Remember Me - Part One

Posted on Sat Mar 21st, 2020 @ 8:35am by Division Admiral Thomas Lasky & Lieutenant JG Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi-Cullen

Mission: Mission 98: Building Our New Home
Location: Various Locations - Starbase Vanguard
Timeline: 07300Hrs - September 15th, 2393

Division Admiral Tom Lasky was heading for his office, this was after dropping off his two infant sons at daycare so their mother could report for duty on time. He often went in early and handled the children with regards to daycare so Plataea could shower and dress in peace in the mornings, being pregnant was draining enough without sleepless nights and the other usual medical; issues pregnancy brought, what was worse was that Plataea was Halaan and not human, she didn't have the morning sickness issues, whereas instead she had mood swings and could send out telepathic surges, which affected herself and others around her, it was also random but it could be rather spectacular when it affected the wrong person. Two days earlier Fleet Admiral Heather Duval had suddenly burst into tears for no real reason. What made matters worse was that Duval had no idea of why she was crying and nobody else had been affected.

Two days before that, it had been Celeste Yamaguchi-Hobbs who had suddenly started crying without rhyme or reason. The cause, however, was rather well known and it was said that Plataea Lasky had been responsible for the matters at hand with regard to her telepathic issues. Yamaguchi-Hobbs simply retreated into her office and proceeded to get whatever ailed her out of her system and Duval did more or less the same thing. Both women found the experience rather cathartic and liberating.

Lasky had disagreed but she was not about to argue with her boss or her bosses bosses boss. Tom Lasky knew his wife's issues and he had been stuck by them on more than one occasion, and while he did not mind, he did mind the sheer randomness factor but that said, he knew his wife was due to give birth to their third child in the matter of a month or so and then she could more or less have her body back, also he knew that his spouse was counting down the days to her due date quietly, it was something of an inside joke but Lasky knew in his heart of hearts that she wasn't lying and nor was she joking either.

Lasky moved down the hallway as he found himself passing a young woman wearing starfighter blue which he had more than a passing familiarity with, he knew her well and what was worse was that he had been intimate with this young woman's sister and her mother on two separate occasions. "Rachael, fancy meeting you here."

"Indeed sir. May I have a moment of your time?" Yamaguchi-Cullen inquired of him. "Don't you think its time we talked?" she looked up at him, with a steely resolve in her eyes as she addressed him.

"As you wish," Lasky answered her. "Wait. Are you not on duty this morning?"

"No, I have the day off... But I couldn't sleep so I decided to start my day early." Yamaguchi-Cullen answered evenly. "Dealing with you and the matter we should really address before the heat-death of the universe comes to pass." the young woman added.

Lasky knew what she wanted. "Very well, walk with me then... and you can tell me what's on your mind," he answered. "But tread carefully for security is mortals chiefest enemy," he added.

"I spent the better part of a year thinking and believing that you screwed me out of a commission and whatever rewards we were due after the Goranar incident," Yamaguchi-Cullen explained. "Now that I know what happened... I don't know what to think anymore."

"Now, that you heard the tale, you needed time to process it and then you come to me to swap notes..." Lasky answered in a knowing tone of voice. "Considering the event happened back in June," he explained. "What's ironic was that had Colonel Hadar not opened her mouth and said something... I would never have found out about things..."

Yamaguchi-Cullen sighed softly. "I was expecting it to be Siaxx who yelled at you about it."

"Oh no. She would not waste her time and yell at me, she'd haul off and belt me one." Lasky explained. "Its ironic isn't it?, I've faced many enemies over the years... Jem'Hadar, Klingons, Cardassians, Breen and the Borg in over fifty major battles... But they don't intimidate me or scare me... But that little Bolian who is small enough to be a young teenager does intimidate me."

"I'll make sure to not tell her you said that..." Yamaguchi-Cullen answered.

"Tell her anyway. She might believe it... Or she won't." Lasky answered with a soft sigh. "I discussed the option of reprimands with regards to you with Teval, just after the event in question... That was when Plataea and I became a thing..."

"I figured you stuck me with that reprimand and thus I was not permitted to have what everyone else got. Promotions and medals."

"Teval told me it would have been thrown out, no Starfleet JAG officer would ever honor my reprimand, they would throw it out because I'm the one who fucked up and nearly got myself killed in the process... Not you." Lasky explained. "You had the appropriate gear but you came up to the bridge to ensure I escaped. You wanted to ensure that Kurt's father would come home and I didn't see then what you were trying to give me. What's worse is that I nearly got myself killed, all the same, squandering the gift you had given me... When I used my emergency transporter on you... It is my guilt that haunts me... Not you... The faults dear Rachael, are not yours but they are mine, that my whims are the playthings of the gods..."

"You didn't know about the reprimand..." Yamaguchi -Cullen answered. "I read Plataea's report and I also talked to Siaxx on the matter. Man, was she ever pissed..."

"With my stupidity or my ignorance.?" Lasky inquired of the smaller female beside him.

"Actually. Neither. She was angrier that someone else wanted to manipulate her into causing an issue with you. Chen was in the room and that's why the issue at that point never got back to you." Yamaguchi-Cullen sighed softly. "I find myself wishing for the fourth time today alone, that he had been with us on that damnable ship."

"You and me both Rachael... It might have averted what honestly, looks like a truly irreparable relationship between Siaxx and me."

Yamaguchi-Cullen had no easy answer for that so she simply sighed softly. "I'm Sorry Tom..." she addressed him by name.