Thank you to everybody who read or reviewed the last conversation you are so fabulous. We have another round of rapid messages. It took another two days, but Sue is ready to message her sister.

Day 260: Brownies for Everyone

November 9, 2226

Starfleet priority message for cadet Elizabeth Chan from Commander Ling-Chan

Subject: Really, I'm fine

Hey, little sister. I had a brownie today. Gina brought over a fresh batch before questioning why I'm still staying with Sulu even though I could have my own room. Despite that painful conversation, I have the energy to write to you. More importantly, I didn't throw up the brownie (or throw the brownie at Gina). Last time I had this much trouble eating, I was still pregnant with Desi.

I am sorry I kind of scared you so much when I ended up as a hostage in a diplomatic negotiation that went to hell quickly. Important life lesson, if your captain is ridiculously incompetent, report that behavior to there supervisor. More importantly, don't try to cover it up.

I can summarize with happened as my captain was an incompetent fuck up and it all went FUBAR. So, you should know that the self-serving fuck up who tried to sell me off and ended up getting a bullet to the head, heart, and dick. I got to watch it. I have a feeling mom didn't tell you that. Phasers are significantly more civilized. Less blood. I really don't like blood. If they weren't underfeeding me, I probably would've thrown up.

Captivity wasn't as horrible as it could've been. I was with Garber for the first week, and at least they weren't doing to us what they were doing to the Captain. We heard a lot of screaming. The food sucked because humans need about 10 times as much, but no torture or rape (at least for Garber and me), so I feel like that was a positive.

I think I'm more upset by how I ended up there than the actual kidnapping. It was a trap. I know it was a trap. Apparently, getting someone off the ship due to sexual harassment paints a giant target on your back. I'm surprised that they managed to engineer a diplomatic mission to go this badly, but really, I shouldn't be.

I'm willing to acknowledge that by the third day of Garber being gone and my boss being very dead, I was 100% sure I wasn't going to see you or my baby girl again. That was soul-crushing. My dad died when I was young. Not Desi young, but still young, and I don't want to do that to my kids. You understand what that's like.

I'm trying to decide what I'm going to do next. Part of me thinks I should finish off my time on the Hamilton. I will be acting captain and maybe cleaning house will be cathartic. Also, I get to bring Hikaru with me as my first officer. At least I know he won't be trying to stab me in the back.

Although I've been instructed that Scotty is already beginning the housecleaning. Let's put it this way, Noyta is currently deciding which member of her team will be the temporary chief communications officer of the Hamilton. So far, in the investigation, there's about a 98% chance the entire Hamilton communications team will be facing a court-martial. You don't want to know what they did, but it was terrible. Considering the subject of your Kobayashi Maru dissertation, you're aware that a communications team can make or break a mission. Let's just say it looks like they broke this one on purpose.

Perez is pissed. Rodriguez is furious. Mom is not there because she's not allowed to be there due to conflict of interest, but I'm sure she's not happy at all. Is it true she punched somebody? Or was it you. Part of me is regretting letting you take all those Brazilian jujitsu classes.

Anyway, write back when you have a chance. Thank you for all the baby stuff.

PS: I may have written Desi a letter a few days ago that was a bit on the rambling side. I'm not 100% sure it's fit for toddler consumption, but I sent it anyway.

XXXX

Starfleet priority message for Dr. Benjamin J. Sulu from Commander Ling-Chan

Subject: I love your new last name

Thanks for writing. You are the best. I couldn't ask for a better second father for my baby. Around the third day after Garber left, I started to think I wasn't getting out of there. I didn't exactly know at the time that they sent her back to the ship with my captain's dead body. I was freaking out because I didn't want to leave my daughter behind, but I remembered you would be there for her and that even if she didn't have a mom, she would have another dad. That really comforted me during the bad days.

I know that you would raise my daughter as your own. You know I would do the same if the situation was reversed. I was so terrified. Part of me thought that I was going to die in some small room on some strange planet at the edge of the Neutral Zone, but I was comforted by the fact that you were there. Thank you for that little bit of comfort during that time.

I am completely taking advantage of cuddling privileges even if Gina doesn't get it. I survived two weeks of captivity, I deserve some cuddle time with my baby's daddy and BFF. I promise we will let you in on the cuddling when we all get to New Vulcan. I think we should just scandalize everybody and get a big suite/apartment for the five of us to share with only a king-size bed for us adults.

I do not know if my mom was reading our messages. Although per Perez and Rodriguez, other officers were already complaining about the Hamilton's captain. As well as letting the Starfleet PTB know who was doing the actual work. I'm sure it was Reyes and that totally explains why she decided to jump ship for Enterprise. Which was why he was getting retired.

Although I don't know where he got that the ship was going to me. No one thought about giving me the Hamilton until he was dead and I'm not sure now if it's something I even want. I'm only entertaining the possibility because they offered Hikaru as my first officer. Us working together would be fantastic, but I don't know if it's the right time. Also, I don't think this is where I want to be.

Thinking you're going to die gives you a lot of clarity and I kept thinking about my family. My daughter, my niece, you, and Hikaru. You're my family. We might not be a typical family, but we are family, and I love all of you so much. Being with my family is more important. I think that's what I want more.

You know I found out that Hikaru and I qualify for tandem/spouse assignments because we have a child together. I should've realized this because of Leonard and Nyota. I think this is part of the reason why they offered us the Hamilton jointly. I think Jim and Spock have completely broken down the spouses can't serve on a command team together taboo. Although some people are trying to get Jim on the Hamilton (which he said no way in hell to).

Or Spock on the Hamilton. They weren't entirely happy about Scotty taking over temporarily, but he might be what the place needs right now. They need somebody on the ship that's competent. Regardless, I'm going to spend a couple of weeks healing on Enterprise and then decide what my next step will be. I can go back to the Hamilton to finish up my tour. As I mentioned I would be acting captain and I think Perez and Rodriguez would be trying to make that promotion permanent. It's a we're sorry you ended up in a hostage situation promotion. I don't think I should take it, but what do you think? You're part of this family too.

XXXX

Starfleet priority message for Commander Ling-Chan from cadet Elizabeth Chan

Subject: I feel like you're using the Kirk definition of the word fine

When anybody with the last name Kirk tells you that they're fine, you know that they're not. That family has made an art out of being a hot mess. Kevin says, welcome to the family. He'll give you the family T-shirt when we meet up in New Vulcan.

Mom is pissed off. A lot of her anger is aimed at the maternity leave replacement. I will not confirm nor deny if she physically assaulted the asshole. Mom is mad at you for not telling her that your Captain was ridiculously incompetent and probably only got his job because he was kicked upstairs, along with the mass casualties of the battle Vulcan and the San Francisco disaster. She's also angry at us for not letting her know things were so wrong on the Hamilton because she knows that we knew because you tell us everything.

I don't think she's reading our letters, because if she did, she would have known about how terrible things were on the Hamilton and your Captain would've been gone before the diplomatic fuck up of October 2260. Or at least she stopped after that time Ben told you that you could fuck his fiancée on shore leave. Or any other time. I think you might be in a poly relationship or like sibling spouses. Which doesn't surprise me because I know how my niece was conceived. (Does Gina know the truth, or did she get the in vitro story that you tell everyone else?) And hey, you can even be together on the Hamilton.

If you do take the Hamilton job, even though I don't think you should, will you and Sulu get treated like a married command team? I like the idea of you working together and being on the same ship, but I don't think that ship should be the Hamilton. There's a bad energy there.

Maybe you need to take a step back. I think I am myself. You know you're going to get a cushy job on Yorktown if you turn down the Hamilton captaincy? If you take that job, instead of spending next semester taking care of Desi by myself, I will also be at Yorktown. I'll take a couple of online classes and another internship. This will put me and Kevin graduating at the same time because Kevin is going to take a bunch of summer classes to make up the difference. So, no sort of boyfriend on Yorktown, but kid and other best friend. Or maybe I should say kids? Do you consider K yours too?

PS: Kevin won't let me ask you any significant questions about what happened. He reminded me how much I hated the post-Tarsus interrogation from everybody who knew I went through that nightmare.

XXXX

Starfleet priority message for Commander Ling-Chan from Doctor Benjamin J. Sulu

Subject: So, your mom isn't reading our emails

I had an extremely uncomfortable conversation with your mom about her reading habits in our relationship. She stopped reading after I said you could hook up with Hikaru. Apparently, that was too much. If I didn't write about the freebie pass, she would've kept reading your emails and would've realized what a disaster you're now deceased Captain was. She's angry at a lot of people right now including herself.

I think you know what you want and where you want to go, and I don't think it's on the Hamilton. Right now, that might be the only choice for you and my fiancé to work as a team, but I believe other opportunities will come up eventually and we can all be together. There's always your Yorktown dream in the interim. I think your mom might be planning something. You should probably talk to her when you're up to it. I heard your last conversation went badly.

She may not be perfect, but at least she's trying which is more than you can say for a lot of moms.

Anyway, it's so good to hear from you. I won't ask you a million questions about what happened. You'll tell me when you're ready.

I like your idea. The kids sleep better when they're in the same room anyway. Although Liz is going to babysit for at least one night.