Keeping her skills up
Posted on Wed Sep 16th, 2020 @ 12:35am by
Edited on on Wed Sep 16th, 2020 @ 12:36am
1,600 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Episode 10 - New Home, Same Pioneers
Location: Holodeck
Timeline: MD008 1500 hrs
Ameri wanted to keep her training up from what she and Enya had learned from Tremble. Having an afternoon off she headed home to change and found Enya sitting on the couch.
“You all done with school?” Ameri asked her.
“Yes,” Enya said with a nod. “I am trying to figure out what I want to do.”
“I am going to go get some lunch and then do some sparring against the computer with what we learned in self defense. You want to come along?” Ameri asked her, knowing what she would say.
Enya’s face lit up. “Yes!” She nodded. It had been a while since they had gone.
“Go get changed and we will head out,” Ameri said with a smile. She watched as Enya hurried off and then went to her own room to change out of her uniform.
Enya was so excited she hurried to change and put her hair in a ponytail. She was ready to get some practice in, it had been a while.
Ameri came out and quickly sent a note to Quinn letting him know where they would be. She then waited for Enya to come out of her room. It was nice that they had this in common. It might seem weird to some but Ameri thought it was just right for the two of them
Enya came out and smiled at her mom. “Let’s take some water bottles with us just in case we get thirsty.”
“Good idea,” Ameri nodded. They grabbed some and headed out the door. “I feel like it’s been too long since we used what we learned.”
“We should do this more,” Enya nodded. She was excited to be going to the holodeck. “Do you think we could do a real program like we’re being attacked and what to do?”
“I don’t know about that,” Ameri said quietly. “It seems something I should speak with your father about.” She saw the look of disappointment on Enya’s face. “Let me take a look at the programs. I believe their may be one geared towards your age now, if I will give it some thought while we are eating." She took a look at her padd, finding one that might work for them.
"I know I'm a kid," Enya replied with a sigh. "But if we come under attack, our enemy isn't going to care about that, they will show me no mercy." She couldn't help but think of those people on Empok.
"I understand," Ameri replied as they got in line to get something to eat. "I think we should talk a little more about this while we eat." She picked out her selections and waited for Enya to finish. They sat at a table in the corner.
Enya waited for her mother to speak, trying to figure out what she had said bothered her mother. There were times when she felt over mothered her but she also knew she was luckier than a lot of kids who had no one. Maybe she didn't understand why she wanted to run the program.
"Enya," Ameri said quietly. "Do you think about that a lot?" She was concerned that Enya might be obssessing over their safety. Everyone had been affected on the ship, had her and Quinn's emotions carried over to their daughter.
"About..." Enya thought for a moment and then she realized what her mother was asking. "Not all the time but I do." She took a drink and then looked over at her. "Look what happened to those people on the station. It could happen to us here too!" She could tell her mother was upset but this was important to her. "I don't see what is wrong with me wanting to be able to feel safe." Maybe she should have just talked to her Dad about this.
Ameri wished Quinn was there but sometimes you just had to handle things and hope for the best. She would tell him about their conversation later and then he could talk to her if he felt it was necessary. "Yes, there is a chance it could happen but we have an excellent crew and our defense is the best in the fleet. It is your Dad and my job to do the worrying."
"I'm gonna," Enya said with a frown. "I think about it sometimes. Look what happened to Grandma!"
Ameri didn't have an easy answer. Her mother had died when Earth had been attacked during the Dominion War. "I really don't think the Pioneer is likely to be attacked and boarded."
"What if it did," Enya persisted. "What if we were that slim chance." She crossed her arms over her chest and had a determined look on her face. "I want to be able to save myself."
"If the ship had to be evacuated," Ameri began. "You would be one of the first to go. Children and civilians and then from there."
"I don't want to leave you and Dad," Enya's eyes widened. This wasn't making her feel any better at all. "I want to stay and make sure you are okay." She wasn't leaving her Mom and Dad behind.
Ameri felt like she wasn't helping much, Enya seemed more upset but she refused to tell her something that wasn't the truth. "It is the rules that children leave the ship first. If that happened, we would do everything possible to be back with you but your Dad and my main concern is your safety."
"Which is why I want to make sure I can take care of myself," Enya replied. "What happens if I get trapped on the ship or the bad people go after us after we escape?"
"Enya," Ameri said seriously. "In all the time we have been on the Pioneer, you have been safe and your Dad and I have always come back to you. You will be fine, even if that worst case scenerio happens."
"That doesnt help," Enya insisted. "I just want to know, for me, that I can take care of myself if you and Dad can't be there!"
Ameri took a deep breath. It was getting more obvious that Enya had been spending time worrying about this. "I think the best answer to this is for us to go practice what we learned and I will speak with your Dad and get his opinion." She shook her head as Enya started to speak. "I understand where you are coming from but I am not comfortable with letting you fight an enemy in simulation without first talking it over with your father."
Enya sighed. She could tell when her mother had made a decision and there was no changing her mind. She looked over at her and smiled. "Can I have some ice cream before we go?"
"Go ahead," Ameri said with a smile. "Bring me some as well. I am in the mood for some chocolate almond." She watched as Enya headed over and tried not to worry about her. She was nine years old and in some ways old beyond her years. The attack on Empok had affected their daughter which was something both she and Quinn had been concerned about. Would time allow her to feel more secure or was it something that they needed to help her work through? Ameri didn't have an answer and to be honest she wouldn't until she talked to her husband.
"Here you go," Enya grinned as she handed it to her. "Are we tellling Dad we had ice cream? Maybe he will suggest it tonight and we can have it again." She knew her mother wasn't going to let that happen.
Ameri smiled at her daughter. "You know what, let's call this a free day. If your Dad suggests ice cream after dinner tonight, we'll have it again." She loved the smile on Enya's face. "But...if he asks what we had for lunch, we have to tell him."
"There are no secrets in the O'Flannagain home," Enya recited what both her parents said many times before. "Only Starfleet stuff that is private and can't be shared."
"See," Ameri said with a smile. "I always say you are the smartest nine year old I know." She grinned at the look Enya gave her. These times were nice, sudden afternoons where she had some time off and Enya's school was done and they could spend some time together. She was growing up faster than Ameri wanted her too.
"You ready, Mom!" Enya said with a grin. "I want to see which one of us does better on the program, you or me."
"You are so competitive," Ameri said with a smile. "I wonder where you get that from?" She stood and picked up her tray and looked over at her daughter. "I am ready to take you down." She loved to see that competitive look in Enya's eyes. It would help her when she went to the academy to work hard and graduate with the best grades possible.
"I'm the best part of both of you," Enya said with a huge smile."Just ask Dad, he will tell you, he says that all the time."
"And he would be right," Ameri said as they headed on their way. Enya was their pride and joy.
A joint post by;
Lieutenant Ameri Ó Flannagáin
Chief Operations Officer, USS Pioneer
Enya Ó Flannagáin
Child, USS Pioneer
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