Scotty

x

Jaylah sat on the floor in the middle of her quarters, working determinedly on a busted PADD. She had foolishly agreed to take on a few more repair jobs on her last day on the station, and she was running out of time to finish them. She ignored the doorbell the first two times it chimed in favour of continuing her work, assuming it was another person with another broken device, before getting up to answer it on the third.

With a huff, she stomped over to her door. It slid open to reveal Montgomery Scotty reaching out to ring her doorbell a fourth time. Jaylah, relieved, just turned around and went back to her previous spot on the floor, trusting that he would follow her inside.

"What have we got here?" He asked, doing exactly what she'd thought he would.

"I am finishing some jobs." Jaylah answered, frowning as she finished fixing the PADD. "There is a lot."

"There doesn't seem to be much left to do." Montgomery Scotty shrugged, motioning to a small pile to her left.

"That is the finished pile." Jaylah answered, nodding to the pile to her right. "Those are the still broken things."

"Ah." Montgomery Scotty frowned at the considerably larger pile. "That's a bit more, isn't it?"

"Yes." Jaylah answered, reaching for the next item in her pile.

He paused briefly before sitting across from her on her sofa. "Is this how you're planning to spend your last day here?"

Jaylah shrugged. "I have all day until the surprise party you all are having for me tonight."

"What are you talking about?" Montgomery Scotty asked quickly. "There's no party."

Jaylah made a sound in the back of her throat, and kept working.

"Really, there's nothing special happening tonight." He continued.

Jaylah stopped working to glare at him.

He quickly dropped her gaze and cleared his throat. "Who told you?"

"No one told me." Jaylah answered. "I am too smart to be taken by surprise."

"It was Chekov, wasn't it?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jaylah shook her head. "Mister Spock, actually."

"Really?" He asked, surprised.

"Vulcans do not lie." She answered simply. "Why are you not working?"

Montgomery Scotty shrugged, "I took the day off."

"Why?"

"Because it's your last day, silly." He stated "So you're all packed?"

She nodded. "Everything except for some clothes."

"Good!" He said, standing up quickly, "Send all these things back to their owners, then. I've got something planned for the day!"

"But these are not fixed." Jaylah motioned to her pile, even as she stood up.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll understand." Montgomery Scotty waved her off, walking over to turn on her transporter. "Let's get them sent off, so we can head out."

"Where are we going?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"It's a surprise."

"I do not like surprises, Montgomery Scotty." Jaylah stated, frowning at him.

He rolled his eyes at her. "That's too bad. Now hurry up, or you'll never find out where I'm taking you."

Jaylah made a frustrated sound, but began gathering the various devices, and sending them back to their owners. She also sent quick notes along with the items that she hadn't fixed, apologizing for not finishing the job. She hoped that Montgomery Scotty was right, and that they would understand. She didn't want to upset anyone that she might have to work with in the future. Just not enough to refuse his surprise. Maybe she liked them a little more than she implied.

When she was finished, she turned back to Montgomery Scotty with a scowl. "Now where are we going?"

"We're going somewhere that you tried several times to break in to." He smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leading her out of her quarters.

"There are three places I tried to sneak in to." Jaylah answered. She had tried to get in to the construction site for the new Enterprise, Yorktown's command centre, and her house several times over her weeks on Yorktown. She had been caught and turned away every single time. She didn't have the clearance, and it was harder to sneak around in a city than it was in wilderness.

She would have made it in eventually, though. If she'd had the time.

Montgomery Scott nodded. "I know."

There was no reason for Montgomery Scotty to want to take her to the command centre, which meant he was either taking her to the Enterprise, or her house. She wasn't sure which one she wanted to see more.

Her answer came quickly as they left the building, and he turned her left. The Enterprise would have meant that they had to go right, which meant he was taking her back to her house. She felt her heart start to beat faster, and she began to wonder if she was mistaken. She hoped not.

She hadn't seen her house since two security officers took her in to let her grab her belongings. They said it was Federation property, and needed to be studied so that they might learn what happened to it all those decades ago. They didn't care that it had been her home for years longer than it had ever flown for the Federation. She didn't miss Altamid, or what it did to her and her family, but she did miss her house. It had been a safe place in the middle of hell. It had held countless mysteries, hundreds of hours worth of learning, and a deep seated hope that she could one day escape. It was her home far longer than anywhere else had been. It didn't matter what anyone said, it was her's.

She had dedicated most of her life to repairing it, and she never had the opportunity to truly say goodbye to it. She hadn't known that her last day with it was going to be her last.

"How did you do this?" Jaylah asked, feeling strangely nervous at the thought of getting to see it again. She had that the Frankling was part of her her past, and not in her future. Did she really want to see it again? Was she prepared for what it would mean? She wasn't sure. She was never sure of anything anymore.

"It took some convincing, I'll admit." Montgomery Scotty answered. "I had to call in some favours, offer a few bribes, and a very well played poker game."

Jaylah smiled nervously at him. "You are a true friend, Montgomery Scotty."

"Ah, well, it wasn't just me. The Captain threw his weight behind it, too." He waved at her.

As they approached her house, they passed the security officers that had always stopped her before. They nodded politely at her, instead of the annoyed lectures like before. She nodded back, only because she did not want to risk upsetting them and getting stopped again. She could see up the ramp, inside. She knew in that instant that, yes, she did want to see it. She wanted to lay to rest this part of her life forever.

Montgomery Scotty pulled away from her, and let her walk in on her own. Once inside her house, her throat felt thick with the memories it held. She reached out and gently ran her hand over the walls. This was the last time she would ever be in here, and this time she knew it. This was her goodbye.

"I was thinking," Montgomery Scotty said as he followed her in, "maybe you could tell me about your house. You must have some good memories about your time here."

Jaylah nodded, "I did have some."

"I'd love to hear them."

She took him to the bridge first. "This is where I found the videos that taught me to speak your words."

"Video logs of a foreign language are a good memory?" Montgomery Scotty asked.

Jaylah nodded, turning the logs on. "I had been living in the forest for weeks. When I found this place, it was like… Breating air after being under water for a long time. I knew it wasn't safe, but it was the safest I had been since we crashed there. I found this room, and the technology was all strange. I pressed buttons all over, hoping something would happen. The first thing that worked were these videos. They made no sense to me at first, but it was enough to give me hope. I thought if I could get these videos to work, then I must be able to get other things to work. I thought maybe I could survive that place."

Montgomery Scotty looked at her with a sad smile. "You were right about that."

Jaylah nodded. "And that is why it is a good memory."

"Alright then, where's the next stop on this tour?" He asked with decidedly more cheer than she thought was necessary.

"This way." She answered.

She took him to what must have once been the private quarters of a lower crewman. It was small, with a turned over bed, and lots of dust and debris.

"I found this place many days after I moved in. It is where my music was."

"Pressing random buttons again?" Montgomery Scotty joked.

Jaylah shook her head. "No. I had learned much about your technology by then. I did not need to press random buttons. I had found other musics before this room. This music was the only one that was good. The others were too soft. The music here was loud and fast sounding. It helped me forget where I was and why I was fixing the ship. It was fun."

"I can picture the look on your face when you played it. Childlike wonder, I bet." Montgomery Scotty grinned at her.

Jaylah laughed. "No, that was when I finally got to see the stars again when we left. The music was relief. I finally had something other than surviving to do."

"I can't even imagine what that would be like." He answered.

"I am glad to hear that." Jaylah said, staring into the tiny room where she'd finally found fun.

Jaylah took him from room to room in her house. She told him about the time that she finally got her holograms to work, when she'd found an old PADD with a number game on it, and the time she decided to fix the motorcycle that James T loved so much. She showed him the thread bare sofa that she'd claimed as her bed before she found the living quarters and gotten herself a real mattress.

Ultimately she took him to her old workshop, with a weight in her heart that she was quickly realizing had nothing to do with her house.

"This is the last good memory that I have here."

"What happened here?" Montgomery Scott asked, just as interested in her final story as he had been in her first.

She hesitated for only a moment. "This is where you convinced me to be brave."

He ran a hand through his hair. "You were already brave."

Jaylah laughed softly, and continued like he hadn't spoken. "We stood right here, exactly like this, and you listened to my story. Then you told me what it means to be part of a crew. A family. You invited me to be part of your's. You offered me a place to belong when all of the death and suffering was over. It is my very favourite memory in my house."

Montgomery Scotty pulled her suddenly into a tight hug, and for the first time Jaylah didn't just stand stiffly, enduring it. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his chest. When she first arrived on Yorktown, she couldn't fathom why humans seemed to love touching each other so much. She still didn't truly understand it, but she knew she would get there.

"You're a remarkable young woman, Jaylah. I'm going to miss you." He said, his voice thick.

Jaylah closed her eyes, and held him tighter. "I will miss you too, Montgomery Scotty."

He pulled back from her and gripped her shoulders. "You're going to do wonderful things."

Jaylah shrugged, making him drop his hands. "I am afraid of what will happen after I leave."

"You know what it means to be brave, don't you?"

Jaylah nodded. "James T told me it means doing things even when you are afraid."

"That's right." Montgomery Scotty smiled. "Are you ready for your goodbye party, then? I'm supposed to get you there pretty soon."

"I am always ready to spend time with my crew." Jaylah answered, looking at him like he was an idiot for even asking.

He laughed, and began leading the way out of her house.

At the exit, Jaylah waved him forward as she hesitated at the door. "I would like a moment alone, please."

"Of course." He answered. "I'll be at the bottom of the ramp when you're done."

Jaylah nodded at him and turned back inside. This place still felt like home. She wasn't sure if she'd ever find another place that felt like her house did. Everyone around her seemed certain that she would, either at the Academy or on the Enterprise after she was done there. She hoped that was true, but she would be okay even if it wasn't. Her house had given her a sanctuary in a terrible place where she was completely alone. She wasn't in a terrible place-or alone-anymore. She didn't need a safe haven to hide away in. She rested her forehead and pressed both of her hands firmly against a wall. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She felt a weight she hadn't realized she been carrying lift from her, as she bid her farewell to her house. She didn't know what her life had in store for her, but she did know that she no longer needed to be able to hide away from it. She didn't need her house anymore. Starfleet could have it.

"Thank you." She whispered, before stepping back and following Montgomery Scotty down the ramp.

He was waiting patiently at the bottom, and she smiled brightly at him as she reached him.

"Will there be presents at this party?" She asked, as they began walking toward the same hall that they had held James T's birthday party all the way back when they'd first arrived.

"Well, there needs to be something surprising about this surprise party." He answered simply.

"That means yes." Jaylah laughed.

"No it doesn't!"

She shrugged dismissively at him. "Whatever you say, Montgomery Scotty."

"You think you're so smart." He said with a smile.

"Because I am." She answered.

He shook his head, and continued walking quietly. She smiled, satisfied, and walked along side him. She took in the sights of Yorktown along their way. It was almost completely repaired from the attack. If she hadn't witnessed it to begin with, she would have been easily convinced that it never happened.

They approached the doors, and Montgomery Scotty grabbed her arm to stop her from walking in.

"You need to act surprised, all right?" He said.

Jaylah shook her head. "Mister Spock will tell the truth, even if I don't."

He hesitated for a moment before nodded. "Yeah, that's true. Let's go in, shall we?"

They walked into the room, and the entire crew of the Enterprise stood inside and yelled surprise. She smiled widely at them, walking into the crowd.

She'd been right about the presents. As she moved from person to person, she was given gift, after gift. Mr. Spock gave her a series of books on engineering and science, Chekov gave her a PADD filled with information on space navigation, Dr. Bones gave her a candy that he'd tried to replicate based on her description of the one her father used to give her, Mr. Sulu gave her a box of checkers, Lt. Uhura gave her a list of places and sights that "everyone should see", and James T gave her a bottle of whiskey.

It was all very kind, and everyone gave hugs and kisses, and claps on her back. Some she accepted with more grace than with others. She laughed with them all, and drank more whiskey than any of her human companions had ever seen. At some point in the evening, someone had insisted they all have a photo taken, which was immediately given to her to decorate her dorm with at the Academy. Hours passed, and she hardly noticed.

She looked around at all of her friends, and for once she wasn't afraid of what would happen to them after she left. They had all put in so much effort to spend time with her, and truly get to know her, and she finally knew what they had been telling her all along. These people weren't leaving her life any time soon.

Long after the false sunlight faded, and they were well into the night, Montgomery Scotty motioned to her from across the room to follow him out onto a balcony. She excused herself from her conversation with Mr. Spock and Lt. Uhura, and followed him outside.

He was leaning against against the railing at the end, looking up at the stars, so she stopped next to him and mimicked his position.

"How was your last day on Yorktown?" He asked.

She smiled, not looking away from the starts. "Wonderful."

"Good." He said.

"Where is my present from you?" She asked, turning to stare at him.

He startled. "What?"

"Everyone else gave me a present." She stated. "Where is the one from you?"

He laughed. "My present was getting to see your house one last time."

She smiled. "Well, then I will say that your present was the best one. After the James T's whiskey, of course."

"Of course." Montgomery Scotty turned back to the stars.

She did the same. She didn't think she would ever grow bored of looking up at the sky and seeing all new stars from the ones she saw on Altamid. A physical reminder that she was somewhere else, to be seen from any night sky.

"You ready for tomorrow?" Montgomery Scotty asked.

She thought about that. She'd spent so much time terrified to leave. What if she didn't fit in at the Academy? What if no one liked her? What if she was lonely? What if she didn't enjoy her classes like she hoped? What if she messed up and got kicked out? What if she never got to come back to her friends and crew? She had so many questions that she had no way of answering. But everyone here believed she could do it. They all believed she'd be okay.

One thing she did know, was that she trusted these people. She trusted Montgomery Scotty, and James T, and the rest of the crew. She had to trust them about herself. She had to believe that she could do this. She couldn't let her fear stop her from doing something. She needed to be as brave as they all thought she was.

Was she ready?

"I think so." She answered.

And for the first time in a very long time, she was sure.

x

And there you have it, ladies and gents. I hope you enjoyed my small contribution to the sadly lacking selection of Jaylah stories!