A Gift

Posted on Sun May 22nd, 2022 @ 8:41am by Chief Warrant Officer Man'darr [Naxea]

Mission: MISSION 0 - History Speaks
Location: RAF Whitecliff Holodeck Program
Timeline: Backpost
1385 words - 2.8 OF Standard Post Measure

On:

Jess brought Man'darr into the holodeck program and proceeded to one of the nearby airfield's hangers. Punching in a code. The hanger opened revealing a P-51 Mustang.

Man'darr looked around at the change of scenery before laying his eyes on the antiquated flying machine before them. "Only one engine to stay in the air?" he questioned. "Not sure if terrans were brave or stupid."

Jess spoke. "You know, people actually thought that back when Earth developed their first aircraft, but then we began to realize it was better to have maneuverability and speed rather than redundancy. This is a P-51 Mustang. Probably one of the finest fighters of Earth's Second World War." Jess noted. She grinned as she tossed Man'darr a key with a teddy bear on it. "That will start both the holographic mustang and the real one back home on Earth."

Looking at the odd key and then back to Vaii, Man'darr raised an eyebrow. "You're not expecting me to fly that thing, are you? I can't even fly a shuttlepod."

"Fortunately for you, I'm the best pilot on the ship." She noted. "C'mon, it will be fun for you to learn how to fly."

"For what purpose?" he questioned, looking at Jessica. "Are we time traveling back to ancient Earth soon to when these things were common?"

"C'mon..." Jess spoke. "The Battle of Britian.. Us against the tyranny of the third reicht in the holodeck. You'd love it when we get you used to flying. Of course, there's other ways we can spend the time in here." She smiled at him.

Man'darr returned Jess' smile. "True," he said, moving closer to her. "But you created this for us," he sighed before continuing. "And it would be rude of me to not at least try this antiquated contraption." He turned to look at the P-51 Mustang.

Jess hugged him. "You're a Chief Warrant Officer now Man'darr. And a incredible Marine.. I can see you easily becoming a Commissioned Officer one day. And that day you may have to come up with some hair-brained idea to rescue your crew from Terran Slavers. We signed up for this because... We don't want to lose what we have to treachery."

Man'darr chuckled at the comment of him becoming a commissioned officer as he returned the hug. He had already spent over twenty years in Starfleet. Many Starfleet Captains didn't have that amount of time in service. He was happy with his rank and position. His current position still allowed him to fight alongside his men--a place where he was happiest, not stuck behind a desk like Colonel Azhul. He had had a taste having been temporarily assigned as the Detachment's XO until Captain Patani was thankfully now assigned. "We won't lose anything," he promised her. "But I am quite happy where I am now. Wouldn't want to demean myself by becoming a pansy officer," he chuckled again.

Jess nodded. "To tell the truth, we need people who started in the boots of a private once upon a time in the upper ranks, Man'darr." Jess noted. "Me, I worked in Starfleet Academy for a living. I wanted to lead by example, and produce the finest pilots ever known. But I've noticed a pattern at the academy. These ambitious as hell career types." Jess mentioned.

"Perhaps, but I will believe that there will always be competent officers such as Colonel Azhul and yourself that will keep those ambitious types in check so that I don't have to deal with them," he grinned, recalling an incompetent Lieutenant he served under during the Dominion War at the first battle of the Chintoka System. Man'darr had been lucky to survive that battle and still bore scars to prove it.

"I have a feeling one day we're gonna have to fight for the Federation." Jess noted. "Against Starfleet or a part of it. I like starfleet the way it is, Man'darr. We stand for true principle. True honor. What do we have to fight for when in the end.. the people at the head of Starfleet don't honor their oaths. I kinda feel they want a perfect starfleet. Not gonna happen." Jess noted. "We're who we are because of the errors we've made.. an error only becomes a mistake when we refuse to correct it."

Man'darr wondered where Jess was coming from with this as he looked at her. "We just have to remain vigilant, but for now, we worry about the present and not the future. "What got you so interested in flying," he questioned.

Jess sighed and sat down. "My mother, and her family was cruel to me and my father." She noted. "Father only married her because of a Betrothal." She mentioned. "He did not love my mother, but he adored me. I spent my childhood between one parent I loved.. and one I hated." Jess noted. "And I had to be a perfect... cultured daughter of the Kessanna family. A porcelain doll, Man'darr. And if I got one ritual or custom incorrect." Jess noted. "My mother would hurt me." Jess turned and pulled her shirt off, showing off feint scars of being whipped by a belt.

Seeing the old scar caused anger to rise in Man'darr. He would kill anyone who would think of hurting Jess.

"When my father learned I was being tortured by her.. He was livid. I never seen him that angry in my entire life." Jess noted. "I wanted some escape.. to fly away from her and never look back." Jess mentioned. "You see, Kessanna manor was about a kilo's away from a Federation base. I saw the fighters fly every single day, and wished I could fly one of them away from Mother's abuses." Jess noted. "Well, one day. Father managed to get us on a transport on that base. He did something few men on Betazed did." Jess noted. "He got the courage to stand up to my mother. In a pure matriarchal society. She was a dangerous woman as well with her connections in both the government and some illegitimate criminal organizations that did her dirty work. So when my sisters were away, he took her and gave her a whipping she would never ever forget. You can thank the Dominion for covering us as we retreated. Mother was too busy collaborating with the Dominion for mercy in order to think about hunting us down." Jess mentioned. "And we slipped away to Earth." She smiled at the house in the holoprogram. "We built new lives in this little British cottage in the UK. And that was enough for us. But I loved the old airfield, and explored it often. I found these two fighter air-frames inside them. Stored for centuries. I restored them with my father.." She smiled. "The Spitfire is mine.." She then let Man'darr get the idea of what she said next. "The Mustang is for the person I intend to wed."

"I am sorry you had to endure such abuse. I would love to have you as my wife," he replied. "But hopefully I can fit in the plane," he teased.

"You'll fit in there." She smiled, "And it can carry you too. The engine is a faithful recreation of a turbocharged Merlin Engine." Jess noted. "And don't worry about my mother and her family. They are too frightened of me ever to attempt to kill me. You know what cowards are like." Jessica mentioned. "And you know killing a coward is meaningless. It's why daddy never killed mom, even though he sorely wanted to. It would have made my mother the victim, and daddy was smarter than that."

"I will make sure you are never harmed," he promised her. "So, are you gonna show me how that ancient plane of yours works?" he grinned at her.

Jess smiled. "First, I have to teach a Jarhead how to fly. And that will be done in that trainer out there." She pointed to a biplane trainer. "Then you get to meet 'The Baron'"

Man'darr walked towards the even more ancient plane before raising an eyebrow. "Wait, so you're teaching to fly in an even more fragile contraption? And who is this Baron? Is he a lord or something?" he asked as they continued their conversation on the holodeck.

 

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