it's way in. So, I'm now going to pretend that I intended to include all the time, to set the scene for the next story I plan to write.
Oh, by the way, I don't own the seaQuest or the characters that serve upon her, I'm not making any money, and I intend no infringement of copy write towards those people who do.
Now, since I have definitely babbled enough, on with the story. This chapter is bit longer than the last two.
Chapter 7.
"Actually, we were just discussing the food, Captain." Said Ben, since he was the first one to reign in his surprise and kick his vocal cords into action. "I don't have anything except the food in the mess, as per regulations."
"Since when have regulations bothered you, Krieg?"
"I'm turning over a new leaf, Captain, I want to be a good influence on-" Ben stopped when Miguel 'accidentally' kicked him in the leg.
"On... on Lucas." Ben said realising the mistake he was about to make.
"You want to be a good influence on... Lucas?" The Captain arched his eyebrow in surprise.
"Yes, Captain."
Bridger nodded, but looked decidedly sceptical. Ben Krieg was never going to be a good influence on any body, when he wasn't trying to make a quick buck; he was planning his next practical joke, or something equally unsuitable for an officer in the UEO.
Deciding that they were probably planning something a Captain shouldn't know about, he made a quick exit soon after. Although he did wait around until Krieg 'remembered' that he did in fact have a small amount of real food in the storeroom, and handed it over.
***** ***** *****
Katie was not happy. In fact, she was starting to think she was going insane. She'd kept waking up in the middle of the night, convinced she could hear music. It wasn't unpleasant music; it was a classical piece that she couldn't quite put a name to, which was annoying in it.
At about five o'clock in the morning, Katie had given up trying to sleep through the music, and instead tried to find out where it was coming from, it was impossible. There were no speakers, it wasn't even coming from a particular direction, the music was just there.
In the end she had contacted the communications and sensors officers on the bridge, but they had both assured her that there was no music.
Then had come the final straw, she was being stalked by a dolphin. At first Katie had told her self that she was imagining things. But every time she woke up, Darwin was in the aqua tube watching her, now, as she made her way to work on the Gazelle, she knew without even looking behind her that he was following her in the parallel tube.
Katie was not entirely sure she wasn't paranoid, of I've someone was really trying to drive her crazy. Either way she was not impressed as she entered the Gazelle's new home.
***** ***** *****
"Tim do you think this is all going to work?" Lucas was more than a little worried; he'd expected everyone to laugh when he had told them what he had found out while doing his research, instead they were taking it as some kind of law.
"Well, the food plan is a disaster waiting to happen, but since no one took any notice when you pointed that out, there's not much we can do about it now." Tim replied as they walked down the corridor towards the bay the Stinger was being held in.
"Yea, well, when I mentioned that listening to classical music was supposed to be a good idea, neither of us could have guessed that they were going to decide to pipe it in to her room when she's asleep." Lucas added shaking his head, and sending his blond hair tumbling into his eyes.
"That was Miguel's idea." Tim reminded the teen. "But what I don't understand" he continued, "Is why, when we were the only ones who noticed that the ideas were stupid, we still seem to be doing all the work?"
"I know, and I still don't understand how they can all think the whole thing is such a good idea. Ben, well, we all expect Ben to be..." Lucas paused trying to find the right word, "a bit eccentric, but the others are supposed to be more sensible. I mean even Ford is getting carried along, with little more than a token protest."
"They think they're helping." Tim said shrugging his narrow shoulders.
"Yea," Lucas snorted, "But they didn't even change the plan when I pointed out that she should avoid stress. What could be more stressful than a bunch of morons messing around with your whole life?"
"I'll have to think about that one." Tim said with a smile, "Good luck in there." He added as they reached their destination.
"I think I'm going to need it." Lucas said opening the hatch.
***** ***** *****
"Hi Katie."
Katie looked up from her work but only grunted in reply.
"How's the realignment going?" asked Lucas.
Another grunt.
"Anything I can help with?"
Katie stopped what she was doing. "Could you hear music last night?"
"No, why?" Lucas responded warily.
"Have you noticed anything strange about Darwin recently?"
"No, is he acting strange?"
"Yes, Lucas he is, he's stalking me!"
"Oh, um, are you feeling stressed Katie?"
"Just a little bit, yes." Katie said sarcastically.
Lucas thought for a moment. Debating what to do next. There was only one thing he could think of doing to help, but he would have to wait a little while before he could do that.
***** ***** *****
A few hours later, Katie came back from the mess hall with two cartons of Apple juice. As she opened the hatch, she saw Lucas jump away from what he was doing and stand in front of his work station so she couldn't see what he had been doing when she was gone.
"What are you hiding Lucas?" she asked suspiciously trying to peer over his shoulder.
"I um, nothing important, um, err..."
Katie gently moved him to one side, and looked at what he had been doing. On the workbench was a small nameplate with "Gazel-" engraved on it.
"Lucas?"
"Well, you seemed really stressed... and I thought... well, it's not that bad a name... not as good as, um, stinger would have been... but, um... I thought it might cheer you up... um... I still have two more letters to go... um." Lucas stammered going a very interesting shade of red.
"Lucas, thank you, that was a lovely thing to do, it really has cheered me up." Katie said smiling and giving the embarrassed teen a quick hug. Lucas froze for a moment before timidly returning the gesture.
"We'd better get back to work if we're going to get the alignment sorted out." Said Katie, looking much like her old self.
***** ***** *****
Once again the storeroom was full.
"Katie is just getting more and more stressed, she thinks Darwin is stalking her." Lucas reported. It was later that day, and Katie was taking her shift on the bridge.
"O.K. any one have any ideas how to make Katie less stressed?" Ford asked.
"Proper food!" Said Miguel.
"No classical music being played all through the night." Added Tim.
"Stop Darwin stalking her." Shan suggested.
"When it comes down to it, all these measures are for her own good, it's the right thing to do." Ford responded, he was a great believer in doing the right thing.
"I don't think Katie sees it like that." Observed Crocker.
"What do you think I should name him?"
"Krieg, what are you talking about?" Ford sighed. Ben still seemed to be suffering from a degree of shock; he kept interrupting with seemingly random comments.
"What do you think I should name my son?"
"Why do you assume your going to have a son?" Tim asked, "You may have a daughter."
Ben tilted his head on the side, as if considering this possibility for the first time.
"That would be nice, a little girl, just like Katie."
"Kids don't always turn out just like their parents." Lucas said with out lifting his eyes from the screen of his laptop. "And, you shouldn't put too many expectations on the kid anyway. Let them decide what they are going to be like in their own time."
They all looked at him for a moment, waiting to see if he was going to add any explanation.
"I like the name Aurora?" Volunteered Miguel.
"Wasn't that the name of a Disney character?" Ben asked.
"She was the Roman Goddess of the Dawn." He paused before adding, "She may have been a Disney character as well."
"I'm not naming my daughter after a Disney character."
"Mary's a nice name." Said Tim.
"It's a name that lends itself to extremes though," said Miguel "I mean on the one hand you have the Virgin Mary, on the other hand you have Mary Magdalene. Hey!" Miguel was cut off when a pillow hit him full in the face.
"What do you think Lucas?" Ben asked noticing Lucas had been quiet for some time.
"Anastasia Roza." He replied slowly.
"Any particular reason?" Ford asked when it seemed Lucas was, yet again, going to add no explanation.
"It was my Grandma's name." The teen replied smiling slightly sadly.
"I think that sounds just right" Ben responded, showing more than usual tact. "What about if he's a boy?"
"Well, Miguel's a nice name..." said Miguel, and laughed when everyone groaned or threw pillows at him.
***** ***** *****
Nathan and Kristen sat in front of the vid unit and looked in horror at Bill McGrath.
"What do you mean you want to discuss the science budget? We've just finished finalising the budget."
"Well, the space programme is looking for more funding, and since few of the board can really understand what exactly it is your doing, it looks like the funding is going to be re-arranged."
"We are-" Kristen began, but Nathan interrupted her before she could get into full flow.
"We want to talk to the board, Bill."
"I guessed you would, the meetings are starting in a few days time, I've arranged for the two of you to attend, and since the crew is over due some shore leave, they can take that at the same time."
"OK, Bill. We'll see you in a few days. I want to talk to you about this business with Admiral Trent at the same time."
"OK, Goodbye Nathan."
As the screen reverted back to it's UEO logo, Nathan sat and let Kristen's very detailed descriptions of what she would like to do to those who controlled her science budget flow over his head, while he went back to the problem of Lucas, Juliana, and the little talk they had yet to finish.
***** ***** *****
To be continued...
That's all for the moment, if you want any thing special to happen in the rest of the story feel free to mention it when you Review. I'm thinking of focusing the next chapter on the shore leave, good idea? Yes? No? Maybe?
