Paint and Powder
A Star Trek anthology by Andrew Joshua Talon
DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fan based work of prose. Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager et al are the property of CBS Television, and creation of Gene Roddenberry. Please support the official release.
"Far Beyond the Stars"
By Andrew J. Talon and Dramatic_Spoon
"Y'know Mr. Russell, you got a lotta stuff ta work with here,"
The redhead picked up another page and began looking over it.
"Y'sure you ain't just been watching' Z-Ro an' Tales of Tomorrow? Y'got a lotta st-"
"I don't recall paying you to stand there and chat."
The girl flinched at Pabst's voice.
"Sorry Mr Pabst, I'll get on it."
"Hrmph."
Without another word, the redhead snatched up the wastebasket and left.
Kay sighed.
Rossoff sighed.
"Girl's gonna get herself in trouble one of these days. She's eager, but she ain't very bright."
"She's eager. You see how she is with Kay."
"Benny, you've seen what the kid writes? She's better off going over to Simon and Kirby, not staying around here. We write serious science fiction."
"still…."
"nobody wants to read or watch anything where the lead ends up with some green skinned alien woman,"
"Oh I don't know, it could be fun," Darlene interrupted, "what's with you today, you're grumpier than normal."
"I'm on a deadline on this stupid story about Captain Protein or whatever the hell Smith called his stupid thing and all this is is some knock off of Flash Gordon,"
Rossoff paused to put out his cigarette,
"Christine could write a better story than this crap," he jerked his head in the direction of the redhead.
Christine Cortese had been with Incredible Tales for only a few short months. Kay's Niece, she had gotten a job doing miscellaneous task around the office, often not to Pabst satisfaction.
Still, Russell recognized something in her eyes, something he had seen before.
A desire to prove herself.
She-
He paused as he looked over his story notes. A page with unfamiliar writing.
Occasionally papers did get mixed up, but he had kept his notes for Deep Space Nine away from his other work.
And in this case, it was very different from anyone's writing style. It could have been one of the occasional freelancers, but none of them has been by re….
After another moment, he realized the answer.
Internally, she was screaming.
She had lost it.
One of the pages from-
"You know, this is quite good." Russell called out from behind her.
She spun around to see her missing paper in his hand.
"Have you considered sending it to someone for publication?"
"Well, I ain't exactly lookin' to send it ta rival of-"
"I think you should. You've got something good here and it would be a shame if you did nothing with it."
"….Thanks Mr. Russell."
There were always rumors in a small New York neighborhood.
Some teenaged white girl living here, alone, set many a tongue wagging. Her getting a job at Cassie's diner nearly caused a full blown scandal.
It didn't help she was pretty. Platinum blonde hair and blue eyes, a doll like face. She didn't talk much though.
The rumors abounded. She was some European princess in exile. She married a Negro and her family cut her off for it, so her man skipped out on her leaving her nothing. She was a prostitute exploiting the need for some Negros to "get one over on Whitey".
The most Benny knew about her was that she was called Daphne, and she served coffee and doughnuts and eggs quietly and efficiently.
"She's so meek," Cassie observed quietly, taking a break to sit with Benny in a booth, "and quiet. Stares a lot."
Benny watched her, her eyes set dead ahead as some comments flew her way.
"Betcha she's a whore. Ask her how much."
"No, you ask her."
"Not in public, dumbass!"
She never reacted to it though. Not once.
She came to Benny and Cassie's table, serving them both coffee. Her eyes didn't meet theirs. Instead, they focused on Benny's book bag.
For the first time, they lit up.
"Is that Second Foundation?" She whispered, as though mostly to herself.
Benny checked over his bag. It had been partially left open, and the copy of the book was sitting almost out on the table.
"You know it?" Benny asked, impressed.
Daphne flushed, and looked down. She did that a lot.
"Maybe... A-A little," she mumbled. "I liked Arcadia."
Benny chuckled.
"She's a fine one, isn't she?" He asked, just as soft.
Daphne nodded.
"I'm going to night school at NYU," she explained, "I-I couldn't afford nothin' better than here..."
She winced.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled.
"Don't apologize for that," Benny said, smiling gently, "that's wonderful."
Daphne blushed again, as though suddenly noticing Cass nearby.
"I-I'm sorry, Miss Cass, I shouldn't babble-I've got work-!"
"It's okay, sweetie, it's okay," Cass said with a smile. She got up and winked at Benny. "You can take a break now, and talk to Benny about it."
Benny raised an eyebrow at his fiance, but she kept smiling. Cass took the platter of coffee from Daphne, and guided the young white girl to her seat across from Benny.
That was going to set a lot of tongues wagging for sure... But the light in Daphne's eyes at the book wouldn't leave.
"What are you studying?" Benny asked.
"Um... Mathematics," Daphne mumbled. She flushed. "I-I really like it... I got a scholarship and everything!"
"Any dreams for the future?" Benny asked. Daphne shrugged.
"I... I kinda want to work for NASA," she said, now excited, "or maybe the Air Force! With all their rockets! It's so exciting! I just... I wanna be a part of it."
"See the stars?" Benny asked.
For a moment, Daphne was changed. Instead of the meek young woman, there sat a confident girl in a black and white uniform. Her platinum hair was in two pigtails, with clips that resembled bunny ears. Her eyes glowed with artificial light, but her smile was brash.
"I wanna go out there, see everything! Go on adventures!" Daphne said happily. "Just like in those stories!"
And then the moment was gone. The confident gynoid was back to being a meek little girl. Benny blinked rapidly, and nodded slowly.
"That's... That's a good dream," he said.
He finished his meal, and got up to leave. He left an extra tip for Daphne, who beamed after him.
He was about half a block away when he heard a loud, almost familiar cry.
"Mister Russell! Mister Russell!"
He turned and saw Daphne running after him. She slowed down and panted, holding a hat.
"I'm sorry-You forgot this-Miss Cass told me to bring it to you-"
"What do we have here?"
Benny tensed, and looked to his right. Two white cops, the same that had hassled him a day or two ago, were leering at Daphne. The shorter one walked up, nightstick spinning in his hand.
"You lookin' fer a John, sweet thing? You could do better than a negro-"
For a moment, Daphne was that fearsome looking young warrior again. Eyes blazing, as though blasts of fire would erupt from around her and devastate the wicked and unjust. She was unbowed, the product of years of fighting against impossible odds and overcoming them with sheer grit and determination...
Then she was gone again, meek and deferring, her eyes lowered.
"I-I-"
"She was just giving me my hat, that I forgot," Benny interjected, taking it from her, "thank you Daphne."
"You're welcome, Mister Russell," Daphne murmured.
"Maybe we should take her down to the station," The taller cop said, with an unpleasant leer at her legs, "make sure she's okay. A lone white girl around here is very concerning-"
"I'm fine," Daphne insisted quietly, "r-really... I gotta go."
The cops didn't budge. Benny cleared his throat.
"You know," Benny said, "I think I forgot something else. Why don't we go get it, Daphne?"
"S-Sure," she mumbled. The cops glared.
"See that she doesn't lose her way, boy," the cop stated, slapping his nightstick against his patrol car for emphasis.
Daphne took his hand, and he escorted her away. Daphne snorted softly, and Benny raised an eyebrow. She shook her head.
"They wouldn't be so 'concerned' if they knew my daddy was a Jap," she scoffed, under her breath.
Benny's eyes widened.
"Oh?"
She nodded.
"Mama and Daddy ran away from California. Daddy died in Korea, Mama became a drunk and so... Here I am."
She smiled and shrugged.
"Don't really care about skin color... Just wish nobody else did. Wouldn't that be something?"
Once again, she was that proud, fearsome lady. Defiant.
"I know exactly what you mean," Benny said.
And to cap off the current DS9 Shipgirls, it's Rio Grande and Defiant, with their Far Beyond the Stars counterparts.
And we made it to 200 Chapters!