An innocent conversation?

Posted on Sunday 20 December 2020 @ 16:37 by Civilian Sansa Draxx-Jones & Lieutenant Commander Hayley Godding

Mission: Homeward
Location: Hayleys family home, Nicholls Town, The Bahamas
Timeline: MD7 0100
1003 words - 2 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Sansa woke in the night. Not wanting to wake Hayley, she quietly slipped out from under Hayley's arm and found a dressing gown. It was almost her size, just a little snug around her chest. With that on, she padded downstairs to the kitchen. The rest of the house was sleeping peacefully, to so she thought. Upon entering the kitchen, on the table, she found a plate with a sandwich on and a glass of milk. Next to the plate was a handwritten note.

To Hayley or Sansa. In case one of you gets hungry, here's a turkey sandwich. Fran x

Sansa smiled to herself, she really must thank Fran in the morning.

She sat down and took a bite.

"I thought I was the only one who kept unsocial hours." A deep male voice came from the darkness.

Sansa jumped slightly at the voice and turned toward it. "I didn't think anyone else was awake."

Luke entered the room, grabbed a glass of milk from the fridge, and pulled up a chair next to Sansa. "Forgive me, I wasn't trying to startle you. I must apologise for our floor-show earlier, our family can be a tad fractious at times. Hayley's always been jealous of me, I just wish she'd have kept it to herself for your sake." He said, taking a sip of his milk. "I honestly don't see what you see in her, unless it's merely a physical attraction. I can see why she likes you at least..." He let out a sly smirk.

She looked at him for a moment, trying to figure him out. "You know, I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person but you don't strike me as the pig-headed type. I think it's an act. Also, I think it's more you're jealous of her rather than the other way round since you know and I know she could kick your ass in a heartbeat."

Luke smirked and leaned back in the chair. "Well, I will concede that Hayley is far more likely to defeat me in a fight. Her devotion to the martial-arts is impressive, to say the least. However, I am not jealous of my little sister over that. I dislike violence and find it very distasteful and its practitioners are mere brutes. Much the same with anyone who joins Starfleet really, it's as if it's the only job opening in the entire Federation. Everyone venerates the Fleet, but really, it's just a para-military organisation that claims it's all about science, but really, it's mostly manned by muscle-heads like my sister, who has all the mental subtleness of a Gorn. They go out, pick fights, like military types always have."

She ignored the smirk and continued to defend Hayley, trying to keep her voice calm. "If that was true, I'd probably be dead by now and the Merlin would have been destroyed. Mom managed to make a peace treaty with an alien race whose only experience of us, humanity, came from how we had butchered and killed another race that shared our planet. Not really the best place to start negotiations. They managed to subdue the Merlin without firing a single weapon. If we had tried to pick a fight, they would have wiped us out instantly. Instead, we managed to find a peaceful solution. Your sister helped make that peace treaty possible. You know she has the ability to defend herself but also the wisdom to know when to use it, and when not to. She will triumph who knows when to fight and when not to fight."

"Wow... she's really done a number on you, eh?" Luke said, taking a sip of his glass of milk. "So tell me, what was it like having one of those same-said aliens inside your head, controlling your body? Sharing your thoughts? Seeing a mind so rich in knowledge from centuries of evolution..."

"It was an incredible experience." She answered honestly. "Fay was kind and very considerate. She was completely open with me and we shared something special. It took my family and Hayley a little time to get used to the idea, especially my dad. He'd had so many things thrown at him at once, like my rapid...." She stopped herself, realising she had said more than she should have done. She quickly took another bite of her sandwich and changed the subject "Don't you have anyone special in your life"?

"Me? I have no one." He replied casually, dismissing the change in conversation. "Your rapid what, exactly?" He asked, pushing himself forward as he became more interested.

"Her rapid ability to sense a dirtbag trying to ply information out of her that she doesn't want to tell anyone." Came a voice from behind them, revealing Hayley standing in the doorway, her arms across her chest, glaring at Luke.

"Dirtbag? Really? I'm just getting to know my sister's companion..." Luke started.

"Save it." Hayley said, striding over and placing her hand on Sansa's shoulder. "Sansa is not some scientific curiosity for you to poke around with, am I clear?"

Sansa was quietly relieved that Hayley had appeared as she had mentioned something that she should have kept quiet. She reached up and put her hand over Hayley's "Hey Sweetie, I was hungry and I didn't want to wake you. Your brother and I were just having a conversation but I think it's time I got back to bed." She gave her hand a squeeze and stood up.

She turned to Luke. "Goodnight." She said politely but cooly. Something about what he had said sent a shiver down her spine. He didn't think very highly of Hayley or Starfleet, that much was certain.

"I'll see you again soon." Luke said, trying to put on airs of casual exchange, but it sounded a lot more ominous than that.

Without another word, Hayley turned her back on her brother and took Sansa's hand in her own and led her back upstairs to bed.

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