Posted by Captain John Tiberius Glen (Captain) in Bobigny

Glen’s flight arrived at Nostradamus Airport, Paris, to visit his son. It had been over seven years since he had last seen him. John didn’t stop at any of the airport facilities, but instead he immediately went and found the nearest city transit transporter booth. This took him straight to Rue Alcide Vellard, Bobigny where Andromeda du Astra now lived with her mother and his son, Iain. This was John’s first visit to this house and he found that it was located on a narrow street in a leafy district. He walked past a school where Iain was probably studied, and also some rather ugly concrete tower blocks from the 21st century. Andromeda now lived with her mother, Delphine. Glen and Delphine had met briefly before and did not get along, so Glen wondered how he would get through the next day and remain calm.

After a short walk, Glen found the correct address. It was a modern block of apartments that looked out of place among the old brick and stone houses to either side. He opened an ancient metal gate and walked up to the front door. He had to get his PaDD out again because he had forgotten the flat number. He checked and remembered it was flat 5. He found the buzzer and realised that it was actually marked “D. du Astra.” Here goes, he thought as he pressed the button.

There was no answer but the door swished open and John went inside. He walked into a surprisingly well-lit hallway; sunlit from large windows above, and decorated with Tellurian art. The architecture was an odd mix of modern and old. The staircase looked ancient and probably restored from an older building. He began to climb the stairs, wishing he had packed his backpack more lightly.

There were no flats on the ground floor and only two on the first landing. He silently cursed the architects who hadn’t planned an elevator. However, the second flight of steps was shorter and on this landing there were three more doors. John looked around to the door marked with a number 5. Before he even had time, a door opened and he saw Delphine.

“Est-ce que ce sera votre mauvais quart d’heure,” she asked. Glen smiled, but he had no idea what she had said. Something about the time? Was he late? He knew that he would never live up to this woman’s expectations in any case.

“Andromeda out… one moment… soon return! You wait!,” Delphine said and indicated a sofa. Glen took off his backpack and thanked her. He put the backpack on the floor and sat down. He had never though to bring a UT with him. This was Earth after all. Everyone spoke Federation Standard. Everyone except Delphine.

He did have his communicator with him somewhere in the bottom of the backpack. He had no choice about that. If the Merrimack needed him then the ship came first. That had been the story of his life. It was the reason he was here; why Andromeda had left the Merrimack, left him, and taken Iain.

Delphine had left him alone in the room. The time passed slowly as he waited. The room was so quiet after life aboard a starship. A short and distant siren sounded. Also distant, was some kind of engine, and closer in the room was a ticking clock; an actual mechanical clock! He looked around for the first time. The sofa was threadbare with some kind of handmade throw hung across the back. It was dull and grey now, but when new it must have been made in vivid colours. The furniture was antique. Glen thought it was made of real softwood; probably pine. There were some original paintings hung on the walls. They were quite good but amateur, and they showed country scenes with old-fashioned occupations like carpentry and livestock farming. There was even a bookcase with some real hardback books. He couldn’t make out the titles but he had rarely seen real books before.

The apartment did not fit with his memory of Andromeda. She had been young at heart, fun and outgoing. This room was designed by an older person with conservative tastes who rarely went outside.

John thought he could hear birds. He got up and went to the window. Below the window was a garden with a large mature beech tree. There were some large black birds sitting in the tree with even darker hooded heads. They looked like evil spirits. He heard Delphine return to the room and turned around.

“Thank you for allowing me to stay in your apartment, Mrs du Astra,” John said.

“Je dirais bienvenu mais c’est peu pratique,” replied Delphine.

John nodded back, as if he had understood her.

She indicated that he should follow her and pointed at his backpack, so he picked it up and let her lead the way to his bedroom.

There was an old single bed that only just fitted in the room, with two pillows and a plain blue duvet. There were nursery rhyme characters on the wallpaper, so this must have once been Iain’s bedroom.

There was little point in unpacking as he had only brought a nightshirt and a change of underclothes, so he just put the backpack on the bed.

“This must have been Iain’s room?” John asked her.

“Iain est trop grand pour cette petite pièce maintenant,” she replied.

John wondered if it would be rude to dig out his communicator and use it as a UT. He wished that Andromeda would return home soon and then he wouldn’t need it.
He followed Delphine out of the room and she appeared to be pointing at the other rooms down the corridor. He heard her say Iain at one room and she opened the door.
The room was just as one would expect a boy’s room to be; filled with toys and models and games. There were replica air-cars and spaceships, prehistoric animals and aliens, and electronic gadgets scattered everywhere.

“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose,” said Delphine.

His lack of understanding was annoying him now, but he could guess what she meant here just by her expression alone. The room was a mess and they were probably continually on at Iain to clear his room.

He followed Delphine back into the lounge and sat back on the sofa. Delphine sat opposite John on a cushioned chair with an upright back.

“Old woman,” Delphine said, pointing at herself. “Pas longtemps pour ce monde!”

John only heard something about age of the world, the woman surely couldn’t be that old.

“My daughter, happy, not here…!” she added.

Before she could finish there were sounds at the door. Andromeda and Iain had returned.

She was as beautiful as ever, but he couldn’t take his eyes from Iain, because the boy was much taller and older than he had expected.

“Hello John,” said Andromeda. “You look well, and this is Iain. Iain, dire bonjour à John!”

“Bonjour,” Iain responded.

“Well, you look fabulous, but please tell me he has learnt Federation Standard?” John asked.

“Iain speaks five languages. Don’t worry, he can talk to you, he’s just shy with strangers,” said Andromeda.

“I’ve just had some problems understanding your mother,” said John.

The ‘shy with strangers’ phrase hurt though. John had never wanted to be a stranger to Iain.

“I see she didn’t make you any coffee. Would you like one? I’ll make them while you two get acquainted. Iain, do you want a juice?” asked Andromeda.

“Yes, mum, merci beaucoup,” replied Iain.

“Un pour moi?” asked Delphine.

“Yes, mother! I see you can understand perfectly well when you want to!” Andromeda told her before disappearing into the kitchen.”

John had no idea where to begin with Iain; what to say. He opened with a question about the toys he had seen.

“Your grandmother showed me your bedroom. You have a model of a Mariner Class starship. I am the captain of one of those. I expect you know that?”

“The USS Merrimack. My mum says that she used to be the Scientist there and flew to the other side of the galaxy and back, and met aliens.”

“Yes, it’s true. That is where you were born too. I still work there and it is difficult to get back to Earth.”

*Is the Merrimack on Earth now?”

“In orbit. Docked to an orbiting space station. On a clear night with a telescope you can see her.”

“Tonight?”

“No, today is very cloudy. It won’t be clear enough tonight.”

“Can you take me there?”

“One day. I’m not here for very long on this trip. I’d like that though. I’d need to ask your mother.”

Andromeda returned with the drinks at that exact point.

“I have no objections. In fact, I’d like to visit again myself.”

“I wish I could take you both now, but our leave was cut and we had to lecture at the Academy,” replied John. “Next time! I’ll call you in advance and make arrangements.”

“Next time? That could be years. They still send you on five year missions?” she asked.

“Mostly, yes!” John said. “But recently, we have been doing more… special missions!”

“Uh huh! I heard. Starfleet security is incredibly poor. So, Iain! Anything else you want to show your father?”

“Yes,” replied Iain. “I won the citizenship award at school and I’m in the basketball team!”

“That’s fantastic,” replied Glen. “I was too short to be a basketball player. You must have got those genes from your mother.”

There were more questions and answers. These made the evening pass very quickly. Delphine added nothing more regarding Andromeda being unhappy and Andromeda talked about enjoying her job at the department of Biology in the Sorbonne. It seemed she was well respected there and was now head of the department. There was no mention of a partner in her life and John didn’t ask. Delphine cooked for them all but Iain ate his meal earlier and retired to bed. Glen read him some story about a giant who lived in a forest of hamburger and pizza trees.

When he returned Andromeda and Delphine were speaking in French again. The table had been laid now and Delphine went to the kitchen and began to serve the Beef Bourguignon.

“Iain is a fine boy, Andromeda” said John. “He is smart, with a keen and probing mind. You have done a great job, bringing him up alone. I wish things could have been different.”

“I knew how it was John,” replied Andromeda. “You were already married to the Merrimack. You always were and you always will be.”

“I know! You are right!” said John.“…but I see how things might have been. There is an alternative path that could have been taken, and it is… well, it would have been a good life.”

Andromeda laughed and her smile was infectious. It brought back so may good memories to John of their time together.

“You have saved the galaxy… how many times is it now, three or four, I forget? You think that the Merrimack could have done that without you? Without you, we would be living under the Ancients or Elders… Yes, I know about that… don’t look so shocked!”

John thought that his missions were still secret, but he knew Andromeda still had friends within Starfleet Command. She also remained on the auxiliary reserve register and would have been called back to regular training exercises.

“I can’t talk about it. Whatever you think you know, it is still highly classified. You are correct that I have been pivotal to some major events and first contacts, and the sad part is that for most of them no one knows anything about them.”

“Eat your meal. It’s getting cold and this is the only thing my mother cooks that is edible!” replied Andromeda.

“This is good, and I mean very good indeed.”

Delphine may have hidden a tiny smile.

“Don’t you still have a Chef?” asked Andromeda.

“No, I had to let him go. We eat badly now… replicated proteins… that kind of thing.”

“Ugh! I couldn’t eat that… What about Faith? You still have your niece as your Yeoman? She could cook for you?”

“Yes, Faith is still there. She wants to study Medicine, so she is waiting to apply to Starfleet Medical. She is too busy with work and study.”

“It was a heroic thing you did rescuing her and your sister, and then getting her back on the straight and narrow. I don’t think you got the credit your deserved for that.”

“They’re my family! What else could I do?”

“Many would have left it to be… they wouldn’t have got involved… it was dangerous…. Anyway,” said Andromeda, quickly changing the subject, “Do you still have the cat?”

“Yes, Ginger is still hanging in. He must be thirteen now. In cat years, that is an old cat! Faith mostly looks after him for me.”

“I never understood the cat!”

“What’s wrong with having a cat? I like cats… and he keeps the mice and rats down.”

“It’s weird… Who else in Starfleet has a Cat?”

“I’ve heard of a few actually.”

“Well, I haven’t!”

“Pffft!” exclaimed Delphine. She had listened quietly to the conversation but she now got up and went back to the kitchen.

“what? She doesn’t like cats either?” asked John.

“My mother doesn’t like anyone!” replied Andromeda. Then more loudly, “That’s why I’m still an old maid.”

John knew she had said that for the benefit of Delphine, but in every lie there was always a grain of truth.

Delphine returned and cleared away the plates. She then brought out a dessert of Clafoutis with black cherries. John and Andromeda continued to talk, swapping their news about former Merrimack crewmembers. In those moments it seemed to John as if all the years that had passed had been suddenly wiped away just like the dirty dishes. Maybe this was just a little sign that things might be able to change.

After dinner, Delphine left them alone. John went back to the old sofa. Andromeda poured two glasses of Cognac and then sat opposite him in the soft chair.

John studied her face. It was a little older but her eyes had that same sparkle. He quite suddenly became lost for words. He had always loved Andromeda but he had also loved many other women. He had that unenviable reputation as a ladies man, didn’t he? Andromeda had always been different. His love for her went beyond any simple lust or friendship that he may have found with other women. She had been his soulmate. He thought that he had made plans when he had met her. Didn’t the fact that he only had one son prove that much. On the other hand, everything Andromeda had said was unfortunately true. The Merrimack and his career were also important to who he was personally, and as a young man, he would never had given them up for love. However, as a more mature man, he could also see that what he had accomplished had changed the very course of history several times. If he had taken another path, who knows if the Ancients and Elders would have been defeated, or if the Bolay would now be our alien masters? To wish that his life had taken different decisions was to dismiss his achievements.

Andromeda spoke first, as if she had been reading his own mind. “I still love you John. I always will, but I don’t need you in my life, and whatever my mother may have told you, I’m happy with my life just as it is, with my career at the Sorbonne, and with the decisions that I have made that got me here.”

“I will always love you Andromeda… I… I just want… wish… more than anything, that things had turned out differently for us, but I know in my heart that they never could. Call it fate, or whatever, but my destiny lay on a path without you, and trust me, I have been to the future and seen the alternatives.”

“I know what you say is true. I’m older and wiser now, and not at all as hot tempered. I no longer hold any grudges towards you. And I have Iain. Everyday when I see Iain, I see you in him, and I regret that I pushed you away and prevented you from being a part of his life. It was partly out of spite, though I told myself that it was for his own good. I was wrong.”

“Then you’d be willing to let me back into your life and to see Iain more regularly?” asked John.

“John, I don’t… I can’t hold you back… but you can visit anytime you wish. I meant it when I said earlier that I’d like to see the Merrimack again.”

“You wouldn’t be holding me back,” replied John. “I’m no longer the same young man, but I never lived up to my reputation, and I’ve missed you.”

Andromeda paused then replied, “Ha! I wanted to say that it’s complicated, but that’s an old cliché. Let’s just say that I am really happy as I am.”

“Is there someone else?”

“No, it’s not that. I don’t need anyone. There have been some, but they didn’t last. Anyway John, you say you will visit regularly, but you will fly away tomorrow at warp speed and when will you be back again? Five years? More? Starfleet is your life. The Merrimack is your mistress. Don’t try to promise what you cannot hope to keep.”

John had nothing to say. The picture she had drawn was accurate. She knew him too well, better than he did himself even. He didn’t know if was right to mention it, but he went ahead anyway, “Your mother said that you were unhappy!”

“My mother, the same one you couldn’t understand earlier?”

“Well… yes… I understood that much!”

“And I told you to ignore what she said too! I am happy most of the time but on occasions I do have some regrets, just like you do. Who does not?”

John couldn’t argue with that.

“So, why say that to me? What does she expect from me?”

“Some idea that you will whisk me off. She thinks she will die soon and she wants the loose ends of her own life tied up neatly. Life is not neat. There are no happy endings and the book is closed. It doesn’t work that way.”

“And is she going to die?” John asked.

“Not anytime soon!” replied Andromeda.

There was more Cognac and they talked for hours more before they retired for the night. John was happy that he had achieved reconciliation. It was more than he could have hoped for. If in the future that developed into something more, then he would welcome it, but he wouldn’t push for it. Just to be allowed back into their lives was enough.

Early the following morning he left and took a flight back to Starfleet Academy, and from there he would re-join the Merrimack.

• John Glen, CO

OOC: thoroughly enjoyed reading your story ~ marthese.