A Voice in the Wilderness - Part Nine

Posted on Sun Jan 31st, 2021 @ 7:35am by Division Admiral Thomas Lasky & Lieutenant JG Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi-Cullen & Commodore Siaxx "Bluemoon" Dvald-Vaxx MD & Post Captain Plataea "Phantom" Lasky & Master Chief Petty Officer Chen Vaxx

Mission: Mission 106: Restitutions and Resolutions
Location: Various Locations - Starbase Vanguard
Timeline: 1245Hrs, October 17th, 2393

Dvald-Vaxx regarded Yamaguchi-Cullen. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that Tom over there has good cause to dislike me too... I would say outright hate me." Yamaguchi-Cullen explained in a flat tone of voice, waiting for Lasky to agree with her.

Lasky raised an eyebrow. "Could you explain that please Rachael... As to the best of my recollection, you have not wronged me. Despite all of our issues of late." as he paused a moment. "My crown I am, but still my griefs are mine. You may my glories and my state depose but not my griefs; still am I king of those." Lasky added a moment later.

"Others would disagree..." Yamaguchi-Cullen indicated Plataea with her thumb. "As your wife had made clear to me. You have a special place in your heart for me... Oh sure, you can lust over Elizabeth all you want but we both know she's not the one you wanted... She was the one who gave you hope with the birth of your son. She made you believe again... But I was the one you wanted." she paused a moment as she looked at him. "Oh, you didn't want to bed me, you wanted me as your apprentice, I was to learn what you could uniquely teach me about the arts of war..." Yamaguchi-Cullen explained. "That's what pissed you off. Wasn't it..." she suddenly asked Dvald-Vaxx a moment later. "All along, that's what this was about.."

"Yes... I thought he..." Dvald-Vaxx stopped as she sighed softly.

"You were my apprentice... Or rather you were supposed to be, I had such high aspirations for you." before he turned and glared darkly at Siaxx. "Before your woman decided to steal her from me... Citing that she had more time. Phoenix was a failure, a drunk at best, a fucking whore at worst... What did you see in her?" he snarled. "Answer me godammit!" he roared at her.

Dvald-Vaxx didn't know what to say. "I... I dunno..." she admitted in a soft tone. "She was different... She exited me in ways that I can't even explain..."

"You have a bad habit of lying to others Siaxx... That is my main issue with you." Lasky roared at her. "How all these others see through that, is a great mystery to me... But-"

"You're overthinking it, Tom. It's not all her fault... Phoenix taught her to lie... She taught me, hell she taught Saki that too..." Yamaguchi-Cullen interrupted. "The first lesson I was ever taught.. was how to trust... You don't trust her, that's clear but you trust me..." she paused. "Phoenix took me from you and trained me herself..." she turned to Plataea. "Tell him what you told me... Go on, tell him!" she demanded. "You were strident enough with me on the matter, the least you could do is tell him to his face what you think of the job Phoenix did with me..." she snarled at Plataea.

Plataea regarded the woman who was almost her daughter. "Well... It goes like this..." she paused a moment. "You were his student, he was your sensai and he was denied the chance to know anything with you..." Plataea regarded the gathering with a certain level of malevolence, a cold hatred. "Phoenix stole you from him and she decided to train you herself... Look at the job she has done with you... Mmmm... Pathetic. Oh Tom could have taken you to bed and you would have turned out better in one night of wild sex from him then in two years of failing with Phoenix." she commented with a dark smile. "Oh Tom is a far better teacher, he could teach you things you wouldn't believe. I have benefited greatly from his teachings, in various ways... He's shown me what a real man is... How he lives and how he fights... A real man does not run away from his battles, he faces them, even if there can be no victory..."

Yamaguchi-Cullen has not moved. "Go on. Finish the rest of what you said," she commented in a quiet tone of voice.

Plataea regarded the gathering. "Tom has been teaching me in the fine arts of Shaolin combat and he will teach our children too, even though some of it looks like pure torment," she explained. "Kurt is taking well to it as is Nigel. This little one will too." she gently placed a hand on her bloated belly.

Lasky regarded his spouse. "You said all that...?" he paused. "I'm sorry I missed it." he let out a soft sigh.

Yamaguchi-Cullen regarded Lasky as she nodded. "That's more or less what was said..." she turned to Siaxx. "I don't expect you and Tom here to ever be able to get along, as friends or anything else but can we at least, try to get along and to co-exist..."

"I will try... if you will," Dvald-Vaxx commented in a soft tone of voice.

Plataea regarded the two. "I'm not expecting you two to go out to dinner once a week... But you two can't even look at each other without wanting to kill each other..." she slowly sat up as she groaned softly. "So... You two will try to make an effort... To get along... I want to be able to have my baby in peace and not worry if you two are going to kill each other."

Vaxx regarded the larger female, he thought she looked rather fetching but he opted to keep that to himself. "Yes... Siaxx and I will take a few day's planetside so she can calm down... Since Doctor Dvald is about to sideline her... and you two, go and welcome your child into the world." he commented in a flat tone of voice. "

"Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course," Lasky answered evenly. "After all, wise men ne’er sit and wail their loss but cheerily seek how to redress their harms." he paused. "Siaxx... You think I am a threat to the ladies of her family." he pointed to his wife. "If this were the case.. Do you think she would have married me, bothered to get to know me or have children with me... I have never been happier with the state of my life Siaxx... and I was content to let this sleeping dog sleep." he paused. "Yet, here we are... I will make more of an effort to co-exist with you. But my feelings and thoughts about you cannot change in one night... It will take me time to move on... Past the fact, that you considered me a threat to the family of the greatest person that's happened to me... Though I have never laid hand or harm upon you."

Dvald-Vaxx nodded her head. "I can accept that... Alright."

Plataea sighed softly. "I think I'm gonna go home and go back to bed... This was exhausting... Byebye folks." and with that. The heavily pregnant Halanan departed in silence. Yamaguchi-Cullen slowly climbed to her feet. "I'm going to go and find Taffy and take her to bed..." and with that, she likewise departed, leaving Vaxx who regarded Lasky and his spouse. "Alright. Well... We're gonna get going and let you try to get some work done..."

Lasky nodded his head in silence as Dvald-Vaxx departed,m her husband beside her, he said in silence for a few minutes after they had gone.

"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves... As there is no darkness but ignorance." Lasky commented before he picked up a PADD and went back to work.