Hi all - message from Amy here - Courtney (Shaundrah to you all) has spent a lot of time volunteering at some mission thing in Welland for the past month, so I've written chapter 2. I took some libertie's with ages and timelines, hopefully its still decent!
T'ashlynn woke to the sound of birds chirping and the familiar smell of ocean water.
Thank God, it was just a dream.
She sighed, her eyes still shut. Her anxious feelings had clearly been weighting on her mind, if she was having disturbing dreams about strange men.
"Are you awake?"
A male voice. There are no men on Earth II...
T'Ashlynn's eyes flew open. The first thing she saw was Lal, standing in the doorway, refusing to meet Ta'shynn's gaze. The second was that - that Wesley Crusher man - lounging sloppily in T'ashlynn's chair, his spindely legs stretched out in front of him. He watched her closely, like a bug pinned on a board, his brows knitted together in concentration. T'ashlynn stared right back at him - he wasn't going to intimidate her, not on her planet, in her bedroom.
"Who are you?" she sat up suddenly. "Lal... do you know him? Why are you being so calm at this... intruder... showing up here?"
"Lieutenant Wesley Crusher."
"I heard your name the first time," she snapped. "Why are you here?"
"T'ashlynn. You are of age now. You are an adult." Lal's voice was brittle, and had T'ashlynn not known better, she would have sworn Lal was upset. "Things must change now."
"What does that mean?"
Wesley Crusher stared at Lal. "You've told her nothing at all?"
"It was the safest option." Lal replied. "I was programmed to keep T'Ashlynn safe. Any knowledge would have put her at greater risk of being a target."
"So I get to explain basically the past 16 years to her? That's going to be... interesting."
T'Ashlynn jumped out of bed and pointed. "Stop talking about me as if I'm not even here! Now answer my questions, Lieutenant Commander - or get out of my house!"
Wesley Crusher stared back at her with well-concealed anger. T'Ashlynn had never seen a man before in real life; hell, if Lal didn't count, T'Ashlynn had never seen any people, male or female, except in holovideos. She knew that at some time, when she was a child, she must have had a father and mother; but she had no memories. Nothing except Earth II and Lal.
Even so, she instinctively understood the emotion reflected in Wesley Crusher's dark eyes.
"Tashlynn," Lal said. "Come to the kitchen. I will make yourself and the Lieutenant some leaf tea, to calm the nerves."
It felt strange, watching another person eat. T'ashlynn had never really thought about it before, but sitting across from Wesley Crusher and seeing how he stirred his tea and picked at the fruit bowl, felt too familiar. He ate like a bird - picking, jerky movements. That wasn't what she had expected - in holonovels and on broadcast transmissions, the men all seemed broad-shouldered and swaggering.
T'ashlynn wanted to tell him to get out, but her curiousity stopped her. She and Crusher had said nothing and had sat in tense silence as Lal boiled and poured the tea.
"Are you all right?" Crusher asked after a minute.
"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?"
"You're starring at me."
She shrugged, trying not to look too embarrassed. "I've never seen a man before."
He gulped and looked uncomfortable shifting around in his chair and turning red.
"I've been sent here by your father." Wesley Crusher said. "Your father is a starship captain, T'Ashlynn."
"Is he? What sort of captain? Does he do deep space missions or something like that... where he's off for several years at a time?
Lal put a finger to her lips, silencing T'ashlynn.
"No." Wesley steepled his fingers and looked over at Lal. "Does she watch the Earth broadcasts?"
"Sorry. Do you watch Earth broadcasts, T'ashlynn?"
"Yeah, once in awhile. The big news stories... but generally, I can't pay much attention. What happens out there doesn't affect me."
She gestured up wards.
"Then maybe what I'm about to tell you will be meaningless..." Wesley Crusher leaned forward. "Your father has sent me to bring you back to him. Your father... Admiral Jean-Luc Picard."
T'ashlynn gasped. "No..."
She looked at Lal, looking for some sign that this wasn't true... that it was a dream. But Lal nodded her head sharply.
Tashlynn felt dizzy. She was the daughter of Admiral Picard... the greatest captain in the history of Starfleet. She could hear Wesley Crusher's voice continuing to speak, but her heart throbbed in her ears. His voice sounded just like a noisy buzz in the background. Then Lal said someting and led Wesley Crusher out.
Then there was silence.
T'Ashlynn shut her eyes. I am the daughter of Jean Luc Picard.