The Thunder Rose

Posted on Sat May 2nd, 2020 @ 12:15am by Commodore Loatha Targaryen

990 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Genesis
Location: Stateroom, USS Spock
Timeline: 2430-01-09, 10:00

"I miss Enterprise!" Zoroh protested as he sat on the small bunk of the Starship Spock. "This room's too small!"

Fleet Admiral Luzol wished she was anywhere but here at the moment, but her son had a point. In reality the entire cabin that had been assigned to her, her children, and her Mother in Law aboard the Spock was the size of the kids bedroom aboard the Enterprise. It was one of the largest rooms aboard the ship and they would have to make do, but she knew the kids were not as easy to sway. She almost wished she was dealing with whiny cadets instead of her own children. At least them if she ordered them to be quiet they wouldn't mock her to her face and run around the room taunting her.

"It's only until we reach the Starbase. I promise it won't be long."

"I want go home too," Bunal spoke up from on the small stool underneath the computer panel. "I miss my room."

Luzol sighed, "It's just going to be for a little while. We're going to be at the base soon. As soon as we get there we'll get a cabin assigned to us until the Enterprise returns." She knew that it would be roughly a little bigger than this, but on a Starbase she could escape a bit better than she could here. There would surely be some sort of emergency that could pull her away.

The door to the room slid open allowing Beatrix - her Mother in Law - a chance to enter. The retired Admiral stood with the bearing of a Doctor, and the chastising look of one. "Boys, I downloaded the latest Adventures of Flotter episode for you to watch before we left."

"Too small!" Zoroh pointed at the small screen of the panel.

Beatrix grinned, "You know your Daddy had a screen like that when he was growing up. Don't you want to watch like Daddy did?"

"I do!" Zoroh applauded.

"Me too! Me too!" Bunal cheered.

The El-Aurian hybrid pressed at the controls and the episode of Adventures of Flotter loaded on the screen. As the children started to fight over the only stool in the room, Beatrix slid onto the bunk bed and looked up at her Daughter in Law, "I checked with the Operations Officer. There are no other staterooms available aboard the Spock."

"I figured," she answered crisply. "The point was to get the President away. William crammed as many people on this ship as he could as quickly as he could."

"Have you heard from him?" Beatrix asked with concern in her tone.

Luzol rolled her eyes, "You of all people know I can't answer that. You used to be in Starfleet. You know sometimes mission security outweighs family dynamics."

The boys looked over at the argument brewing between the Grandmother and Mother. "Watch Flotter," Beatrix encouraged, "It looks like a good one."

"'Kay," Bunal agreed.

"Want juice," Zoroh demanded as he leaned toward the panel.

As Beatrix rose, Luzol motioned her away, "I have it." She sighed under her breath as she tapped at the controls on the replicator. The Spock's choices were a lot more limited than that of the Enterprise and with good reason. She only hoped that there was something that the boys would drink. At least apple was among the options. She ordered two and carried them over to her children. "Don't you want to go to the Mess Hall and get something to eat?"

"Funny," she chuckled, "I was about to suggest that you may want to head to the Bridge to get an ETA."

"Captain Hawkins knows what he's doing," Luzol answered quickly. "If he needs me he'll call."

"I don't doubt it," Beatrix answered as she pulled a PADD from her bag. "Not many can make decisions without the almighty Fleet Admiral," she snickered as she said it.

The Fleet Admiral sighed, "Again? Really?"

"You didn't have to take this position," Beatrix chided. "Do you know how little you see your children?"

"Better than anyone," she snipped. "The same could be said about your son. Right now the Enterprise is headed into a potential combat zone and the boys are not with him. He's away from them more than I ever have been."

"He was born into a Starfleet family. He's part of a legacy. You knew that when you married him," Beatrix answered critically.

Luzol rolled her eyes, "I'm from a Starfleet family too and I'm not the type to stay at home and make dinner. Your son knew that when he married me. Besides, if I remember correctly, when I first met you you were serving as the Head of Starfleet Medical with the rank of Commodore. Not exactly a stay at home Mom now were you?"

"After my kids were grown I resumed my career," Beatrix defended herself.

"Semantics and hubris," Luzol challenged. "It's the same argument. I have just as much a right to be in space as your son does."

Beatrix sighed, "And my grandchildren have a right to see their mother and not be pawned off on others. You need to spend more time with your kids."

"And you need to accept me for who I am," Luzol finally argued. She glanced at her kids, "They mean more to me than you ever have realized, but I need the chance to be me too." She sighed, "You know what. I think that you should go get something to eat. I've got this."

The elder woman picked up her bag, "I think that I'll stay here. Something may happen that'll draw you away." She lay back on the biobed and activated the datapad, wishing that they were on the Enterprise so they didn't have to look at each other. She glanced at her grandchildren, grateful that they were more engrossed in Flotter than the storm brewing in the Stateroom.

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