JP - Lt. Bec Iko & Ensign Harrison Blackwood -- Kindling Spirits (Part 1)
Ani
((Holodeck 1, Copernicus Centre, Amity Outpost))
Other than the campfire's red-hot glow, the room and environment it held was dark. Lining the holodeck walls was mostly bush, save one side that consisted of old, out of use railway tracks.
Upon reading the letter, the only thing still remaining on the PADD, one final time, Bec dropped it to melt away in the flames.
She stepped back, and smiled. It had taken its toll when she needed to build a response, but now that had been sent off, there was no need for the sentences that mocked between the lines and through the spaces that broke up words.
The PADD's destruction was rather peaceful. Slowly continuing, really without any intervention on her part. And it was gratifying. She could just delete the file, but it wouldn't be the same. It'd still linger, still impact and affect her, from in the back of her mind..
In that moment Harrison stepped out from the darkness of one of the corners. He hadn’t been there long, albeit long enough to watch Becs tackling what looked like a personal matter. It would usually be in his nature to ignore what he’s seen and slip away quietly, but something told him differently, or maybe it was him changing since his time among his peers on Amity Station.
Blackwood: Apologies, Lieutenant
In an attempt to be somewhat inconspicuous, Bec blurted out the following.
Iko: Uh-computer-end-program?
As the lights came on and the grid returned, a charred PADD very obviously (and not so quietly) dropped to the floor behind her, pieces breaking off one of the corners thanks to how brittle the flames had made it.
Iko: oO Why did I think that would work? Oo
Blackwood: You doing okay, Lieutenant?
Iko: Yes, I'm, I'm quite fine. ::beat:: I swear I had the holodeck locked…
Blackwood: Just… that looked quite a bit intense and the destruction of Starfleet property is- oO Shut up Oo
Iko: No, it's fine, it's fine…
Bec looked back at the effectively destroyed PADD behind her.
Iko: This, this isn't a normal thing either, if you're wondering. Uhm—
She cut herself off.
Blackwood: You don’t have to explain yourself to me.
Harrison interjected near-immediately. His gaze wandered around the uninteresting and monochrome holodeck, basically looking anywhere but at Bec.
Blackwood: Unless of course you want to, sir.
Iko: Mate, there is nothing ::air quotes:: “sir”-worthy about this. Call me Bec. It's fine.
Harrison nodded.
Blackwood: Sorry, Becs. You might have to keep reminding me for a while.
Iko: It's not that you have to or else or anything, it's just…
There was something of a short smile from Harrison.
Blackwood: You know, I’m not much of a talker, but I listen well. So if there is something on your mind you just want to let out I’m happy to be your verbal punching bag. Just not physical, Moore leaves me sore enough thank you. :faint chuckle:
Bec gave a slight chuckle of her own.
Iko: He would.
Bec looked to the holodeck floor, scuffing her foot back and forth.
Iko: You ever have parents that pretend they give a $#%@ but they really don't care at all?
Blackwood: Sounds like my own. One of the main reasons I’m this far out. I take it yours the same?
She gave Harry a nod.
Iko: Yeah.
Blackwood: So, assuming that means you didn’t grow up in the usual kind of household. Were you instilled with many Klingon traditions growing up, or?
Iko: Nup.
She left out that connecting with Klingon traditions and things had actually been discouraged, and by the time Bec saw between the lines of that, it was better to comply than risk the consequences.
Iko: I just… Never got the opportunity.
Blackwood: Mm. Well both my parents were scientists with Starfleet. They tried to force my brothers and I into following in their footsteps. So I went Command, mainly to spite my father.
He grinned and shook his head, looking down to the holodeck floor before back up to Bec.
Bec grinned back. Spiteing parents was the best thing. It's how she got through the Academy, instead of starting out as a crewman.
Blackwood: One of my brothers caved. He’s an Ensign on the USS Santa Maria now. Do you have any siblings?
Iko: Three brothers. Technically step, but we were stuck like glue, back in the day. One's still at home, but one's science on… some ship…
She shrugged.
Blackwood: Blood isn’t everything. But you said back in the day, is that no longer now?
Iko: I dunno…
Blackwood: Well, do you still talk to them?
Iko: The only one I'm really “in contact” with is my mother.
Bec made a face of disgust as she sighed.
Iko: I'd rather not have to talk to her ever again, but there's this “obligation”.
She looked behind her at the PADD that had been sitting untouched on the floor.
Iko: That's what the PADD was all about.
Harrison followed her gaze to the PADD on the floor.
Blackwood: Obligation? What kind of obligation?
She slowly shrugged. Yes, Bec had managed to flee to the Delta Quadrant, yes she had moved out of that environment at sixteen, yes, spiteing her mother is one of the best motivators, but she hadn't been able to cut contact fully yet. She was out of the prison, but still attached to the ball and chain. This “obligation”—that she needed to tolerate her mother, to please her enough, because they were the “duties” of being a daughter, and at the end of the day she was still related to the creature.
Iko: To regard her existence? And to be part of her life as her only daughter.
To read the letters that made her boil up inside and cut so deep they had to be burned away, to reply with words so gentle and so happy that they felt like they were from a different person entirely.
It wasn't what she wanted, but so far it's what she had.
He nodded slowly before crossing the room and kneeling down to pick up the pad. He brushed his hand across the screen before looking back over to Becs.
Blackwood: Look. You don’t owe anything to anyone.
She nodded, silently. She could break free of this last little bit. Eventually…
He crossed the distance to her and offered the PADD over.
Blackwood: You can have it back. Or I can hold onto it.
Bec took the remainder of the silent outcry into her hands.
Iko: Or, we can shove it in the replicator to be recycled and never talked about again.
Harrison nodded before looking to the door. A grin pulled at the corner of his mouth.
Blackwood: Want to grab a coffee?
Iko: Oh #$%@ Yes.
Blackwood: Yeah that always helps… :chuckles:
Bec put her arm over Harribo’s shoulder.
Iko: So… Leaving Science for the cooler stuff. Is that all the rebelling you did?
Blackwood: I ran away a few times, dodged important events, had a couple of late night rendezvous. Just needed a good tattoo or piercing. :grinning: But when I joined up I just wanted to be rid of them, so I cut contact.
Iko: Yeah, I feel that. I was never home; messing about with mates, wagging school, being a jerk, getting into fights, et cetera. I moved in with a friend at sixteen and cut contact with mum, but then she reached out again while I was in the Academy.
Blackwood: I kept in contact with Avery and James, started talking to my mother towards the end of my second year. But I’ve still not spoken to my father in… well, its been awhile.
Bec gave a slightly forced chuckle.
Iko: Heh… Oh, my dad is a whole other story…
Blackwood: Go on, lay it on me.
Iko: Okay, so…
TBC...
--
Lt. Rebecca Iko
Amity Outpost
Acting Chief Sec/Tac
A239810RI3
&
Ensign Harrison Thomas Blackwood
Amity Station
Helm/Com/Ops
A240007HB2
Darragh Hopkins
(( Cargo and Storage Section, Hazardous Material Storage Area, Amity Outpost ))
From the holodeck, to the Brew Continuum, then through the labyrinth that was Amity Outpost as Harrison led Becs to a secret location that he promised be worth it.
Blackwood: Tadaaaa! We’re here.
Bec looked around, before furrowing her brow.
Iko: …Are we meant to be here?
Blackwood: Yes, trust me.
The pair came to a stop before a non-descript door, written on it was “Authorized Personnel Only”. Harrison typed in a long digit code and the door opened. Dim overhead lights cast a soft glow on the various meticulously organised storage racks which held containers of varying sizes and shapes, some transparent so one could see the hazardous contents within.
Blackwood: Over here.
She followed closely behind, taking a sip of the now almost empty coffee she now held close to her, as if trying to shield it from whatever the hell was sitting on the shelves in here.
Iko: Rightio…
Harrison led them both across to a sealed, wall mounted hatch with a small window to see inside, at the far end of the storage area. There was a control station next to it, unmanned.
Blackwood: Know what this is for?
She looked over it briefly, double checking if she knew her answer. She did.
Iko: Nup.
Blackwood: Yeah, didn’t think so. It’s not user so much anymore but we still got it. It’s called DECONTRO.
The name was familiar. It had come up in PADDwork before, but names of things and what object was named what didn’t always stick in Bec’s head.
Iko: And why have you brought me over here to see it?
Blackwood: Because… it stands for Decontamination and Remediation for Occupational Safety. It burns $£%& up, basically, which is what you need.
Harrison pointed out the PADD which Bec was still carrying. Then took what seemed like a triumphant sip of coffee.
Bec smiled, and began shaking her head. Blackwood had been insisting for Bec to keep the PADD, and she’d been wondering the entire time why…
Bec was in disbelief, and her response summed that up in two words and the shake of a head.
Iko: That’s Bull!
Blackwood: So, what do you say, wanna fire that baby up? Literally.
A couple of taps on the command console and the hatch opened up like a microwave door. Ding.
Though she was tempted to throw the PADD in and slam the door shut, Bec gently placed the PADD inside the little hatch of doom and shut the door, all the while with a grin on her face. There was a message from the back of her mind that wanted her to stop smiling, that was trying to reason that finding joy in vaporising a letter from your mother is something that probably shouldn’t happen, but Bec tried her hardest to not listen.
Iko: Alright. We ready to go?
Blackwood: Yep! I’ll let you press the big red button. :grinning: It even has a glass case over it!
With one hand the still-smiling Bec flicked the clear case up, and after sharing a brief gaze with Haz, she used the other to smack the red button, and machine, into action. It was a good smack, Bec was shaking her hand out as she pulled it away.
Blackwood: Good hit.
It was relieving, knowing that now she’d replied to the month or so old letter (excluding the six weeks it took to get to her) it was never to be seen again. As it burned, Bec let out a sigh of relief.
Iko: #$%&...
And it seems a swear of relief as well.
Blackwood: You mean that in a good way, right?
He chuckled as the fire went out inside, leaving behind some broken and charred components on a pile of ash.
Bec gave Blackwood an eyeroll and smile.
Iko: ::Sarcastically:: No, I deeply regret turning this thing into tiny smithereens.
Blackwood: Good, that’s good.. now say goodbye for a final time.
A quick pulling of the lever later and the remains were whisked away to be disposed of later on by the professionals.
Bec stared at where the PADD used to be and smiled.
Iko: Thanks mate.
A second or two passed, seeming longer in the moment.
Blackwood: Don’t mention it… but I should be getting back to it.
Iko: You an eager little worker, ‘ay?
She chuckled.
Iko: But yeah, nice running into you. Maybe I'll sneak in and join that punching bag fest you were talking about or something.
Blackwood: Yeah, I’m easy really. I’ll see you around?
He smiled at Bec, a strong and genuine one, before two fingers were raised to give a casual salute.
Bec smiled and shook her head. The man was a die-hard rule and protocol follower, and maybe they'd never be able to best it out of him. But she would try.
Iko: And, if you ever wanna destroy a holographic science lab or whatever to get back at your parents without actually confronting them because, y'know, that's dangerous and scary: hit me up.
Blackwood: You know, I’d be tempted…
Iko: Ca'rn, it'd be fun!
Blackwood: It is tempting. I’ll let you know, yeah?
He gives her a final once-over, she looked in better spirits than how he found her and it wasn’t often he left that kind of impression on someone. oO Kindred spirits, I guess Oo
A final wave goodbye saw him leave through the way they came, leaving Bec to her own peace.
END