Weaving the Ties that Bind

Posted on 17 Nov 2019 @ 5:59am by Lieutenant James Barnes
Edited on on 20 Nov 2019 @ 6:37am

1,640 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: M-17: Blood Moon Rising
Location: Shendoah, guest quarters
Timeline: Checking in? minus six

Jim sat back and looked at the screen in front of him. It was larger than most quarters because, being a 'guest' on the ship meant he didn't have the same privileges as the rest of the crew. Sure, he could book holodeck time, but crew training and relaxation had to take priority. A policy with which he not only agreed but approved. In order to make up for some of this, the amenities in guest quarters were better than in regular crew quarters.

Currently the screen was split, the young dark haired man on the right side and the older, graying couple on the left.

"See Dad, what I have to put up with?" Jim said, crossing his arms as he glared at the younger man. "All that I've done for him over the years and this is the thanks I get?"

"Oh, knock it off!" the younger man said, shaking his head. His tone was exasperated but in a good natured way. As if this was something he was used to. Mainly because he was.

"I made sure to come to your birthday last year. Even arranged for the best gift of your life," Jim continued.

"You arranged...?" he said, his eyes darting across the screen where he was, showing that he looked between Jim and the older couple. "You didn't know anything about it just like me! In fact they kept it from you to keep you from blabbing!"

"Okay, thats-" the elder man said, but whatever else he said was lost as Jim started speaking.

"Who took you away from that planet? Who brought you home as some Dickensian waif and made sure you had a decent place to live? I arranged for that 'gift', all they did was make it official! I mean, I knew they'd take you in, just like the lost, scared puppy you were!"

"That's en-"

"Lost puppy?" the younger man exclaimed, sitting back as he threw up his hands. He shook his head. "I think they just realize the mistake they made with you and wanted to correct it!"

"Enough!" the woman said, moving forward. Somehow her glare encompassed both sides of her screen and bore into both Jim and the younger man. Jim sat forward, unconsciously straightening. He noticed, but at the moment wouldn't remark that, his younger brother was doing the same. Both chastised with that single word and that single look. "You two can keep sniping at each other on your next call, your next private call! Your father and I simply will not tolerate this childish behavior! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jim said, his face serious but there was still a sparkle in his eyes as he tapped out a message that would only show up on the other man's screen: ha ha, you got in trouble!

But the sudden rolling of eyes, he knew Rook got it. But his outward expression was the similar 'yes, ma'am'.

"Thank you," she said. "Now, your father and I are both upset that we won't be able to have another family birthday for you, Jim, but there's no way you'll be able to be home in time for it and we aren't able to come out there now. Bradley has already explained that he's starting his new assignment" here she indicated the other screen with the younger man in his gold Starfleet uniform and Warrant rank on his collar, "and can't take leave at the moment either. I'm sure we can find a time down the road when we can all get together again and we'll celebrate then."

"But it won't be-" Jim started.

"What's more important, the day or celebrating with your family?"

not as much as you because you're always in trouble! came the response from his younger brother.

"Family, of course," Jim said, ernest in his response for about the first time in the call home. Well, completely ernest. "Always family." He hated that his adopted mother knew the buttons to trigger the correct response from him. It was probably the reason why he, almost three times her age, agreed some time ago to be 'adopted' and let them be his parents. Well, agreed to the legality of it. They were so...parental...that it was pretty much a done deal. And...he remembered how bad it was when he lost his natural parents. It was never 'real' parents because Glenn and Katherine were real parents to him in every way but having actually sired him.

"Then it means the two of you need to figure out a time you can both get leave and return home. And there will be no more of this bickering, no matter how pretend it is. You act foolish on your own time, is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," they said simultaneously. It was weird to hear it since the three of them were in three different parts of the galaxy, separated by weeks of travel at even high cruise warp.

"Fine, now, I believe your father tried talking to each of you before you both," here she glared directly at Jim, knowing which of the boys always instigated this type of behavior.

that's because they've been your parents less than a year, you're still in the return period Jim had typed back.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Jim said, "but what was your question again?"

Glenn shook his head, supressing his smile. He knew who the disciplinarian in the family was and was okay with that. He served his time as a police officer and didn't feel as if he needed to come home and enforce the law. Not when he married the only woman he truly loved that wasn't already in his family. "I asked what assignments you each got? Since you both arrived since our last call." He looked at the screen, his blue eyes narrowed. Jim held his eye roll. His mother was direct and his father more...passive. But then again, he was good at passive. So good that he often surprised confessions out of criminals, confessions that tended to get them sentenced for their crimes.

He knew that all too well. "I'll be boarding the Phoenix in about six or eight hours. Can't get a good estimate on arrival time. It's a Prometheus class and I can't wait to play around with the separation vectors. Hopefully we'll get to do some early drills."

"I'll have to look up that class," Glenn said, "that sounds like it would be fun. But they're smaller aren't they?"

"Yes," Jim answered, "whic why monkeybutt over-"

"James Ramses Barnes!" Katherine hissed

"-there was reassigned elsewhere. Crew compliment of under two hundred. No available space for him on this assignment." He plowed on, conveniently 'deaf' to her warning.

"It worked out for me, though," Rook said, "I'm back to investigations, on a station on the Cardassian border."

if they kept you there's no way they're going to get rid of me. was the typed response that showed up on Jim's screen.

"Good for you," Glenn said, smiling. Jim rolled his eyes. He was the Chief of Security but Rook got the pleased kudos from his dad?

He was about to say something in jest when a message showed up on his screen: Due to spatial event long range communications will soon cease. Outage expected for the next hour - OPS "Hey, we're about to lose comms here," Jim said, sitting foward. "I've only got a few minutes. Rook, you take care of yourself and you'd better keep in touch with me, otherwise I'll come out there and kick some sense into you. Keep in touch with Mom and Dad as well, well, both your mothers."

"I will," Rook said, sitting forward as well, arms on his desk in his office. "You take care of yourself as well."

Jim only nodded. He wasn't sure when he'd be able to get another call out where he, Rook and their parents could all be on the line at the same time. "Love you Mom, Dad," he said.

"We know," Glenn said with a glimmer in his faded blue eyes. He shirked away from the shoulder slap he expected from his wife at the flippancy.

"We love you both," Katherine said, her lips slightly pursed at her husband's flippancy. The screen started distending and a warning about low signal came up on the screen.

"Bye," Jim said, quickly, not sure if it got out or not before their long range communications were interrupted by a spatial anomaly in the path to that part of the galaxy.

Jim sat back in the chair and thought about what to do to pass away the last remaining hours before he arrived at the station where the Phoenix was docked. Several options came up but eventually he settled back onto the couch, put on some background music and continued going over the crew roster, getting to know what he could about the ship on which he was about to serve.

That took him through several more hours to where eventually he had to get out and do something before going stir crazy. He spent more time running the decks before he got the message about arriving at the station within the hour. His bags were packed and ready to be beamed to his new assignment. He quickly showered and changed to a fresh uniform, putting his now sweaty gear into a side pocket of his duffel, he'd put them through the fresher when he got to his quarters tonight.

By the time the Shenandoah came into dock at the station, he was more than ready to beam over and get started. A little eager if the truth were told.

 

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