Ears, Ears... And Small Children?
Posted on Sat Jan 27th, 2024 @ 3:18am by Captain Tyler Driskill & Lieutenant T'Schuun Schoor & Lieutenant JG Freya Walker
1,368 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Mission 1 - Project Concord
Location: Deck 12 | Counselor's Office | USS Concord
T'Schuun approached the Counselor's office with some amount of trepidation. While she didn't mind counselor's --she'd been an aid to two herself --she was a bit nervous about this one. She'd looked up Walker's personnel file, and to say it was colorful would be an understatement. Still, the woman seemed competent, not to mention interesting, and she'd heard about how she'd broken a civilian's hand during the mixer, complete with quotation. To say she was interested in both a professional and personal friendship would also be understatement.
Walker was in her Office, unloading a Transportation crate. "Enter." She put the statue of Eir up. Eir was the Goddess of healing and Medicine on her planet. She had pointed ears like a half Vulcan, but she wasn't. Her hair was red and her eyes tricolored. The plants in her Office were Medicinal, but in a cabinet to prevent allergic response. She made her way back to her desk.
T'Schuun entered, her nose detecting the scent of plantlife even through the thin duranium sheeting that made up the cabinet door. "Lieutenant Walker? Lieutenant T'Schuun--how are you?" she asked the woman across the desk as she entered.
Sitting back down, "Hardheaded as always. Just like every other Walker." Freya grinned. "How are you?"
"I'm fine..." T'Schuun frowned as her commbadge let out a chirp. "Schoor here."
"Lieutenant, there's a priority communication from Captain Schoor of the Solstice"
The Vulcan's eyebrow rose. "Ensign, you can just say my wife... Why is she contacting me now, though, and on a priority channel..." She turned to Walker. "May I, Counselor? I get the distinct feeling this is urgent."
Walker logged into her terminal and moved away from her desk, "Have at it." She grabbed the tote and went back to unloading it. She had real books. They were well loved. She had a lot more books on her padd, but those were very particular books.
T'Schuun sat down at the terminal, and the screen resolved into an image of her wife's face. "Ariel? Is everything all right?" She noted the Solstice's ready room behind Ariel's profile.
"Hey, love... Sorry to bother you, but Captain Johnson died unexpectedly. We think it was tainted bloodwine--KRe'th, that Klingon exchange officer I told you about, they were a bit... Busy... Anyway, that's not why I'm calling. I've been promoted to captain, and its going to be insane getting everything set, especially because we're ferrying a couple of diplomats around to less critical situations while the final Dominion negotiations finish up... Starfleet has already okayed it, but can you please take Ariadne on the Concord? I know she misses you, and even though you're going into deep space..." Ariel trailed off, giving her wife a look of pleading understanding.
T'Schuun took in a deep breath. "Give me a moment..." She turned to Walker's replicator. "Coffee, Vulcan Lotus blend, one measure of cardamom." After taking a sip of the hot beverage, she turned back to the screen. She could see the smile on Ariel's face as T'Schuun took a drink of her preferred stress beverage. "You do realize we could be gone for years? ... You don't want to break up, do you, because if you do, I will be... Very unhappy."
The woman on the other end of the connection blanched. "Of course not! ... There's a letter I wrote you in your luggage--read it when you get a chance. Look, if we had any other options, I know we'd be taking them... I love you, I love Ariadne, and I want us to be a family, but Starfleet is getting the way... No, you're not making me leaving the fleet, and I'm not letting you leave--you know how much this all means."
T'Schuun took another long, slow sip, then replied, "Of course... I'm sorry--I shouldn't have lashed out, particularly in public."
"Oh sweet son of an Andorian, you're in public! ... That's not important right now--we'll talk privately later... Ariadne?"
T'Schuun gave her wife a faint smile. "Of course... Just make sure she knows she's not in trouble or anything? ... I love you."
After the two had signed off, T'Schuun turned to Walker. "It seems I'll be calling on your services more than I thought... How are you with children?"
"I am Haedenfolk. We view the next generation as extremely important. However, I have no babysat since before the Klingon Federation War. My wife and I were going to have them. Then I got kidnapped by Q."
T'Schuun raised an eyebrow. "I read your file, but goodness... I'd love to exchange stories later over a drink, but for now I think we ought to get the captain... Maybe down here?"
"Go for it. Vulcan psych check ins are usually mundane and quick. Get the Captain. Dot some I's and cross some T's. Then we knock out the psych check in. It will probably take twice as long. Maybe 10 minutes total." She grinned. Vulcan psych check ins were use 4 to 5 minutes things. "Most of that is drinking coffee."
Captain Driskill pressed the chime outside the door to the counselors office and awaited permission to enter. If they were with someone they often wouldn’t answer and that was okay he more or less was just stopping in to see how the Lieutenant was getting along.
From inside the office, T'Schuun pricked up her ears. "That will be the captain--it is your office, so you have the honor, no?"
Freya grinned, "Come in, Captain. Join the lesbian party."
“Excuse me, Lieutenant?” Tyler ask as he walked in.
T'Schuun waited on Walker to speak, but had to restrain laughter from escaping at Walker's comment. 'I'm not cheating on Ariel, but if we somehow get stranded, she's cute'.
Walker grinned, "Party like multiple humans not festivities. Lesbian, Woman attracted to women. Therefore we are a party of Lesbians. I was off duty and setting up my Office." Despite having a shift, she was always on call.
“Well” Tyler decided to move forward “I came by to see how you were settling in but I can see you are settling in just fine.”
"That's actually why we, or should I say I, asked you down here... I have an odd request... My wife, Ariel Schoor, has just been promoted to captain of the USS Solstice--I get the sense its a bit of a scandal, which Starfleet can probably give you details on. She was up for the Executive Officer's position, so this isn't that different, but I do have a bit of a quandry... We have a daughter--she's four. Ariel asked me to take her with me, on the Concord."
Captain Driskill looked into T’Schuuns eyes and then over at the counselor. “With us going into the Delta Quadrant, do you think that’s a wise idea?"
Freya spoke, "Everywhere in the Galaxy is obviously dangerous. Cargo ships have children and deal with several types of pirates. We just take extra precautions."
"Trust me, Captain, I wouldn't be asking if I thought we had another choice... Our respective parents are too old or too involved with work to adequately care for her, and my sister is caught up in diplomatic duties," T'Schuun added.
“Well we have plenty of room” Tyler paused and smiled “just make sure the little one knows what to do during emergency situations.”
T'Schuun smiled. "She's a very young 'Starfleet brat' I believe the term is? She knows."
Freya looked at T'Schuun and touched the hammer she wore on the necklace, "I'll do my part to keep her safe."
“I’ll ask security to make some extra precautions and keep an eye on the little one.” Tyler smiled “I’m looking forward to meeting your child. If there is nothing else for me?”
"Not that I can think of--Counselor?" T'Schuun turned to Walker, giving the other woman a smile. 'That went better than expected'.
Freya nodded, "Make sure Operations updates their Primary aged academic learning. It should be the most recent. However, I'm sure it was at the bottom of the list for final checks. Now it is needed."
Tyler gave a final nod and made his exit.
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