Hello Again

Posted on 31 May 2023 @ 8:20pm by Master Chief Petty Officer Mila Rasputin & Commodore (Brevet) Harvey Geisler & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler

2,694 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Return to Razmena
Location: Geisler Quarters
Timeline: June 14, 2390 || 0700 hours

"I am being gone only a matter of weeks and this place, this ship...it is being gone into head,": Mila said as she stormed about the Captain's Ready Room on the Black Hawk-B. B, indeed. She hadn't been fully used to the Century class, but the trip through time broke it. There was a directive in place, multiple ones actually, to prevent such things from happening, but the universe didn't listen.

She started to pick up a PADD, then couldn't take it any more. Harvey and Joey were on the ship and she was cleaning up the mess that Harvey had left on his desk. She should have been beating down the door to their quarters as soon as she had gotten back to the ship. With a nod, she tossed the PADD she had been holding onto Harvey's couch and left the Ready Room at a determined march.

Once she exited the turbolift on Deck Nine - which she was glad hadn't changed, she headed to the Captain and wife's quarters. She glared at the buttons on the console. There was no bang bang button, so she pressed the button to announce her presence instead since beating on the door likely wouldn't be heard, either.

Alison, who was on the floor playing with some larger sized Lego style blocks, looked toward the door when the chime chirped on their side of the door. She gasped, her eyes going wide as her mouth formed a little 'o'. The toddler was on her feet and running toward her father. "Dada! See!" The little girl demanded as she pointed to the door.

Jameson was up on his feet in seconds, too, rushing toward the door. "Me see!" He didn't even seem to mind that Rico and Pequeno were now eating his abandoned crackers.

Harvey had been sitting on the couch, padd in hand as usual. He did not look up from the padd (if he had, he would have seen the small, haphazard pile of display devices on the coffee table) when he simply said, "Come in." It was then that he realized that he really didn't know who would be on the other side of the door, so he looked up as it opened.

The visage that awaited him was and wasn't a surprise. A couple days ago, he'd come across a vital bit of knowledge. It took some elbow grease and a few bribes, but he was able to make a trade with Gavara. Somehow, he'd convinced Gavara that this trade would aid in their overall state of security. After all, if Harvey was allowed to focus, then this pirate problem could actually not become a problem any more.

Harvey smiled and rose from the couch. "Mila!" he greeted. "Welcome home!"

Mila stepped through and she hadn't changed a bit, but a wide smile split her face when she saw Harvey and her krestniki*. She was torn between rushing to scoop Jameson and Alison up or going to Harvey and giving him a hug as well. With the kids closer, and it being more acceptable, she scooped them up and kissed both their cheeks. "My krestniki! Look how you've grown!" She smiled at Harvey. "Thank you, Harvey," she said with warmth and none of her usual fast and loose sentences. "I missed you and Joey and the kids so much."

"And you've been missed by all of us." Harvey chuckled at the two toddlers who were smiling and laughing, and holding onto Mila with their two chubby arms. "Things just haven't been the same around here lately, and now that you're back, it's a little more like home."

The twins were only slightly skeptical, but it didn't last long when the saw how Rico and Pequeno were going absolutely crazy trying to get Mila's attention. The canines clearly missed her, too.

"I know. I stopped by your ready room earlier. Where is Joey?" Mila asked as she looked down and smiled at Rico and Pequeno. "Yes, I know you're here. You have to wait your turn."

"Honestly," Harvey replied, kneeling down to soothe the dogs, "I'm not sure. Lately, she's been spending some extra time in intel going through raw data or catching up with her cousin."

"Computer, locate Joey Geisler," Mila requested the computer.

"Lieutenant Joelle Geisler is currently moving on deck eight," the computer replied.

It was only a few seconds later that the door opened and the person in question moved through it. She expected her husband, children and dogs to be inside, but it was the extra individual that had her blinking. It was almost like she was seeing things. "Mila?" Joey asked carefully... almost as if she would disappear.

Mila spun, still holding the twins. "Joey!" She cried happily and would have rushed her if it hadn't been for Alison and Jameson. Instead, she carefully set them back by Rico and Pequeno, then rushed her with her arms open wide.

Joey rushed forward, meeting the Russian woman halfway with her own arms open. When she was close enough, she wrapped them around Mila and hugged her tight. She felt solid enough, so that ruled out any sign that this might have been a dream. Still, she didn't say anything just yet, simply held her friend... turned family... she thought she wouldn't be seeing for who knew how long.

The slender brunette woman returned the hug with equal ferocity and smiled from ear to ear. "It is good to see you again, seestra," she said warmly.

Having been so quickly set down by Mila, the twins quickly rose back to their little feet and clasped Mila's legs. A pair of squeals rose from ground level as even Rico and Pequeno joined the party.

The twins' mother made room so they could get in on the hug and smiled. She pulled back a bit to look down at Mila. "When? How?" Joey asked as she looked toward her husband. "Did you know about this?"

"This morning and I am letting Harvey tell you how," she said with a guilty look down at the twins. "It was to be surprise, but someone is impatient."

"A little bit of executive privilege," Harvey explained. "We lost most of the crew between ships, and when we arrived at Gavara, I learned that this was where Mila and Aiden wound up. Took some negotiating with the administrator and the sector commander, but the good news is the family's back together."

Joey crouched down to scoop the toddlers up so they could be closer to Mila. It hadn't been too long since they'd last seen her, and she was beyond grateful that they were so willing to show their godmother affection. "That is definitely good news," she agreed with a bright smile. "It's good to have you back home, Mila. This is where you and Aidan should be."

"I was going to come back," Mila said. "I was two deals away from negotiating with the administrator of the colony on Gavara. The black market there makes it hard to get a fair trade."

Harvey filed that black market comment away for later. Perhaps Mila might have stumbled upon something useful in their search for the pirate haven. Well, a sensor array and some forcefield generators were a small price to pay. This way, you can keep whatever else you might have had to forfeit."

"It wasn't mine, anyway," she said. "That's the joy of bartering and trading."

Joey crouched down and wrapped an arm around each toddler before she rose to her feet again. "What matters most, at least to me, is you and Aidan being back home. Neither of you should have left to begin with, but I understand. Is Chow back with you?"

"Da," Mila said before she gestured towards the couch and gave the multiple scattered devices on the table a disdainful look and a slightly judging look at Harvey before she smiled back at Joey. "Shall we be getting more comfortable?"

"You mean you don't want to be standing just inside the doorway?" Harvey responded with a hint of jest. He stepped backward and gestured to the couches. "Coffee? Tea? Anything?"

Joey smiled and ushered everyone back inside. In her excitement, she didn’t realize that they’d been standing half in/half out their quarters. “Make yourself at home,” she said, settling the twins back down on the floor.

"I see my absence has made you messier and absent minded," Mila teased Harvey as she stepped inside. "Black tea with currant jam, please."

Harvey assumed that Mila had already made it to the Ready Room and seen how disorganized he'd been lately. He'd never been one to be organized, a bad habit that had followed him all his life. He ordered Mila's tea and jam, along with a cup of Scottish breakfast tea for himself, a favorite for Joey, and a couple cups of juice for the twins. All of the drinks materialized on a tray, which he carried over to the sitting area. "Have you made it to the administrative catamaran yet?" He asked. "Or met any of the new crew?"

Mila accepted her tea and jam before she took a seat. "No," she said. "Just your ready room, but you weren't there. I see you have calmed down enough to be appreciating the finer things in life."

He wasn't sure if she was referring to his beverage choice or the fact that he wasn't on his early morning tour of the Black Hawk. Harvey knelt down to hand the two kids their juice cups, which they accepted eagerly. Alison latched onto her fathers arm and wrapped herself around him as she began to drink. "These days pass all too quickly," he admitted. "Thanks to Joey here, I'm doing my best to keep my head out of my ass."

Joey laughed as she took a drink from her own tea with a thank you. "You do your share of doing that for me, too," she said as Jameson moved over to her with his juice. She scooped the little guy up and settled him on her lap after she took a seat on the couch. "Time certainly flies."

"It does, but being away from you, Harvey and those cute little babies.." Mila sighed. "I did truly miss it. Who is being left from old crew?"

"Including us," Harvey said between sips of tea, "fifty-seven. Camila was the only other senior staff member. Ryler took over as science chief, and Kemm's still around in engineering. No declared chief yet there. All the rest of the senior staff, including the XO, Commander Reynolds, are all fresh transfers."

"Have you met Commander Reynolds yet?" Joey found herself asking as Jameson climbed from her lap. "Or any of the other crew?"

Mila shook her head as she added a scoop of jam to her tea and stirred it. "What happened to Commander Walsh?" she asked.

"Reassigned to Gamma Command," Harvey answered simply before sighing. "O'Connell's trying to play politics and catering to Clancy, hoping that Starfleet will loosen up and send some resources out here to the Gamma Quadrant. It's one of the reasons why we lost so many people when the last 'Hawk was decommissioned. Though, rumor has it that it blew up in his face."

Mila shook her head with a look of disapproval. "They should be grateful that more were not voluntarily begging to be transferred off of the ship. Leave the ones here that are wishing to be here. We are being best suited for whatever they are throwing our way."

Harvey grunted and took a sip of his tea. "If only it were that simple." He looked down and scooped up Jameson who was bouncing next to his leg. "Our crew strength is barely at 85 percent. Starfleet's slowly pulling resources and crew out of the quadrant. It makes me wonder how much longer we'll actually be out here."

"We make it work. We always do," Joey stated. "Still, it feels like the family is coming back together even if there are still some members missing."

"We will just be a tighter family," Mila said as she gave Pequeno and Rico a pet when they came to stand in front of her expectantly. "Is there anything that I've missed of importance since I've been gone other than the crew turnover?"

"Our first mission was convoy duty," Harvey stated plainly. "The Saratoga's arriving soon, and then we'll be back on the hunt for pirates. So, you know... standard stuff."

"Standard stuff, he says. Honey... nothing has really been standard since I joined the crew," Joey said. "In fact, some of it has made my time as a close protection officer seem like child's play."

He chuckled, bouncing Jameson on his knee. "I'm not sure how to receive that," he remarked. "Though I have to say that all I can compare the last couple of years to is the Dominion War. I still say the war was worse."

"What about pirates?" Mila asked. "There's not a day that goes by without that word popping up in some report out here."

"We have one in the brig, actually," Harvey shared. "Picked him up when he and his buddies tried to raid the convoy. They made off with some medical supplies and food stuffs, but didn't get any heavy equipment."

"That is being the most commonly stolen supplies," Mila said. "I am hearing the name Kelinor whispered and am remembering he is the one that we encountered before, but I am too Starfleet to get more information."

The Captain sighed, moving Jameson now to his lap. "That seems to be all of our troubles. Every ship in the task group is having trouble learning anything. We almost need to change our tactics, but we've got some time on that."

"Perhaps we should fake a huge unescorted shipment of medical and food supplies, but have the ship filled with personnel," Mila suggested.

Joey looked thoughtful. It was a good idea, but would take a lot to make happen. And, even then, they would have to trust the pirates to take the bait. "I think our best bet might be infiltration if conventional means don't work," she said, scooping Alison up when the little girl made her way over.

"It's a good plan," Harvey admitted. "I can run it up the flagpole to Admiral O'Connell and see if he can help arrange that. It might take a bit though as it's getting harder to come by cargo vessels."

"Aside from that," Mila said. "Tell me what I have been missing from your little angels. They're getting so big!"

Joey looked down at Alison who was beginning to nod off much to her mother's surprise. Then again, she wasn't exactly sure what time it was, so chances were naps were needed. "You haven't missed too much. They're talking more for sure. Sometimes, it takes me a second to get what they're saying, but usually I know. They are very entertaining," she answered. "As for them getting big, I completely agree. They're growing up way too fast. I want them to stay little forever."

Mila looked at Harvey and the babies and then Joey. "I am always available to watch them if you and Harvey would ever like a date night," she volunteered to kidnap the twins in a polite way.

"Be careful what you volunteer for," Harvey said with a chuckle. "And, yes, we will definitely take you up on that."

Joey looked to her husband, then to Mila. "Absolutely. Eden will appreciate having more time to herself, too. Let us know when you and Aidan have settled in a bit, then we can get something worked out."

Mila smiled as she finished her tea. "Speaking of which, I am needing to be heading to Operations to sort that out," she said as she came to her feet. "It was very good to see you all again and you, Harvey, will know order." With a hug to each of them and the twins, and scritches to the dogs, she smiled and headed out.

*krestniki = Godbabies

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