Flying Icy Skies

Posted on Tue Mar 17th, 2020 @ 2:13am by Commander Ennis Cullen & Lieutenant JG Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi-Cullen & Saki Yamaguchi-Cullen

Mission: Mission 98: Building Our New Home
Location: Cullen's Quarters - Starbase Vanguard
Timeline: 1900Hrs - June 3rd, 2393

Staff Warrant Officer Rachael Yamaguchi spooned some mashed potatoes onto Saki's plate as she considered just how much food to give to her eldest natural daughter while the scent of well-cooked food had filled her quarters. "Okay, I think that about does it." she commented while she thought 'Dinners ready'. Rachael knew Saki would hear her psionically and gather Sarah and Daniel so they could come to the table.

Rachael turned as she smiled. "Ennis, you feel like eating with us?" she inquired of her husband.

"Mmm.. oh, yes. I'm sorry Rachael." Cullen responded. "It's just that." he stopped suddenly. "We should discuss it after dinner. After Sarah and Saki leave for their trip to their holosuite and the babysitter is able to take Daniel and the twins off our hands." as he regarded Rachael before he smiled. "That smells great, what didja make?" he inquired, his accent coming out.

"I made something that I know Saki will eat, a steak with plenty of salad and coleslaw. This dish helped Elizabeth through her funk about nine months ago, she's been eating this dish and apparently, its made her into a new woman." Rachael explained as she dished up two of the plates while Saki came over, Sandstorm the cat was following her while Sarah sighed. "Saki, you are being unfair."

"What?" The ten-year-old protested. "Sandstorm slept in your bed last night, I want him with me tonight."

"You had Perdicus too," Sarah responded a trifle hotly.

"I can't help it, especially if he prefers me over you," Saki answered before the smaller of the two girls let out a soft sigh. "Mom. Make her stop!" Saki whined.

"Mom, she's doing it again," Sarah replied.

Rachael sighed. "Behave you two," she answered in a quiet tone as Daniel came over to the table, his father then got up and helped him up to his seat at the table. "Sit down at the table."

Saki stuck her tongue out at Sarah who responded with the same.

Rachael placed her two plates before her two eldest while Ennis placed Daniel's plate before him, his food had already been diced up, as Daniel began to eat the food before him, it was more the same with the twins as Ennis fed their daughter Olivia while Rachael began clean up of the cooking area, she would eat as soon as she was finished, she recycled whatever food that she did not cook and she also disposed of the waste in the replicator.

Rachael then finished before she turned back to her son as she began to feed him his dinner. "Here you go sweetie," she commented with a smile on her face. Anthony smiled as he chortled at his mother while she fed him.

Soon, all things had to end and so did dinner, the babysitter came for the twins and Daniel, then Saki and Sarah left for their holodeck trip. Which left Ennis and Rachael alone. "Whats bothering you?" Rachael decided to come out and ask.

"I don't want to upset you." Ennis paused as he produced the PADD he had been working on or rather that he had been reading all evening. On it was displayed some details about a job offer that had opened up for him but only for him. "I'm going to turn it down."

"No," Rachael answered quietly. "You got the job posting on Starbase Eighty-Three last year, it would have guaranteed your promotion to Commander," she explained. "You have already sacrificed so much for this family."

"It's not right." Ennis sighed softly, he was angry about being parted from his wife and she knew it.

"We're both in the service. We knew that this was going to happen, sooner or later." Rachael responded, a smile on her lips. "The kids would lose one of their parents to assignments being separate on different postings." Rachael shrugged as she handed him back the PADD in her hands. "Besides, will you take the kids or will I?"

"I'll take them," Ennis commented. "Sarah has already been a great help. What will you do with Saki?"

"I'll take her with me," Rachael answered. "Besides, she's been wanting to spend a little time living with her Aunt Elizabeth so I will let Elizabeth feel Saki's wrath, first hand."

"You are sure about this... Aren't you Rache?"

"I am," Rachael answered with a nod. "Let's face it, we knew this was coming." she shrugged. "What we did not know was when this was coming." as she turned and went over to the table. "Let Sarah Perdacus with her, Saki can keep Sandstorm."

"Good idea. Sarah and Saki are squabbling more and more recently over the little things in life." Ennis responded with a smile. "The USS Heart of the Tiger will be along in four days to collect me and the others, then we depart for an eight-month patrol of the Taurus Reach and all the Federation colonies in this area."

"That's gonna be a tall job. But you know what?" Rachael answered. "They got the right people for the job, now lets go enjoy our trip planetside so we can have a good night." she smiled as she looked up at him, since he was a fair bit taller then she herself was.

"Also, its going to be a long time since we see each other again and if you wanted to see someone else in the meantime. I would not object to it." Cullen dropped the monkey-wrench into her mental processes and as expected, her brain ground to a rather sudden and abrupt halt. Rachael blinked as she regarded her husband, she honestly had not been expecting him to say what he was saying. "Ennis, you are my spouse, my partner in life."

"I know, but that doesn't mean we're always going to be together, on the same assignment. I do not like being parted from you but like I said earlier, we both knew this conversation was inevitable one day." He regarded her, a soft smile on his lips. "Besides, I know you'll be alright on the Starbase, as you said, you got kin here and I don't," Cullen explained with a nod of his head.

Rachael knew what he was getting at and why he was saying what he was saying. It was going to be a long time since Ennis would see her and she would see him. "Are you sure, about me seeing someone else..?" she sounded unsure. "I do not need you or the kids coming home to find something you don't wanna see."

"Do not worry about it, I'll send you a note a couple of days ahead of time so you can rush around for a headless chicken, cleaning up for me and the kids when we come to visit. Oh, about thirty hours ought to do it." as he suddenly grinned at her. "Seriously, you are young and others will want you, there is nothing wrong with casual sex. Should you desire it, asking you to not ever have sex for a year is unreasonable. Its also stupid of me to ask this of you. I wouldn't ask it of myself so why should I ask it of you?"

Rachael found she could not argue with his logic. "I am not about to start seeing other people behind your back."

"I know," Cullen answered, a gentle smile on his lips. "You are too honorable for that but life is meant to be lived so I will not think less of you if you took another man or woman to bed."

Rachael could not argue with the reality of why he was saying what he was saying. "I understand why you are saying this Ennis, I do not have to like it, however."

"Rachael. I know. I don't think I'll get time to bed anyone, with four of the five kids." he paused. "Why don't we persuade Saki to come with me."

"Sure, it'll be good for her to rely on others as she tends to take my side in any discussion, argument, debate or anything really. Having her learn to rely on others will greatly help her, once she figures things out." Rachael explained. "I like this idea, I really do." she paused. "Come on, lets go planetside before you toss anything else at me."