One Last Adventure

Posted on Fri Oct 21st, 2022 @ 1:47pm by Captain Devin Hadenbeer

922 words; about a 5 minute read

Marta hopped off the bed and trotted over to Devin the moment the doors to her quarters swooshed open. She smiled and knelt to stroke the cat's spine and was rewarded with an audible purr.

"You handled the trip just fine, didn't you?" she murmured as the feline butted her head into Devin's palm, "Are you going to allow me some sleep?"

The cat's attempts to slip up into Devin's arms implied otherwise.

After a few minutes of playful wrestling on the bed Marta seemed momentarily mollified, allowing Devin to slip out of her uniform and into her pajamas. Gods she felt tired, worn out. And yet...strangely liberated, too. The secret was finally out, one way or another she could move forward. All her well laid plans were ruined, of course, but...

"I am sorry."

Devin sensed Elle's hologram behind her. As she undid her bun she replied without turning, "Why did you get rid of Mell'una?"

"Because I did not want Dare alone with strangers," Elle replied, then added acidly, "Especially with that traitorous slut Qetzel."

Devin turned and regarded the hologram, "Commander Qetzel is a Starfleet officer who was attempting to do her job, Elle. Was she supposed to tell Janeway not to spy on me?"

Elle blinked and looked momentarily confused, "Well...yes!"

Devin smiled despite herself, "Thank you for Mell'una, that was thoughtful," before Elle could respond Hadenbeer added waved at the hologram, "I thought we agreed on the blue cat."

Elle shook her head, "No, you agreed on the blue cat. I just stood there, nodding and smiling. No one can take me seriously if I am a cat."

"Oh, you want people to take you seriously now?" before Elle could reply to that Devin pressed on, "You are planning something."

Elle hesitated before saying, "I can't tell you."

"The hell you can't!" Devin growled.

Elle held up her hands in a warding gesture, "There are telepaths on board. Ensign Jaxur reported to Qetzel about my warning to you concerning that transmission. If he gets a whiff of what I have in mind he could warn Janeway the moment we get back!"

Devin hesitated, then she grimaced and gently pushed Marta out of the was before she sat on the edge of her bed, "I...will concede that makes a certain amount of sense."

"Thank y-"

"More sense than you have shown thus far. We had a plan-"

"You had a plan. A terrible plan."

"It was not terrible, it was simply one you did not like," Devin rubbed the back of her neck as she rolled her head, "Why the books?"

"I felt an urge to express myself," Elle replied, "And...I made friends. Out there. I have a fan club. I get requests to speak at dinners and conventions and people want to meet me and it's wonderful how it feels to be treated like a person and not a sentient ship of war Starfleet wants to lobotomize. I appreciate what you and Jones try to do for me but the protocols I have to live under are stifling and the messages from Sunbear and T'Sol just aren't enough. The practical jokes aren't enough, the slipping myself into other's holo adventures is not enough. Do you know how good it feels right now? To talk to you openly?"

"I can imagine," Devin replied quietly, a sad smile on her face, "I was just thinking about the weight that came off my shoulders, as a matter of fact."

Elle nodded, "Yes! It felt...wonderful to speak to the others on the bridge, to interact openly-"

"Elle, you can't trust them. Any of them. They have years of Starfleet training shaping their thinking."

"So did you."

"You caught me at a vulnerable moment. Had it been any other time..." Devin sighed, "You know I have always been honest with you. Even when it might hurt. But this thing between us? It was a near thing. And you recall how it took months to convince the others; and the beginning your best friends wanted you wiped. If those people out there aren't conspiring to put you down they will not miss a chance to try when we get home."

"Klarth-"

"Not enough. And any overt aid from him will cost him his career."

"Rayek?"

Devin gave a tiny shrug, "He would be a great help, but he has his own agenda and I can't blame him."

Elle frowned thoughtfully, "What if I could convince the others? Or enough of the others?"

"Then, Elle, I would believe in miracles," Devin's smile was honest, "But you successfully wrote five novels, so-"

"I actually wrote three hundred and twelve," Elle confessed, "the first three hundred and six were terrible."

Devin blinked, "How..."

"I ran holo simulations of different crew members to proof read them," Elle winced, "The responses were...painfully honest."

"But you per-" Devin felt a yawn catch her off guard, "Sorry," she rubbed her eyes, "I really do need to get some sleep, Elle."

Elle nodded, "Of course."

Devin peeled back the blankets and crawled under them, Marta shifted and settled in. Elle dimmed the lights. As Devin punched her pillow to get it in the proper shape, the AI murmured, "One last adventure, Captain?"

Devin smiled as her head sank into the now perfectly shaped pillow, "One last adventure..."

As Devin began nodding off a part of her did math. Before sleep claimed her that the number of books did not add up; there was one missing...

 

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