Chapter Text
“Well, this certainly puts the Enterprise’s arboretum to shame.” Bones commented upon entering Alli’s garden. Jim could only nod his head in agreement. He had come to visit with Pippa, as he had promised, only to find that she wasn’t with the other children. Interface met him at the entrance to the Wanderer and had guided them here. He had then given them a small tracking device that would lead them to the girl.
“This place is amazing! The amount of medicinal plants alone makes this a treasury! I can’t believe that Alli had this place all along and never knew it.” Bones said as he used his tricorder to identify the flora around them.
“Interface thinks that this place acts as a sort of lung for the whole Pocket. I can believe it.” Jim commented as they made their way down the path. The air was fragrant and invigorating, filled with heady aromas. “I wonder why Pippa is here instead of with the other children.”
“It makes perfect sense. That girl is part Callosian, and needs the light to be healthy. Alli told me that there are sentient trees here that are watching over Pippa. Not to mention that she put one of those mini tics on the girl. She is being monitored almost as well as Alli herself.” Bones mentioned as they climbed the hill.
“Oh, what do you mean by that?” Jim wanted to know. He was astonished at the panorama that was laid out before him. There was nearly a kilometer of visible foliage on almost every side of the hill, and it almost seemed to have a desert environment in the distance.
“Well, between that device in her jaw linking her to Interface, Spock in her head, you, me, Scotty and now that giant Kiff, Alliandra is never without someone watching her every move. If it were me I would be going bonkers. She just takes it in stride, and even facilitates it. She had me remove one of those faulty tics from her jaw and implant a newer, better model just this morning. I thought about telling her no, but then I realized that when she said that it was awkward to do surgery on your own face, she most likely knew from experience.”
The tracking device indicated that they needed to cross a large meadow of flowers, and the both of them set off.
“I did see her framed medical degree. She was a surgeon for a time, somewhere and some-when.” Jim said with a smile. Bones looked at him with wide eyes.
“She never said, but with her grasp of medicine, it doesn’t surprise me.” He replied with a shake of his head. “She is full of surprises.”
“That is part of what I love about her.” Jim replied.
They reached the edge of the meadow, and stood looking up at a large forest of trees whose leaves seemed to sway in a nonexistent breeze. McCoy stepped forward a bit.
“We are here to visit with Pippa, and we would like to get to know you. I am Leonard McCoy, Chief Medical Officer of the Enterprise, and this is Captain James Kirk of the same ship. We are friends of Alliandra.” The both of them were a bit startled when the branches between the trees in front of them moved aside, creating an isle for them to move through. Jim exchanged a glance with Bones, and then led the way into the forest. The way was dim and cool, but filled with the smell of growing things. Soon the isle led them to a clearing that rang out with girlish giggles. Pippa was swinging on a branch that was held out by one of the trees. She wasn’t far off the ground, and she seemed to be enjoying herself. When she saw him she waved happily.
“Captain, Doctor! Did you come to meet my new family?” Pippa asked excitedly. Jim noticed how healthy she looked. Her skin glowed with vitality, and her once yellow hair seemed golden now. The branch lowered her to the ground and she bounded over to them. He swept her up and held her so he could talk to her face to face.
“Your new family? I don’t think I understand.”
“We are to raise the girl. Admiral Costack agrees that this is where she belongs” A breathy female voice said from the vicinity of the trees. This news startled Jim more than the fact that the trees could talk. This wasn’t his first sentient plant he had conversed with, after all.
“Who is “we”?” He asked. These trees were not of any variety that he had met.
“We are the Sevlel. We were brought here as seeds. Pippa will be well cared for.” The voice told him. Then another voice from a different tree spoke up.
“Alliandra will guide the girl in the ways of the humans, and we will nurture the rest of her. We are her family.”
“That is an excellent arrangement for Pippa.” Bones said, but he glanced at Jim, obviously wondering how he felt about it.
“I thought it was.” Admiral Costack said from behind them. Jim turned to see the man emerge from the branches. He was coming from a different angle than they had come, so had obviously been exploring.
“Pippa, I need to talk with the Admiral. Why don’t you show Dr. McCoy around for a bit?” Jim told the girl. She kissed his cheek as he set her on the ground.
“Come see the stream!” She said eagerly and took Bones by the hand. They soon vanished among the branches, and Costack beckoned Jim to follow him out of the trees. He followed the Admiral out with a bit of trepidation. Whatever this man was about to say next would determine the direction his own future would take. He only hoped that it would be something he and Alli could live with.
Alli walked down the corridors of the Enterprise, smiling and chatting with those she passed. She mused that her apparent death two days ago had given her a temporary popularity amongst the crew. Everyone wanted to know how she pulled it off, and she just shrugged. The truth was too strange to believe, and she didn’t wish to lie. More than a few knowing glances were shot her way when she arrived on deck five, but she didn’t let on that she noticed.
“Alli!” The deep voice of Sulu stopped her. He was walking with a few other officers, but when he saw her he excused himself.
“Hello Sulu. How is the mop up effort going?” She asked.
“As well as can be expected. I just wanted to tell you that those weapon improvements were amazing. They enabled us to drive off the Cardassians without batting an eye. You did an excellent job under trying circumstances, and I told that to Admiral Costack too.” He told her with a smile.
“He was asking about me?” She asked as she continued down the hall. He kept in step with her.
“Well, after I told him how I had confided in you, he begun to ask some pointed questions. Don’t worry. Your actions saved a lot of lives, including his. I am sure he knows that.”
“I am not too worried at this point. I will just continue to follow my orders, and see where that leads me.” She told him.
“Good plan. So, when can we have another fencing match?” He asked.
“She has plans tonight Mr. Sulu. I’m sure you and she can fence another time.” Jim said from behind them.
“Of course sir. Good evening.” Sulu said, and gave her a quick wink. Alli laughed at that, but echoed him.
“So, you managed to make it without a child tagging along. How did you do it?” Jim asked her with a playful tone as he took her hand in his and continued down the corridor.
“I seem to have a large number of volunteers to stay with them for the evenings. Nurse Chapel is with them now, and Uhura is going to help after she is done with her duties. I am free and clear for the next several hours.” She told him flirtatiously.
“That is the best news I’ve heard all day.” He replied with a twinkle in his eye. “By the way, I thought that I should tell you that my Chief Engineer has a bone to pick with you.” Jim said as he guided her into his quarters.
“Oh, and why would the estimable Scotsman be upset with me?” She asked as he pulled her into his arms.
“According to him, you made sure that he had nothing to fix on the Enterprise, so he has been force to repair the other damaged vessels. He says that they are nothing compared to the Enterprise, and that next time, leave him something to do so he can earn his keep.” Jim tried to keep his face stern, but the smile crept through at the end.
“Yes, well, the old girl and I had a right good chance to bond. It is always best when women share a man that they are friendly about it. Otherwise there is resentment.” She said playfully.
“Is that so?” He asked.
“Oh yes. She is a bit more demanding than I am, but I have a few things she doesn’t. As a team we can make sure that you are more than satisfied.”
“What do you have that the Enterprise does not?” Jim asked as she nuzzled his neck with her lips.
“I have warm pliant flesh, and a wicked sense of humor.” Alli told him, and then began to use her teeth gently.
“Most women wouldn’t share their man with such a demanding rival.” He said, and Alli was amazed he was still talking.
“Well, most women don’t love their men the way I love you. I’m sure that makes a difference.” She told him, moving back a touch to look into his eyes.
“That is all I needed to hear.” He whispered, and then they were too busy for words.
“Admiral Costack, you wished to see me sir?” Kiff asked as he was admitted to the briefing room that Costack had turned into his temporary office. The Admiral waved him over to one of the chairs and indicated that he should sit.
“Lieutenant Kiff, I wanted to see you because you are being given a very special assignment.” Costack started, and Kiff could feel the beat of excitement those words provoked in him.
“Yes sir.” He prompted when the Admiral didn’t speak for a few moments.
“As you will recall, the reason you were assigned here was to find the source of the alien infiltration of the Federation. It just so happened that you found the wrong group of aliens, but that enabled the source to be identified.” Costack’s green eyes, an unusual color to Kiff, met his.
“So she is the one in those security feeds?” He asked with a sinking feeling. He had rather come to respect the little human.
“Yes, that was her, but we didn’t see the entire picture. She was there to stop the actual invasion. I have learned that Alliandra Harroya is not a liability, but a valuable asset. One that must stay a secret. Everything that you have learned of her in your investigation that is not in her public file is considered Classified. With the exception of Captain Kirk, Commander Spock, Doctor McCoy, and Lieutenant Commander Scott, and myself you will not be allowed to speak of this to anyone.” The stern look on the Admiral’s pale face did little to intimidate Kiff, but this man too had earned his respect so also had the right to be obeyed.
“I understand sir.” He said when the Admiral seemed to be expecting him to speak.
“Until further notice, I am assigning you to the Enterprise. You will be the new Chief of Security. As far as anyone else is concerned, it is a reward for your efforts to rescue me. Your assignment is to keep tabs on Lieutenant Harroya. Assist her if required. She needs to be protected and nurtured, without her knowledge of said protection. As you know, she is not an ordinary human. I only recently learned how far from ordinary she is. You will also keep me apprised of any new talents she seems to display. Earn her trust.” Costack told him.
“What if she turns out to be a threat? I have read the reports of humans who have done terrible things with only a fraction of the powers she seems to have.” Kiff asked. He didn’t really believe that Alliandra was a threat, but he also knew that things could change.
“I am developing a contingency plan for that possibility. I just hope that it won’t be necessary to employ it. For now, you will act on the assumption that she has the best interest of the Federation in mind. Her abilities must be hidden if she is to act in our behalf. If this situation with the Chlotair and the Cardassians is any indication, she will be necessary to the future of this quadrant.”
Kiff’s original assignment to the Enterprise had been prompted by a grainy and heavily corrupted visual feed of an unknown female controlling a room full of people, and the Admiral’s own reoccurring nightmares. The only clue to the female’s identity was the fact that Captain Kirk could be seen in a part of the video. Kiff had studied that video for days, and while on the Enterprise had spent his time annoying the females on board. He had narrowed it down to two possibilities when he began to notice the Chlotair’s interference. That the one person he had decided was the one in the video had turned out to be worth more than seven Rustarian warriors had made him a bit worried. Hearing the news that Alli had been working to stop an invasion, instead of causing one, made him respect her all the more.
“What of the events in the station core? What is the official story?” He asked.
“The official story is that the Cardassian officer inadvertently activated an explosive device, which was then disarmed by Commander Spock with Lieutenant Harroya’s assistance. The footage you were able to capture will be deemed classified. No one is to know of the unusual bond between Spock and Alliandra.”
“I will act as you command sir.” Kiff assured the Admiral. He remembered seeing the raw emotion that the Vulcan first officer had expressed when he thought Alliandra was gone. What was it about her that inspired people to such devotion? Even those that didn’t know of her special nature treated her with respect and friendship. He now had the chance to find out the answers to that mystery.
The candle flame flickered on the small table where Spock had placed it. He sat and focused his thoughts, using the candle as a beacon. He had an extreme need to meditate, but this had been his first opportunity since the Chlotair had captured him. He visualized his normal setting; a calm, orderly room filled with music from a Vulcan harp.
He sorted through his thoughts and began to organize them, categorize them, and bury what needed buried. After a few moments, he realized that he wasn’t alone in this space. Alliandra’s mind had joined him.
When she was part of his meditation, his calm, orderly room often morphed to resemble the Core room on the Wanderer. It was no different this time, as the image of her sitting calmly across from him filled his mind’s eye. In this trancelike setting, their dialog was not much different than a normal conversation, with the exception that words were not the only means of communication. It was because of this that he realized that he was seeing, not Alliandra’s human mind, but her Alien subconscious. The suppressed memories of his last conversation with this aspect of her swam to the surface of his mind, and he took a moment to remember.
She was again moving images in and out of the core, sorting through Alliandra’s thoughts and keeping the human portion of the woman sane.
“I tried to give you freedom.” She finally said. The mental flash of that moment when his bond to Alli was severed rocked around the room.
“It was you that freed my emotions from my control, wasn’t it?” He asked calmly, firmly keeping said emotions locked in their vault.
“Yes, I took your human side and gave it free reign for a time. I knew that you would not fully appreciate the gift I would give you without both aspects of your nature engaged.” Alli’s eyes looked at him, but they held the glow of the other intelligence.
“Which gift are you referring to?” He asked, needing clarification.
“Why, the gift of freedom. Since I had forged the bond between you and myself without considering your needs in the matter, I found myself experiencing guilt. While Alliandra needs you to guide and anchor her, you had determined that the bond was a burden. In time that could end up damaging her when she needs you. Admittedly, you are the ideal choice of mental guides for her, but you are not the only possibility. So I gave you the gift of freedom, while I made sure that you would be capable of understanding exactly the toll that gift would have on you.”
Spock absorbed that concept. His emotions had been intense, but he had also been aware of the logic of his actions. He had been operating as both human and Vulcan when he had decided to renew the bond.
“I chose to reject your gift.” He stated.
“And in doing, you forged a bond stronger than the one I had created. I will not be able to release it again.” She confirmed. Behind her, a swirling representation of the Vortex hovered, and Spock’s eyes were drawn to it.
“Why is that here?” He asked.
“I am trying to mitigate the damage Alli caused to herself by entering the Temporal Vortex. I tried to keep her from entering, but her will to keep her friends safe was stronger. That Vortex has affected her other aspect, the part of her that is from the Time Lord. Now she will be able to experience events fifth dimensionally. All possible permutations of future events will be seeable by her, as well as every possible event that occurred to create the moment she is in. I am attempting to create a way for her to ignore these visions, or at the very least, to function adequately despite knowing what her actions lead to. I am afraid that she may not be strong enough to cope.”
“I will help her.” Spock said, knowing that he had accepted the challenge before it was presented as such.
“When these episodes occur, you will need to tie her to the present moment somehow. Guide her until she can see the correct path. She will possibly begin to second guess herself because of this ability, but you must not let her falter. She will need to be strong when the time comes.”
Spock sensed an undercurrent that he couldn’t identify. There was much more that this subconscious version of Alliandra was aware of, but he could not grasp it.
“You refer to a future event with trepidation I can feel. What is it?”
“Another entity, similar to what I was before I became Alliandra, is attempting to sculpt this section of the fabric of reality to suite her whims. She is powerful, but limited; acting through physical beings to accomplish her wishes. As she sees her plans fail, she will increase the scope of her actions.” Alliandra’s hands shook, and Spock could feel a trace of fear from her.
“You are afraid. Why?” He asked.
“Your concepts of reality and relationships are limited to what you know, so I will attempt to put it into a context you will understand. This entity is my twin. She is the darkness to my light. She is opposite to me in almost every way. She has no morality; accepts no limits; and craves without satisfaction. I tried to stop her and was nearly destroyed. That is what led me to bond with three other life forms to create Alliandra. We each have a measure of power. Perhaps the four of us together will be strong enough to win the struggle. Unfortunately, Alliandra needs time to reach her full abilities. This process cannot be rushed. If it were, her mind would be unable to maintain control over all of the different aspects that make up her whole. Her humanity is what makes all of the other parts cooperate, and must be dominant.”
“You fear that her maturation will not be complete before she will have to face this twin of yours.” Spock said, cutting to the heart of the matter.
“Yes. I am continuing to guide her toward events and situations that develop her skills. I almost pushed her too hard when she absorbed the rift energy. The true knowledge of her fourth aspect would have been too much for her to bear at this stage. I had to hide that memory from her.”
“Fascinating. How much time will have to pass for her to reach this stage of readiness you hope for? She is already over six hundred years old.” Spock pointed out. He was of a long lived people, but he doubted strongly that he would live long enough to see her through this process.
His thoughts were clear to her, and she shook her head.
“Her ability to heal and regenerate will have an effect on you.” She told him ambiguously. “I do not know for certain how long the process will take.” She said, referring to his question.
Spock thought about all that she had told him, and decided that there was one item that didn’t seem to have a proper fit.
“I can see why I am needed. Jim is the person who is most likely to bring out her humanity, so he is necessary. Doctor McCoy and Mr. Scott are vital for the friendship they offer. But what part does the Interface play in this?” Alliandra’s glowing eyes crinkled as the representation of her smiled.
“He was a fortunate accident. It is proof that more are aware of the problem and are attempting to find answers. He was created by a Timelord. His program is in actuality a copy of a Timelord brain; an exact duplicate of its creator. The box that contains his program is bigger on the inside, much like the Pocket itself, as both are created by the same technology. He is the one who can guide Alli in the ways of the Timelords, if that ever becomes necessary. It is only fitting that he was installed inside the T.A.R.D.I.S. portion of Alliandra’s personality.” She told him. The unfamiliar term clarified itself in the unvocal communication they shared.
Time And Relative Dimension In Space, the technical definition of the ship that was part of Alliandra. It represented an acronym and a name at the same time.
“I will have no memory of this conversation, will I?” Spock asked.
“It is too dangerous. It will remain in your subconscious, guiding you, yet safe from Alliandra hearing the truth before she is ready. As a way to make up for that sublimation of memory, you will wake from your meditation feeling extremely steady and refreshed.” She told him.
“For that, I thank you.” He said. He could feel himself surfacing from his meditation, and the substance of what he had been thinking about evaporated like fog in the sun.
The days weren’t always smooth, as the children were still dealing with the emotional trauma and pain of losing their parents and being captured by aliens, but Alliandra was glad that they were with her. They had been in her care for over four weeks now, as the Enterprise had been busy moving personnel and equipment around Federation space. Almost all of the captured people needed to be ferried back to their assignments, some of which were stationed at the deep space outpost. Starships and smaller craft had to be taken to Starbases to be repaired, locked in the tractor beams of the ships that were functioning.
The Chlotair people that had surrendered to the Federation were being relocated to a suitable colony planet. Since there were so many of them, several trips had to be made to get them all there. Alli had volunteered the Wanderer to house them all, but Admiral Costack had turned her down. He told her that, considering the nature of the young ship, Aliens that were not yet fully trusted by the federation had no business aboard it.
She had been reassured by Jim that Costack intended to keep her abilities a secret. He had added a few conditions and rules to the situation, but they were nothing that she couldn’t deal with. The first condition was that Pippa would be made her ward. She would be officially adopted by Jake and Kailee Harroya, but would stay on the Wanderer with the sentient trees. Trust a diplomat to give her exactly what she wanted and tell her it was a condition of his silence, she had thought at the time.
The second condition was that Kiff would be her new shadow. That one was a bit more annoying, but she accepted with as much grace as she could. At least she would have an opponent to practice against that would provide a bit of a challenge.
The third condition was that she would supply Costack with her more useful inventions to be used by the Federation. He had been thrilled with her com pins, and wanted to make them standard issue. She just needed to find a power supply that would be readily available in this reality. Despite the fact she had an entire room full of Star Rubies, she wasn’t about to tell him that. Once she had shown him her workshop, Costack had drilled her for hours about her technical expertise and various creations.
It was a good thing that she could be two places at once, because he had been monopolizing her time so much. He had been stunned when she had opened a door-way and had stepped back in time to the beginning of the day, leaving him in Interface’s care. When he had come out of the concealed area, he had run into her leading the children off to the exercise rooms. Mark had sworn that she had been with them all day.
Now, after most of the details of the aftermath had been attended to, they were finally on course to Castera. Kailee and Jake Harroya were due to beam up as soon as they attained orbit. When she had told them of the children, Kailee had understood immediately. Considering how Alli had cared for her when she had been orphaned as an infant, she was more than willing to pay it forward and welcome these children to her family. It helped that she knew that Alli would be bending time to spend as much time with them as she could. Jake, being an excellent father, (and also understanding Alli as he did), didn’t fight the inevitable. He just begun adding extra rooms onto their colony house. Admiral Costack had personally enforced the placement of the children with this family, bypassing many tiresome regulations that would have been more hindrance than help.
At the moment, Alli was sitting with the children in the midst of the sentient trees. They were saying goodbye to Pippa in their own way, playing with her and telling stories together. She wanted to reassure them that Pippa would be a regular part of their lives, as she would travel to see them with Alli, but they were still unaware of her powers. She decided that Jake and Kailee could tell them what they needed to know.
The sound of approaching voices told her that they had arrived. Jim had promised to escort them to her garden as soon as they beamed aboard the Enterprise. The familiar face of the girl she had raised popped through the trees. In that moment, every memory that she had of Kailee, from the dirty wailing infant wedged beneath a fallen building, to the woman who had clapped at her graduation from Starfleet Academy, flashed across her mind’s eye. She looked good for a forty something mother of seven, but Alli was saddened to see the age that had creeped upon her once youthful face. It had been weeks since she had been able to visit them, as she normally spent several days a week there. Time travel was exceptionally useful, but she had been careful since the Chlotair had invaded.
“Aunt Alli! This place is amazing!” Kailee told her, forgetting in her excitement that she was supposed to be the older one. Alli didn’t care and stood up to embrace her family. Jake was right behind his wife, and his heavily accented voice drifted to her ears.
“Now dear, I think you are getting senile in your old age. Our daughter might look like your aunt, but she is definitely too young for such a title.” He told Kailee with his Aussie drawl.
“Ello Mate!” Alliandra greeted Jake in an identical accent, prompting an exuberant hug from the man.
“Oh, Jake! You know that no one cares about such things in this place.” Kailee said with a laugh.
Jim took Alli’s hand and smiled happily at the visitors. Alliandra nearly burst with laughter when Jake took one look at their clasped hands and got his protective father face on. He placed his hand on Jim’s shoulder and indicated that they should step aside to talk. Jim shrugged and went with him, and Alli finally let the laughter fall. The children, wondering what all the excitement was about, ran over to see the new arrivals.
The next hour was spent happily with the people she cared for. This time allowed the children to get used to the idea that she wasn’t abandoning them, but entrusting them into the care of people she trusted. She had been preparing them for this transition for the last few days, and was glad that they seemed to adjust so easily.
When it was time for the children to be taken to their new home, Pippa got a bit teary, but several of the Sevlel wrapped her in their branches, and she was soon smiling.
“Come along dears!” Kailee sang as she lifted Jot in her arms. Cord, not to be outdone, had managed to wrangle a ride in Jake’s arms. Mike led the way while Alli walked with Elsa and Pat. Rake and Connor each took one of Jim’s hands as he brought up the rear, and they all made their way towards the exit of the garden.
“I don’t see any coffee plants young lady.” Jake told her as he looked around.
“I can offer two possibilities. Either this ship knows that the best coffee can be found growing only on soil cared for by you and so none dared to grow here, or we just haven’t found them yet.” She quipped. “Speaking of which, I was hoping to get a few bags of the dark roast while we were here.”
“We already gave the box to the doctor who met us in the transporter room. He promised to see that you got it later.” Jake told her.
“Which means that he plans to help himself to a bag or two first.” Jim said with a laugh.
“Considering that I was planning on giving him his choice of first pick, that isn’t really a problem. He just beat me to the punch.”
“You do know that Lucy will be cross with you for not mentioning this relationship between you and her beloved Captain Kirk.” Kailee told her, after having moved back to walk beside her. Alli could see Jim’s shoulders shake from his silent laughter.
“Yes, and she will be even more cross to find out that she sat at the same table as him and didn’t even know it.” Alli said in a low tone. Kailee gasped, having heard the story of the man in disguise who impersonated her husband. Her youngest daughter had helped Alliandra and this mystery man to do something important, but the details were scarce.
“You mean that Captain Kirk had a Jake face? Did he get the accent right?” She whispered, but her voice carried anyway.
“No, after I tried, Alli told me not to talk. Australian accents are harder than I thought.” Jim quipped, and Jake gave him a friendly slap on the back.
“Too right mate! To be honest, I play the accent up a bit, just to make people listen to me talk. If you sound exotic enough, they hang on every word. Just look at Alli and a Scots accent. I can’t remember how many times she took us to Scotland, just to listen to them roll their arrs.” He said that with a dramatic rolling of the sound.
“I had wondered why she found listening to my Chief Engineer so enthralling.” Jim insisted. They had exited the garden and climbed onto the carriage, which Alli had redesigned with Mark’s input. It now resembled a carnival ride, but it still got them down the corridor in a fraction of the time it would have taken to walk.
Interface met them at the end of the corridor, and Alli was happy to introduce him to the Harroyas.
“Your son, Al, asked me to give you a message.” Interface told them. A hologram of Al appeared next to him and activated.
“Mom, Dad, sorry I wasn’t able to stick around to see you and say hello. As you could guess, there has been lots to do, and we just got our new ship up and running. I promise to drop you a line as soon as I can. Until then, Interface assures me that this hologram of me can hug you, so come and get it!” Kailee gave the image of her son a hug.
“Wow! It even smells like him! This tech is great!” Kailee said.
The corridors were quiet now. All of the temporary residents had been taken to their homes or assignments. As the others moved off toward the exit, Alli glanced at Interface.
“I would think that this would be a good time to slip away.” He told her, via her jaw tic.
“Yes, I will ask her to hide after I close the door. I hope she will do as I wish.” She whispered, so only he could hear.
“I have confidence in your persuasive abilities.” He told her and his hologram smiled.
“Come on Aunt Alli! I want to see our new home!” Elsa insisted, pulling her along to catch up with the others. Alli laughed as she was towed out the door. The children were met by those who had helped in their care over the last weeks, and the leave taking gave her a chance to stand next to the Wanderer. She placed her hand on the warm skin of the outer shell and projected her thought into the living ship. She stepped back as the Pocket slipped out of phaze, leaving a slight sigh behind her as she vanished.
“Testing; can you hear me?” She whispered, hoping that she wouldn’t have to recalibrate her jaw tic to account for the phaze effect.
“Yes, I hear you. Now take those kids home.” Interface said in her ear.
The tall silver cylinder vanished, and Jim watched Alli’s face as she looked at the children. He couldn’t always read her expressions, but this one he felt that he could identify. In other situations, Alliandra would be the one who adopted all of these children. She would have taken them to her private planet, C-Terra, and raise them herself. That something stopped her from doing that very thing almost worried him. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t accomplish the task and return almost before she left. For her, the time passed wouldn’t matter as she had a perfect memory and could pick up where she left off. The fact that she would be doing a small variation of that with these children reassured him though. She would be living a lot of days twice, he figured.
The idea that she would be raising one of the children, with the help of a forest, did give him pause. He knew that she didn’t expect him to help or get involved with Pippa overly much, as she wasn’t necessarily his problem. Being a father wasn’t something he had thought of much; his career in Starfleet had always been his priority. But, being involved with a time traveler did open up a few extra possibilities in his life. He could still be the Captain, and at the same time, carve out a personal life for himself. Besides, he thought to himself, he had grown rather fond of little Pippa. He could do worse for a daughter.
As the purpose of this mission was entirely about getting the children situated in their new home, Jim beamed down with them. He was curious to see the coffee plantation that was responsible for all of the tasty brews he had been able to sample. That Alliandra’s entire available adopted family was there to meet the new additions gave him a chance to meet those in whom Alli had invested so much of herself.
As evening fell on the colony world, Jim stepped outside the house and gazed out over the plantation. The beautiful surroundings and the fragrant air felt invigorating, and Jim felt the stress of the last weeks finally drop off his shoulders. He hadn’t realized how wound up he had been. With that thought in mind, he pulled out his communicator.
“Kirk to Enterprise.”
“Enterprise, Spock here.” Came the response.
“Spock, I believe a twenty four hour shore leave is in order. We don’t have any pressing assignments from Starfleet, do we?” As he spoke, he felt Alliandra move up beside him and wrap her arm around his waist.
“Negative Captain.” Spock confirmed.
“In that case work out an acceptable crew rotation. I think everyone could use a little break.” He commanded. He looked down at the chocolate eyes of the beautiful woman beside him.
“I will do so immediately. Am I to assume that you will be staying planet side?” Spock asked.
“You assume correctly. Kirk out.” He flipped the communicator closed and put it away. Alli snuggled into his arms as they stood watching the sun set over the growing coffee plants. He was happy, he realized. This remarkable woman beside him had filled all of the holes in his life that he had ignored for so long. He knew that a life with her would not be easy. She managed to attract dangerous situations like a black hole attracted light. But he was never one to enjoy boredom anyway.
“A penny for your thoughts.” She said quietly, her breath whispering across his neck.
“My thoughts are worth more than that, but for you, I’ll let you have them for free.” He told her. She smiled up at him, and he ran his hand through her soft brown hair.
“How about you share them with me on the way to the guest house? It’s where I stay when I am here, and it is nice and private.”
That idea sounded just right to him, and he allowed her to lead him away.
Again, her plans had failed. How hard could it be to erase an insignificant stain? Several times she had tried to remake this reality. Something was opposing her, she could sense it, but she couldn’t identify the source. She had destroyed all of the possible competition to her sister’s realm, including her sister.
The mighty being, who at this moment resembled one of the lowly humans she was trying to erase, examined the base reality that governed the others in the chain. The source of the opposition was there. All of the secondary realities that echoed that one continued to play out the unraveling of her plans.
It might take her time, but she would identify the problem. After all, one always had to do a bit of demolition and redecorating in order to make a new place feel like home.