New Friends

Posted on Tue Jan 25th, 2022 @ 6:30am by Staff Sergeant Leilani Charles {Kelea-Salik} & Captain George Charles [Reece] & Lieutenant Samaire MacBride-Reece [Lalor] & Skylah McBride [Lalor] & Hendor Charles [Reece]
Edited on on Tue Jan 25th, 2022 @ 9:23pm

Mission: Season 5: Episode 3: CAPETOWN
Location: USS Elysium, Kindergarten class
Timeline: MD11 - Early Morning
2236 words - 4.5 OF Standard Post Measure

Hendor was nervous. He had never gone to a school before, but his Mama and Papa both insisted that it was important and he would make new friends. The other boy, Jake, that he had met after coming aboard had left the ship when his father had been transferred. Since then, it was only his parents and the doctors that spent any time with him.

So, while his Mama was still getting better in the isolation chamber, Papa dressed Hendor in nice clothes for school. He let Hendor pick out a hoodie to wear, that he could use to cover his head, so he'd feel less uncomfortable.

Upon reaching the school, Papa moved to speak to the teacher and enroll Hendor into class.

The teacher, Ms Harkes, beamed a smile at Hendor's father and spoke softly. Giving Hendor's Papa information on the day's scheduled activities.

The door opened and a little girl all but stumped into the room. Ms Harkes gave the girl a hard look and turned back to George.

The girl, was dressed in blue jeans and a pale peach pink shirt, with a pair of purple sneakers on her feet. She gave the teacher a sullen look and dragged her book bag over to the cubbys where they were stored and shoved it into one at the end.

Once George had the information, he thanked Ms Harkes and then turned back to Hendor and knelt down to address him at his level. "Okay, Champ. You listen to Ms Harkes and have fun today. I'll be back to pick you up when school is over, then we'll go see Mama and you can tell her about your day, okay?"

Hendor nodded slowly. He was still feel nervous, but, after seeing the little girl enter and put her bag in a cubby, he felt a little better. "Okay, Papa. Love you," he said as he hugged his father around his neck.

George returned the hug. "Love you too, bubba." He then released the embrace and stood. He watched, a smile on his face, as his son entered the classroom.

As Hendor entered the classroom, he saw that several students were already there, talking amongst themselves. He wasn't sure were to sit, so he stayed there, trying to hide the left side of his face with his hood.

Skylah was sitting in the reading area by herself with a PADD in her lap.

Ms Harkes meanwhile headed to speak with the other teacher.

Hendor saw the little girl who had passed him outside. Feeling shy, but curious at the same time, he slowly moved over to her and sat in a small chair.

Skylah glanced up as the boy sat down. She considered it for a moment. "Hi" she said softly so not to draw attention of the teacher to her.

Hendor quickly glanced at the girl when she spoke to him. "Hi," he replied just as quietly. "My name's Hendor. What's yours?"

"Skylah" Skylah replied. "You are new here?" She asked.

He nodded shyly. "Yeah. I'm from New Canaan, but not anymore. Elysium is home now, with my new Mama and Papa. I was just adopted by them." He then paused and asked, "Are you new?"

"Yes and No, I was new a month or so ago." Skylah replied as she kept an eye on the teacher warily.

Hendor notice the look. "What's wrong?" He asked as he followed her gaze to the teacher.

Skylah merely shrugged. "She doesn't like me. I think she is boring and she gets me into trouble with my aunt when i leave the school"

His right eye grew a little wider. "You can just leave when you want? Papa said I had to stay until the end and he would come get me, then we'd go see Mama in the isolation chamber."

"I leave when I want because she, " and here Skylah sent the teacher an evil look, "Thinks I am stupid and uneducated just because I come from a different time. So I leave. My Aunt hates it and everything. I go to the arboretum."

"A different time?" The young boy asked, unsure what she meant. In his confusion, he let go of his hood and the artificial left side of his face was visible briefly.

"Yeah, its complicated" Skylah replied.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, unsure if he had said something wrong.

"Hey!" One of the older boys exclaimed to his friends as he yanked off Hendor’s hood. "Look at this! We got a freaky little Borg drone!"

Hendor cried out in panic as he was assaulted, flashbacks of the gangs on New Canaan chasing him flooding forward in his young brain.

Skylah reacted without thought. She launched herself from the cushions and took down the kid who had grabbed at Hendor, tackling him to the ground. "Leave him alone Mika!" She yelled. And she let her little fists fly. She had her own trauma and she would not let others be taunted.

"Ow! Hey! Get off of me!!" Mika cried out, suprised by the sudden counterattack.

Ms Harkes was there lifting Skylah off him.

Skylah began yelling at Mika in an unknown language. But interspersed with that were the words "Nasty!" "Called him a borg!" And other words describing Mika in bad ways.

Another teacher knelt beside Hendor and helped him settle down.

When the second teacher gently questioned Hendor, he nodded and answered that the other boy, he now knew his name was Mika, had ripped his hood off and started taunting him. Skylah was only trying to defend him.

Mica screamed, "Wait till I tell my father what you did, you little time freak!" He spat his words in Skylah's direction, all the while, his lip and nose were bleeding.

Skylah glared at him. "Time Freak? I am more than that!"

Ms Harkes placed Skylah on the ground. "Skylah! You are on thin ice already. I will have to call your aunt."

Mika's friends smirked "No mummy to save you, bet your Aunt wants you gone this time!" one taunted, and a split second later he was on the ground with his friend as Skylah pounded on him, having pulled free of Ms Harkes, who struggled to pull Skylah off of the second kid.

While everyone was focused on Skylah, Hendor moved over and kicked the second kid. "Don't make fun of my friend!!" He kicked the kid again.

The second child scrambled back, his own nose bleeding. He glared at Hendor. "Freak!"

"I'm not a freak!" Hendor screamed. "I'm an Outkast!!"

The teachers began to separate the children and called their parents. Skylah was sat on a chair facing a corner, alone.

Mika and his friend Jak were taken to the lunch room to be treated.

Hendor was kept near a teacher.

A few moments later, George hustled into the classroom. "Hendor?!" His eyes landed on his son, and then the state that he was in. He knelt down and took his little boy into his arms. "What happened?!" He demanded as he glared at the teachers, the ones who were supposed to keep a safe environment for the children, but clearly weren't.

"Skylah protected me, Papa," Hendor spoke first. "Then I protected her. She's my best friend!"

Ms Harkes looked stressed as she moved to speak. "It seems one of our older children was curious about Hendor's hoody and some words were exchanged before that child was badly beaten by another child. We have segregated the violent child and your son is safe, Lieutenant"

"Captain," The word was sharp as a blade as George corrected the teacher. "And it seems to me, that the violent child was the one who first laid hands on my son. You will bring Miss Skylah to me now. Either that, or this issue can be sent up the ladder. I'm sure that Colonel Naxea, Commander Taylor and Captain Lovejoy would be very interested in hearing how you allow bullying in your classroom." George spoke with the full strength of a combat Marine pilot, a senior officer and an enraged parent, all in one package.

"You are not Skylah's guardian, thus you have no right to request her presence." Ms Harkes replied. "As it is, the parents of the boys she attacked will most likely be pressing charges against her. They will not tolerate her here anymore."

The doors opened again and a woman in Operations yellow entered looking around panicked. "Ms Harkes?" She said urgently.

"Ah Ms McBride." The woman's face went smugly superior and the smile went almost evil. "Good. Collect your niece. She is expelled."

"Why?" Samaire asked shocked. "Did she truant again?"

"No. She viciously and violently assaulted two boys here. We do not want violent children here"

Samaire stared in shock.

George growled quietly as he spoke. "That's not exactly what happened now, is it." He tone made no bones that Ms Harkes best drop the attitude and tell the whole truth.

"It is what has been reported" Harkes replied. "Ms Skylah McBride has been nothing but trouble since her arrival here. It is for the best. I suggest homeschooling"

Samaire looked around and saw her niece in the corner. She pushed past the teacher and went to Skylah and knelt beside her. "A dhuine beag ceart, tha mi an seo gu math." she said softly in Gaelic.

"Thug iad pàisde borg air agus an uairsin thuirt iad nach robh mo mhàthair ag iarraidh orm!" Skylah replied in the same language. "Mika agus Jak, bha iad a ’ciallachadh do Hendor. Tha Ms Harkes ag ràdh gu bheil mi gam bhreabadh a-mach às an sgoil oir rinn mi a ’chùis orra!"

"Thar mo chorp marbh!" Samaire stood and turned to face the teacher, the look on her face spoke volumes. Her hands clenched and now the eldest McBride was stalking towards the teacher looking very, very upset.

George felt the rage boiling out of Samaire. "Hold on, Lieutenant." He held up a non-threatening hand to block her advance. "Perhaps she is right. Perhaps we should move our children out of this space and homeschool them. I'm sure my son would have a much safer, calmer and more productive education that way." He turned his gaze to the sorry excuse for an educator. "And you can be sure that your contract will be closely considered. I suggest you reconsider how you treat your pupils. There is no such thing as a bad child, only bad teachers."

That said he looked at Samaire and asked, "Shall we?"

Samaire's hazel gaze was fixed on the teacher and then in a very low tone she growled "Okay, but I am contacting Security about this. Commander Taylor and Commander S'hib will be most interested. Skylah?"

The 5 year old girl stood and came to her aunt's side. "Get your things oe bheag"

Skylah nodded and skirted around the teachers and grabbed her bag from its cubby.

Once Skylah had returned to her aunt, George led everyone out into the corridor and down a few dozen meters away, before stopping and turning to face the McBrides. "First off, I'd like to thank you, Skylah, for helping my son. He's new here, both to the ship and to our way of life. If he says you're his best friend, then you have my support." He looked over at Samaire and continued. "Whatever happens, going forward, you will also have my support. The sheer blatant attitude that I witnessed from that woman is inexcusable. I will be filing a complaint with Colonel Naxea, Commander Taylor and Captain Lovejoy."

"I will support that" Samaire replied.

Skylah just smiled and nodded at Hendor. "Sam?" She asked her aunt "Can Hendor come over and play one day?"

"Of course, but let's let him settle in with his father first ok?"

George smiled. He could feel that Skylah truely liked Hendor, and that the feeling was reciprocal from his son. "How about this, Hendor and I are going to go visit Leilani, my wife, in a little bit and give her a suprise birthday dinner. She tore her suit while down on the planet, so she's in the isolation chamber for about another week. When she is out and has come home, why don't you two come over for dinner? I know that she will want to meet you both."

"We would be happy to do so" Samaire replied with a smile.

George smiled and nodded. I'll shoot you a message with the details, once Leilani is home." He extended his free hand towards Samaire. "It was very nice to meet you, Samaire."

"Pleasure as well" Samaire replied with a smile.

George nodded again, then addressed Skylah. "And it was a real pleasure to meet you, young lady. Thank you again, for helping my son."

Skylah grinned at him and said "You are welcome Sir"

"Bye, Skylah!" Hendor waved to his new best friend.

"Bye Hendor!" She chirped back as she and her Aunt left in the other direction.

As Hendor and his father made their way home, the young boy said, "I like Skylah alot! She's my new best friend!"

George smiled, despite his hot anger towards the teacher. His son seemed to have recovered, which was good. However, there should not have been an altercation to begin with. He would ensure that it never happened again.

~OFF~