Stout Hearts - Part One

Posted on Sat Mar 7th, 2020 @ 2:16am by Lieutenant JG Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi-Cullen & Commodore Korelii MacRae & Fleet Captain Torilla Yamaguchi & Saki Yamaguchi-Cullen

Mission: Mission 72: T'Would Ring the Bells of Heaven
Location: Various Locations - USS Courageous
Timeline: 1330Hrs - March 22nd, 2392

The two women seated at the coffee table were knee deep in the middle of an argument when suddenly the doorbell beeped.

Rachael paused. "Expecting someone?"

"No." Torilla rose to her feet as she unfolded her long legs, she made her way over to the door when she found herself face to face with Captain Korelii McKnight. The other woman was still in uniform where as Torilla was wearing a pair of jeans and a white shirt. "Captain McKnight..."

"Torilla... Is this a good time?" Korelii McKnight inquired, a gentle smile on her face.

"Sure.. Come in.." Yamaguchi responded evenly. "This is my daughter, Warrant Officer First Class Rachael Yamaguchi... She and I were-" Torilla was explaining when Rachael interupted. "Discussing nothing important Captain. I can leave if you two need to chat." the smaller female added a moment later.

"No." Korelii McKnight answered. "Stay... This might interest you too."

"Oh?" Rachael responded. "Is this business or no?"

"No..." Korelii regarded Torilla. "I'm here to answer your question.. The one thats been burning on your mind since we encountered each other two weeks ago." the strange woman regarded Torilla with a quiet but knowing smile.

Rachael frowned. "Now I'm... confused."

"Have a seat then ladies and I'll explain." Korelii McKnight then sat down in the seat that Torilla herself had vacated just moments earlier. "Torilla... You know that I am full blooded Halanan like yourself and yet... You have never bothered to ask me any questions.. So.. Why not?"

"I've not had a chance... So... Whats on your mind?" Yamaguchi responded.

"By now you've noticed I'm an extremely strong telipath so I decided to come and talk to you about your concern rather then have you go digging into my files... For you see.. I've known about you ever since you were born.. and thats not all... For we share two parents in common.... We are sisters Torilla Unal.. Full sisters as we are family."

Torilla blinked, she inhaled a breath of air as she had no idea whatsoever how to process this news.

"Wow." Rachael Yamaguchi paused. "So... you are my aunt on my mom's side."

Korelii McKnight nodded. "Yes Rachael... I am indeed." as she regarded the younger of the two women before her.

Torilla remained sitting on the sofa as she regarded the woman before her. "Why tell me this now?"

"Because until two weeks ago. I assumed you didn't know and wasn't intrested in knowing." McKnight explained. "I assumed mother and father didn't tell you about me."

"No they didn't tell me anything.. Why?"

"Because the government at that time were looking into augmenting our psionic capabilities, while while already formidable, they wanted to make us psionicly stronger." McKnight explained. "I'm one of those children..." the tall woman let out a soft sigh.

"Oh?" Torilla paused. "But no word... No nothing.." she regarded the other woman with a glint of suspicion in her eyes. "If you are who you claim to be.. Then you will know about my stigma."

"I know about it." McKnight answered. "I had expected paranoia and suspicion from the start... Besides.. You are not the only one who is outcasted for mating with an offworlder." The tall woman sighed. "My children have my skills... Same as I suspect yours do."

"You have children?" Rachael inquired before Torilla could carry on with her psudointerogation.

"I do indeed.. I have six children. Two sets of twins and two singles." McKnight regarded the younger Yamaguchi with a smile since she wasn't interrogating her the way her mother seemed to be.

"Okay... so teeps or teeks?"

"Both actually.. That was one of the abilities I was granted." McKnight explained. "We had our genetics modified and some things were enhanced but our toxic genes were never removed."

"Thats a bit on the stupid side.." Torilla answered.

"Yes.. But regardless it was done. I myself had the toxic genes removed later on after I joined starfleet."

"So people know what they are.?" the younger Yamaguchi inquired. "Still no cure?" Rachael pressed on.

"There is no cure as one understands the term." Korelli explained. "All we can do is simply engineer a retrovirus that targets the bad genes and removes them. But the Halanan government isn't intrested in such work."

"Thats inherently foolish." Torilla answered quietly. "Why would they further the development of one thing yet ignore our most basic issue?"

McKnight regarded her younger sibling with compassion in her eyes, yet there was a darkness there too. "Isn't that obvious?" she asked gently. "They want to hang onto their power, at any cost... Exiling you and me was simple and easy to do because it would silence us from speaking out."

Torilla was busy processing all of this news as Rachael inquired. "Wait... whos your husband..?"

"That would be Master Chief Petty Officer Daniel McKnight. He is at present, the Chief Science Officer aboard the USS Courageous."

"You had him access my files." Yamaguchi glared darkly at the other woman. "Along with my medical work and he could confirm what you suspected." she added, it was not a question.

"Yes I did." McKnight responded, a gentle smile on her lips. "Please don't think less of him for what he did... I discussed it with him and he offered. He comes from a large family of his own and he thought the idea of reuniting two siblings was a nice gesture for the two of us." she explained.

"Mmm.. Well I should mention that Daniel McKnight has two children with the Beta Quadrant Commander." Rachael commented. "Two of my cousins to be exact."

"Yes I know." McKnight answered. "It was while he was in a Cardassian Labour camp and a Maquis force rescued him because the Cardassians beat him almost to death for what he had done."

"April told me that he was murdered." Torilla responded.

"He had died... A maquis doctor was able to revive him, he missed about a year while recovering and then he came back to the fleet a changed man... He was never the same after that... But all of that was before I met him... I bet April Yamaguchi could tell you some tall tales about him.?"

"April doesn't talk about what happened to her in that prison camp. I know she doesn't want to think about it... and I for one do not blame her." Torilla answered. "As for Master Chief McKnight and not coming to me about this... Well I will consider what to do about it later."

"Mom... Might I recommend something?" Rachael inquired.

Torilla turned her head as she regarded her child. "Sure.."

"Do nothing... Let it be." Rachael responded. "You told me I need to give people and things a chance... Well.. you can do the same too." Rachael explained. "Is McKnight a good Chief Science Officer for you?"

Torilla paused as she considered it. "He is... Daniel has served me well for over a year now."

"Exactly.. So what you do is what any good parent would do." Rachael responded. "Yes mom I have work to do but I know enough to listen to Saki when she's telling me something because she's not telling me for the fun of my health."

"How old is your little one if I may inquire?" Korelii regarded Rachael with a measured look.

"Shes just turned nine and Saki is... Well she's unique.." she commented, when suddenly the bedroom door opened and out came a nine year old child wearing a shirt and a pair of jeans.