A Call From The Past
Posted on Wed Mar 20th, 2019 @ 8:50am by Commodore Tyler Malbrooke & Chloe de la Vega
Edited on on Wed Mar 20th, 2019 @ 8:53am
2,506 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
Episode 6 - Old Habits Die Hard
Location: Ready Room, Deck 1
Timeline: MD002 1600 hrs
It was strange, she had been called to the Captain's ready room. Somewhere she never visited, nor expected to ever see. Chloe was never really interested in anything apart from her own place down on Deck 11. Knowing her surroundings made her feel safe and secure, in her own little bubble of comfort.
She wasn't sure of the time, she'd not checked but still she wore something rather conservative for the occasion. She figured that the ready room was not a place for lace and such.
Ringing the door chime she fidgeted with her hands, a little uneasy about the situation in general.
Tyler was pacing his office, coffee in hand. He had the Cardassian problem to deal with, he had his crew risking their lives, and most of all he had a hundred different excuses to think up to tell the Admiralty as to why he was doing all of this. Now to top all of that off he got a call from a very irate man who claimed to be the father of Chloe De La Vega.
Tyler had no idea why the man would be contacting him, let alone why he would be contacting him now. "If it were any other time there would be no issue..." He began to speak aloud and was interrupted by the door chime. Chloe must have gotten his message. At least she was prompt he thought.
"Come on in..." Tyler shouted.
The tension in the room was unmistakeable, the air was hot and the Captain's face not at all amused. "You'll ware the floor down you keep pacing like that." she said a little joke to break the ice.
On any normal occasion Tyler would welcome a joke from Chloe. He likened her to friend and confidant. However, now was not the time for jokes or lightheartedness. He turned and pointed toward the couch, and began to speak. He caught the tone of his voice as he told himself that she was not a member of his crew, she was a civilian. "Have a seat..." He sipped his coffee. "Chloe do you know what predicament the ship is in?"
She felt a little like a schoolgirl about to be scolded by the headmaster as he pointed to the couch, an instruction for her to sit. Pensively she began, "Ehm… well there's always talk in the lounge. Something to do with Cardassian, I know the crew is a little on edge. They've been drinking a little more." she said honestly. She was feeling uncomfortable and definitely out of her comfort zone, she was not usually on the defensive in conversations.
Tyler sat behind his desk but not before he glanced worriedly out the window. The glance was like he looked for something, expected something. When nothing came he sat down and exhaled deeply. "Actually, the ship is on the precipice of a battle, and perhaps the entrance into a Civil War..." His voice trailed off as her words about the drinking sunk in. He pointed toward her with a smirk. "Do me a favor, for the time being water those drinks down, I can't have drunk troops." He laughed which lightened the mood somewhat, but then Tyler's thoughts returned to the reason that he asked her there.
Chloe nodded, she knew that something big was happening and had already been using more synthahol that usual.
"It is because of this precipice that when I get irate communiques from irate Captains that makes me irate. What do you know of the USS Banburry?" Tyler figured by mentioning the ship she would know who he spoke of. He wanted to see what her reaction would be before he came right out and said it.
The colour drained from her face and for once she was speechless. The fear in her began to rise, her breathing increased as her chest began to rise and fall a lot more. Her mouth opened and no sound came out apart from an uneasy "No...?"
She didn't want him to know about her father, but if he'd contacted the Captain then he knew where she was and may be coming for her. He had been on the planet where they'd had shore leave, obviously hot on her tail but she'd escaped him again. She began to subconsciously rub the scar on her cheek, a parting gift from 'Captain' de la Vega.
Tyler saw her reaction and knew right away that she had gotten his meaning. The thing was Tyler had no idea why Captain De La Vega contacted him. "Of all the rotten timing, Now... this has to happen now..." Tyler was on the verge of ranting. "Listen I have no idea what happened between you and your father, but it must have been something big. The way I see it you are a grown a$$ adult and there is no reason for him to contact me to talk to you." He paused in his speech as his breathing was heavy such was his anger roiled. "Chloe my suggestion is for you to get talkin before I have to call Captain De La Vega."
"No! No no no... Don't call him please!" She begged as tears began to form in her eyes, one slipping free of its cage. She had grabbed his leg subconsciously in fear. "I've not spoken to him, not see him since..." she paused for a moment not wanting to reveal what had happened. In that moment maybe she thought it was best to confide in someone but she would need to see how this conversation went. "For 3 years."
In that moment Tyler heard his wife calling him a heartless bastard. He reached down and took her hand and gently guided her to a seat. His voice was much softer the edge removed as he realized that she was part of his crew, and she needed him right now. He sipped his coffee as he sat down on the couch next to her. "What happened Chloe? He tells me that that he has been worried about you and paints a tale that you are a runaway child. If that is not the case I need to know and then perhaps I can do something about it."
She was shivering, her legs trembling as they sat down. It was almost as if she was reliving small parts in the here and now. "I. Cant." she said as she hid her face, more tears streaming down. He was her father and for all his faults, her hatred, deep down there was still some love there. There was also the fact that no-one knew, no-one. "If he's found me here I have to leave, I have to go!" she said trying to stand up, Tyler's hand not quite ready to give just yet.
"You are a part of this crew. You have a life here and once more no one can leave without the Captain's permission. Which I do not give. So my suggestion is to have some tea if you would like and fill me in. We can handle your dad together. You have spent your time here as an unwritten counselor to myself and my crew. It is now time to return the favor." Tyler replied and continued to sip his coffee, the way she was acting this must be something huge.
She nodded albeit hesitantly and took a cup of tea, the cup shaking in her hands as she held it. Taking a deep breath she tried to compose herself, once again her hand touching the scar on her cheek. "My father, the glowing embodiment of Starfleet, the shining star of the class of 2350 and decorated hero during the Dominion War. Do you really think anyone would believe that he doesn't really like women." she said staring into her cup. Yes she was being cryptic but didn't, couldn't say it yet. Not that he beat her for being rebellious, locked her in her room for days even though she still snuck out. She was only that way to get his attention like he gave her 4 brothers, and she got it but not the way she wanted.
"Okay, there is some last bastions of sexism left in our world..." Tyler realized that he was about to give the same lecture he gave to second year cadets, and then he caught himself. "Let's just say that I believe he doesn't like women. Go on and speak your piece."
"Oh he likes my mom, even if it was just him being civil when we were home. I just think he wanted sons, didn't really have much time for a daughter. He treated me like a burden, second class citizen in my own home. I wasn't allowed to do as much as my older brothers and they loved me fiercely. I guess they still don't know he hit me..." she said only just realising at the end that she'd blurted out what she'd hidden for years. Was releasing this really as unintentional as this?
In that moment Tyler knew everything that he had to know. "Have you spoken to a Counselor about this?" He paused for a moment as he thought. "What I do not understand is if he hit you and you escaped. Now you are an adult living your life. Why would he want you back?" It simply did not add up to Tyler, at least not yet.
"It's fine, I get by alright not talking about it and keeping myself busy." she answered. The very thought of something thinking she wasn't as tough, as confident as she appeared scared her. "Why he wants me back?!" Chloe said almost shouting, her voice rising with some anger. "Because I'm not under his control anymore, in case I embarrass him or in case of this, where I tell someone what kind of man he is!" she rose from her seat beginning to pace as well as if needing to vent frustration through her legs.
"He's a smart man Captain." Something she rarely called him, usually it was Tex but she wasn't feeling like that. "He would wait until we were alone to hit me, away from the prying eyes and ears of my mother, my brothers. Whom would kill him if they ever knew what he did." The tears began again, streaming down her face. "He would hit me in places people couldn't see, where bruises linger and pain keeps you away. All under the pretence that I was a rebellious, back talking teenager trying to undermine him. Did he never consider I was doing it to try and get his attention?!"
She paused for a moment seeing she may be getting carried away but still kneeled down in front of Tyler's knees and looked up at him. Her eyes glistening with tears, "Do you see this? Have you ever noticed this scar before?" she asked him.
"Yes I have noticed that scar. I always thought you got it stopping a bar brawl or some such. Call it a hick fantasy if you will but that is what I always thought." Tyler spoke honestly, he always felt honesty deserved honesty. He could tell by the tone of her question that his long held belief about her scar was incorrect.
"Class of 2350 Academy ring. His." she said sombrely. "The night I left in fact. We'd had a bit to drink and got into an argument, this time in front of the family. It got pretty heated and he hit me across the face, the first time he'd ever hit me there. My family erupted, my brothers pounced on my dad and my mother came to see how I was but I couldn't stay there. I lay motionless for a minute then ran. 17 with nowhere to go..."
Tyler looked at her and let the silence linger for a moment. "Well now you have a place to go, a place to call home. The Pioneer is that place. You are a grown woman so I am going to ask you this once and you answer will dictate how my conversation with Captain De La Vega will go. Do you want to stay on this ship?"
"Well that was 3 years ago now, been a lot of places since then." She half joked as he asked her a more serious question. Her eyes almost filled up again as if the question offended her, that he would think it was actually a question of 'IF'. She knew he had to ask though... "Of course! This place is my home, I have friends here, a life here I never thought I'd have on a starship and a business that people love to come too. Plus I don't think you'd know what to do with yourself if I left." she added at the end trying to deflect a little from being serious for a change.
Tyler laughed heartily at her joke. "You are too right I fear this crew would tear itself asunder without you. I will hail Captain De La vega and inform him that you refuse to acquiesce to his request. So unless they promote him which I doubt because I will do everything in my power to prevent that. He will be unwelcome on this ship and that will be as they say is that. My suggestion right now is to go back to After 11 and serve up a round, that is unless you want to listen in to me tear your dad a new one." Tyler grinned ear to ear.
"The thought of anyone standing up to my dad gives me goosebumps sir... but I don't think I'd be helpful staying here for it." It did appeal to her very much, but she didn't have it in her. It felt like she'd been hit in the stomach, she found it hard to breathe a little and she just wanted to curl up into a ball somewhere. "I think I'll have a drink... not that I suggest that's healthy but it's what I want to do. Come find me at the bottom of a bottle of Jack later?" she half asked rising to her feet.
"I will tell you what. Tequilla on you a little later and we will call it even." Tyler said with a wink. He was already calling up the communication protocols for Captain De La Vega.
The image popped into her head with her wearing nothing but the Tequila and Tyler standing with the bottle but she always did have a thing for older men. She shook her head free of the image, even though it did linger. "Later then..." she walked to the door and turned back. "Thank you, Tyler. Really... it means a lot." she went to leave.
A Joint Post By
Chloe De La Vega
Owner/Bartender "After 11", USS Pioneer
Captain Tyler Malbrooke
Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer
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