Late Night Dinners with Revelations on the Side

Posted on 09 Dec 2017 @ 1:41am by Major Keisha Afton & Rear Admiral Azura Ashcart

1,528 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Errand of Mercy
Location: Captain's Quarters/Medical Lab 1
Timeline: ED 6 2230

ON:

Azura walked in with Savannah in his arms, she grabbed his ears as the doors swooshed open to their quarters. He looked about as the crossed the threshold and took a deep breath. The scent of Keisha, hours old topped with a faint note of her perfume. He smiled softly to himself, alone save for his daughter he could allow himself a slight showing of emotions. He knew she wasnt here from the age of her scent and he knew where she was. He turned his head and looked a the beauty of the babe in his arms who cooed at him in dismay as the ear was pulled from her grasp.

"Mother is not here little pulse. So it looks like it's you and I. What say you if I make dinner and we go down to the lab to give her a plate." he asked as the girl child cooed again then babbled quickly.

Azura raised his eyebrow as he placed her on her blanket that Thor had commissioned to be made for his daughter. The blue, white, silver and grays of the materials were well worn and softer than should be allowed. Azura walked towards the kitchen area and ordered some baby food before he paused and looked at his daughter then back to the food in his hands and shook his head.

"We'll not be leaving to take your mother food with your food splattered all over me. Don't you think I've forgotten your idea of art is to have more food on me than gets in your mouth." he said remembering back a few days ago when the little girl, while being fed had managed to get most of her food in Azura's hair and uniform. "We'll just get Mama her plate and take it to her then I'll wrangle with you and see if we cant get more in your belly than on me to wear. Yes, yes, I know accessories are wonderful but I prefer my accessories to be useful and less able to rot."

He turned again and pulled up the menu on the replicator looking over several dishes before selecting a plate of pot roast with potatoes, carrots and onions. After it had materialized he picked up the plate and covered it then retrieved Savannah and headed to the Medical Lab where he knew Keisha was working on the problem of the virus that was plaguing the planet below. After a short turbolift ride and a quick step down the corridor he came to the doors of the lab and waited for them to part.

Keisha was engrossed in a display of the scans she'd taken of the virus. Her hair was coming loose from her braid, and she'd not tended it in a while from the dullness to it. Her Major's jacket was laying discarded on the table where she had been reading before she put the big schematic up so that she might look at it in three dimensions. "It doesn't make sense" she muttered more to herself as she turned the holodisplay.

Azura blinked as he sighed and said "Computer, override door lock to Medical Lab 1. Authorization Ashcart Alpha-One-Jabberwocky." as he said that the doors hissed open and he stepped through, baby in one arm and the food in his other hand.

"You said you would be in the quarters for dinner." he said softly as he looked at her and then took in the floating projection. "As you will not come to dinner, dinner will come to you."

Her squeal of surprise at being surprised in her locked lab delighted their daughter who mimicked the sound. Placing her hand over her chest in a gesture of shock, and to calm her rapidly beating heart she turned to glare half-heartedly at her husband. "Honestly Azura....you scared the life out of me."

He snorted softly and extended his hand with the food "Then take nourishment and regain and fortify the life you have left."

"Evil creature" she muttered as she saved the template she was working on and took the plate from him. Icy eyes fluttered shut at the scent and the sudden desperate hunger that rose in her at it's sudden intrusion on her work.

"If wife will not come to food, food shall be brought to her huh Savannah?" he asked looking at his daughter in his arms as the plate was taken from his hand. "When do you think you will be back to rest beloved?"

"This doesn't count as a rest?" she asked as she approached him, and rested her forehead on his chest. Her exhausted determination, and desperation to find anything was there at the surface for him to feel as her skin touched his.

He took a deep breath and breathed in her scent mixed with presperation and perfume before the floor shuddered slightly and the ship went to yellow alert. He stepped back from her after making sure the ship wasn't going to buck them to the ground and tapped his com badge.

"Ashcart to the bridge. What is the status?"

"Captain, Engineering is saying that the last few hits we took during the fight has destabilized the warp core. They have it under-control but it is throwing off phased bubbles across the ship. They estimate that it should be fixed within the hour." he nodded as he looked at Savannah.

"Very well maintain yellow alert until the engines are fixed and increase inertial dampeners. Maybe we can keep some unwanted bumps and bruises from happening." As he ended his eye was drawn to the holographic projection above the main table. An additional piece was revealed and then vanished back to a the strand of dna? "Huh, computer were you recording that?"

"Affirmative."

"Keisha, look." he pointed at the table "Replay anomaly. I aint a scientist but that's not supposed to do that is it?"

"heeyou nuhu'" She breathed, food forgotten in the sudden increase of data avaliable to her holoprojection. The clattering of the fork to the ground made her jump, even as she paced towards the holoprojector. Reaching out she manipulated the projection to show the piece of DNA that had been momentarily visible. Abruptly she sat down, and stared at it, slackjawed with shock. "How is that possible?"

"I dont know, I'm not a scientist but i would wager that it might have something to do with..." he paused before tapping com badge again.

"Ashcart to Engineering, please project a phased bubble over Medical Lab 1 for ten seconds." he cut the communication and watched the holoprojection. After a few moments the piece became visible again.

Keisha blistered the air with curses involving anatomy that she didnt posess in ways that were anatomically impossible.

Savannah screeched with joy at her mothers animation and grabbed onto Azuras pointed ear once more.

He raised an eyebrow and then turned to look at his daughter who had a grip on the pointy cartilage of his ear. "Do you mind little child?" before turning back to his wife and "Interesting, it appears to be out of phase with our universe."

"How is that possible?" she asked softly as she circled the new holographic projection of the virus studying it closely.

He snorted softly as Savannah chomped down on his ear point before rocking his head to the side to dislodge her gums from his ear cartilage. "That I do not know, scientist I am not. Just an engineer that got stuck in the center chair."

"You are so very much more that that." Keisha raised icy blue eyes to gaze at her husband and child.

He snorted "Thank you but you know what i mean. My background is in engineering not the bio-sciences." he blinked and dodged another gummy attack on his ear cartilage "But it does look like the hidden part is quite engineered."

"I cannot even imagine how it was accomplished." Her voice was almost defeated as she stared at her model.

"How would you do it, or maybe that's the wrong question to ask. WHY would you hide a part of the dna would be a better question."

"I can only think of one reason....to keep us from finding a cure." It was an ominous thing to say and chilled her to the core.

He nodded "PALLAS, can you analyze the hidden strands of the virus and cross-reference with all known civilizations past and present. I, as would Star Fleet, dearly love to find out who is responsible for this madness."

Keisha's shoulders sagged in utter defeat and she rested her forehead on the screen before her. She didn't have any words- just an overwealming exhaustion that threatened to take her focus from her.

Azura moved to her side and placed his hand on her shoulder "Keisha, go take a walk, get some sleep and come back at this tomorrow."

Shutting everything down without a word, she snuggled up to her husband and slid her arm around his waist- cherishing the closeness that had long since been stolen from them.

OFF:

Azura Ashcart
Captain
Commanding Officer
USS Redemption

&
Major Keisha Afton
Chief Medical Officer
USS Redemption

 

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