London Calling

Posted on Tue Jul 19th, 2022 @ 4:31am by Lieutenant Commander Rin

Mission: Season 5: Episode 4: Reef
Location: Starbase 1
Timeline: Before current mission
2149 words - 4.3 OF Standard Post Measure

"Thank you for this," Rin said for the fourth time as she and Debra waited for the twins, their ship late for arrival. She felt like she was wasting Debra's time, and had to keep reminding herself this was Debra's idea as much as it was Rin's. The twins were, after all, Debra's friends.

"Looks like I'm on time after all," came a voice behind the two women.

Rin flashed a big grin at the sight of him, a fit man of about 60 years with neatly trimmed white hair, dressed in a red Starfleet uniform.

"James! I thought we were going to connect with you over coms..." She gave him an eager hug, one that he more gently returned.

"I could make do with a few days of leave in vicinity of Earth. This seemed something I should do in person."

Rin looked back to Debra. "This is Captain Addison. The one who actually remembers the London. James, this is CDR Debra Vilanova, who knows the twins."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir," Debra stayed with a gentle smile on her face as she extended her right hand in greeting.

He firmly shook the offered hand, "And you, Commander. I know this is important to Rin. I admit, I'm not quite sure what to expect here. What can you tell us of them, of their life now? Anything I should know? Things to avoid and such?"

Debra thought about the questions that James had asked. "Well, 2 of 7 is a junior scientist, her interest primarily focusing on nanotechnology defense. In the last few years, she has come up with a few promising ideas on how to protect ourselves against any future Borg attacks."

"Her brother, 4 of 7, has gone into the Strategic Operations field, which is how I met them both. I have never known any living person who can match my hunger for absorbing tactical information. He and I became quick friends, using the various bits of information as our own form of small talk." She smiled softly, remembering her friends.

"As for what they do and don't know, they know who their patents were, however, they have not been able to recover any mention of what their given names were. It's something that they have wondered about, ever since they started to regain their identities."

James frowned. "I wonder how that got lost in the records. Lukas and Stephanie. Those were their names."

Debra smiled softly, hearing her friend's given names. "Lukas and Stephanie! How wonderful!" Before she could say more, her eyes landed on two familiar faces. "Speaking of, excuse me, please." She stepped around James and Rin and moved quickly to an approaching pair of individuals. As she reached them, all three embraced in hugs, clearly fond of each other.

The young man seemed nearly unscathed, aside from the clearly artificial eyes that he had, they were completely white, with an octagonal web design on them. The young woman with him had both an artificial right arm and leg, plus a few other subdued implants still evident on her face.

A smile crossed Rin's face at the sight of the three old friends uniting. After a long moment, she sent a friendly --Hello-- across her neural interface.

James's breath caught in his throat.

Rin gave his hand a supportive squeeze. "Are you alright?"

"They... they look like their parents," James answered.

A couple beats later, 2 and 4 looked over to Rin and nodded slightly, sending their own greetings over their neural interfaces.

Debra then turned and led her two dearest friends back to Rin and James. "2, 4, allow me to introduce you both to Captain James Addison and Lieutenant Rin. They both served with your parents."

4 and 2 both turned their attention to James and Rin. "Captain, Lieutenant," 4 spoke first. "I am Lieutenant Junior Grade 4 of 7 this is my sister, Ensign 2 of 7. She is unable to speak as we do, as she was born without vocal cords."

"Captain, Lieutenant," a feminine computer voice emanated from a small speaker, that was in a pendant which hung around her neck. "It is an honor to meet you both. Or friend has informed us that you may have information regarding our past?"

"James and I used to be married," Rin explained. "Your parents helped welcome us aboard. We knew you as infants. I've recently had a bit of spotty memory, but most of my time pre-assimilation is lost to me. But James was on an away mission, so he wasn't on board at 359. He's the one who can answer questions, but I...I very much wanted to meet you. You are a part of my past even if I don't remember much, and I'm hoping we can all help each other move forward."

"Debra tells us you weren't aware of your names," James added. He looked to 4, "You were named Lukas, after your maternal grandfather." He looked then to 2, "And you were Stephanie. They were planning on calling you Catherine, but they decided Stephanie better suited you. Perhaps we could retire to a restaurant and I can tell you more?"

2 looked at her brother, a look of happiness starting to spread across her face. "Lukas...I like it. It fits you, brother."

Looking down at his sister, 4 grinned slightly. "Stephanie is a beautiful name. Our parents chose properly." He then looked back at James and nodded. "Your suggestion is a logical one, Captain. Do you have an establishment in mind?"

"There's a place not far from here. Casual, nice array of food. It's as good as any." James led the little band along the hallways out of the arrivals section into the restaurant area, where he motioned everyone inside an unassuming storefront. The waiter who seated them gave the party a quizical look but otherwise acted normally.

Debra followed the group to the restaurant, a smile on her face. Hopefully today, her dear friends would start to really learn where they came from. As they sat, she stayed quiet, even though she was feeling like she would bust at the seams. Today wasn't about her, it was about her friends.

James became visibly more relaxed as he regaled the table with old stories of the London. It was a tough topic for him, but this time it was different. This time he was helping two people understand themselves rather than mere memories of things lost.

Rin said very little, but she smiled and nodded as she listened and ate. Her expressions when watching James were complicated. This was clearly someone she greatly cared about. She would give his hand a comforting squeeze when he faltered at a particularly painful memory.

Debra watched, quietly, as more and more stories of her friend's parents, and even their own short lives aboard the London, were told by James. A few times, happy tears fell down her cheeks.

2 looked at James as he spoke. "So, you and Rin were made our Godparents?" She tilted her head slightly as she continued. "As my brother and I have no other family, would you and Lieutenant Rin be amicable to resuming said familial ties with us?" She sat forward slightly. "Please know, we will not think less of either of you, should you choose no."

"Oh..." Rin looked to James, seeing how he would respond, perhaps looking a little worried. Then she looked back to the twins. "I....I would be happy to do so regardless of any previous relationship. I've spent a long time outside of the Collective now. I'm always happy to help others of us. But I think the three of us might be even better for each other."

There was a long pause as everyone waited for James's response. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Maybe in time, but....excuse me." He awkwardly stood and walked away from the table.

Rin looked back at the others. "He's already gone through this once with me. For me, this is a chance to know new people, people like myself. For him, this is opening very painful old wounds."

2 looked again at her brother, then back at Rin. "We did not intend to cause anyone any grief or pain. Should he not wish to continue, we will understand fully. What we have already learned today is more than we had been able to piece together in the past five years."

"I'm going to check on him a moment. Excuse me." Rin stood and went off in the same direction as James,

-----Outside the restaurant----

Rin found James sitting just outside the eatery, head down. She plopped down beside him and squeezed his hand.

"When they found you, I couldn't wait to see you, even when they warned me not to. But this time...."

"This time you remember how much it hurt. Last time it was your wife, someone you had known for years. This time its two people you only knew as infants. They were probably terrible conversation partners."

James looked up and over to her. "Did you just make a joke?"

"I do that sometimes," she said with a smile and slight shrug.

"I made a promise to their parents."

"And none of us could have imagined this scenario when that promise was made." Rin squeezed his hand again. "You were there for me., so now I can be there for them. You don't have to always bear the burden."

"You sound a lot like your old self today."

"I feel...maternal perhaps? I'm not sure. Did we want kids?"

"We did. We just wanted to wait a few years."

"Well, now you have kids with your wife, and I have 2 and 4. I won't even have to go through their teenage years, so I probably got the better deal."

He chuckled at that, and they sat together for a long moment in silence.

"Why did the chicken cross the road?" Rin asked.

"I...don't know. Why/"

"I don't know either. I don't know how to speak chicken."

"Oh my God, you've learned Dad jokes."

"And it made you smile, so it did its purpose. Come on, let's rejoin the others."

===Meanwhile===

"Do you think we offended him with our questions?" 4 asked Debra. While there was concern in his words, his tone still sounded a bit more logical and computer-like.

Debra leaned forward, putting her right hand gently atop his left. Shaking her head, she tried to explain. "I don't think so. As Rin said, he has already been through this trauma before. Humans are very emotional beings. When we feel something, we usually feel it quite strongly. Don't take his reactions to heart. He just needs some time to figure out how to work through the pain that he is feeling."

4 nodded slowly. "Thank you, Debra. It is clear that there is much h we must learn about being human. Thank you for your continuing patience."

Debra smiled, then leaned over to give him a hug. "You never have to thank me for that. You two are my best friends. Hell, we're practically family, at least in my mind."

2 looked over to the entrance. "They are returning," she said simply.

"My apologies. I hope I gave no offense. I assure you, I have taken none from either of you," James said as he retook his seat.

"So, what can I do to help?" Rin asked the twins.

4 shook his head. "No offense was felt by either of us, Captain, I assure you. We thank you for what you were able to share today. We understand if you need to stop for now."

2 looked at Rin. "As we need to return to Cheron Station in a few days, would you be willing to recharge with us, linking our minds together, to allow easier communication?"

"Yes, we can do that. We can definitely do that," Rin replied.

2 nodded her thanks. Then sent the berth information for where their ship was, and that they would be ready for recharge by 2300 hours, over their collective interface.

There was a bit more talk over dessert, but eventually the time came for everyone to say their goodbyes.

"Debra, thank you for this. This means a great deal to all of us," Rin said.

Smiling as she looked over at Rin, Debra replied. "Thank you! It warms my heart to know that my friends are discovering who they are." She reached over and gently placed her right hand atop of Rin's left. "This really meant a lot, Rin. I can't express how much." He eyes lingered on Rin's a few beats then she blinked as if a spell had been broken. She moved to stand up. "Well, I have a lot of reports to go over tomorrow. I will say good night." She gave 2 and 4 each a warm hug, shook James's hand again, then locked eyes with Rin again.

A few beats later, she turned and left the restaurant, heading back to her quarters.



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