Author's Note: Hey, guys! Thanks for all the reviews and taking the time
to read this. This is my first fanfic so...you know. Sorry if this feels
like it's moving along faster than the speed of light. I'll work on that a
little. I'm just trying to focus most on the more major events to come.
OOOOOOOO. The suspense....
Ideas
Jim went to Crescentia to pick up Liz. She had been navigating for the first couple weeks of her three-month vacation after her first year at the Academy. All A's again. She was always such a hard worker. When she came home, she discussed all the events that occurred. She went to a planet she'd never before visited and met another species that was rarely seen outside of their home planet. Those things always fascinated her. After years of navigation training, her hard work paid off (although this wasn't her first voyage alone, it was one of the most interesting to her).
Jim and I listened with enjoyment. Danny sat in the chair next to the sofa and listened with a half blank, half annoyed look on his face. He hadn't changed much in the past two years. He was an angry fourteen-year- old. I knew our seventeen-year-old daughter felt his semi-glare, but she seemed to ignore it.
Jim knew we had to do something and came up with quite an interesting idea that night before bed.
"Laura, you know Danny's having all these emotional and educational troubles, right?"
"It's a little hard to miss, Jim."
"I know, I know, but what do you say we send him on a trip?"
"You mean a voyage? Alone?"
"Yeah."
"Jim he's never been on a voyage before. He doesn't know the drills or safety procedures. What if he gets hurt? Then what would we do?
"Come on, Laura. There's a first time for everything. I was only a year older than he is when I went on my first voyage. You and Liz have been traveling your whole lives. There will be people there to teach him what to do. Besides, my first trip changed my personality."
"What do you expect, Jim? Another Silver? He doesn't need another father. He has you. In fact, I-I don't even know what he needs at this point."
"I heard somewhere that 'there are far worse remedies than a few character-building months in space.' "
"Look. I-I'll think about it, but I am not sure about this at all."
Jim was gone a lot more often than he had been in years. The Procyons were firing up again. He was not called to fight but was at Crescentia more often to check on updates and to give those going to fight pep talks. Liz finally got a break from school and work but would have to be navigating again in about two weeks. Danny spent most of his time in his room. Occasionally, he would talk to B.E.N. or Morph for company, but he preferred solitude.
I went up to his room one day for a try at some conversation.
"Danny, I know you're not much of a talker, but talk to me now. What's wrong?"
"Mom, I don't know, okay. It really doesn't matter."
"It does. Your feelings matter."
"I don't know. I miss Dad a lot, I guess."
"You don't feel like he's around enough?"
"I don't know. I guess when he's here I don't wanna talk to him, but I wanna please him, and I know I can't."
"Sweetie, you don't have to please him. He loves you."
No response. I guess the idea was worth a shot.
Jim and I told him that night about his upcoming voyage. He was happier than I had ever seen him. Ever. He hugged both of us tightly and even hugged Liz when she walked into the room. We told her their father's proposal. She was just as happy for him as he was for himself. We soon made the arrangements for him to go on a merchant ship in a few days and made sure it had a trusted captain to watch him somewhat carefully.
Danny talked to us a lot more over the next few days. He was even a little more outgoing to the Dopplers. Their children had already graduated from the Academy with Dexter as an astrophysicist, Grace as a painter and potter, Diane as a Lieutenant, and Margaret as an architect (the Academy offered education in more areas besides those only offered for spacers).
Jim was out one day at Crescentia while the rest of us stayed at home. Danny was outside daydreaming happily, and Liz and I were looking over some updated maps of the Etherium in the house.
A neighbor brought my injured son into the house. Liz and I stood up and ran to him in fear. The neighbor carried him to his room as we followed up the stairs. Danny was moaning and had a huge bump on the side of his head. His eyes were shut tightly. The neighbor said he found a broken solar surfer next to Danny near a canyon's edge. Jim's surfer. The one he hadn't ridden since he graduated. The one in the shack near the house. Jim always told Danny never to go in there. He hardly ever went in there himself.
We thanked the neighbor and asked only that he fetch the town's physician for us.
Danny was permanently injured. The concussion made him blind in his left eye. The physician told us he was very lucky because the blindness and the bump on his head were the worst, if not the only, injuries. Just a cold pack on his head daily was needed. We thanked the doctor when Jim returned home. I ran to him and told him what happened. Before he could respond, I almost pleaded him not to punish Danny for ruining the solar surfer. He would already feel enough punishment with his injuries.
"Laura, I'm not mad that the surfer's ruined. I can always make a new one of those. I'm mad that he disobeyed my orders!"
"What are you gonna do?"
"There's only one thing I can think of."
"Jim, no. Not the voyage."
"We have to."
"Well, maybe because he's injured we can postpone it, but don't take it away completely."
Liz spoke up. "Mommy's right Daddy. He need's this trip. The last thing he needs is for you to be angry at him."
Jim was near boiling. "Liz, stay out of this! You can't defend him forever."
I said to her, "He's right, honey. This isn't your job. We'll work this out."
She left the room in near tears.
I continued, "I know I was against this before, but you were right. He won't find another Silver. He doesn't need one. But he needs you."
I couldn't stop Jim from going upstairs. There was yelling. I ran up there after a few moments with the excuse that Danny needed a cold pack. Danny was crying. I hugged him as Jim left the room. This wasn't over yet. Our son may get his trip back. I'd talk to Jim when he cooled down. That night, I slept on the sofa and worried.
Ideas
Jim went to Crescentia to pick up Liz. She had been navigating for the first couple weeks of her three-month vacation after her first year at the Academy. All A's again. She was always such a hard worker. When she came home, she discussed all the events that occurred. She went to a planet she'd never before visited and met another species that was rarely seen outside of their home planet. Those things always fascinated her. After years of navigation training, her hard work paid off (although this wasn't her first voyage alone, it was one of the most interesting to her).
Jim and I listened with enjoyment. Danny sat in the chair next to the sofa and listened with a half blank, half annoyed look on his face. He hadn't changed much in the past two years. He was an angry fourteen-year- old. I knew our seventeen-year-old daughter felt his semi-glare, but she seemed to ignore it.
Jim knew we had to do something and came up with quite an interesting idea that night before bed.
"Laura, you know Danny's having all these emotional and educational troubles, right?"
"It's a little hard to miss, Jim."
"I know, I know, but what do you say we send him on a trip?"
"You mean a voyage? Alone?"
"Yeah."
"Jim he's never been on a voyage before. He doesn't know the drills or safety procedures. What if he gets hurt? Then what would we do?
"Come on, Laura. There's a first time for everything. I was only a year older than he is when I went on my first voyage. You and Liz have been traveling your whole lives. There will be people there to teach him what to do. Besides, my first trip changed my personality."
"What do you expect, Jim? Another Silver? He doesn't need another father. He has you. In fact, I-I don't even know what he needs at this point."
"I heard somewhere that 'there are far worse remedies than a few character-building months in space.' "
"Look. I-I'll think about it, but I am not sure about this at all."
Jim was gone a lot more often than he had been in years. The Procyons were firing up again. He was not called to fight but was at Crescentia more often to check on updates and to give those going to fight pep talks. Liz finally got a break from school and work but would have to be navigating again in about two weeks. Danny spent most of his time in his room. Occasionally, he would talk to B.E.N. or Morph for company, but he preferred solitude.
I went up to his room one day for a try at some conversation.
"Danny, I know you're not much of a talker, but talk to me now. What's wrong?"
"Mom, I don't know, okay. It really doesn't matter."
"It does. Your feelings matter."
"I don't know. I miss Dad a lot, I guess."
"You don't feel like he's around enough?"
"I don't know. I guess when he's here I don't wanna talk to him, but I wanna please him, and I know I can't."
"Sweetie, you don't have to please him. He loves you."
No response. I guess the idea was worth a shot.
Jim and I told him that night about his upcoming voyage. He was happier than I had ever seen him. Ever. He hugged both of us tightly and even hugged Liz when she walked into the room. We told her their father's proposal. She was just as happy for him as he was for himself. We soon made the arrangements for him to go on a merchant ship in a few days and made sure it had a trusted captain to watch him somewhat carefully.
Danny talked to us a lot more over the next few days. He was even a little more outgoing to the Dopplers. Their children had already graduated from the Academy with Dexter as an astrophysicist, Grace as a painter and potter, Diane as a Lieutenant, and Margaret as an architect (the Academy offered education in more areas besides those only offered for spacers).
Jim was out one day at Crescentia while the rest of us stayed at home. Danny was outside daydreaming happily, and Liz and I were looking over some updated maps of the Etherium in the house.
A neighbor brought my injured son into the house. Liz and I stood up and ran to him in fear. The neighbor carried him to his room as we followed up the stairs. Danny was moaning and had a huge bump on the side of his head. His eyes were shut tightly. The neighbor said he found a broken solar surfer next to Danny near a canyon's edge. Jim's surfer. The one he hadn't ridden since he graduated. The one in the shack near the house. Jim always told Danny never to go in there. He hardly ever went in there himself.
We thanked the neighbor and asked only that he fetch the town's physician for us.
Danny was permanently injured. The concussion made him blind in his left eye. The physician told us he was very lucky because the blindness and the bump on his head were the worst, if not the only, injuries. Just a cold pack on his head daily was needed. We thanked the doctor when Jim returned home. I ran to him and told him what happened. Before he could respond, I almost pleaded him not to punish Danny for ruining the solar surfer. He would already feel enough punishment with his injuries.
"Laura, I'm not mad that the surfer's ruined. I can always make a new one of those. I'm mad that he disobeyed my orders!"
"What are you gonna do?"
"There's only one thing I can think of."
"Jim, no. Not the voyage."
"We have to."
"Well, maybe because he's injured we can postpone it, but don't take it away completely."
Liz spoke up. "Mommy's right Daddy. He need's this trip. The last thing he needs is for you to be angry at him."
Jim was near boiling. "Liz, stay out of this! You can't defend him forever."
I said to her, "He's right, honey. This isn't your job. We'll work this out."
She left the room in near tears.
I continued, "I know I was against this before, but you were right. He won't find another Silver. He doesn't need one. But he needs you."
I couldn't stop Jim from going upstairs. There was yelling. I ran up there after a few moments with the excuse that Danny needed a cold pack. Danny was crying. I hugged him as Jim left the room. This wasn't over yet. Our son may get his trip back. I'd talk to Jim when he cooled down. That night, I slept on the sofa and worried.