The Mountains Green - Part Two

Posted on Fri Oct 9th, 2020 @ 6:59am by Captain Torilla Yamaguchi & Lieutenant Rachael "Ripcord" Yamaguchi & Admiral Deela T'Lar

1,437 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 107 – Recovery
Location: Various Locations - Starbase 400
Timeline: Time Unknown

"It sounds like a challenge and I am always up for one." She had a feeling that she would certainly be that.

Ripcord slowly smiled. "Yeah... Saki will be interesting... She might get along with your kids, assuming she can keep the insanity to acceptable levels... When you meet her, you'll understand..."

"Saki is not your average child," Torilla explained. "Due to rather specific circumstances, Saki and Rachael here are older then they should be... There were some temporal shenanigans involved."

"I'm Eight years older then I should be..." Ripcord added. "That's why."

"I know. I have done the math." Deela looked over at Torilla, "You will have to tell me about it one day."

Torilla nodded. "It's not exactly restricted information... But it's not something we like to talk about... But Starfleet Cartography knows about the sinkhole in question..."

"Good." She addressed Torilla, "So, how long are you going to be here?"

"Indefinitely," Yamaguchi answered with a gentle smile. "I'm assigned to the fleet that's holding the Starbase and the surrounding area," she added as she tried to stop a yawn from escaping but she failed. "Sorry... Its been an exhausting war..."

Ripcord regarded her mother as she knew it was much more than simple exhaustion. "Mom, you're overdoing it..." she said softly.

Yamaguchi sucked in a rather deep lungful of air. "Rachael... I won't deny your statement... or fight you on it but... Please, let it be..."

Ripcord felt utterly defeated, it showed too. "Alright..." she sighed softly.

Deela knew there was an issue but it was none of her business, "You look tired. You should go rest. There are a few things I need from your daughter."

Yamaguchi paused. "Alright." she paused. "I'll leave you two alone." and with that, she turned and departed.

Ripcord watched her mother leave in silence. She closed her eyes when suddenly her mother turned her head. "I heard that," she said quietly before she marched off.

Ripcord sighed a second time. "You were meant to mom..."

Deela watched Torilla leave, "Do you want to talk about it?" She usually didn't like butting her nose where it doesn't belong so she thought she'd just offer, "Or not."

"Mom is tired and stressed." Ripcord answered. "We've all tried telling her to take time off, hell, even dad's tried but mom is committed..." she sighed softly. "Ten years ago she sacrificed to help the Romulans after Hobus... Now she wants revenge... but it's a lot more complicated than simple vengeance."

"Vengeance is never simple." Deela continued after a brief pause, "Admiral Bremer took off, leaving me to run Starbase 400, all in the name of vengeance. He got it but I don't believe it has helped him get over the death of his wife." She was making a point, "It doesn't change anything. His wife is still gone and the ones who did it are not in custody but are dead, never having to live with what they've done."

"When on a quest for vengeance, dig two graves for you will surely need both." interrupted a new voice, this woman who approached wore command red with three pips. She was very tall and carried a very female figure, she also had a PADD in hand. "I thought I might find you here Admiral. I was ordered to hand deliver this report to you, its a list of the medical supplies we're offloading onto the base." she paused. "Commander Elizabeth Yamaguchi. Commanding Officer of the USS Thinin. At your service." as she turned to her sibling. "I heard that you are quite the hero."

"Only because I was in the right place Beth, you know how this works." Ripcord answered her eldest sibling.

"Indeed I do sweetie." and with that, she gently gave Ripcord a hug. "Call me more often. I miss you."

"I will." Ripcord answered.

Deela had never met this one, "Well, thank you for the report. So, you are Rachael's?..." she paused, while waiting for an answer.

Elizabeth smiled. "I'm Rachael's oldest sibling." as she offered her hand in the human style. "Rachael has spoken of you at length ma'am..."

Deela looked over at Rachael, "She has? I am surprised since she hasn't seen me in a long time."

Ripcord nodded. "Its good to be reminded of good influences," she responded. "Considering what you let me away with when I was a teenager... Especially with Paul."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow as she smiled. "Well... That explains much," she commented in a rather dry tone. Clearly she knew of what Rachael had been talking about. "Rachael... Question for you... What would you have named Saki had events not gone the way they did.?" she inquired directly.

"Mmm... I had two choices... Siaxx... or Deela."

Deela smiled at that, "But you did not name her any of those. So what changed?"

Ripcord paused. "Well... That is a tale told over a drink... Not here." she answered, as she smiled at T'Lar.

Elizabeth regarded her younger sibling in silence, before she shifted her attention over to the Admiral, she had heard much of Deela T'Lar but had never met her before now. "Rachael... Before you go... Have you seen or heard anything about Gabe?"

"No," Ripcord answered softly. "But he's out there... somewhere..."

"Alright... Well... I'd best get back... I'm loading several hundred wounded for shipment back to Starbase 23." as Elizabeth shifted her attention back to T'Lar. "With a little luck Admiral. I should have a consignment of construction equipment for you inside of a week."

"Very good." Deela smiled, "It was nice meeting you. Just give me a heads up when you do."

"Consider it done," Elizabeth answered. "I should have your sixteen hundred medical cases loaded up and ready to depart in the next hour or so." she added. "Then I'll go back to being a freighter for awhile."

"Perfect. Sounds good." Deela looked over at Rachael then back at Elizabeth, "Okay then."

The taller Yamaguchi turned and departed in silence. Rachael stood in silence as she watched her sister depart before she turned to the Admiral. "I expected her to ask about Gabe... Our brother... He's... disappeared... Since his wife and children were all lost at the hands of the Romulans at the start of this war... he's... Not himself."

"Could it be he does not want to be found?" She thought about Bremer, "He could be planning to seek revenge."

Ripcord regarded the engaging woman before her. "Oh, he is... I know my brother well, the frightening thing is... He believes he has nothing left in this world..." as she slowly sighed softly. "Elizabeth knows all of this already... She and Gabe are very close... All of us Yamaguchi's are... Losing Savannah, Gideon, Arlene, and Nicole did things to all of us... I will indeed have my vengeance ma'am... But... I confess... that a small part of me just wants to sit back... and watch the whole world burn..."

Deela nodded, "With that much loss, I get it, I do."

"I've never known loss like Gabe... Savannah understood his issues... He was shooting blanks... Getting around it was very invasive... She tolerated it because... Well, Savv... She wanted a family with Gabe and she was willing to go to any length to get it... and now... They are all dead..."

Deela had nothing to give. She knew what it was like to lose so many people in your life. It kept her from marrying Jack Solomon in fear that there was a pattern to her life.

"It was all in vain..." Rachael whispered. "All for nothing... My brother is still on the warpath and my sister and her babies are all dead... and yes... I want blood for it..." she admitted before she could stop herself.

Deela sighed, "But acting on your desire to get revenge isn't the way to go. You kill who is responsible but your family members are still dead and you can't bring them back."

Ripcord sighed softly. "I know... It's easy to start hating... I can't stop so lightly... Elizabeth is a walking rage case... and mom is no better..."

"I have been there with the Gorn. I hate them with a passion and if I decided to enact revenge on them, I'd be killing a few every day."

Ripcord knew of where the older female was speaking. "Yeah... Anyway... So... you were asking about Saki... and I'd rather not have this chat in the hallways..." she commented.

Deela nodded, "How about we move this to my quarters? We can talk there."

"Sounds good. Lets see what state your home is in..." Ripcord answered.

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