EXETERRPG: (1, 0957) CO, Captain Trip Williams and Morale Office, Ensign Ash Williams

[Will Banowsky]

Mission: Space was cool before it mattered

Day: 1

Stardate: 2446.04.25

(USS Exeter -Ready Room - CO, Captain Trip Williams and Morale Office,
Ensign Ash Williams - 0957)


“You mentioned Ronnie?”

Trip looked at his wife with a sad smile as he got up from his desk chair
and walked over to this sitting area. He sat down in the armchair and
waited for Ash to be seated.

“So, on the bridge, Ronnie mentioned flying the ship. She mentioned that
she wanted to do it, which isn’t the odd thing, what kid doesn’t want to
fly a starship. No, it was how she mentioned it.”

Ash nodded gently, a look of concern on her face, saying little to nothing
more than simple understanding, offering a safe place to talk. She knew
Trip all too well, but on top of that, all her training over the years plus
her intrinsic nature tended to let people open up. “How so? She asked
gently.

“She said she had a dream that she was a big girl and she flew the ship,
and that she and I, when she was a big girl, flew a fighter together and
fought pirates.”

“Could be remembering stories, could be residual clutter.” Ashlyn looked at
her husband deeply into his eyes, judging his feelings.

“I know Ailynn mentioned there would be memory glances, like dreams, but
I’m just worried. This is the first time I've heard her mention them. Has
she spoken of these dreams to you?”

Ash shook her head, “just the normal ‘dreams about a unicorn’” she
intonated the last. “Nothing that has rung alarms, I’d have told you.” She
looked at him, her eyes deadly serious, “Your thoughts?”

“I don’t know, I guess I was hoping she wouldn’t have these dreams or I
just could be out of sight out of mind.”

“Any specifics?” She paused, holding her husbands hand, enclosing it in
hers.

“Just want I told you.” Trip replied.

“I mean anything significant, or even insignifiant. You know,” She tilted
her head. “Details, that stick out.”

“I mean, just that she was a big girl, and that we were in a fighter and
fought pirates. I didn’t ask for any follow up. Ya know. I kind of came
straight here and called you.”

“Okay.” Ashlyn nodded

“I mean for all I know, a big girl means like 5 right. And it could have
been sea pirates in space right?”

“Absolutely. She hears enough stories, and people just chatting fires her
imagination at that age.”

“But the thing is, we did fight pirates together. She was my flight
officer, my copilot. We had plenty of battles that we fought pirates. I
guess….I’m just worried if some of those memories resurface. They are
harsh, brutal, and if she remembers them without having the emotional
maturity to weather them. I am afraid of what might happen. Even in dreams.
Those memories still give me nightmares.”

“I know, it scares me every time you sit bolt upright after having one.”
She replied gently, holding her husbands hand with a gentle squeeze.

“Ash, what if she remembers every detail of the Second Battle of Wolf 359?”

Ash nodded and sighed. “Yeah I know. It’s constantly on my mind believe me.”

“Ronnie and I, we took care of a number of enemy fighters and ships.
Believe me, the Thunder Ducks were surgical. Ronnie and I personally took
down enough enemy craft to gain Flying Ace status. I proved to everyone
then and there, that I deserved to be the FSCO. Enough medals to make my
dress uniform count as weight training.” Trip sighed. “And then our fighter
got clipped.”

" You've mentioned this briefly, but never spoken about it." Ash said
gently, a look of concern on her face.

“We had an emergency beam out, and made our way to the wreckage of an old
saber class we took down. Huddled there with an emergency beacon. Honestly,
Trinity is here because I trust her with my life. Her Honey Badgers search
and rescue squadron were efficient in finding us. But…”

"But…?"

“But before they did, in the wreckage, we were best upon by a pirate. Came
at us. Ronnie, in the frenzy of it all, drew her survival knife, stabbed
the pirate. She thought he was trying to attack, but he was trying to
surrender, so he too could be rescued. Ronnie acted on instinct. The first
life she took outside of a fighter. She asked me not to tell you. It took
months of counseling before she would get back in a fighter. She and I both
had nightmares about it. The look on both their faces as Ronnie
accidentally took the life of someone who was surrendering. It shook her,
shook her bad. I don’t…. I don’t want her to relive that….EVER!” He said as
he took the pillow he was gripping and threw it at the wall.

Ashlyn pulled him towards her, pulling his face into her shoulder. "Hey…"
she held him firmly. "You have got to learn to lean on me more. Sometimes
'don't tell Ash' isn't the best option. Anyway, that aside." She released
him, but held his hands. "It could be a number of things, or none of them.
It could simply be the Imagination of an intelligent little girl who hears
stories."

“That’s true. Besides, back then. I didn’t know you were her mom. I figured
it was because she didn’t want the daughter of her mentor to know about it.”

“Fair point.” She conceded.

“But yeah, it could be us versus pirates in Pirate Ships in space. I
just…Ronnie has a second chance at a happier life, free of the trauma that
she endured, as a kid, as an adult.”

“She does, and she’ll be given every chance.”

“She’s an intelligent child, but a little girl doesn’t need to have
memories of taking a life.”

Ash sighed. “There was a moment recently that I was considering being more
insistent on us leaving this, you know? Moving the family to Mars, or Texas
or wherever, so we could be a transporter journey away from hospitals, and
experts and things.”

“And now?” Trip asked

“Now? I don’t even know anymore, but it calms my worries that Ailynn is
back on board. Want me to speak to her?”

“She has enough to worry about. I don’t want Ailynn to feel like she has to
rush back because we are being paranoid parents.”

“No, I know, and you’re right. Are we getting her back as FO at all? Not
that I have a problem with Alex, of course.”

“I want Ailynn to come back of her own decision, will. For herself, not for
us.” Trip said with a sigh.

Ashlyn nodded, “that’s fair.” She said, then smiled, “she comes back too
quickly she’ll end up on Maternity Leave as soon as she moves her stuff
back in.”

“Besides, now we know what to look for with the little rascal. If we hear
it again, then maybe we let Ailynn know.”


“You watch, tomorrow it’ll be a dream about Professor Sparkles the magic
chocolate pooing unicorn.” She giggled, half wondering to herself if there
wasn’t a book somewhere in the oblique idea that had just blindsided the
sillier parts of her imagination.

“Yeah, it probably is nothing. Maybe I’m just so bored, I’m manufacturing
drama to keep myself entertained.”

“I remember mum, Kadaya I mean, had a phrase, ‘Don’t go borrowing trouble’
she had so many like that. Ashlyn smiled shyly as she remembered her foster
mum.

“I just…no one said that being a parent came with so much irrational
worry.” Trip laughed.

“You think Ronnie is a handful?” She kissed him warmly. “Wait until your
son grows up a bit.” She smiled cheekily at him.”

“Drew? Nah, he’ll be easy. I understand boys. No amount of Empathic
abilities has ever prepared me to be a girl dad.”

Ash smiled. “You may be right.” She let go of her husbands hands.

“Anyways, let’s get back to work. I probably shouldn’t have left a two year
old on the bridge.”

“No…possibly not, though we don’t seem to have crashed into anything yet…”
She giggled as she followed the Captain out of the Ready Room.

(reply none)
(posted by Will and Mark)
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