Christmas Concert, Part 1
Posted on Fri Jan 6th, 2023 @ 2:29am by Lieutenant JG Jane Sinclair & Lieutenant Alisha Reno
2,106 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Christmas Vacation
Location: Shuttle
"Jane, Sugarcube, Love of my life?" Alisha asked suddenly as the world of Proxima Centauri II appeared in front of them as soon as they'd dropped out of warp. She'd been holding this in for the last few hours as they were on the way to spend a few days with Jane's mother this time. But something in Alisha's voice warned of something that was going to classify as the term: 'Surprise'.
Jane didn't say a word at first. Instead, she gave Alisha a sideways glance and raised an eyebrow. "I know that tone," she said with a smirk, but keeping her attention on flying their transport -- the Captain had let them borrow the Ahiru. "What did you do?"
Alisha gave a wry smile, "Well, I did a thing and I hope you really don't mind that I did it." She was dancing around the subject and sighed lightly, "Well, I um... Once we decided the timing of when we were going to be coming to your home, I um.. Made a couple contacts to see if I could have a concert as Elena Girardi as a fundraiser of sorts, to benefit children who have lost their parents." She gave an apologetic smile, " I really hope you don't mind that I did that, I mean, I did get you and your mom stagefront tickets and everything. I also contacted a couple of old friends to help with the entertainment."
Without taking her eyes off the front viewport, Jane reached her right hand across and gave Alisha's hand a gentle squeeze. "It's very sweet," she said with a smile. A lot of orphans, especially from failed colonies and destroyed Starfleet vessels, without family to turn to, came to the Alpha Centauri System. They were well treated and raised right across a few of the system's planets, including her own homeworld. She remembered her friend Lina from middle school, who lost both parents to the Cardassians, her father in one of the border wars and her mother, who had become radicalized by her loss, as part of a failed Maquis attack.
"And I didn't our entire holiday scheduled tightly," Jane added. "I'll move some things around, and make sure mum and I can attend. What's the date and time?"
"Three days from tonight, six in the evening local time. I don't have to worry about rehearsals except for the day of, but I'll have a couple minor distractions when they give me updates on what I've got planned out." She gave a bright smile, "It'll be fun, I promise!"
"Can't wait," Jane said as their shuttle made final approach. "Just a bit more warning next time, yeah?"
"I promise that too!" Alisha made the sign of a cross over her heart to seal that deal, "It's just been so long since I've done anything like this and I really didn't want to waste the opportunity.." her eyes took in the emerging details as the last of the re-entry flames faded from the shields and the ship reduced in altitude. She leaned forward in the seat, eyes wide as she took in the sights.
The Ahiru made a wide pass around farmland. A grid of fields, some squares filled with wheat the colour of amber, others the pinkish-purple of native but cultivated Proximan barley, all very lightly dusted with scant millimetres of snow, led off toward the mountains much further East. A scattering of small woods and lakes broke up the gold and pink with hues of green and blue/white. The black brick of houses sprung up every few kilometres, one of which, Jane saw, was particularly familiar.
A ferroconcrete landing pad with attached maintenance building was their destination, and Jane set them down with a feather touch.
Jane opened the aft door and led Alisha out. "Take it in, luv." She took in a deep breath through the nose, smiling as how familiar it all was. The scent. The temperature. The humidity. Even the spring in her step as she walked off the ramp and into the familiar of 0.68g. This was home.
"Oh my god... I feel like I could just about fly here!" Alisha marveled as she jumped in the lower gravity, easily reaching higher than she'd ever jumped before. She grabbed Jane's hand and tugged her along towards the path, laughing at the sheer energy this place gave her. On the spur of the moment, she turned and grabbed at Jane's other hands and spun with her as if she were just a girl out for playtime.
Jane laughed as she was tugged and spun. She forgot that most places Alisha had probably been to were gravity controlled even planetside. Even most of Luna’s interior spaces were one gee these days. “Come along!” she said. “We’ll get the bags later. I want to show you everything! We can bounce along the way!”
Alisha giggled like a little girl, which was what she felt like in this gravity and just who she was with. She never released Jane's hand whenever she didn't have to, "If this is what heaven's like, I never wanna leave!" She laughed as they went along.
The path was fairly straight and well maintained, but unpaved, just the colour of packed iron-rich reddish-brown soil, cleared of rocks, roots, and weeds. Alisha’s bouncy step made Jane giggle and couldn’t help but join in with long, hoppy strides, even as farm workers — all of whom walked perfectly normally, completely adapted to the planet — smiled, greeted, waved, and in some cases came in to give Jane a big hug. She’d known many of these people her entire life, and some were like family.
"Do you think when we retire from the Fleet, that we'll come here?" Alisha asked as her eyes were wide open, taking everything in, including the house that was rapidly approaching, "Well, maybe here, maybe not this exact house, but who knows? It's just so light and airy and feels... Fluffy? If that makes any sense?"
"I certainly always wanted to," Jane replied, biting her lower lip to hide the immense grin that was threatening to form on her face. Her containment efforts collapsed and she pulled Alisha in close, almost tripping on her bouncy girlfriend's feet as she did, and gave her the tightest possible hug from behind. "So you're thinking that far ahead in our future, yeah? Post-career living on beautiful Proxima II with the love of your life?" She kissed Alisha's cheek. "Because I like the sound of that."
Alisha pressed her cheek up against Jane's, "Who knows how far ahead that life is? It could be next year, could be ten years?" She reached up to hold Jane's hands right where they were, "Nothing's set in stone and it's not like either of us desperately need to be in the Fleet." She really wondered how true that was for her, because of how her original career had gone. She didn't really need to be relevant on the grand stage, but she wanted to be... What was it? Useful. Contributing as a whole. Needed?
“It’s true,” Jane observed, still holding Alisha tight. “Honestly I do like doing my part though. I don’t plan to leave for a while. I was given talents, and I like using them for good. And what we do is good, right?”
"Oh, we do good." Alisha agreed, "Both of us do and I think so long as we can both be on the same posting, we'll be good." She gave a wan smile, "Even if we're forced to be on different ships, we'll be fine. After all, if you get to be the rank you deserve to be at, you'll really outrank me."
“Come along then,” Jane said, pulling Alisha along. “Mine is just ahead. I’ll give you the grand tour.” As they walked along, Jane had a thought. “What are we telling mum about the concert? Why aren’t you going? And why is Elena Girardi being outrageously flirty with me? And why am I reciprocating despite being taken and in love?”
"Well, that parts a bit easier to figure out. We'll tell your mum that Elena and I know each other since we were both kids, which is the absolute truth!" Alisha laughed openly, "But I'm going to get called away for some sort of annoying official meeting at the worst possible time. But mind you, Elena won't be outrageously flirty with you in the open! Well, mostly." She grinned wildly and winked at Jane, "I might not be able to resist one or two songs that you'll definitely know about."
“Can’t wait,” Jane replied. “And here we are!”
The brick house, black like the native clays, stood before them. It wasn’t huge; it didn’t need to be for the small family of Jane and her mum. It was a split level bungalow, with the front door raised up several steps, and with a front porch with a few chairs which faced the mountains to the East. Large windows let plenty of sunlight inside. Solar panels lined the roof, though a matte finish prevented them from being blinded.
“What do you think?”
"Never mind what about I said about perhaps not this house?" Alisha said as she wondered at the sight. It wasn't a mansion, per se, but it was definitely custom built and larger than what most people would typically have as a family home. "Definitely this one, or one like it?"
Up the steps, the front door opened for Jane’s passcode. She pulled Alisha into each room to show her, barely stopping for commentary. The living room was well furnished with a balance of comfort and modernism; the kitchen had a replicator and a few basic cooking implements. The dining room was big and able to accommodate Jane’s extended family. The main washroom had a real water shower and bath, as did the en suite off Ellen’s room. The basement had a fairly large screening room and some workout gear, as well as a simple workshop.
And their last stop: Jane’s bedroom. Unchanged since last she lived there almost ten years earlier. Same replicated dresser. Same posters, mostly of gorgeous women racers. Same model kits on the shelves. Same double bed.
"I think the ranch has more space, but one thing is for sure, Sugarcube, this place feels more like a home." Alisha smiled at Jane and leaned in for a kiss, "Plus, no caretaker here all the time. Gives a bit more privacy, don'tcha think?"
“I think you’re right,” Jane agreed. “Privacy is very important, innit?” She pulled Alisha in close, her lips hovering over her girlfriend’s. “Those people we passed were all going home for the day. No one around for kilometres, luv. And the brick is a great insulator. And those bedsheets sure are soft. Wanna feel?”
The blonde reached up and grabbed the front of Jane's shirt, then let herself fall backwards onto the bed and taking her with her as her voiceless answer.
~~Not Much Later~~
It had felt like one of the slowest duty shifts on record at the Maintenance Yards, but when her superior officer had learned that her daughter was coming home today, Master Warrant Officer Ellen Sinclair was permitted to be relieved early.
"Xiaozhēn!" she called as she stepped into her house. "I saw the shuttle! Where are you?"
There was a brief pause, where the house was so silent one could hear a pin drop.
"Um, hi, mum!" came Jane's voice from her basement bedroom, not muffled as she hadn't closed the door.
"Oh crap!" Alisha's voice was muffled as she basically jumped, "Um... Hi mum?"
"You've given Alisha the grand tour then?" Ellen asked. "Has she seen the kitchen yet? I'll need her help there later."
"Yes, mum!" Jane called back. "Do you think you can give us a couple of minutes though? Like, five?"
Alisha leaned up and whispered something into Jane's ear.
"Or maybe ten?" Jane added.
Jane's mother quieted and put her face in her palms. "Ó, wojìdé liàn'ài hé niánqīng (Oh I remember being young and in love)," she said quietly to herself in Mandarin. "I'll make it twenty minutes. I'll go for a walk. Have fun, you two."
Posting by (in order of appearance):
Lieutenant Junior Grade Alisha Reno
Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Myogi (NCC-65918)
Lieutenant Junior Grade Jane Sinclair
Chief Flight Control Officer, USS Myogi (NCC-65918)
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