Spending time with Saki

Posted on Sat Feb 29th, 2020 @ 3:17pm by Lieutenant JG Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi-Cullen & Saki Yamaguchi-Cullen

Mission: Mission 33: Losing the Peace
Location: Various Locations - USS Roanoke
Timeline: 2100Hrs - May 3rd, 2391

It was a couple of hours after the disaster earlier and now she had decided that she wanted to reward Skai for her patience. Camshaft had taken her aside and had explained she needed some time away, and that she should spend it with her daughter while she figured things out.

Now she was going to the holodeck, she's packed a picnic hamper as well as two changes of clothes, one for her and one for Saki.

So now Rachael Yamaguchi was walking down the beach in a simple black one-piece bathing suit, a skirt wrapped around her waist as she watched her daughter play in the waves.

She placed a towel on the beach as she placed the items that she had brought with her before she sat down on the towel, she was still unable to truly process the fact that she couldn't keep her three kills or be allowed to fly.

She had made it clear to her sister and mother that she wanted to be left alone, she had also been polite when she told Kameron, she wanted to spend time with Saki, the sun was just touching the horizon.

She sucked in a lungful of air as she slipped off her skirt, before she went forward to begin playing with Saki, making a giant sandcastle, as she was in the middle of placing a bucket of sand as the door beeped. "Computer... who's at the door..?"

"Phoenix... should I permit her access..?"

"Yeah..." Rachael sighed. "Go ahead..." as she continued helping Saki with her sandcastle. "The foundation needs to be larger sweetie." she said as she watched the tower crumble. Saki merely took the sand that had fallen and proceeded to use it for foundation.

Rachael knew exactly who was behind her. "Yes Phoenix.." as she turned her head to look at the older woman.

"I thought Dora might enjoy some beach ta run across," Phoenix smiled as she walked in in a speed racer blue swimsuit and a large hibiscus cloth bag over her shoulder. "Seems both of us need ta escape a bit."

Dora ran across the sand, clearly enjoying herself as Rachael watched the dog run down the beach, her fur slowly began to become matted with the sea water.

"Sure... I'm just helping Saki with her sandcastle."

Saki smiled. "I'm going to make something... memorable." she placed a large bucket then she smacked it twice, before slowly sliding the bucket off of the sand. "Yay!" the small child was clearly having a great time.

Rachael looked up at Phoenix. "Whats on your mind... other then obvious.." before she picked up two fistfulls of sand, then she suddenly mashed them together. "I did what I was trained...I went out and got three kills... I flew my heart out and did what I was supposed to do... and they took it away from me...."

Rachael was now truly enraged before she felt something of a burning sensation on her hands, she looked down to see that she had volcanic glass shards on her hands.

Saki jumped up. "Mom!"

Rachael gently brushed her hands off. "I'm alright... just.. I turned some sand into glass..." as she held up one shard.

Dora sauntered up to Saki and nuzzled the girl lovingly before she started to roll on her back in the sand. This cause Phoenix to smile brightly.

Then she turned to Rachael, with a pang of pain in her eyes. "I gave birth to two beautiful children that I love. An' I took care of 'em, only to have them taken from me... So ya might say I understand what it's like to have a void in your heart."

Saki meanwhile had turned her attention to the dog as she began gently playing with Dora. "Hey!" the child squealed.

Rachael looked down at her hands as she slowly brushed them off. "You still hate my sister for what happened... " a sigh escaped her lips. "I'm not going to be in tomorrow for flight raining... there's... no point anymore... I'm going to take a few days and consider my options.. I need to finish my education... so that I'm going to do... then once thats finished.. I'll be able to do something with my life...what that will be... I haven't a fucking clue.."

"Your sister violated me, first of all," Phoenix spoke with red eyes and a low tone so the kid could not hear. "I pray ya never know what it's like ta be raped, because it's not a situation with your sister that can be understood, unless one has... An' on top of it, I gave birth to beings I didn' want and I grew ta love. An' it's a cruel thing ta know that love an' have it ripped from ya."

Rachael regarded Phoenix in silence before she commented. "I wanted to have my child with my family there. I wanted Elizabeth to help deliver her... I wanted Dad to hold my hand... and tell me I was gonna be alright, that it would be okay.... instead.. all I got was Siaxx.. and... I raised her... alone... " she sighed. "My losses are different from yours... but I have my losses all the same...and now my flying got added to it... So.. I need to reevaluate my entire life.. as I said... my losses are different... but they are still losses."

"That's where you're wrong," Phoenix pointed out with a half-grin. "You're still a flight cadet. Means trainin' missions for now. An' you got all your trainin' hours logged. A short boot camp run an' you can become a warrant an' fly in combat again."

Rachael stopped talking. "But I don't have a pilots license." she responded. "I keep getting told that I can, then I can't... down on the planet, then I can, coming back here and now I'm being told that I can't... because I could land people in jail.." she shook her head,. "I'm confused and I don't know what to do anymore.." she spoke quietly in the tones of a small child, lost and confused.

Saki knew that a lot was bothering her mother so she moved further down the beach, Dora at her heels.

Phoenix hugged Rachael in that moment. "You can fly. But under a provisional trainee status. Means ya need an instructor 'round. Which most of tha time, I have been. An' you an' I can go out an' fly and train 'til you get your license. An' if you finish your studies in school, you can go to boot. An' completin' boot will easily expedite your clearances to fly in combat."

"But... I loved it.. I finally understand why you love it.." Rachael responded.

"It's not over for ya though. Just pull back your trainin' time ta two hours a day. Get your schoolin' done. Spend time with your kid," Phoenix spoke softly and kissed Rachael atop her head. "You're ready for your wings. Ya just need ta get tha school shit an' boot done ta get 'em. Kid ya not."

Rachael regarded Phoenix. "Alright..." she paused. "So... education then boot then warrant... in that order..." she responded. "and spending time with my daughter.." as she regarded her child playing with the dog. "I wonder..." she paused.

Phoenix set her towel down and sat on it, then pulled a fresh, black and sky-blue bomber jacket out for Rachael with a Roanoke Airway unit patch sewn on the right shoulder sleeve.

"There's proof you're part of my airway, Firebird. Wear it with pride," Phoenix smiled brightly to her protege.

Rachael gently accepted the bomber jacket before she slipped it on, it was perfect as she smiled. "Thank you so much Phoenix. This means so much to me..." she gently ran a finger over the patch. "Whoever designed this... was a genius."

"I'm just glad I could make you happy," Phoenix admitted. She herself, she knew would never be truly happy until she held one of the twins in her arms again.

Rachael regarded the other woman as she could feel her misery and her pain but she chose not to bring it up. "You wanna help me build this sandcastle with Saki... she wants to build an entire city..."

"Sure," Phoenix smiled and then whistled to call Dora back to her, with Saki right behind her. "I suppose I can work on that fortifications 'round tha place."

Rachael smiled. "Sounds good."