Hi! Thank you to everyone who's popped in to read "Raiders of Roslyn"! Writing this story has kept me going the last few months, and I hope it keeps me going even further. I'm really looking forward to you reading it, but before you start, just one thing:
Throughout the story, I've made an effort to use "native" words or construct characters to be bilingual (or at least familiar with non-Terran words/phrases), so there are a lot of italicized words that keep popping up throughout the story, as well as a lot of places, people, and events that aren't necessarily covered in the story, but used as background. To make things clearer (even while I was writing), I've assembled a glossary or little encyclopedia. I will include these new words, places, and people which appear in each chapter at the notes in the beginning, that way you have a little reference guide and are hopefully able to keep track of it all. If things go well, I'll add a whole new chapter with the entire glossary/encyclopedia, like in a typical printed novel (but we'll see where we go).
But again, thank you for popping in! I hope you enjoy my story, "Raiders of Roslyn"!
Glossary I:
Aksukia (awk-sue-key-ah): Origin Unknown
An ancient world commonly referred to in folklore that is said to have been occupied and then abandoned by a technologically advanced civilization. The lore goes that when the planet was abandoned, the citizens left an extraordinary amount of wealth behind. Thus, Aksukia is often the figure of pirate folklore, the El Dorado of space.
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Prologue
"Bedtime Stories"
Apartment of Beverley Crusher, M.D., Lieutenant, and Wesley Crusher
Planet of Delos IV
2352
There were few things more sacred than bedtime stories for the Crushers.
From the moment Wesley was born, neither Jack nor Beverley could help to regale him of the stories of their lives and adventures, and the little boy thrived off every word that fell from his parents' lips. When they'd both served upon the Stargazer, the two had alternated nights, as a story was the most effective way of putting Wesley to sleep, even if it took a great deal of energy just to get him to lay down and listen. Since he and Beverley had moved to Delos IV, though, those few and rare nights when Jack could lay in bed with Wesley and share some wild tale or alien folklore, accompanied by a short animation projected onto the ceiling above them - those nights were more important to them than anything else.
Because they were together, as a family, without demands or responsibilities.
The four-year-old Wesley liked to keep Jack to himself on those nights, but Beverley often found herself sitting outside her son's door, listening to the two people she loved most in the world giggling, playing, and slowly drifting off into dreamland. It made her feel whole and warm, consumed within a giant, invisible hug that proved her long-held hopes and dreams were real. The little apartment she'd gotten for the two of them was cozy and welcoming, a sanctuary from Starfleet, where all things felt normal. It was the first official home she'd had since leaving for the academy, and while it didn't always have Jack to fill it with laughter and mischief, Beverley had tried to model it after the only other home she'd ever known - her nana's house. It did fairly well filling the void that Jack left behind whenever he was forced to return to the Stargazer.
Still, there was no replacing Jack and the air of happiness he brought with him whenever he walked through the door. Beverley was hell-bent on getting as much of it as she could while he was there.
"What's tonight? You said it was gonna be really special! What's tonight's story?" Wesley demanded excitedly, jumping up and down on his bed with uncontained anticipation.
"I'm only gonna tell you," Jack began, catching Wesley mid-air and scooping the little boy into his chest with an enthusiastic squeal. "If you get down here!"
They fell onto Wesley's small bed together. Jack's right side didn't completely land on the mattress and his heart skipped a beat when he thought he was going to fall off. But he expertly rolled into the middle with a quick shift of the hips, tucking Wesley securely into his side. The little boy had already begun to collect his blankets and woobie, knowing full well that his parents could be quite serious when they threatened to withhold storytime. It hadn't happened yet since he and Beverley had moved to Delos IV, but Wesley didn't want to risk it - especially not since Jack was visiting. He'd almost completely hunkered down by the time Jack recollected himself, surprising his father just a bit.
"You ready?"
Wesley slipped his woobie beneath his arm and pulled a sheet up to his chin before nodding.
"Alllll right," Jack reached back to the control panel on Wesley's nightstand and turned off the bedroom lights. He noted Beverley's familiar silhouette sitting in the hall. It was a simple thing, but it made Jack smile knowing that she was there and listening. Once he'd fallen in love all over again, Jack selected a custom file he'd downloaded earlier and pressed play.
The dark room, illuminated only by the thing slivers of light that leaked in from around the edges of the door, suddenly brightened with a beam of crisp, blue, electronic light that covered the ceiling with stars.
"Have you ever heard about the pirates of the Gamma Quadrant?" Jack asked quietly, using his serious narrating voice that always managed to turn Wesley wide-eyed.
The little boy shook his head.
The ceiling stars began to speed forward as Jack began his story, making a warp jump from Delos IV to the far reaches of space where a bluish-green, Class M planet hovered in black space.
"Long ago, on the far reaches of the galaxy, there was once a planet called...Aksukia."
The story wasn't all that long, but Jack dragged it out. The destruction of the planet's native civilization, the ruins that were left, and the various dramatic pirate wars that have been conducted as a result of the planet's rich resources - all were described in immense detail with short skits of sword fighting, phaser shooting, and little boys flying above their beds in between. By the time Jack breathed his final line -
"Although Aksukia has fallen into the memory of myth over the centuries, there are still those, brave of heart and bright with curiosity, who still search for her wondrous treasures."
- Wesley was deep asleep, tucked into the secure crook of his father's arm.
Jack slipped out from underneath him as gently as he could, carefully lowering the little boy's head into a pillow and then pulling his blankets up around his shoulders. He saw Beverley stand out of the corner of his eye, but before he could go to her, he turned off the projector, slowly killing the green-ish blue planet on the ceiling, and then reignited the Mars-like nightlight hanging on the other side of the room so that his little boy wouldn't be scared if he woke up, alone, in the middle of the night.
"That was certainly an interesting story." Beverley teased softly as soon as Jack closed Wesley's door.
Quickly, he pulled his beautiful wife in his arms, securing her against his chest, and smiled down at her with that mischievous, heart-pounding smile. "What? You don't believe in deserted planets full of treasure?"
Beverley raised a critical eyebrow.
Jack chuckled, slipping his hand into hers, continuing to hold her close and whisper, their lips only a few inches apart, "Well, it was a Ferengi who told me that when we were last on Vega. He said he and his brother were going to look for it."
"Hmm, that explains it." Beverley slipped her arms around Jack's neck, pressing themselves even further together. "I did like...one thing about the story."
Jack swallowed, hypnotized by the movement of Beverley's pink lips. "Oh?" His breath hitched. "What was that?"
"The idea of sailing off into the stars with you. Forever and ever. Just us."
"That wasn't-"
Beverley silenced him with an expert kiss and the night faded into perfect darkness.