Welcome Back to the Crew
Posted on Fri Jan 22nd, 2021 @ 8:57pm by Lieutenant Daisy Stanier & Colonel Sehan t'Varis
1,853 words; about a 9 minute read
Mission:
Chapter III: The Hunt is On
Location: Zeotis IV
Timeline: 238701.30
Raven stood in her quarters, looking out of the window at the stars, deep in thought. The conversation with Ash the previous day had made her realise something. If she was to be able to truly move on, she would have to face some ghosts from her past, and deal with them, once and for all. Her decision made, she messaged her newly-promoted XO, Major Rogers, informing her that she would depart the ship for a few days, to deal with a personal matter
Once that was done, the colonel packed a small bag, and made her way to the shuttlebay, where she took one of the two Klingon-built shuttles. Her destination? The small, independent colony on Zeotis IV - the place where, all those years ago, her mother had abandoned her, on the steps of a small monastery.
The journey to Zeotis had only taken a few hours, and soon, Raven landed her craft at the colony's tiny spaceport. Not much had changed in the past fifteen years, she found. It was still a dusty, dreary place - and basically only slightly better than a slum. The nuns at the monastery, she remembered, were operating as a school, a clinic, and an orphanage. Their charity was a stark contrast to the misery in the rest of the town. And it was there that Raven was headed. She had a question for the head of the convent - a question she had never dared to ask before.
Having turned her back on a life of doing whatever it took to make ends meet, Daisy had found sanctuary for herself and her sister at the monastery. Her sister had recently started attending the school, while Daisy had trained as a medic in the clinic. The pursuit of money and a ticket back home had been replaced by a life of helping those who were less fortunate, many of the children who attended the school didn't have anyone. At least Daisy and Azalea had eachother.
Raven finally arrived outside the monastery, finding it the same, gargantuan building as it had always been. It did not look much like a monastery - in fact, it was just another generic, prefabricated colony block, albeit a much larger one than the other buildings in the small town. Dressed in a simple, brown leather jacket, blue jeans, and a shirt, with her pistol and dagger strapped to her belt, Raven had not attracted much attention - she looked just like any other random traveller in this part of the quadrant, and since this was the best-equipped medical facility across several systems, strangers making their way there straight after arriving at the spaceport were a common sight indeed. Her shoulder-length, light pink hair was maybe the only thing standing out about her appearance - all of it a conscious and very intentional change from what Raven used to call her style.
As soon as she entered the building, the young mercenary went looking for the first person looking like a nun or staff member that she could find. It didn't take her long to find a nurse. She walked up to the young, brown-haired woman, about a head taller than herself - of course, with Raven being as short as she was, that was not unusual - and cleared her throat. "Um, excuse me, could you tell me where I can find Matriarch Arwenna?", she asked, in a friendly tone.
Daisy had just finished treating a patient and was about to take her break when she was approached by a short pink-haired woman asking her where the head of the monastery was. As it happened, Daisy did know where Arwenna was, but the last the nurse had heard she was in a meeting and wasn't to be disturbed.
"I can, but she's in a meeting at the moment. Would you like me to pass on a message?" Daisy asked.
Raven sighed. "I guess I will have to wait for he- wait a minute," she stopped herself. "Daisy?! Daisy Stanier? Is that you? What are you doing here, of all places?"
There was something about the woman's face which Daisy thought was familiar, yet it was the pink hair which made it harder to guess who it was she was talking to. Once Daisy heard the other woman say her name, the name Sehan t'Varis came to mind immediately.
"I thought I recognised you, Raven. I'm here because we had nowhere else to go and it's somewhere safe to bring up my sister, who's not long started school" Daisy responded.
"Well, it definitely a good school," Raven replied, smiling. "I mean, as far as schools in this part of the quadrant go, anyway. I should know, the nuns here raised me. Until I decided to run off when I was 13, anyway. So, you're a nurse now?," she added, looking at Daisy's uniform. "Suits you, I must say. A lot has changed since you left. We have a new ship now - an experimental Tal Shiar warbird, no less - and we're working with the Romulans, too. Well, sort of working with them, anyway. Long story."
Daisy nodded. "Yeah it is, she loves it. As for the uniform, I always wanted to be a nurse when I was little so it seemed like the perfect way to give something back to the monastery. Your new ship sounds rather interesting, too, shall we go and talk somewhere a bit more private?"
Raven nodded. "Sounds like an idea. Maybe somewhere that has coffee and food?"
"Sure, follow me" Daisy said, leading the way to the canteen for the monastery's residents.
As she joined the short queue to be served, Daisy turned to Raven.
"What would you like?" she asked.
"Well, if their stews are still as good as they used to be, I will have one of those. And a big, strong coffee. The journey here has been surprisingly short, mind you. We're not that far away."
Once they had acquired their lunches, the two found a table a bit away from prying ears. Raven dipped her spoon into the stew, and smiled with bliss. "This really does bring back memories. I don't even know any more why I left here. I guess I was bored, and a rebellious teenager." She shrugged. "But yes, we are currently at Drozana station, about half a day away at high warp. Hunting down information on an individual we believe is behind the disappearance of quite a number of refugees, organising the evacuation of some more people from Romulus, just usual business, you know?" She took another spoonful. "So, do you miss it at all? The exciting life?"
As Daisy ate her ocean pie, she listened to Raven speaking. In truth, the life she had aboard Raven's Claw wasn't one she'd have chosen initially, for her or for Azalea, but she had grown to like it. Daisy left the elderly Romulan warbird-come-freighter because she thought she'd found a way back to Earth, but it wasn't to be. Thankfully, one of the clinic's doctors who was at Drozana on a supply run was able to help her and Azalea out in one of their greatest times of need.
"Wow, sounds exciting. It almost makes me wish I was there getting a slice of the pie" Daisy responded.
"You are always welcome to come back, you know," Raven said with a smile. "I'll be honest, I kinda miss having you around on the ship. I'm sure our doctors would appreciate a good nurse, if you can deal with them constantly bickering. The chief surgeon's a Romulan who thinks he's the best doc in the quadrant, while the CMO is rather quick to grab a bat'leth. And she is damn good with it, too. There's plenty other positions available, too. I won't lie, we could definitely use your talents."
Daisy smiled. "You know I'm a soldier at heart, Raven. As much as I like helping people as a nurse, you know that my place is on the frontline. You saved Azalea and I from certain death, so if you ever need me then all you have to do is ask. Plus it'll give me a chance to use my reprogrammed Mark 5 EMH more often too, she's been a lifesaver at times"
"I'm parked at the spaceport. I'm sure the nuns will do a splendid job looking after Azalea, and I can get Gedak to pay you properly." Raven looked at Daisy. "Come back with me, Daisy. Come back with me today." She pushed away her empty stew bowl and mug. "But first, we need to find the Matriarch. I have something important to ask her. And, it seems, so do you, now."
"I'm not leaving Azalea here, Raven. She's all I have, and I'm all she has. However, if you let me integrate my Emergency Babysitter Hologram into the ship's systems so they can look after her when I'm doing whatever you need me to do on your ship, then we will come back with you" Daisy responded, before eating the last couple of mouthfuls of her meal.
Raven nodded slowly. "I think we have a family suite free. But are you sure you want to bring her along? I mean, it's not a very safe place at all. We will definitely run into trouble as soon as we leave port. Not necessarily the best place for a kid to be. Plus, we don't have any means of giving her an education."
"Like I said, I'm not leaving her behind. The hologram has been programmed to educate Azalea in addition to her primary role of looking after her in my absence. If you want me back, then she comes too. You're not on a clapped out old warbird turned into a freighter anymore, Raven. You're on a top of the line warship, which is a damned sight safer. Put me in charge of the weapons, and nobody will pose a threat to Azalea, you or the rest of the crew" Daisy said, finishing the rest of her apple juice.
"So, tactical then?" The colonel nodded. "We're all wearing Romulan rank now, by the way. I've got a genuine Tal Shiar commission thanks to my dad, apparently. Never met the guy, he still gave me one before he died." She shrugged. "If you are so sure about bringing Azalea with you, fine. But you know about the risks and dangers."
Daisy nodded. "I know the risks, Raven. We should go and find the Matriarch and tell her the news, then you can help us pack our stuff once we're done"
"Fair, then. Welcome back to the crew, Daisy. Or, should I say, Lieutenant Stanier." Raven stood. "Is the Matriarch's office still in the same place?"
Daisy beamed, she felt extremely proud that she had been trusted with such an important role on Raven's crew. After it had sunk in, she picked up the empty trays to take over to the counter to be washed.
"Yeah, it is. Why don't you lead the way?" Daisy suggested, gesturing with her hand.
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