Return Trip

Posted on Sat Sep 12th, 2015 @ 4:39am by Lieutenant Hope Beckman & El'Shar Blackhorse

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: USS Hidalgo - Enroute to SB900

* * USS Hidalgo * *

El’Shar and Hope were one day into their trip back to the Delta Quadrant after their family reunions on Earth. Despite having been back with each other for a full 24 hours neither had shared stories of what they did on their visit and decided to sit down for dinner in El’s quarters and talk.

“The funeral was absolutely beautiful, El,” Hope said, still a bit wistful but smiling and beginning to move on. “It was held at their church and, let me tell you, I was very surprised at how many people showed. The place was packed and there was even a line out the door!” She managed a light laugh then went quiet a moment. “The caskets were closed, though. I didn’t like that very much.”

“It was probably for the best, Hope,” El replied. “That way you could remember them as they were.”

The younger of the two nodded. “We had big pictures of them up all over the place. It really was beautiful.” She took a sip of the sweet tea she’d retrieved and continued. “We read the will the next day. Mom and Dad had split everything up between the three of us, which was weird because it included the house and their property--like you can really split a house three ways. So, I told Ron and Serena that I didn’t want my third of the house or the property. They fussed and complained, but I’m never here anyway, so it’s not like it would have been fair. I only wanted some mementos and a few things that had been very personal to me growing up. So I signed over my portion of everything and they let me pick out what I’d wanted.”

“Out of curiosity, what was it that you wanted?” El asked as she placed a large bowl of vegetable beef stew and crusty french bread on the table. She began dipping the stew into their bowls and sat.

“Mom had a tea set that she used to let me play with when I was younger.” She hesitated, then added, “With my dolls.”

“Oh? That’s nice. Probably lots of nice memories there.”

Hope smiled, thinking back to those days. “Both she and Dad would sit down and have tea parties with me and my dolls. I remember setting up my room as a fancy dining room with my dolls all around the table and on the bed. Mom and Dad would come in and sit with me, talking to the dolls and just having fun with it.”

“It sounds like they were wonderful parents.”

“They really were, El.”

Taking her first bite, El wiped her mouth and had a sip of her beer. “So? What else?”

“Mom had kept most of my old dolls. I couldn’t take the tea set without taking the dolls as well.” She paused to dip her bread into the stew. “Dad had this blanket that Mom had made for him. After a while it had gotten tattered or ripped if he got it caught up in the recliner, but she always mended it by hand. It was all patched up and everyone thought it was getting a bit ugly. But Dad loved it and I thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world.”

“Aww, that is so sweet!”

“I remember so many times coming home and finding Dad napping in his chair with the blanket. He never got upset when I woke him with questions or telling him about my day at school, or if I’d had a bad day and crawled into the chair with him to snuggle.”

The two ate in silence for a few moments before El’Shar spoke. “It sounds like you have such a wonderful family and had an even better childhood.”

Hope didn’t answer and kept her mind on the food in front of her instead of getting worked back up and possibly crying again.

El took the hint and continued with her own meal.

Hope began scooping out more of the stew. “This is really good, El. Thanks for making it.”

“It’s my father’s recipe. I’ve eaten this since I was little. If it wasn’t mother’s plomeek soup it was probably going to be this stew, but I didn’t mind. I really like them both.”

“So what did you do? You got to see your family, right?”

“I did,” El replied, going for seconds of the stew herself. “I had a pretty good time there. Caught up on the family goings on and spent some time with my mother. I kinda’ felt bad not having seen them in a while and even agreed to do a little meditating with her.”

“Sounds...fascinating,” Hope said with a silly grin.

“I see what you did there,” El said, laughing. “I toured the city, Jarrod took me around showing me some new developments and some that had been razed. The elementary school I went to? Gone. The lot is just empty now. I’m not sure what they’re going to put there.”

“Did you get to do anything else?”

“I did go to Rick’s house there.”

Hope almost dropped her spoon. “He has a house? On Earth?”

El’Shar laughed. “He was born on Earth, a long time ago. And despite not being human, they gave him official Earth citizenship in 2152, I believe it was. But he had lived there since 1918. His parent had lived there about ten years before he arrived.”

Having a hard time realizing just how old Rick actually was, Hope missed her mouth with the bread and wound up smearing bits of it and stew on her cheek. She burst into a laughing fit as she wiped her face.

“That must be absolutely fascinating to have seen so much of history like that,” Hope finally said. “The stories he could probably tell. Wait--where is his house? And how does he take care of it?”

Draining her beer and getting up for another, and for more tea to refill Hope’s glass, El’Shar spoke from the small kitchen. “He’s spoken of it several times but he made it sound like some small cottage on a little plot of land, but that’s just like him to be much more modest than he should.”

“What kind of house is it?” Hope asked, now very intrigued.

“It’s not just a house. It’s an enormous manor house, a guest cottage, horse stables, lots and lots of land, maybe 500 acres, streams, some ponds--Hope, honey, this is one of the biggest places I’ve ever seen in my life!”

“Holy shit, El! I’d liked to have seen that!”

“I thought I was in the wrong place at first, because of how Rick described it, but the old butler--”

“Admiral Wegener has a friggin’ butler??”

“--apparently knew who I was, so I guess Rick keeps in touch. He showed me around the house, he even let me take this gorgeous Hanoverian horse out to ride as long as I wanted.” She smiled and shook her head thinking back about the ride and how surprised she was at Rick’s lands.

“What was his name?” Hope asked.

“Ruby. A mare.”

Hope laughed. “No, no, the butler!”

“Oh!” El laughed now. “Rainer Freudenberger. Said he had been with Rick for fifty years. His son works with him, but I didn’t meet him.”

“Huh. Not Jeeves? Ooh, or Alfred?” Hope said excitedly. “Maybe Rick’s secretly Batman!”

El rolled her eyes. “He’s pretty tough, but even I don’t think he’s Batman material.”

“Man… I really would have liked to have gone there.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think about it until Rick sent a message asking me to pick up a few things for him.”

“What did he want?”

“A few cases of wine and spirits, a ceremonial sword he carried when he served with the Bundeswehr--”

“Wasn’t that a beer?” Hope asked, her nose crinkled in confusion.

“I think that was Budweiser, Hope,” El said with a smile. “Rick served with the Bundeswehr, the German defence force created after World War 2.”

Hope’s eyes were wide. “What else did he want you to get?”

“Just some other decorative things like the sword, some old pictures of him and his parents, and a large chest that I was told not to open under any circumstances on Rick’s order.”

“So, you opened it, right?”

“Of course not! It could be private or a gift. I’m not going to invade his privacy.”

Hope huffed. “I would have opened it. I’m curious now.”

“I guess it’s a good thing you don’t know where it is on the ship, then.” El’Shar stood and began gathering the dishes and the last dregs of the stew. “No chest hunting, Hope.”

“Aww. You never let me do anything,” Hope replied, crossing her arms dramatically and pretending to pout.

“You know, Rick had thought about having the wedding at his house,” El said. “You’re invited and I’ll make sure you get a chance to meet Ruby and some of the other horses.”

“I guess that makes up for the chest thing.”

With the table now cleared it was getting close to 2300 hours. “I hate to sound like an old person, even though I am by your standards, but I need to turn in.”

“I guess I should as well. Besides, I have a nice blanket with some good memories to snuggle up with.” Hope placed the now empty glass in the replicator to be reclaimed and headed for the door. “Thanks for the food and the stories.”

“You’re always welcome, Hope,” El said as the door opened.

“Do you think you could share some more of Rick’s past with me on the trip home? I always thought he was an interesting person, but hearing what you told me tonight there’s apparently quite a bit more to him than I realized.”

“He’s pretty private and doesn’t like to share most things, but I’ll tell you what I can. I might even tell you about his first wife.”

Hope was halfway out the door when she stopped and turned quickly. “What!? He’s been marri--”

El laughed loudly. “Tomorrow, Hope. Tomorrow,” she said as the door closed between them.

------------------------------------
Lt. Hope Beckman
In Awe of Her Boss

Capt. El’Shar Blackhorse (ret.)
In Awe of Her Fiancee