A Prayer for Heros, Fallen - Part Two

Posted on Mon Feb 24th, 2020 @ 2:33am by Commodore Siaxx "Bluemoon" Dvald-Vaxx MD & Jillian "Phoenix" Sullivan

Mission: Mission 11: Red VS Blue
Location: Various Locations - Starbase 400
Timeline: 1900Hrs, January 12th, 2390

"Something tells me this is another audio book series you listen to," Phoenix grinned to that. At least Aryssa spent part of her time trying to read, rather than immerse herself in the social holomedia outlets like most her age did. "Still... If that's the one you want, that's the one we'll see."

Aryssa's smile improved even more when she had confirmation that the decision was hers alone to make.

"You like Torilla's gal?" Phoenix asked after she took a savoring bite of gravy-covered steak.

"She's one of the smarter kids in my class. I don' really talk to her all that much cause she's got her own group of friends," Aryssa answered guardedly.

Phoenix looked to Siaxx carefully. All the senior officer's kids, siblings, and nieces and nephews were well-known in the school system. Aryssa was the newest pseudo celebrity in that particular peer circle because of who her 'sister' was.

Even so, her first week of school was not going well. Aryssa did not seem to want to try very hard socially to get to know any of the other students for reasons yet unknown, though her remedial reading teacher did tell Dorothy that Aryssa was trying real hard to keep up with the regular students.

"You think Torilla's youngest might want to come with us, Siaxx? Give Aryssa some time out-of-school to get to know the kid?" Phoenix asked her partner

Siaxx nodded. "Knowing Rachael as I do. she'll want to come along... like other members of the senior staff. she has a large following of other kids who want to be her friend... so Rachael tends to be picky and choosy about her friends as you might expect." Siaxx explained. "She tolerates everyone to a degree but considering her rather unique abilities and skills, she tends to get a lot of attention which she well and truly despises." the Bolian explained.

"Aryssa tells me a lot about Rachael. Sounds like she's going for an officer track, with her classes," Dorothy spoke matter-of-factly. "Can't say I know a whole lot about her personality though. Aryssa doesn't tell us much about her new school beyond first impressions and her workload."

Aryssa went into her own world, the moment Dorothy opened her mouth. Instead, she began to eat more quickly on her dinner.

"I've known Rachael almost her entire life. Hell I delivered her and helped deliver her nephew. Gideon, son of Torilla's second child.. her only son, Gabriel" Siaxx added. "Torilla and I are very close as I've known her ever since I graduated medical school which was about thirteen years ago now, Rachael was my first baby I delivered."

Phoenix watched Aryssa carefully, for she suspected the teenager did not like being talked about, especially when she was in the same room.

"I would want to know more about this kid before we green light an invitation," Blake spoke. He too, watched Aryssa with his feeble eyes.

"Rachael tends to want to help her friends.. but she does have a fair bit on her plate most days."

"One judges a person best by how one treats their inferiors," Phoenix pointed out, then directed the conversation back to Aryssa. "She an' her little gang treat you all right?"

"I guess," Aryssa shrugged. "I dodge most folks during recess and lunch. So I dunno really."

"Kids give'n ya a hard time in general?" Phoenix probed, clearly concerned for her younger counterpart.

"No... I dunno." Aryssa went into that indifferent shell of protection of hers.

As Aryssa peered down at her plate, Dorothy gave a prodded nod. It was like Dorothy was trying to coach Phoenix into having confidence, with being a parent.

Phoenix finished a bite of mashed potatoes before she went on to say, "I was behind in math when I enlisted. I had to take special needs courses before I could reenlist in the Flight Cadet program, actually."

"Yeah, but you were already an adult. This is different." Aryssa's bite was extremely severe to begin with, but gradually softened once she realized Phoenix was trying to help. "I'm a retard... An' lots of folks pity me for it."

Siaxx made a mental note to talk with Rachael the next morning before school started, she needed to make sure that all was well with her because of her psionic issues.

The teenager cleaned her face with a napkin and stood up politely from the table before she left the room. Phoenix felt sympathy for Aryssa. Dorothy too, though the older Sullivan added, "Trying is what's important... Sadly, kids are cruel in general and this is a sensitive subject we've forced her to confront. So it'll take some time before she sees any rewards from improving her reading."

"I just wish I knew how to make her pain go away," Phoenix spoke lowly as she continued to eat.

"She will find her own path in time." Siaxx said softly. "We all must find our own way through the trials of life." she added. "Rachael has a doctors appointment tomorrow anyway... I need to check her over and make sure her psionic issues aren't causing her grief.... if you guys want.. I'll invite her over for dinner so she can meet you all... that way you can grill her to your hearts content." she then smiled.

"A telepath," Blake spoke blandly. Clearly the entire Sullivan clan viewed telepaths with skepticism.

"Her mom is OK, Dad... Rachael is just a nosy, tactless prick sometimes, in public. But that's mostly cause of her age," Phoenix spoke, referring to Rachael's comments she made about/to Phoenix at the wedding party. "No worse than Aryss'a occasional teenage bullshit."

And that seemed to of appeased the Sullivan clan on that subject. Though in all reality, the Sullivans were probably always going to be a bit prejudice against the telepathic population of the Federation.

"Rachael is thirteen so such is to be expected.... but she's not obnoxious about it." Siaxx commented. "Also she doesn't see Phoenix as anything other then her rank and post." she explained as she looked at Phoenix. "She doesn't know you."

"Fair enough," Phoenix agreed.

"So any medical projects you researching, Miss Siaxx?" Dorothy asked excitedly.

Siaxx shook her head. "Other then the usual. I'm between projects at the moment." she admitted. "I've been thinking about what happened on the Yorktown though... they built her computer using something old and something new... and the ship..." she paused. "she became self aware.."

"A cybernetic organism. That is interesting," Dorothy smiled brightly. "Nothing bad happened to it, right?"

"No... the ship itself is alive." Siaxx explained. "It happened during our last mission to shake her down for bugs." she paused. "I'd call this a rather massive bug." she looked down at her food. "I have no idea of what's going to happen to her."

"Maybe you should speak for it, since you feel so passionate about its existence," Dorothy suggested gently.

Siaxx nodded. "I will." she commented. "since the Yorktown has nobody else... I'll do it."

"Siaxx mentioned trying to find a cure for this poison in our blood... The latter stages, that is," Phoenix added.

Dorothy was truly touched by this notion, as her eyes watered with a cheerful smile. "I... Miss Siaxx..." Dorothy had to covered her mouth and recompose herself. "Even if you never find that cure, I am very pleased that you have crossed paths with Jill."

Siaxx nodded, first in response to Phoenix's statement. "Well Jill here and I crossed swords.... how we met was... interesting.." she chuckled softly. "The poison quest however will take some time and I didn't mention it because I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up."

"I know I am gonna die, Young One," Dorothy spoke very soberly. "I would probably be happy that you found a cure for the people in that prison, long after I'm gone."

Siaxx regarded the older woman, sadness shining in her dark eyes. "That doesn't mean I have to like it..." she sighed softly.

"Warden Yeager has his medics call the poison a fake illness, just so legal folks never find out what he's doing," Jill supplied a bit darkly. "Air's poison to breath."

"When I get finished with him.... dreadful devices will be so in use and dreadful deeds so commonplace that mothers can't help but smile as they behold their infants quartered on the hands of war."

"I used to quote that same Shakespeare line, right before a big battle against the spoonheads," Dorothy grinned to Siaxx. "You two should stop by more often too. It is a joy, spending time with my daughter, and a possible in-law."

Phoenix tugged her collar at that line and had to take a sip of her dark import to keep from choking.

Siaxx opened her mouth to say something but she stopped at the last moment. "I was not expecting you to say that." she admitted. "I was expecting the whole 'violence doesn't solve anything' speech." she paused. "I don't often get out but I will make it a point to come out of hibernation more often.... besides... this steak was worth six hours of sleep on my living room floor." Siaxx added with a wide smile.

"Well Siaxx, Dear, I am too old to carry the fight. Nor do I wish to anymore," Dorothy explained as she started to finish her plate. "I do believe in picking the right battles, in the end. The ones you know you can win."

Siaxx nodded her head as she clearly understood what the older woman was saying. "I know... I will find a cure for this poison and when I am finished... Yeager... will never leave this base alive...." as a dark and rather cruel smile appeared on her face. "there are a few others who want their pound of flesh from him too."

Phoenix looked up suddenly to Siaxx. So far as she knew, Torilla was the only other to know, in passing, about Aryssa's dad. Who all had Siaxx been talking to? And did this imply there were no secrets between them?

To say Phoenix was angry, was an understatement. But she maintained the illusion of calmness.

"I'll go check on Aryssa, I think," Phoenix offered with true concern as she wiped her mouth, then stood up and left the dinning area. Aryssa's room was her next stop.

"Just so ya know, Miss Siaxx? Jill cares a lot 'bout you," Blake told the young Bolian. "She might not always show it, but then again she often not does see just how badly she's attached to someone until somethin' bad happens."

"I know... I'm not the easiest to deal with..." Siaxx sighed.

"Blake isn't either," Dorothy teased her husband.

"But then again, you'd of missed out on a lot of fun if you chosen Dak Grayson," Blake quipped back at Dorothy, for which both of them laughed.

"Key to a good relationship, is knowin' it aint always gonna be fun. Ya gotta work at it if you truly want to be with eachother," Dorothy explained to Siaxx.

"I've not been in a relationship with anyone since the Dominion War... " she paused. "Fucking Spoonheads.." she growled.

"She hasn' had one, period," Blake informed. "When most her brothers and sister died, Jill didn' know how to handle their deaths. She took it worse than her mother did, actually."

"She didn' come out of her room for at least three months. But when she did come out, she was not the little girl she used to be. Junior and Tommy were as much best friends to her." Dorothy was sad when explaining, but she brightened once she transitioned to Siaxx. "Since she started dating you, however, I've seen glimpses of the little girl."

Siaxx smiled as she turned her attention to the closed door where Phoenix has disappeared minutes earlier. "I see a completely different side to her when I'm around her... and I like what I see... she makes me feel wanted and valued... which is something I've not had in a long time."

"Your family not really support ya much?" Blake asked out of curiosity.

"No." Siaxx admitted. "they're rather.. conservative and would rather I end up with an eligible Bolian make rather then a human female." she rolled her eyes. "My siblings however were more understanding though... one of my sisters thinks my parents way of thinking is out of date.. considering she married a human and has two children with him."

"I can't say I like Jill dating same-sex. But it has more to do with the fact our clan has so little Sullivan blood left," Dorothy explained rather apologetically. "Be as it may... she's happy, and that should always be the most important thing for any parent - their child's happiness."

"My parents think its unnatural..." she sighed softly. "I don't know how Phoenix slept through that screaming fest." as the Bolian sighed softly. "I don't think I'm been fair regarding Phoenix.... I tend to keep breaking things... and she gets caught in the middle of my own problems when she has her own to deal with..."

"Well you are dating my daughter. So that makes you family here," Blake smiled brightly at Siaxx.

"I find being around her... intoxicating." she admitted. "she's teaching me new and fascinating ways for stress relief..." she commented. "guns, hand to hand combat and something called Parkour." she then grinned. "I suspect I'm making her go gray before her time."

"She dyes her hair," Dorothy winked and then motioned to her own. "I've a wig. Looks just like our natural tones. Which is the point, really."

"Phoenix dyes her hair.... that's not a shock to be honest.." Siaxx commented with a smile. "blonde doesn't' really suit her all that much."

"Thus she mostly sticks as close to the strawberry blond as much as she can," Dorothy chuckled, and became even more joyous as the sound of Phoenix and Aryssa sharing a laugh in Aryssa's room.