Surprises

Posted on Fri Aug 21st, 2015 @ 2:51pm by Cadet Senior Grade Eli Ziyad & Lieutenant Eric Edwards & Cadet Senior Grade Chance Conradi & Ignatius Reilly

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Federation Shuttle Lapidus

=^= U.S.S. Lapidus =^=

As they completed their passage through the atmosphere of Enara Prime, Eric scanned the system. There was plenty of traffic but nothing seemed out of the ordinary and, thankfully, there were no ships on an intercept course. He hoped that whatever group had wanted Eli had never expected him to make it off world.

And so he glanced to the young cadet whose amnesty likely didn't mean much in the face of his brother abducting Chance to get to him.

"You all right?" the Lieutenant asked. "We can probably spare a moment to comm your folks if you want, our goodbyes were a little... hurried."

“Yeah.” Eli’s was quiet for several seconds and then he slammed his fist on the bulkhead. “How could I be so stupid? Why didn’t I see that something was screwy? My own brother…I should at least have noticed he was hiding something!”

I detected nothing, as well, Eli. I, too, should have noticed something, Iggy lamented with Eli.

Chance, meanwhile, grabbed Eli's fist and arm and pulled him to a seat. "Shh..., Eli, no one could have known. It's not like you would have ever suspected your brother would do something like that. Really now, how deep into his head would you have had to look? And what if you'd still missed it?" Chance wasn't sure that was a helpful train of thought or not; he was still rattled. "Shall we comm your parents?", he repeated Eric's question.

“Yes,” Eli nodded. “Please. I need to know that they are safe.”

Eric gave a nod, more thankful than ever he had grown up on Earth. The things Eli had been through...

He opened the channel, and then immediately went to work in plotting their course back to 900.

As Eli took over the channel Eric had opened, Chance saw that the little ship had recorded a number of messages from 900, the first several from Oz. He opened those - they were for him, after all. In the first three messages, she'd been calm and just asked that he contact her asap. In the fourth and fifth, she'd been a little more demanding. In the sixth, she'd mentioned pon farr and his 21st birthday, oh and Mom and Dad and his father were all on 900. She ended with: "Get back here right now!". Chance frowned then tapped Eric's shoulder and quietly told him to listen to that particular recording.

Eric turned his attention to Chance as they both tried to give Eli what little privacy they could in the tiny cockpit. A look of confusion crossed his features as Oz mentioned the pon farr. "Would you even experience that?" he asked quietly. "I mean, you're half Vulcan, I found that out investigating the Hazari, but you don't..." Eric waved his hands at Chance, as if to indicate his whole outward appearance and behavior, "seem very Vulcan," he finished lamely. Still, he sent a communiqué back to 900 indicating that they were on their way back, and that a formal report would follow.

"I don't know," Chance replied, also keeping his voice low, "I mean, with the amount of sex Eli and I have, I can't imagine pon farr would be all that bad." He shrugged.

Eric stifled a laugh. "Well, I'm sure your dad, er, your Vulcan dad will probably have some insight when we get back. I guess if you start having urges, just... stay out of my bunk."

"Never know... Maybe it requires a new partner," Chance playfully flirted with Eric and laughed. It was good to laugh after the terror they'd just faced.

“Yeah, well, I hope you don’t need a girl. Iggy’s going to be your only option for about three days,” Eric countered with some teasing of his own.

“Your only option for what?” Eli looked up, finally paying attention. His expression was grim. “Sorry, I wasn’t listening. There was a lot of interference and I had to resort to text.” He looked from Eric to Chance. “What?”

Chance smiled slyly. "Do you know what pon farr is, Eli?"

“Vaguely, yeah,” Eli answered. “It’s a Vulcan’s --- “ He stopped with his mouth hanging open as he caught Chance’s meaning. “Oh. Ohhhhh…Vulcan. I guess I never thought about that but...what’s Iggy got to do with it? Or you for that matter?”

"Oh, just in case pon farr requires a female partner," Chance laughed. "Did you reach your parents?"

“Umm….do I really need to point out the anatomical impossibility there? And no offense Iggy but….ewwww.” Eli shivered. “No. Loran replied. It seems that after we took off, he and Reed arrived at the house. Reed has taken them away and Loran refuses to say where.”

Chance took Eli's hand, frowning. "We could go back for them," he said, forgetting that this was Eric's decision.

Eric heaved a heavy sigh. "We should have taken them with us," the Lieutenant said, even as his hands went back to the control panel. "If the transporter had been working..." he thought out loud, but stopped himself from going down the 'what if' road. He made himself swallow any feelings of regret before he spoke. "Secure your stations for warp speed."

Eli looked from Chance to Eric. “I understand. I don’t think he will harm them; Loran won’t let him go that far and they’ve already risked an incident with the Fleet. Maybe….maybe we can come back.” He fell silent and reached for Chance’s hand.

"Commander Kh'ali can work with your government, or Commander Nalas may be able to make something happen," Eric suggested, the stars outside the runabout cockpit stretching from individual points into prismatic sprays of light as they accelerated to warp 5. "It's not the end, but my orders were to keep you safe. I can't run into this headlong with two cadets." Despite Eli's understanding, he still felt the need to offer an apology.

Chance put an arm around Eli. "They'll be okay," he agreed with Eli's assessment. He paused and looked around before whispering to Eli, "Where'd Iggy go?"

Eli’s expression relaxed into a smile. “She’s hiding. That pon farr discussion made her nervous.” He laughed, then covered his mouth, but couldn’t hold it in. “Sorry Chance. You know Iggy...literal to the end.”

"She's probably wondering about the mechanics of that." Chance, too, started laughing.

"Or she's concerned about having to eat you afterwards," Eric smirked.

Eric’s comment brought gales of laughter from Eli, and he had to admit, it felt good. “Uhh….Iggy? I think you’re safe.” The image of Chance bound up in spider silk and tucked in a corner for a later meal set him off once more.

Like Eli, Chance cracked up with that comment. "Come on, Iggy."

A movement under their seats startled Chance; Ignatius crawled out and commented, I have neither the food nor the energy necessary to create an egg sac large enough for you, Chance. Besides, my babies have hatched.

Eli blinked at the news. “How do you know that?”

Chance had yanked his legs up onto the seat, as if the spiderlings might suddenly come out from under the seat the way Iggy had. "What!?"

Eli, I do not know how I know. But I do, she crawled towards Eric in the cockpit and up the back of his chair.

Chance muttered, "Really Oz, could you just have a fucking puppy?"

Eli reached over to rest his hand on Chance’s arm, sensing sudden irritation. “At least they are contained,” he said. “Not crawling in our quarters.”

"Thank god for small favors," Chance laughed.

You are welcome, Iggy replied.

******************
Lieutenant Eric Edwards
Cadet Junior Class Chance Conradi
Cadet Junior Class Eli Ziyad
Ignatius J. Reilly-Zeferino