Among the Children

Posted on Fri Feb 28th, 2020 @ 4:00pm by Commander Tressa Brislan-Antilles & Lieutenant JG Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi-Cullen & Saki Yamaguchi-Cullen

Mission: Mission 31: The Ashes of Eden
Location: Various Locations - USS Roanoke
Timeline: 1900Hrs - March 27th, 2391

Lion Kind Expanded Soundtrack: Circle of Life

Cadet Rachael Yamaguchi was presently doing push ups on the floor, she had done fifty already and Saki was watching her mother carefully as she was busy reading a large book as she turned her attention to the other two children.

Saki did now know who these two children were but they both seemed to love her mother, the boy seemed to be interested in playing some sort of game with what looked like a couple of toys which she recalled Mom saying they were 'controllers' while the girl seemed more interested in Saki's mother.

"Noooooo!" Xavier said loudly, covering his face with his hand. Kaylee snickered and the boy rolled his eyes.

Saki slipped her bookmark which was little more then a long, thin preserved tooth which she had kept as she closed the book before she
turned her attention to the other two.

"He still crashes when he plays speeders," Kaylee said. 'Who is she?' she asked Rachael.

"I'm Saki..." the small child said aloud, as if hearing Kaylee's statement. before Saki paused. "You knew my mother... before I came along?"
the child inquired. "What was she like?"

Rachael meanwhile finished her push-ups as she pushed herself to her feet. "That... was invigorating." she commented as she looked at her daughter and how Saki was getting along with Kaylee and Xavier. 'Kaylee... this is my daughter... Saki'

"Do you play speeders?" Xavier asked.

"Shut up Xav," Kaylee said, rolling her eyes at her brother. "Hi Saki! Rachael is our babysitter! She read us stories and stuff. Well, she did. I thought you were going to be a baby."

Saki sat down on the floor, cross legged as she regarded the other two children. "Well.. don't keep me in suspense." she paused. "I'm dying to know.."

Rachael meanwhile chuckled softly. "Go on... tell her.. I won't be offended."

Kaylee smiled shyly. "I think you were the baby in her tummy... I felt you there, you feel different now..."

Rachael smiled as she and her daughter both shared a look. "Baby in your tummy?" Saki inquired.

"Its complicated Sweetie." Rachael responded. "I'll explain later."

"Do you like to draw pictures? I made these, they're horses," Kaylee said as she held out a PADD to Saki.

Saki gently accepted the PADD. "I've never drawn anything ever.." she responded, admitting the issue between them. "These are amazing.." she added. "Whats a horse?" Saki was referring to the picture.

"Its an animal from Earth, you can ride them and they're fast!" Kaylee said excitedly.

"Oh like Halftalon." Saki responded. "He's presently living in the Arboretum which is being turned into a large enclosure." she paused. "I'd like to try riding a horse."

Rachael nodded. "We can make it into a family outing... I'd like you to spend a little time bonding with the other members of our family which are aboard ship... your Aunt Elizabeth and her husband as well as your grandmother for example." Rachael commented.

"Why is that mom.... all I need is you?"

"I won't always be there Saki... the Academy doesn't permit children... and I'll be gone... I want you to be prepared for when I leave.... someone else will be looking after you."

Saki blinked her large eyes. "Thats the stupidest things I've ever head... why does someone separate mother and child in order to let mom study?" the small child shook her head.

Rachael had no decent answer for that one., "I have no idea.." she admitted. "Come on Saki... time for push ups.... give me twenty."

Saki simply dropped to the floor and started doing push ups as Rachael counted.

Kaylee's mouth dropped open in surprise at the sight; it was unusual enough to stop Xavier from playing his vid game. The twins shared a look.

'Is she being punished?' Kaylee asked her brother silently.

'I don't know. Maybe her mom doesn't like her?' the boy replied.

Saki suddenly stopped as she thought. 'Mom, I can hear them...'

'I know sweetie.... go on, back to your push ups' Rachael smiled as she likewise dropped to the deck, facing Saki as she began to do more push ups. "So... Saki... How do you like life aboard?"

Saki who was doing push ups, smiled. "Well its different... fifteen... sixteen.."

"Nice... its better then that old cave.. right?"

Nineteen... twenty." and the child then sat up. "Yes... I get to hang around with these two..." she indicated Kaylee and Xavier as she turned her head Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three

Rachael laughed as she likewise sat up. "Can you two hear Saki?" The twins shook their heads.

Saki regarded the other two. "Hang on, I'm gonna read your mind.... and I'm getting.. nothing..." she paused. "Come on,,, think of something."

Rachael crossed her legs as she regarded her child. "Saki... Now that we're here... I'm going to teach you how to use your various skills.."

"Skills?" Saki inquired dubiously. "What skills?"

"You have my abilities... telepathy and telekinesis.."

"Oh.." Saki regarded her mother with an odd look... "So... I can read your mind?"

"Something like that..." Rachael admitted. "Shall we begin?"

The twins watched as mother and daughter spoke.

Rachael sat down before she crossed her legs as Saki matched her mothers posture as she closed her eyes. Rachael smiled as she gently touched her daughters mind. "Saki... feel my probes and deflect them.." she said softly.

Saki slowly smiled as she felt her mothers calming touch on her mind as she gently pushed the probing tendril away then she deflected a second and a third.

Rachael smiled as she regarded her daughter. "Don't get cocky now.." she said softly.

Saki opened her eyes as she regarded her mother. "Alright.."

A short time later, Saki was sitting next to Xavier as she was watching him play his game as Rachael was sitting on the other sofa, Kaylee sitting in her lap as Rachael was telling her a story.

"Do you want to play Speeders?" he asked, nodding towards a controller.

"Sure.." Saki responded evenly. "How does it work?" she inquired as she accepted the controller from him.

"You build your speeder like this," the boy said, flipping through the menus on the screen. "You can make it big like mine, and you make the lift coil, and pick your color and everything!"

Saki's eyes grew big as she took in the information as she began making a speeder for herself, it looked red with blue and white racing stripes.
"Lets see how this goes.."

"That looks cool," Xavier said approvingly. "Now we race!"

Saki followed along before she crashed hers into a ditch right next to the starting line, before she backed up and tried it again, only this time breaking a tree in half, clearly she didn't know how to use the controller. "How does this work... again?"

Rachael meanwhile watched her daughter and Kaylee at the same time. "It could be worse... right?" Kaylee giggled.

Xavier tried to demonstrate but crashed a moment later; the game was meant for older children. He groaned.

"Ok then let's play Dragonflight!" he said. "Computer!"

Soon he and Saki were soaring through a virtual forest on dragonback.

Saki's eyes went wide. "Oh wow..." she gasped as she turned the dragon she was on off to the side before she ended up doing a full three sixty loop. "Whats the point of this game again?" Saki inquired.

Xavier turned his body with the controller as his dragon skimmed a forest. "Have to find the Five Jewels..." he said. "Oh, we have to feed them first, the hungry bar is all the way over." He pointed to the indicator on the screen.

Saki followed as best she could, eventually her dragon was fed and happy, at least for the time being. "So I fly around, torch and kill things... Okay... sounds simple enough.."