Smoke and Shards

Posted on Thu Mar 19th, 2020 @ 4:36am by Fleet Admiral Heather Duval & Admiral Jake Yamaguchi

Mission: Mission 100: I'm Going to Ruin Somebody's Day
Location: Various Locations - Starbase Vanguard
Timeline: 0910Hrs - July 12th, 2393

Fleet Admiral Heather Duval smiled as she sat down across from her Executive officer for Starfleet forces in the Taurus Reach. She was wearing the duty uniform with the skirt and knee-high boots, while Heather was not a young woman anymore, she knew she could still rock the looks and she fully intended to do so for as long as she had her looks.

The two were meeting for breakfast which Duval often took interest in the officers assigned to her command, she had made it her business to get to know her people and to take care of their issues and their development, she was concerned about her Exec as she had been since she had been digging into his files and she had discovered several problems and issues that had been lurking, waiting for the right set of circumstances for them to come loose to haunt her and everyone around her.

The older female regarded Yamaguchi with a gentle smile as she made herself comfortable. "Hows Torilla doing?" she inquired of Yamaguchi.

"The medics are doing the best they can for her but she has that one last issue they can't seem to pry loose from her," Yamaguchi responded with a soft smile. "It'll be nice to no longer need to worry about her issues," he added with a sigh. "She's been through a lot over the last year or so.."

"So have you. Jake." Duval answered as she sipped her drink before she gently placed her hand on his. "You both have. You said you'd only take this job if she came with you." she reminded him. "I've been happy with your work since you took over. You've been a great help to me."

Yamaguchi smiled, he found that he had a great deal of respect for Heather Duval and he knew she was a people person, he had been hoping to get an assignment with someone like her, now that he had this assignment, he wished to hold onto it. "Well... I do what I can." Yamaguchi answered, a smile playing at his lips.

"I know you've not had a conventional career track Jake but that's not your fault," Duval answered. "Command didn't give you the time you wanted so you could develop your skillset. But that's alright." the older female explained with a smile, when suddenly the room changed around her, she found herself face to face with an older Jake Yamaguchi who was seated in what looked like her office, she noticed the room was empty, there were no signs of the man who occupied the office, as Duval blinked, wondering how she had gotten here. Other then the person seated behind his desk, there were no signs that anyone even used the office that Duval found herself standing in.

"What on Earth...." Duval asked softly. Her eyes widened as she realized she sounded different before she looked down at her hands, she had youth as her hands looked really young, no older than thirty years old where she was double that.

Jake Yamaguchi looked up from the report he had been writing, something about charting the gaseous anomaly that had appeared as he regarded the young woman before him. "Elizabeth, what do you want this time... Did you come to berate me over your mother? or did you come to tell me how much you hated me... your drunk, deadbeat of a father."

Heather Duval blinked, she had no idea whatsoever that there were any issues between Jake and his children as he always seemed that there were no issues or concerns where he was concerned in their lives or where they fit into his life so she said nothing to Jake, who in his angered state almost seemed to hear what she was thinking. "What. no witty comeback Liz, we know you hate it when I call you that."

"Yes. I do hate it when you call me that... Dad." Heather Duval heard herself responding, sounding rather irate as Elizabeth clearly had much to be displeased about.

Heather Duval found herself keeping silent as she was unsure of exactly what to say to him in this situation, when she noticed a rather decent sized glass looking bottle, he lifted it and drained two large mouthfuls from it, when he slammed it back down onto his desk. "I need a drink, just to get through these reports... you got anythin' else I need to hear... girl?" Yamaguchi ranted. "You kids, don't know how good yer fuckin' had it. 'specially when yer ma was around."

"You drove her to suicide" Duval found herself saying as her eyes widened. 'Did I just say that?' Duval asked herself silently, shocked with what she was hearing herself saying.

"Yeah well. I had my career and she had hers."

"You are a fucking loser of a man. I mean, you are a drunk and you-" Elizabeth suddenly ducked as Jake hurled the mostly empty bottle of booze at his daughter, it missed her as it shattered against the back wall but it also splattered her in foul-smelling booze and glass shards. "You fucking animal!" Elizabeth roared at him as she picked up a chair and hurled it at him.

Right before the chair could have impacted, the illusion ended as Jake Yamaguchi cowered away from the chair that was coming at him except he was now back in the office with Heather Duval sitting next to him. "Heather?" he asked softly a moment. "What the fuck was that?" he asked, in a soft tone a moment later.

"I don't know Jake. I had no idea though, that you had issues with your children... But you looked so old... I mean older than me." Duval answered.

Yamaguchi seemed shocked, he blinked. "Elizabeth and I have had... our issues... but nothing like that... and I don't drink either." he paused. "What kind of nightmare was that?"

"I wish I knew... Because I saw it myself.. except.. I was in her body.. Is Elizabeth really that intimidating?"

Yamaguchi swallowed the lump that seemed to have formed in his throat. "No... I normally have excellent relations with all of my children, including the ones with Plataea... The other Torilla who got married to Tom Lasky. He three older children share DNA with me so... They are my children even if I didn't impregnate her."

"Because they from another you in another reality," Duval answered as she gently took his hand in her own. "Jake, I don't pretend to know what's going on but I didn't like the man I saw in that vision... or whatever you want to call it," she commented. "He was... harsh and unkind... Not like you."

"But what was it... was it a nightmare or prophecy?"

Duval regarded Yamaguchi as he seemed torn between his choice as she gently slid her arms around him as she gently gave him a hug. "A nightmare Jake. I don't know you all that well... But I know you better than this." she paused. "There is no way you would turn out that poorly. I flat out refuse to beleive it." the older female spoke.

"I should... talk to Elizabeth, find out if there are issues.."

"No... Let me try." Duval answered. "It'll give me a chance to get out and meet the base personel. Besides. You got other things to worry about." she then gently disentangled herself from him. "I envy your husband." Yamaguchi commented quietly.

"I envy Torilla. She has much to wish to keep. Make sure she knows you love her." Duval answered with a gentle smile before she gracefully made an exit from her office, leaving Yamaguchi behind, to think on matters which he alone needed to think about.