Posted by Civilian Molly Holloway (CEO - Holloway Heavy Industries) in [Cal and Molly’s House] The Aftermath

Posted by General Calvin Harris (Commandant, Colonial Customs and Defence Authority) in [Cal and Molly’s House] The Aftermath

Posted by Civilian Erin Hazen-Cooper (Director of Terraforming) in [Cal and Molly’s House] The Aftermath
Posted by… suppressed (3) by the Post Ghost! 👻
It had been the longest afternoon that Molly had had in a long time.

Calvin had returned to the holodeck a few hours later, with the knowledge that Lucas had taken his personal ship, the Calvalier, for a ride, and had taken Gavin with him to be his pilot for the day. In Molly’s mind, this was fine. It meant Lucas had gone for a proverbial stroll to clear his head, even if that stroll took him light years away from OED. The Cavalier was also one of the most advanced ships in the Federation, and to top all of that off, Molly knew that Gavin would take good care of her uncle. That at least put her mind to rest, even if the shadow of their fallout still lingered in her heart. He needed time, and she would give him that. Maybe after that they could start rebuilding what had been broken.

Cal had never seen the woman he loved so utterly broken and it scared him to death. Returning to the Holodeck, the former Marine knelt beside her and held Molly tight… willing his love to flow over her and protect her from the pain that was tearing her apart.

Shortly after his return, Cal had taken Molly home and forced her to eat something, even though she didn’t feel like it, and through his and Boomer’s efforts, by the time dinner came around, Molly was already feeling better, her mind planning how to address things the next day at work. She’d get his newspaper as usual, find a way to apologize, and they would go from there. Everything would be fine.

Except that, as Calvin made dinner, the door bell rang, and when Molly opened the door, Erin burst through the house, her tone angry.

Molly

It had been a long day. All Erin wanted was a nice dinner, a peaceful evening, and a restful night. Yet, when she had tried to reach her husband, she had found that he had not yet returned from his last minute assignment with her uncle. Hazen was livid, so she went to the only other person who might know what was going on.

“I can’t believe Uncle Lucas’s nerve!” Erin cried out in outrage as she walked through the door of her sister’s house. “He requests Gavin to pilot him all around the galaxy and doesn’t even have the decency to have him home in time for dinner!!! Other people have lives too, and I’d love to have my husband’s company!” Molly and Cal’s exchange of glances was not lost on her. Still, she pressed on. “Not even a note! He could at least had given me a little bit of forewarning, but I can’t even so much as reach Gavin!!! God knows where the hell they are!”

It was rare for Erin to be this angry, but she was tired. More than tired, she was worried. This was the type of life that Molly was used to, but not her. For a moment, the youngest of the pair wondered if moving into closer proximity with her sister had been a good idea. She shook her head, glancing down at her hands, almost embarrassed that such a thought could even appear in her mind.

Harris had just walked into the room with a pot of pasta when he caught Erin’s outburst. His eyes had swung to Molly’s for the briefest of moments before Molly herself responded to her sister.

“Wait…” When her Molly’s voice reached her ears, Erin lifted her eyes to meet her sister’s. She found herself staring into the same light brown gaze that had always meant safety… that had always meant home. And yet, the warmth and reassurance in them was gone, replaced by concern and worry. For the first time in her life, Molly’s gaze made Erin even more anxious. “You’re telling me that Uncle Luc hasn’t returned yet!?”

“You didn’t know?” When Erin spoke, the surprise was evident in her tone. Of the pair, Erin had always been the one that was sure of herself, and yet… if there was anyone in the universe that she could count on, it was her sister. But if even Molly didn’t know… who would?

Erin

Molly shook her head as her worried gaze met Cal’s again. “Can you call Dominique? I’ll check with my contacts…” The former Marine would know what she meant. Turning back to her sister, Molly continued. “Erin, try reaching Gavin again. I’ll be right back.” And she disappeared deeper into the home.

Molly

Without a seconds pause, Cal turned and headed from the room… his person TextComm already to his ear. Erin would just catch him saying “Alexis… it’s Cal, have you…” as he entered his home office and shut the door behind him.

Cal

And then suddenly, everyone was gone. Erin found herself staring at Boomer, and the old dog walked towards her. With a sigh, she sat down on the closest chair and reached for her PaDD. She sent Gavin yet another message. Once again, no response.

Cooper was deep in her thoughts when she felt something warm on her knees. When she looked down, Boomer was staring back at her, his chin on her legs. Erin gave the dog a sad smile. “He’s okay, isn’t he? I’m sure I’m just worrying for nothing…” Petting the black Labrador on the head, Erin waited for either Cal or Molly to come back. It felt like an eternity, but hopefully they would bring news about what was going on.

Erin

---

(several hours later)

Everything was silent inside the house. The only light came from the fireplace in the family room. It had been a rough evening for everyone, but it had been especially so for Erin.

Cal was fast asleep on his favorite armchair. The same one where Newton’s hologram had sat over half a year ago. Erin slept on the couch with Boomer at her feet, and Molly watched the flames in silence. She was worried, but when she looked at her sister sleeping on their couch, she could feel the anger boiling. Over the years, Molly had gotten used to this feeling. To the dangers associated with her job. Cal was the same. But not Erin. Erin was just… Erin, and Molly had gone to great lengths to ensure that it remained that way. That nothing would ever touch her. Now, looking at her laying down on their couch because Gavin was gone, it reminded Molly of how much she had failed her.

A soft chirp on her wrist chronometer brought Molly back from her thoughts, leading her to look at it with urgency. It was a message, from Gavin, on her Intel frequency. The one she had given him many moons ago when he was still the Dresden’s navigator. The text was rushed, but the meaning was clear. They seemed to have been intercepted… there was a set of coordinates with the message. A chill went down Molly’s spine. She had no doubt that Gavin would be able to hold his own. After all, he was former Starfleet, and one of the best. Lucas on the other hand… would be worth a lot of money in the right hands. And she didn’t want to imagine what it could be done to him.

Slowly, as to not wake up anyone, Molly stood up from her chair and walked to her private study, closing the door behind her.

As quickly as she could, she ran the coordinates through her terminal, revealing a location, far away from OED, but still within its system. If she took the Lancer – the Cavalier’s prototype and the only other transwarp ship that HHI had ever made – she could be there in minutes.

It was then that a second message came through:

Code 47. TSS Cavalier Code 1-Alpha-Zero… Ship taken by Cardassian named Gaddill… LH & GC OK… En route under duress to Ancora VI. Ending Coordinates enclosed. Cooper Clear

Molly’s heart sunk. Ancora VI was a well known name among the Intelligence community, as being one of the main hubs for black market weapons and ship parts trade. A lot of dealings happened there, and a lot of very shady characters frequented the place. If Gavin and Lucas were being forced to go there, it could mean a few things, and none of them were good. But most likely, whoever this Gaddill was, he intended to hijack the ship and either sell it or scrape it for parts. The occupants were nothing but dead weight once they stopped being useful, and it was very unlikely that they would even put out a ransom for them.

A quick search into the Intel database revealed the Cardassian in question to be Gaddill Nirbat, a well known arms dealer, with a motley crew of people from all over the galaxy working for him, recruited solely by their skill. These guys were no joke, and to avoid the worst, Molly knew that the only viable option was to take the Lancer and go get them herself. Not to mention, she had been the reason behind Lucas’s departure. It was only right for her to be the one to fix it.

She sent messages to a few of her contacts that might be able to tell her more about who Gaddill was, until Harrington herself interjected, stating that if Molly was going to pursue him, she needed to bring him back alive. He held information that Intel was after and they had been searching for him for a while. He was a chameleon and knew how to go to ground without being seen. If Gavin had been right, then this was the first time he was spotted in a long time.

Without a second thought, Molly turned off her terminal and headed out. She wrote a short note to Cal, placed it near him on the coffee table, and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. She then tucked Erin in her blanket, and petted Boomer softly. The old dog opened a lazy eye, but Molly shushed him gently and he went back to sleep.

Grabbing her go bag by the door, Holloway was gone in the next five minutes, disappearing into the night.

Molly

A few hours later…

Her sleep was light and restless, but dreamless for the most part. A small sound in the distance made her stir in her sleep, her consciousness slowly returning.

Taking a deep breath, Erin’s thoughts came rushing back. “Gavin…” She whispered the word before she could stop it, and as the light of the fireplace flooded her vision, it took a little for Erin to recognize her surroundings. Right… Molly’s place. She looked around. Alex was there, sound asleep on an armchair. Boomer was at her feet on the couch. The younger of the Holloway siblings smiled softly. She had always had a soft stop for the old black Lab. Another glance told her that Molly wasn’t in the room.

Quietly, her feet gently touched the ground, and Erin stood up as slowly as she could, trying not to wake up the former Marine. Where was her sister? In her study maybe? Grabbing the blanket and throwing it around her shoulders, Erin moved stealthily through the house, turning up the lights to a soft glow so that she wouldn’t accidentally bumped into anything.

Even though she knew where it was, Erin had never been in her sister’s study. Partially because she didn’t want to pry, partially because the chance had never presented itself. Right now, the situation was dire, and Erin hoped that Molly could tell her if there were any news.

She knocked. No response. She knocked again, harder this time but not hard enough for it to be heard in the family room. Had Molly fallen asleep? Turning the knob, she sighed in relief finding the door closed but not locked. It was a relatively modern house, but knowing her sister, it didn’t surprise her that her private room had a mechanical lock. Still, she was sure it was not the only safety measure.

“Computer, lights. Seventy percent.”

The moment the lights came on, Erin realized exactly why she had never seen the room.

Perhaps the first striking thing about the study were the shelves covering the walls from ground to ceiling, containing what seemed to be many old tomes from many different origins. The most striking thing, however, was not in a shelf, but rather, it was the center piece of the entire room — a massive spherical display, currently set to show a star chart of a region of space Erin didn’t know. Around it, holographic notes labeled different markers. Next to it, there was a small desk with a terminal and five different regular displays. They were dark with the exception of one, where the Starfleet Intelligence logo was clearly visible.

Erin’s insides twisted, trying not to think of the implications of what she was seeing. Molly was also nowhere to be seen, but judging by the fact that her chair was pulled out from under the desk, she’d surmise she had left in a hurry. Had she found something? Erin observed the star chart for a moment, but nothing made sense on it.

With nothing else to do, and anxiety threatening to spill over, Erin walked around the study, inspecting the books on the shelves. Some titles she recognized, some seemed to be from places she had never visited. It was clear that Molly had slowly collected them during her tours with Starfleet.

There was one specific book that caught her attention. And old children’s encyclopaedia on rainforests and other Earthly biomes. It was old and battered, but she remembered it had been one of her sister’s favorite books growing up. Erin smiled softly, and she tried to pull in out, only to realize it was stuck to the tome next to it. Good thing it was the first book on the shelf, so she could just remove the bookend and…

For the second time in a few minutes, Erin’s eyes widened with what she was seeing. The bookend was not a bookend, but rather a wooden display case that, in typical Molly’s fashion, had been stuck sideways as a makeshift bookend, preventing anyone from seeing what it contained. Unless taken out of the shelf like Erin had just done.

Medals. Of valor, of courage, of honor… some that Erin didn’t recognize, and some that Erin recognized far too well… especially the two decorations marking wounds in the line of duty. For a moment, her whole world came crashing down on her. Who was her sister, after all? Who was Molly Holloway? The person that had taken care of her and personally ensured her safety for many years… the small girl that was so protective of Erin that she crossed lines she didn’t know she could cross… the person Erin thought she knew best… had a whole parallel life that she had never told her about.

It was no secret to Erin that her older sister had been an Intelligence Officer. In fact, when she had briefly been on the Dresden, that had been the duty assigned to Molly. And yet… why all the medals? Had Erin been naive enough to believe that the peaceful days that Molly had relayed to her were the full story? What had she done? What kind of missions had she been involved in? Was she still doing them? Other than Molly herself, there was one other person that could tell her.

Erin