Posted by Captain Remy Boudreaux (CO) in Office of the MO/COS

Posted by Lieutenant Alita Claire (Chief Security Officer) in Office of the MO/COS

Posted by Lieutenant Alita Claire (Chief Security Officer) in Office of the MO/COS
Posted by… suppressed (12) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Alita had come to her office in the middle of the night for the sole purpose of putting some of her life away. Too many things had happened lately and she desperately needed to simplify things but, shortly after she had arrived, she was interrupted by NEs Diaz and Baker. She had known them almost as long as she had been on the Wolverine so, perhaps, they felt they had had a right to make assumptions regarding her life.

She sat at the desk as they barraged her with questions. Diaz was always more talkative and asked most of them.

“So we just came from your quarters. I guess we missed the memo. Wasn’t tonight cooking class or something?” Diaz asked calmly, which was a stretch for Diaz. He really enjoyed those classes.

Alita looked at both of them and sighed. “I’m afraid those are cancelled until further notice. I didn’t realize I was required to send out a memo, as you put it.”

Neither NE liked it when their boss, and friend, was upset and, in their opinion, she was. It was Baker that spoke up next.

“I carved three turkeys because you said we would be starting prep for the Christmas party. I was looking forward to it this year.”

Diaz broke in at that moment.

“Are we still doing that?” Diaz asked.

Alita rose quickly to her feet and glared down at them.

“Out. Just get out of my office. You’re going to find a lot of changes around here and I really don’t need to explain my personal life to you.” she said a bit more forcefully than she probably intended.

This new hard exterior she wanted to portray was still quite new to her.

• Alita, MO/COS

Remy had been wandering the small ship for a while, going over in his mind the last mission. He still believed it was a success. They had achieved what they set out to do and had done so quite admirably. Still, the grumbling and doubting he had heard from some of the crew weighed heavy on his mind. Did they not forgotten what Starfleet was about? Exploring, going farther, going faster, pushing the envelope to to the limit. . . that was Starfleet!!! Taking chances and risking the unknown–that was why he had accepted command of the Wolverine. Was it just Remy that needed to feel that rush? Jumping headfirst into the unknown!!

His thoughts were interrupted by a pair of security guards that were hurriedly exiting Alita’s office. He stuck his hand out to hold the door open and saw Alita’s frustrated and stoic countenance sitting behind her desk.

After stepping in, he sat down in one of the chairs facing her. “Let’s talk,” he began.

Reaching for his collar, he popped his captains pips loose and set them on the desk. “Not as captain to CSO, but as grandfather to granddaughter, minus all the extra greats in dere.”

Boudreaux (g-g-g-g-great grandpa)

Alita knew this conversion was long in the making. She was still uncertain as to how it would go but Remy fancied himself such a good leader she would let him lead this one too.

Nodding, she popped off her pips and tucked them away in the same drawer she kept a small bottle of bourbon and two shot glasses in. She set them on the unusually clean desk.

“Okay. That’s probably a good idea or, at least, an idea that should happen. What’s on your mind old man?” she asked quietly.

• Alita

“Watch who you are calline ‘old man’. I am only a few years older dan you.”

He reached for the bottle of bourbon and filled both glasses. Downing his first shot, he refilled his glass and waited for Alita.

“Dis. . . body swap wit’ Mr. Thienna, it ‘as affected you. . . dis whole mi-SHON ‘as affected you. I’m wonderine if dere are some residual effects of de swap?”

Boudreaux (CO)

Alita downed her shot and set the glass back down. Perhaps it was better that he got straight to the point. Her mind was churning with half formed thoughts she wasn’t certain how to vocalize.

“What kind of person would I bee if such a thing didn’t affect me? Cel and I have become closer than I’ve been with even my own twin. It’s complicated but I think we’ll be alright. I just don’t see hings the same way anymore. I’ve seen the ugliness in people and I thought it would go away but it hasn’t. There are people on this ship so full of hatred and so full of their own self aggrandizing opinions that it just makes me sick.”

That last part was said in a hiss as Alita poured them both another drink.

“Why the hell should I be this open caring person when I’ve seen everything that I have? And besides you, the only other people who might even vaguely understand what I’m trying to say are gone.”

“‘Cuz dat is who you are, un petite,” he replied.

Alita was speaking calmly, the sparkle in her warm green eyes had turned to chips of ice but her heart wasn’t in her words.

• Alita

Remy downed the second shot and contemplated her words. “Even tough it ‘as been tinned by genera-SHONS, you still part of de Boudreaux bloodline. It is who you. . .it is who WE are. One time ‘bout de Boudreaux’s–we wan’ to see de good in everbody, even when dere is none dere.”

“‘Lita, I don’ know much ‘bout ‘ow you grew up, bu’ I believe you were surrounded by good people, people dat ‘ave shaped you into who you are. From where I sit, dey did a damn fine job, too. But, per’aps you are seeing the ugly side of tines fo’ de first time?”

“Dis ship . . . she is staffed by criminals, ne’er-do-wells, an de like. People like you an’ I, an Bryson . . .we need to set an example. Show dem dat dey are impo’tan’, show dem dey can strive to be better, as well. We’re no’ always gon’ be successful, bu’ we ‘ave to try.

He filled the glasses again before continuing.

“An’ fo’ dose tha’ don’ wan’ to change, well, Je les emmerde.”

Boudreaux (CO)

Alita was fighting hard to keep her softer side hidden but every time she drank with Remy, strange things happened, and this would probably be no different.

“Je les emmerde indeed.” she said softly, “But just the same, I’ll take a hard pass. It’s not just all of that. I’ve made a complete fool out of myself in front of just about every senior officer here and I know how they feel about it. I can sense things so much more clearly now and I’m not really sure I know how to deal with it.”

As Alita explained she poured another drink, paused, and downed it.

What the hell, things can’t possibly get worse. she thought.

She looked at Remy with a start and smiled despite herself.

“My grandmother, Anna, told me stories about her grandmother, Bre, insisting on them learning a specific French/Cajun dialect. I guess it makes sense now.”

• Alita

“I mus’ ‘ave made quite the impact on Bre, besides de obvious of gettine ‘er pregnant,” Remy joked.

“No, you ‘ave no’ made a fool of you’self. What ‘appened wit’ you an’ Mr. Thienna was emo-SHON-al, and can be seen as very traumatic. You remained as calm as you could, considering what occurred. I fin’ no fault in you’ act-SHONS.”

“In fact, mon petite, I know jus’ ‘ow to make you see tines in a diff’nt light. WE will be arrivine at Earth soon. You are goine to join me on a trip to New Orleans. It is time you meed de rest of de Boudreauxs, dey will teach you to talk like a real Cajun, cook like a real Cajun, an’ LIVE life to de fullest, like a Boudreaux. On top of day, you will learn to really PO a certain cheif engineer likke a real Cajun, no?”

Boudreaux (CO)

Alita wasn’t certain why that took her by surprise, but it did.

“I’m not saying I could out cook any of my unknown family but I will require a lot less teaching than you think. And as for Petrov, it scares me when I agree with him. I would certainly like to put him in his place though. He thinks he’s the universe’s gift to engineering and why don’t we just bow down and serve already. Fine, I’ll go. This could be just the kind of crazy I need.”

“Trust me, chile, I would’ve let ‘im go a long time ago, but I ‘ave never seen an engineer as good as ‘e is. An’ on dis ship, I need de best of de best.”

They had finished the bottle so Alita got up and went to a small cupboard for another.

As Alita went to walk past Remy, she turned and put her arms around him instead. Smiling, she put her head on his shoulder for a few seconds before standing up and walking behind the desk.

Surprised by her show of affection, Remy hesitated a moment before allowing his own arms to reach up and return the hug. When they pulled apart, his smile was genuine.

“Somewhere, someone in the family always said honor the dead, the living, and those yet to be. I think that’s your fault somehow.” Alita finished playfully.

“Sounds like a Cajun saying. Maybe I said it to Bre during our encounter.”

She really hadn’t intended on being in such a good mood but there was something about Remy that could usually put her in one.

• Alita

As she got the next bottle, set set the glasses back up again.

“You are goine to repay de favor sometime, you know. Take me ‘ome to meet the rest of my future. . . descendants?”

Boudreaux (CO)

Alita leaned back in her chair for a bit and her warm gaze cooled slightly and grew serious.

“I actually really need to. There’s someone I want you to meet before it’s too late. My Grandmother, Anna, would be your grand daughter and she’s not doing so well. So let me know when you want to go and I will round them up if I have to call on Uncle Kord’s help myself.” she said firmly.

Pausing, she let out a long breath and picked up the glass. Looking down into it, she smiled and drank it down. In her mind the past had already been messed up. The present was pretty well screwed as well. So why not start mucking about with the future?

• Alita

Bump

“I would like dat very much, ‘Lita.” His look grew wistful as a redness began to form around his eyes. “A gran’daughter. . .de chil’ of de chil’ I never knew I ‘ad. . . .”

Remy took a deep breath and shook himself back to reality. His ever impish grin returned as he said, “Yes, let’s make dis ‘appen. De sooner de better, if she is no’ doine well. I jus’ ‘ope de shock does no’ kill ‘er.”

Boudreaux (CO)

Alita sobered in that instant. That was something she had truly not thought about.

“Anna was a cyberneticist. She had more than a passing interest in the Borg but nothing suicidal. She, and my grandfather, and a set of 12 year old twin uncles I will never meet, were coming back to Earth when the shuttle the twins and my grandfather were in was caught up in a huge Borg attack.”

Alita paused and poured another drink.

“Anna’s shuttle popped out of warp just in time to witness it all. I don’t know how she and the others got away but she’s never been the same. Unfortunately she refuses to stay in one place so we have hired a very strong Betaziod telepath to be her companion. It works most of the time.” she finished quietly.

• Alita