Yesterday, 01:08 AM
== Twelve Days Later ==
"All right, come out. I know you're in there."
Robin nearly smacked her head into the conduit wall as she sat up, jolted out of a fitful sleep. The voice was coming from just beyond the hatch. For a moment she considered bolting down the conduit, but the jig was up and she knew it. Panic was overcome by a dread sense of inevitability. There was nowhere to go, really. She might be able to get away but she'd have to leave her food and clothes behind, and they could just flood the conduits with gas and collect her unconscious body. She reached over and undid the latch before dropping down into the corridor. She was still prepared to run as a last resort.
The man in front of her was tall, with hair going gray pulled back into a ponytail and a short (and well-trimmed) beard and moustache. He had a bearing of old nobility, standing straight, and radiated authority. She could easily imagine him captaining a sea-going ship during Earth's Age of Sail, fighting pirates on the Spanish Main. He wore a simple dark blue jumpsuit with a combadge that showed a lion rampant, and his hand held a tricorder that beeped quietly. Slowly, deliberately, he closed it and put it into a slot on his belt. He said nothing as she stood there. He merely considered her, eyes seemingly looking right through her skin into the core of her being.
Robin stood meekly, torn between terror and despair. Finally her shoulders slumped. "Yes. I'm sorry." tears formed in her eyes and she fought to stay brave, to not let this man see her cry.
"Who are you, niña?" His voice was the one she'd heard on her father's communicator. The Captain of the Triple Seven. Miguel Cardon.
"Robin Mayfair, sir."
"And you think it is permissible to stow away on my ship?"
"No. I'm sorry, sir." She wasn't going to make excuses and now wasn't the time for explanation.
He turned. "Follow me, girl." He headed up the corridor without waiting to see if she would follow, but she did, staying several steps behind him. The worn and used (but clearly well-maintained) ship seemed almost deserted and they passed no one as they came to a turbolift door. Cardon entered it, waiting for her. He sniffed as she stood beside him, and she felt a wave of embarrassment. She hadn't had a chance to clean up in a few days and knew she stank, but she'd almost gotten caught doing so in a cargo bay fresher and didn't want to risk it. Her mouth was dry and she desperately wanted some water.
Still the Captain said nothing. The turbolift door slid open into a well-appointed office. The far wall was a massive viewport that showed open space, the streaks of stars showing that they were still at warp. There was a beautiful old wooden desk with images of sailing ships carved into it and the words "Al mal tiempo, buena cara" along the desktop edge. Shelves contained paper books and mementos of a long and well-lived life, including a large and finely-detailed model of an Intrepid-class starship. Robin's sharp eyes picked out the name. 'USS Horizon,' NCC-80403. He took a seat behind the desk and motioned to a short couch in front. "Sit," she said. An order, and he expected to be obeyed. His eyes bored into her.
"Robin Mayfair. Tell me why I shouldn't turn this ship around and bring you back to your parents, and then charge them for the delay that it will cause."
That wasn't what the teenager had expected. She had hoped that if she was caught she would be put off the ship at the next port, something that would have suited her plans (such as they were) just fine. Her eyes widened.
"Please sir, don't do that!"
"You didn't answer my question, niña ."
"I can't stay there, sir. Not anymore. That colony, I feel like it's crushing everything I am. It's like if I don't get away I'm going to be trapped forever." She met his eyes and realized there was no sympathy in them.
"I didn't ask for your feelings, Miss Mayfair. I asked you why I shouldn't bring you back."
She understood, then. "Umm... I can work, sir. I'm a hard worker. I can earn my passage and my keep. I can clean and cook, and I learn really really fast. I'll do any job you give me."
For the first time there was an expression on his face that wasn't stern. The barest hint of a smile, a slight relaxing of the glare.
"Better. You begin to understand. This is a working vessel, not a passenger ship. But there is more to it than that. You are a minor, a runaway, and a stowaway. I risk my license by taking you aboard. And no, I can't simply put you off the ship at the next port, if you think that. The Federation has laws. I could turn you over to the enforcement authorities on the highport and be done. They would deliver you back. It would certainly be the easiest and cheapest route, but as I said I'm still tempted to turn the ship around."
"No! Please, sir! What I told you was true."
"And? Do you think you're unique? There isn't a teenager alive who hasn't felt that way, from Klingons to Vulcans. Why not wait a few years and then leave Iota Tau?"
"I want to join Starfleet, sir. And I can't do it there, or even really prepare."
For the first time Cardon expressed a bit of surprise. "Starfleet? Really? And you think you've got what it takes? That is a tall order."
Robin sighed, almost curled into herself on the couch, and then decided to go for broke. She had nothing to lose, and she wasn't going to lie to the man on whom she was staking her future. If she was taken back her parents would make sure she never left again... and she suspected that meant when she was an adult as well. They would tie her down with so much responsibility that she would be locked into place as surely as a chain around her ankle.
"Taller than you think, sir. I'm... I'm an Augment."
His face was expressionless again. She'd expected some reaction and got none.
"I see. You do realize that Augments aren't allowed to serve in Starfleet. Or in any professional position in the Federation."
Did the teenager see an expression of disapproval on his face? She wasn't sure. And was it for her and her genetic enhancements or for the rules that said Augments were second-class citizens? Also not sure.
"Yes, sir. I think I can prove that I have a lot to offer."
He shook his head. "So naive. It's not about what you can offer. The law says you can not serve." He waved his hand. "That is a matter for another time. I have pull, and I can get you a license to travel as a cabin girl. It's an old-fashioned law, but the Federation recognizes that not all youth have the benefits of stable families and homes, and it does have a system in place to deal with children who insist on traveling the stars... so long as they aren't left on their own. And I should know."
"You know? How... oh."
He actually smiled. "Yes, niña. I know. I served as a steward in my youth, before I joined Starfleet. Saw the galaxy before I ever set foot in the Academy. I do understand." He paused. His eyes bored into her again.
"All right, Robin Mayfair. I am going to take a chance on you. Do not disappoint me. You will be employed as a steward. You will cook, you will clean, and you will do any job required. Without complaint. Not even one. When you show that you can do that I may give you other responsibility and teach you other jobs. Our ship's medic has been demanding help, so I may give it to him. And you will study. You will fill that enhanced mind with everything you can learn about the Federation, about science, about space travel." He stopped. The girl's eyes were wide with gratitude. "What?"
"Sir, it's like you're telling me my punishment is to have Christmas every day. That's exactly what I want, what I've always wanted. I want to learn."
He gave a slight laugh. "Yes, I suppose you do. We'll see if you can handle the rest." He tapped his combadge. "Mark, we have a new crewmember." He caught Robin's look. "Provisional crew member. Please escort Miss Mayfair to the replicator, get the clothing and and provisions she needs. Then set her up in cabin six."
"Yes sir," the voice came back. There was no surprise. Apparently Cardon had already told the crew there was a stowaway. A minute later a large, somewhat portly middle-aged human entered. "Miss, umm, Mayfair? This way."
"And niña? Take a shower. You stink. Report to the kitchen at 0530 tomorrow morning, where you will be making the crew's breakfast. I prefer my eggs over easy, with bacon. And have coffee ready." His tone of voice told her that she was dismissed. The teen left with her new crewmate, a spring in her step. Caron reached over and tapped the power button on his console, keying in a number.
The couple that answered had a look of tired desperation. "Mr. and Mrs. Mayfair? We found Robin. She is safe. Thank you for letting me know she was probably on my ship."
"Oh thank God!" Sonjia Mayfair exclaimed. Her husband gave a grim smile.
"Captain, please make sure she keeps up with her studies and works hard." Karlos Mayfair's expression was a mix of emotions, anger but also resignation on his weathered face. "She was never going to be happy here, and I understand that. She has no idea how she's going going to be treated in the wider Federation, though. She'll either have to hide her enhancements or be treated like a second class citizen. I'm still hoping she'll realize that and come back home where she's loved. But she's as stubborn as I am. I suppose this was inevitable."
"I promise to guard her and to make sure she is well-educated, sir."
"Thank you so much, Captain," Sonjia said. "You're well within your rights to bring her back. We appreciate what you're doing."
"Should I tell Robin you are letting her go?"
"No," Karlos said. There was hurt in his voice. "Let her figure it out on her own. I understand why she ran away. I don't approve."
"Understood, Mr. Mayfair. I'll give you regular reports on how she's doing."
The call ended, Miguel Cardon turned his chair to face the viewport, watching the stars streak by.
== To be concluded==
"All right, come out. I know you're in there."
Robin nearly smacked her head into the conduit wall as she sat up, jolted out of a fitful sleep. The voice was coming from just beyond the hatch. For a moment she considered bolting down the conduit, but the jig was up and she knew it. Panic was overcome by a dread sense of inevitability. There was nowhere to go, really. She might be able to get away but she'd have to leave her food and clothes behind, and they could just flood the conduits with gas and collect her unconscious body. She reached over and undid the latch before dropping down into the corridor. She was still prepared to run as a last resort.
The man in front of her was tall, with hair going gray pulled back into a ponytail and a short (and well-trimmed) beard and moustache. He had a bearing of old nobility, standing straight, and radiated authority. She could easily imagine him captaining a sea-going ship during Earth's Age of Sail, fighting pirates on the Spanish Main. He wore a simple dark blue jumpsuit with a combadge that showed a lion rampant, and his hand held a tricorder that beeped quietly. Slowly, deliberately, he closed it and put it into a slot on his belt. He said nothing as she stood there. He merely considered her, eyes seemingly looking right through her skin into the core of her being.
Robin stood meekly, torn between terror and despair. Finally her shoulders slumped. "Yes. I'm sorry." tears formed in her eyes and she fought to stay brave, to not let this man see her cry.
"Who are you, niña?" His voice was the one she'd heard on her father's communicator. The Captain of the Triple Seven. Miguel Cardon.
"Robin Mayfair, sir."
"And you think it is permissible to stow away on my ship?"
"No. I'm sorry, sir." She wasn't going to make excuses and now wasn't the time for explanation.
He turned. "Follow me, girl." He headed up the corridor without waiting to see if she would follow, but she did, staying several steps behind him. The worn and used (but clearly well-maintained) ship seemed almost deserted and they passed no one as they came to a turbolift door. Cardon entered it, waiting for her. He sniffed as she stood beside him, and she felt a wave of embarrassment. She hadn't had a chance to clean up in a few days and knew she stank, but she'd almost gotten caught doing so in a cargo bay fresher and didn't want to risk it. Her mouth was dry and she desperately wanted some water.
Still the Captain said nothing. The turbolift door slid open into a well-appointed office. The far wall was a massive viewport that showed open space, the streaks of stars showing that they were still at warp. There was a beautiful old wooden desk with images of sailing ships carved into it and the words "Al mal tiempo, buena cara" along the desktop edge. Shelves contained paper books and mementos of a long and well-lived life, including a large and finely-detailed model of an Intrepid-class starship. Robin's sharp eyes picked out the name. 'USS Horizon,' NCC-80403. He took a seat behind the desk and motioned to a short couch in front. "Sit," she said. An order, and he expected to be obeyed. His eyes bored into her.
"Robin Mayfair. Tell me why I shouldn't turn this ship around and bring you back to your parents, and then charge them for the delay that it will cause."
That wasn't what the teenager had expected. She had hoped that if she was caught she would be put off the ship at the next port, something that would have suited her plans (such as they were) just fine. Her eyes widened.
"Please sir, don't do that!"
"You didn't answer my question, niña ."
"I can't stay there, sir. Not anymore. That colony, I feel like it's crushing everything I am. It's like if I don't get away I'm going to be trapped forever." She met his eyes and realized there was no sympathy in them.
"I didn't ask for your feelings, Miss Mayfair. I asked you why I shouldn't bring you back."
She understood, then. "Umm... I can work, sir. I'm a hard worker. I can earn my passage and my keep. I can clean and cook, and I learn really really fast. I'll do any job you give me."
For the first time there was an expression on his face that wasn't stern. The barest hint of a smile, a slight relaxing of the glare.
"Better. You begin to understand. This is a working vessel, not a passenger ship. But there is more to it than that. You are a minor, a runaway, and a stowaway. I risk my license by taking you aboard. And no, I can't simply put you off the ship at the next port, if you think that. The Federation has laws. I could turn you over to the enforcement authorities on the highport and be done. They would deliver you back. It would certainly be the easiest and cheapest route, but as I said I'm still tempted to turn the ship around."
"No! Please, sir! What I told you was true."
"And? Do you think you're unique? There isn't a teenager alive who hasn't felt that way, from Klingons to Vulcans. Why not wait a few years and then leave Iota Tau?"
"I want to join Starfleet, sir. And I can't do it there, or even really prepare."
For the first time Cardon expressed a bit of surprise. "Starfleet? Really? And you think you've got what it takes? That is a tall order."
Robin sighed, almost curled into herself on the couch, and then decided to go for broke. She had nothing to lose, and she wasn't going to lie to the man on whom she was staking her future. If she was taken back her parents would make sure she never left again... and she suspected that meant when she was an adult as well. They would tie her down with so much responsibility that she would be locked into place as surely as a chain around her ankle.
"Taller than you think, sir. I'm... I'm an Augment."
His face was expressionless again. She'd expected some reaction and got none.
"I see. You do realize that Augments aren't allowed to serve in Starfleet. Or in any professional position in the Federation."
Did the teenager see an expression of disapproval on his face? She wasn't sure. And was it for her and her genetic enhancements or for the rules that said Augments were second-class citizens? Also not sure.
"Yes, sir. I think I can prove that I have a lot to offer."
He shook his head. "So naive. It's not about what you can offer. The law says you can not serve." He waved his hand. "That is a matter for another time. I have pull, and I can get you a license to travel as a cabin girl. It's an old-fashioned law, but the Federation recognizes that not all youth have the benefits of stable families and homes, and it does have a system in place to deal with children who insist on traveling the stars... so long as they aren't left on their own. And I should know."
"You know? How... oh."
He actually smiled. "Yes, niña. I know. I served as a steward in my youth, before I joined Starfleet. Saw the galaxy before I ever set foot in the Academy. I do understand." He paused. His eyes bored into her again.
"All right, Robin Mayfair. I am going to take a chance on you. Do not disappoint me. You will be employed as a steward. You will cook, you will clean, and you will do any job required. Without complaint. Not even one. When you show that you can do that I may give you other responsibility and teach you other jobs. Our ship's medic has been demanding help, so I may give it to him. And you will study. You will fill that enhanced mind with everything you can learn about the Federation, about science, about space travel." He stopped. The girl's eyes were wide with gratitude. "What?"
"Sir, it's like you're telling me my punishment is to have Christmas every day. That's exactly what I want, what I've always wanted. I want to learn."
He gave a slight laugh. "Yes, I suppose you do. We'll see if you can handle the rest." He tapped his combadge. "Mark, we have a new crewmember." He caught Robin's look. "Provisional crew member. Please escort Miss Mayfair to the replicator, get the clothing and and provisions she needs. Then set her up in cabin six."
"Yes sir," the voice came back. There was no surprise. Apparently Cardon had already told the crew there was a stowaway. A minute later a large, somewhat portly middle-aged human entered. "Miss, umm, Mayfair? This way."
"And niña? Take a shower. You stink. Report to the kitchen at 0530 tomorrow morning, where you will be making the crew's breakfast. I prefer my eggs over easy, with bacon. And have coffee ready." His tone of voice told her that she was dismissed. The teen left with her new crewmate, a spring in her step. Caron reached over and tapped the power button on his console, keying in a number.
The couple that answered had a look of tired desperation. "Mr. and Mrs. Mayfair? We found Robin. She is safe. Thank you for letting me know she was probably on my ship."
"Oh thank God!" Sonjia Mayfair exclaimed. Her husband gave a grim smile.
"Captain, please make sure she keeps up with her studies and works hard." Karlos Mayfair's expression was a mix of emotions, anger but also resignation on his weathered face. "She was never going to be happy here, and I understand that. She has no idea how she's going going to be treated in the wider Federation, though. She'll either have to hide her enhancements or be treated like a second class citizen. I'm still hoping she'll realize that and come back home where she's loved. But she's as stubborn as I am. I suppose this was inevitable."
"I promise to guard her and to make sure she is well-educated, sir."
"Thank you so much, Captain," Sonjia said. "You're well within your rights to bring her back. We appreciate what you're doing."
"Should I tell Robin you are letting her go?"
"No," Karlos said. There was hurt in his voice. "Let her figure it out on her own. I understand why she ran away. I don't approve."
"Understood, Mr. Mayfair. I'll give you regular reports on how she's doing."
The call ended, Miguel Cardon turned his chair to face the viewport, watching the stars streak by.
== To be concluded==