Reunited, Part 1 of 4
Posted on Sat Aug 21st, 2021 @ 9:58pm by Lieutenant Baktosh Redclaw
Mission:
Mission 6: Shore Leave
Location: Starbase 38
Timeline: 2389 233 at 1810
A certain amount of work was always necessary on the part of ship security whenever a vessel docked at a Starbase. Guards were needed at every open hatch, and extra personnel were assigned to the armoury. An inventory was underway so that Ops would know exactly how much to replenish. All of this while a significant portion of his staff was about to go on shore leave aboard the station.
Lieutenant Baktosh Redclaw was the sort of leader who demanded the best from others and so would never do less than his own best. He could have assigned another officer to supervise these efforts. Indeed, the temptation was extremely high this time, but he could not let another suffer for his own selfishness.
And so it was a bit later than he preferred that he finally saw them.
***
“Daddy!”
The word that melts any father’s heart, said with the pure joy of a little girl running across the promenade of the Starbase. Nine-year-old Terra jumped into Baktosh’s arms. Tears welled in the security chief’s eyes as he held his youngest child close.
Joining them at a slightly slower pace were three more Kzinti of different sizes. Maylis Redclaw, his wife. Kohlar, his son and his eldest. Vayra, is elder daughter.
Starbase 38 was a diverse place, with dozens or even hundreds of aliens present at any given time. Still, the sight of five Kzinti hugging each other caused a few eyes to turn.
The family it no mind.
They ate together in the starbase’s Klingon restaurant (the best provider of raw meat in the Delta Quadrant, as far as Baktosh could tell). They talked, about everything and nothing. Work. School. Friends. Progress made in The Good Fight. They reconnected but also shared stories like any family at the dinner table.
Terra was trying every new sport she could, and was permitted in the under-twelve-or-equivalent all-species soccer and hockey leagues. She did well in school and thrived in the free society of Earth.
Vayra spent her time evenly split between books, old films, politics, and following the lessons of women in authority. She had joined her school’s newspaper and most recently had the opportunity to interview University of Cambridge Professor Amal Safadi, Federation Council member Olivia Quest, and Rear Admiral Kirsten Clancy.
That last one had caused Kohlar much jealousy. He had spent much of the previous six months working on his Starfleet Academy admission. Though born on Kzin, the family had obtained their Federation citizenship years earlier so they required no sponsorship. He was strong, proficient in armed and unarmed combat, but also restrained and cool under pressure. His mind was sharper than his father’s, and Baktosh saw a future for his son in strategic operations, not merely as a security grunt. The boy lacked experience, of course, and Baktosh saw him not objectively burn through a father’s eyes, but everyone was confident that Kohlar would do well.
Maylis, for her part, continued what they always referred to as The Good Fight, working to one day bring gender equality and freedom to the Kzinti. Dozens more Kzinti women and allied men had been rescued, and more resources were being donated to their cause. Freedom for females on Kzin remained a far off prospect, but progress was made nonetheless.
Baktosh had three days of leave reserved for this visit. Of course it was not enough. There would never be time for them to catch up on everything. It had been months since they had seen each other in person, and even though communications had recently become more normalized, there was still too much to say. But the family talked, ate, and enjoyed each other’s company in this brief window they had.
To Be Continued