Catholic Space Guilt

Posted on Sat Mar 21st, 2020 @ 1:51pm by Captain Enalia Telvan & Ensign Briaar Gavarus & Ensign Fiona O'Dell
Edited on on Sun Mar 22nd, 2020 @ 1:31pm

Mission: Back Down the Long Ladder
Location: Deck 14, Fiona O'Dell and Briaar Gavarus' Shared Quarters
Timeline: 2397

The family quarters located on Deck 14 of the U.S.S. Hera were far more expansive than anything Briaar Gavarus or Fiona O'Dell had aver expected to have while serving in Starfleet. But then neither woman expected to fall in love, and they certainly never expected to find themselves instant parents. But there they were.

Over the course of just shy of a year, the two underachieving Ensigns met, having been forced together on the duty roster to work out the bugs on a series of retrofitted Romulan Scorpion fighters. The diminutive Fiona O'Dell was a test pilot, and a considerably good one at that, while the towering Tellarite, Briaar Gavarus, was an Engineer that had a penchant for irritating her co-workers. So, she had been reassigned to work on the flight deck and clean up after that department's Chief, who had her own bad habit of tinkering with the Runabouts and Shuttles.

On paper, nothing about these two said 'couple', and yet the more time they spent together drinking and partying and complaining, the more it started to become obvious to everyone around them that they had quickly become a couple. Ten months after meeting on the flight deck, the unlikely pair had become the Hera's most unlikely family with the legal adoption of the orphaned Minotaur baby, Minerva Carrot.

None of it was planned, but both women found themselves happily embracing their bizarre but fulfilling new life. Even if their now shared quarters still looked like where two bachelorette's had exploded. Crates full of engine parts and tools that had been beamed over from Briaar's old quarters were still stacked about in a haphazard way. The colorful, plastic habitrail for the family pet, a white Tribble named Cueball, was assembled along the main wall next to the entrance to the room. In truth, most of the mess was Briaar's, as Fiona's possessions were all neatly cataloged and displayed safely up and away from the prying, three-fingered grabby-hooves of little Minerva.

Harps and violas, accordions and ukuleles along with a rather small guitar lined the walls of their bedroom where, in spite of Minerva having a very sturdy crib in her own room, the family tended to sleep together bunched up in one, big bed.

Work had been completed for the evening and Briaar was in the living room, doing her level best to clean up the couch and small coffee table. Picking up some errant beer bottles that had been left about from last night's misadventures post Ten-Forward, the portly porcine was still in her deep blue Starfleet R&D uniform and looked a bit more anxious than usual.

"Fee!" The two-meter tall engineer said, her wiry platinum blonde hair frizzed out in a massive fro bobbing about as she searched through the couch cushions. "Have you seen any of my frickin' scrunchies?"

“Reclamator room, your side, top drawer, all the way in the back,” came the answer from the bedroom. While Gavarus was messy and often disorganized, Fiona was one for ‘everything in its place’. While this had led to the occasional tiff between the two, the orderly and the chaotic managed to compromise more often than not. After all, with a young child- no longer a baby and barely a toddler- in the house, keeping everything ‘just so’ was a herculean task, and one that O’Dell was only in so much mood to pout the effort forth. Besides, she had compromised quite a bit, as had Gavarus, in order to be in the relationship. Mutual respect and open lines of complaining seemed to do the trick for them to manage their differences.

Failing that, they got drunk and no longer argued. Which was perhaps not the best dynamic, but certainly not the worst.

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Fiona had Minnie in a cute pink dress with a collar and cuffs that looked like something she might have worn as a child, save that at Minnie’s age, Fiona was nowhere near the Minotaur babe’s size. At the moment she was brushing out Minnie’s fur, which was surprisingly soft and soothing, as her hair was already in pigtails with bows that matched her dress. In truth, the brushing was quite enjoyed by Minnie, to whom it felt like love, and it would remain a staple of her life that when troubled, brushing her fur soothed her. But it also served as a calmative for Fiona.

The call today was from Mariposa, and it was her brother Duncan, the eldest, who wished to speak with her. As her father ‘s health had declined over the years, Duncan had assumed many of the clan leadership roles. Large, barrel-chested, hirsute and robust, Duncan was a bear of a man who had no compunctions using his size and mass to intimidate others. As the midget baby of the family, Fiona had been on the receiving end of such intimidations more than once, and to this day she tended to be nervous around those much larger than she, and particularly large angry humanoids.

Briaar Gavarus being the exception, of course.

But even she had been forced to confront Fiona over it, as the lack of trust had wounded her. Now it was quite seldom that Fiona would flinch or cower, but those moments were mostly born of the simple fact that as the smaller mammal Fiona often had to be quick to get out of the way, or Briaar might sit on part of her or step on a part or something to that effect.

Thus since Duncan had informed her that he would be calling about ‘family business’, Fiona was understandably nervous. For her part, Minerva didn’t understand much of the situation. But she could sense that her frail spitfire of a mother was nervous, and the tot leaned in against her to cuddle and moo quietly, trying her best to soothe her anxious parent. Which worked, as Fiona smiled and hugged the bovine, kissing her atop her furry head.

“Aye, twill be alreet. Yuir mom’s here, and we’re g’win ta have a nice little chin wag with my big brother, aye. So all ye hafta do is sit there and look adorable, which ye already do joost fine, aye?” Squeezing the furry bovine babe, Fiona then fluffed the dress a bit, then turned Minnie around to see herself in the mirror. “See? Lookit ye! Already pretty as a picture, aye? That’s mah wee bairn!”

Walking in, a bit heavier on her hooves than usual, Briaar was pulling her massive poof of hair into a wild ponytail while leaning down to check in the mirror. "Okay... that shit'll work. I'm not tryin' to date him. Okay, so this is Duncan, right? He's not the nice one that taught you how to fly, right? That was? Quentin?"

The edgy engineer asked, eyebrow cricked as she tried working through Fiona's expansive family tree in her head.

"Wallace taught me how ta fly. Quentin taught me how ta be a wingman. Duncan's... well, he's the big brother, the alpha dog. By the time I come along Da only had a few good years, then Duncan finally got his chance to be the big man o' the clan. He's yuir original big brother- ye've got one too, aye? Ye dinna come from all girls?" Aye, joost picture the eldest and make sure ye know he's in a dick swingin contest wi' the world, and ye've got Duncan to a T." Turning Minne slightly to face the anxious engineer, Fiona cleared her throat lightly. "But have ye seen what an adorable and well-behaved young lady we have with us for tonight's call?"

Somewhat distractedly, Briar turned from the mirror to the sight of Fiona presenting the adorably decked out Minerva who was smiling and bouncing up and down with excitement herself, all the while making a squeaky little mooing sound every time she did. Seeing the sight of the two people she cared for the most in this universe, Briar let a massive smile out and laughed, a throaty buy joyous sound. "HA! Oh my gods, look at you! Who's the absolute cuetest frickin' kidlette in this whole frickin' galaxy!?! That's a rhetorical ass question, 'cuz it's totally YOU! Yes, it is!"

Making grabby hands, Minnie waddled over to Briaar who scooped her up with a smile as the Minotaur child squealed with delight. "Oh, you look so cute. You're Mum did your little braids and put you in such an adorable... oh, you knocked this out of the park, Fee."

"Pish tosh, all I had ta do was put her Sunday best on her. She's adorable all by herself, our Miss Minnie Moo," Fiona declared as she tickled the sensitive spot behind Minnie's hooves. "Alreet, let's go see what Sir Fulla Hisself O'Dell has to say fuir himself..."

Once the call was established, the image came onscreen of Duncan O’Dell. He was a great bear of a man, as tall as Briaar Gavarus’ two-meter height, but far broader shouldered, with a barrel chest and big, muscular arms. While he was in his mid-fifties, his hair was greying at the temples, but his hair and beard were still dark brown, and he still appeared to be quite vital. Seated at a wooden desk that Fiona recognized as her father’s, Duncan was flanked by the Miraposa flag as well as the Bringloidi flag. While behind him a green, white and orange flag of Ireland was displayed, surrounded by a border of the green, gold and crimson of the O’Dell tartan that was in use in the Starfleet couple’s own decorating scheme.

As Fiona sat on the couch, with Minnie beside her and Briaar bookending the toddler, both were clad in their bright blue Starfleet R&D uniforms, while Minnie was in her Sunday best, as Fiona put it. Duncan was clad in a woolen buttoned shirt, with a waistcoat of the O’Dell plaid and while the trio of Hera dwellers were smiling and cheerful, his expression and demeanor most certainly were not. Particularly once he looked up and saw the family tableau arrayed onscreen.

“I called to talk to YOU, Fiona. Nooobody else. I made that QUITE clear in my letter, did I not?” Duncan scowled into the sensor.

“Aye, that ye did, me brother. And-“ Fiona began before he interrupted her.

“Laird. Ye’ll address me by me proper title,” Duncan held up his beefy fist, which bore the signet ring of her father- the symbol of leadership of Clan O’Dell.

“Ah, so ye finally talked Da into passing it along. Congratulations, Laird O’Dell,” Fiona observed without missing a beat.

“Aye, indeed. Now how about you clear the room so you and I kin have a serious conversation?” Duncan O’Dell replied, looking pointedly at Briaar and Minerva. “And before ye tell me innything I kin say to ye I kin say in front of them, I dinna think the same, and I’ll thankye to abide my wishes in this matter.”

Those bright emerald eyes of the little lass from Miraposa narrowed, and it was clear she was considering the request. While she held fast to tradition, she was also quite the rebel in her own way. But she suspected just what this little ‘chat’ was going to be about, and she was considering sparing Briaar and Minnie’s feelings by not letting them hear whatever venom her elevated eldest sibling was about to spew.

Looking down at her pint-sized partner than back up at the holographic representation of Fiona's brother, Briaar pursed her lips slightly and interjected. "Hey there. So, I'm Briaar. Or, ya' know, if we're doing titles and all, it's Ensign Gavarus. See, for us to pull off this kind of real-time communication like this, we have to schedule the whole dang ship to actually shop for a bit. Annnnnd, it ain't the easiest thing to manage, because the ship is always kinda doing important, galaxy saving shit and all."

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Briaar made sure to have a least one bottle of liquid courage in her before this particular call and she was feeling a bit looser. Nowhere near enough to even get her tipsy, but enough to relax her enough to talk. "So, since we're generally pretty busy with our work, what do you say we multi-task and get all the introductions and 'meet the family' moments out of the way while we're all available."

It was clear that the big man bristled at being spoken to thusly, and by the time Briaar finished speaking, the redness had crept up his neck, and his face was somewhat flushed with anger. “First off, ye’re nae kin ta me, swine. You nor yuir pet shaggy there. So how about ye shut right the-“

“Duncan Scott Meyer William Wallace O’Dell, dinna ye even think of finishin that sentence!” Fiona was on her feet, her own face turning rather red as she pointed a finger at the screen, only to be shouted down by the larger man, who was now on his feet as well.

“Or what, Fiona?" The big man opened his hands and spread his arms a bit. "Ye g’win ta gnaw me ankles off, or tell Dad on me? Ye may be the youngest, but yuir not a baby innymore, wee lass. Cross the head of the clan and ye know what kin happen. Now how about ye sit down, get rid of yuir little friends there-“

“Me partner and me daaahter, Duncan,” Fiona interrupted, her voice quiet but firm. Which in turn caused her eldest sibling to completely lost his temper.

“Partner and daughter? PARTNER AND DAUGHTER??! That’s a bloody pig and a cow, Fiona! Yuir lyin with livestock now? Bad enough ye were nae willin’ ta settle down with innyone local and heaven forBID ye should do yuir duty to your birthright and help stabilize the gene pool. But noooo, not our wee Fiona. She’s got ta piss off to the stars so she kin go feck a pig and raise a cow like a child? Fook is the matter with you, ye gombeen?!?” It was abundantly clear just how angry the big man was, and it was at this point that Fiona, still standing, her hands balled into trembling fists at her side, tears welling in her eyes, decided that while her partner and her daughter did not need to know many things in life, they were about to learn one she hoped Minnie would forget.

“Cover hear ears, Briaar,” Fiona growled in a voice like a chihuahua in a dogfight. “Now ye listen ta me, Duncan-“

“NAE I MOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT!” the big man bellowed. “I lead the clan. I am the eldest. I know better, I’ve seen more and I dinna piss off to the stars all because I couldnae get away from my responsibilities-“

“Yuir responsibilities? That’s fookin’ rich comin’ from the likes of ye,” Fiona fairly snarled. “What aboot Father Donald, aye?”

“Ye leave that poor priest oota this, Fiona. Ye and yuir accusations-“ Duncan growled, before Fiona shrieked at him like a banshee.

“ACCUSATIONS? He bloody molested me, ye hypocritical thick goabashite!” Fiona screamed at the screen “And the church covered it oop, and the family bloody let him, and I still had to see the bastard every damned Sunday and Wednesday fuir mass. On top of alla ye makin it oot to be me makin it oop. Then when I fookin proved it, ye blamed ME for it! Aye because 12 year old girls are allays criminal bloody masterminds hell-bent on destroying the reputations of honorable men! Clearly that was the answer since it couldn’t be that he was a fookin pervert who molested kids and ruined their fookin lives, ye muppet!”

"Oh gods, Fee, no..." Briaar gasped as she squeezed Minnie tighter and held out a hand for her partner.

Onscreen, it was clear that Duncan’s anger had settled into a cold rage, even as Fiona was shaking like a leaf, still on her feet, tears streaming down her face. “Why did Fiona piss off to the bloody stars? Maybe it was because I dinna ever want to have somebody touch me like that ever again for the rest of me bloody life! Maybe it was because havin’ to make dinner for me own bloody rapist wasn’t something I looked forward to once every three weeks! Maybe, joost maybe, it was because I wanted to go someplace where they wouldn’t call me the ‘girl who cried wolf’, because better to believe a pedophile than one of your own kith and kin.”

“Ye wanna know why I left, Duncan? It was so’s I’d nivvir have to see his fat smug face again, or hear the whispers behind me back. So’s you idjits would stop bringin boys around to try to paw me up and do nasty things to me. Maybe it was because I dinna want to be a fookin baby incubator ‘for the survival of our people’. Maybe it was joost to get away from you and yuir 'roughhousin', ye selfish prick.” By the end of her diatribe, Fiona was quieter, and it was clear that her anger was spent.

As loathing, rage and impotence snarled across his features, Duncan sat back. “I called to tell you Dad’s dead. That ye should come home for the funeral, because he asked for ye to do it, and for the will reading once we kin find it. But Dad’s nae head of the clan noow, and I am. So I’ll make it easy on ye.”

As Fiona sat down heavily on the couch, as if struck by a physical blow by the news, her brother pressed on, determined to have his say now that his feisty sibling had been silenced.

“Yuir banished, Fiona. Shunned by all and banished from our lands, nae more of our clan. Yuir name will be stricken from the rolls, and we’ll nae recognize ye should ye ever show yuir face. We canna force ye to change yuir name, but know we’ll disavow ye if innyone asks. As of this moment, yuir dead to us, Fiona.” With that, Duncan sat back, folding his hands together on the desk before him. “Have ye innything to say, or is that enough for ye?”

Making almost a purring sound, Minnie's eyes were wide and thick with tears as she clutched up to Fiona, who wrapped her arms protectively around the child, though her eyes never strayed from her brother's face. The minuscule Minotaur might not have understood what was said, but she did understand that her mum was upset, and wanted to help. For her part, Briaar patted their daughter on the head gently, but her own face was red and her eyes narrow as she ground her teeth. "She may not, but I sure as HELL do."

"Look at you? Big, tough badass who didn't stand up for your 12-year-old sister when she needed you. Kicking dirt and holding your breath until you turn blue, trying to show how in control you are." the Briaar stood up, fists clenched, "And as for our daughter, she sure as hell IS an O'Dell. Angus said so, and as far as I'm concerned, that's all I need to know. So if my partner and our daughter decide that we're coming there, then you can cry foul till you pass out, but I don't give a shit."

"Now you lissen here ye fat fook, I dinna care who you think ya are, but I'm a bluiddy Federation citizen!" Duncan rose from his chair to loom over the sensor to point his finger and bellow at Briaar Gavarus, even as Fiona flinched on the couch. As with Fiona, now that he was furious, his accent had come on full force, although every word was quite clear to Briaar Gavarus. "Ensign Troughcleaner's word doesna mean shite on Mariposa- yuir a nobody and I'm a community leader! if I say yuir nae welcome, ye piss right the fook off, shite fuir brains. Because Starfleet works for the Federation, not t'other way round. So yooo kin sit yuir fat piggy arse doown and shut right the fook oop, or I'll have words wi' yuir supervisor, aye? By way of me Federation representative. Stick that up yuir snout and smoke it, pigface!"

Glancing over her shoulder, Briar saw Fiona flinch and her eyes narrowed as her cheeks reddened. "Yeah, no. You looked the other way. She was HURT and you ignored her! Don't you f***ing DARE think you can talk to her like that! You wanna tell our Captain that you're denying her officer access to a Federation world? You wanna tell our Captain that you're not gonna let her new favorite pilot go to her frickin' father's funeral because she wouldn't be a frickin' baby factory for your effed up little bullshit colony?! You go right the f*** ahead, you hairy backwater Sasquatch-looking piece of shit!"

"You wanna open that shitstorm or should I, buddy? 'Cuz, frankly, I'm kinda looking forward to what she would say to you!" Then Briaar stepped closer to the screen and shouted. "Or maybe you can tell our Captain what you did to her when she was a kid? 'Cuz I'm looking at you... and you didn't just ignore her, you hurt her too, didn't you? That's why she flinches?"

"Briaar..." Fiona whispered, shaking her head as she literally had Minnie's ears covered. When she spoke, her voice quavered as tears rolled down her cheeks, her face a mixture of so many conflicting emotions. "The wee one shouldnae know of sooch things, aye?"

"I'll have yuir bloody ears for my dogs..." Duncan O'Dell snarled coldly to the angry Tellarite, before there was a sudden split-screen effect, and on half the screen was Captain Enalia Telvan. Briaar hadn't expected the Captain to be listening, and in truth, she was only hoping the woman that she and Fiona drank with and we only just starting to get a measure of, would intervene on their behalf.

"It seems I have business with you after all, Duncan... yadda yadda yadda... O'Dell," the Trill woman began, staring at a PaDD rather than sparing him a glance. "As Captain of the USS Hera, a request has been made for me to meet with you in person by a representative of the Federation Council regarding recent unsavory allegations. On top of that, as your communications are going over Starfleet systems, this automatically gives consent to monitoring."

Captain Telvan then dropped the PaDD and merely shifted her eyes towards the screen without moving any other muscles. "I was the one monitoring your call. Our time is precious and you have squandered much of it with your intolerance and hatred towards your own family. As a mother as well, this is most displeasing to me as I place family above all else, and I consider my crew to also be my family."

The spotted woman then leaned in a bit closer, punctuating her words carefully to make sure he caught her meaning. "In other words, the Federation for some reason have requested that we meet with you... And we're an intel starship that deal with the nastiest, darkest, scariest evils of the galaxy to make them go away so people like you can sleep comfortably at night thinking you've got the biggest... Whatever your race has for genitals. Do you understand your position?"

The eyes of the angry Irishman narrowed as he leaned into the sensor a bit. "Are ye threatenin' me, little lassie?"

Eyes wide, Briaar sat down on the couch on the other side of little Minnie, adding her own hands on top of Fiona's own to cover the miniature Minotaur's ears as she whispered, "Ooooohhhhhhhh shit."

Enalia leaned in as well, her eyes also narrowing as her prodigious bosom pressed against her desk to prove just how 'little' she was not. "I do not threaten, Community Leader O'Dell. I state facts. And the facts before you are that your representative on the Federation Council has routed a personal message to my desk asking me to move not only the top secret starship, and all the crew Starfleet has placed under my command, to investigate the circumstances surrounding your ascension to your current position... but to involve any other assets I may have at my disposal as well at my discretion."

“Wait… are ye sayin yuir g’win ta investigate ME?!?” the red-faced Miraposian hissed. “Ye think I had something to do with the death‘a me father? You little bi-“

“Duncan, dinna ye finish that word if ye value yuir manhood in any way shape or form,” Fiona O’Dell cut in. “Aye, ye wanted to smack the hornet’s nest, this is what happens. Ye may be the biggest swingin deck in town, but this is a big damn galaxy, and it sounds like yuir about to find that out the hard way. Noow, I am g’win ta ask you one time… once. I’m g’win ta give ye a chance to come clean, because ye’ve got the captain’s eye now, and the truth is GOING to come oot. Did…. Did ye have innything to do with Da’s… death?”

While she got the words out, it was obviously an effort for Fiona to verbalize the loss of her father, which she had learned of quite abruptly a moment ago. Now the fact that the Captain was explaining that an investigation was to take place, it roused her suspicions.

The response was less than she’d hoped for, sadly.

“How DARE you, runt!” the red-faced bear of a man roared. “I dinna answer ta you, yeh little bitch, nor yuir Starfleet nor yuir bloody meddling Captain. I’ll not have me honor impugned by such baseless accusations and perfidity. Ye’ll be hearing from me Federation representative alreet, and ye’d best be ready for an earful, the lot of ye!”

“Ah canna help but notice ye dinna deny it, Duncan,” Fiona stated flatly, then she turned back to the captain on split screen. “Captain?”

Without missing a beat, Enalia recomposed herself and picked her PaDD back up. "As per our request from Representative Father Kelly Duncan Doyle Walsh O'Reilly the Third..." Here she paused at the absurdity of the name before continuing on. "The USS Hera is to now make best speed towards Mariposa to investigate Community Leader O'Dell and the related administration for corruption, wrongdoing, and other illicit activities listed in addendum A."

The Trill captain then clicked at the PaDD multiple times, scrolling through the addendum, her eyes widening in mock surprise. "That is quite the lengthy addendum..."

Setting the PaDD back down, the spotted woman folded her hands together as if this were just another casual meeting. "Ensign O'Dell, at your leisure, please report to the bridge and set a course for your homeworld, warp factor nine point five. That should place our arrival time at around six days from now, I believe."

“Aye mum,” O’Dell nodded, her face a grim mask. “We’re done here.”

“We most certainly are NOT-“ was the shouted reply, before Fiona O’Dell cut the feed, ending the call prematurely. Turning back to her partner and her child, Fiona tried to summon up a brave smile, but failed miserably. Squeezing her furry bovine babe closely, she leaned into the tall Tellarite, unable to stifle her sobs. “At… at least he got to meet ye once…”

Looking down, the anger on Briaar's face evaporated into sympathy as she wrapped her thick arms around both Minnie and Fiona, both of whom were crying. For her part, the temperamental Tellarite was starting to let her own tears out in the moment. "Oh gods, Fee. Fee, I'm... I'm so sorry. I... I had no idea. I... I'm so sorry."

The young engineer wanted to hop into the Thunderchicken herself and fly there in advance and kick Duncan's ass in it. She wanted to rage and scream for the pain her love was feeling at everything that had just been said. She wanted to do something, but all she could do was to be there, to hold them both, and cry along with her patchwork family.

A family that was now minus one patriarch- a man who had seen the unusual life his daughter had chosen, and given his blessing to the odd little family. A family now in mourning, for the loss they had been dealt so casually.

While he didn’t realize it, Duncan O’Dell’s problems had only just begun.