When things go bang in the night.

Posted on 30 Mar 2018 @ 4:59pm by Commander Scarlet Blake & Lily Blake & Commander Luke Wyatt

1,870 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Episode 15 - Emanation
Location: Avondale Shipyards
Timeline: MD 103 - 0200

[ON]

"Lady in the ship....lady in the ship?" Lily Blake was sitting up in bed, biting on her bottom lip thoughtfully. It was goodness only knew what time, and her mother was fast asleep. The young girl thought she was anyway. Some nights, she knew her mother got up and walked around.

Lily had talked to the lady in the ship before, but it had always been tapping a button on the computer. The lady in the ship had a funny voice, but she'd helped her when her mother was sick so she trusted her well enough. She'd helped her call the doctor to get to her Mummy.

What was puzzling to the young girl was having seen her mother call other people without using the wall. But she couldn't work it out.

She thought back really hard on the times she'd seen her Mummy talk to the lady in the ship, holding her breath. "Er....computer?"

After a few moments of silence dragged out, the voice of the lady in the ship finally sounded. "How may I assist you?"

Lily grinned at the success, hugging her bear a little closer. "Er...can I talk to Luke please?"

"Please provide the full name of the person you wish to reach..."

"Oh...er.....Dino...boy?" Lily shook her head with a frown, already knowing that wouldn't work. "Hm...." she had to think back hard again, shaking her head for a moment. Carefully pulling her bedside drawer open, she used her flashlight to get to the book in there. A real life book that Luke had loaned to her. She opened the cover and grinned when she saw his name written in it. "Er....Luke....Why....At..."

Luke was in bed early today, he had been running several training exercises with the crews new security detachment and which involved some Physical Training in the form of a loaded March before progressing to weapons training both hand to hand and ranged. His soft snores sounding throughout the room until something or someone interrupted his sleep. Groggily he awesome reaching for his comm badge, when that was silent he looked over to his desk where the LCars system was displaying that an open comm link was open. “Hello?” He questioned the system.

"Luke?" the name was followed by a child's giggle, unable to believe that she'd managed it. "Luke, is that you? Oh...oh wait!" Lily cleared her throat before putting on a deeper voice. "Dragongirl calling Dinoboy!”

“Scarlet?” He said in his half sleepy state before sitting up and realising the last part of the transmission, “Lily?” He asked this time before adding “Wait where’s your Mum is everything ok?” He was already getting up and out of bed to call for security.

"She's asleep," she half whispered over the commlink. "Don't want to wake her up. She doesn't always stay in bed. The lady in the ship found you, isn't she clever!" she laughed warmly. She'd kept calling the computer 'the lady in the ship' even when they weren't on a ship anymore.

“Lady In the? Lily what’s the matter darling?” He asked now dressed and ready to move as he stood over his computer system. “Why have you called me?” He asked softly.

"Can't sleep," the girl sighed heavily even as she rubbed her eyes, her bear tucked securely under her arm. "It's lonely in night time. Do you get lonely in night time?"

He chuckled “Sometimes I do, but I don’t call people up in the middle of the night. I guess you didn’t call just got a talk?” Luke mused with a teasing chuckle. “I’ll be there in ten?” He asked.

Lily smiled at hearing that, biting her lip as she nodded, looking down with held breath. "Save me a hug?"

“Of course” He said leaving his room rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It didn’t take long for Luke to reach Scarlet's quarters more about 5 minutes than ten. Luke was surprised when he saw the door already open. “Ok squirt, let’s get you tucked into bed and I’ll check the room for any dragons.” He said quietly in a whisper holding out his hand for the young girl to take.

On the journey there Luke had considered waking Scarlet but being a single parent was hard enough without having to put your daughter back to sleep, he remembered all to well with Abbey. Scarlet no doubtlessly had a lot on her plate with the ship being almost completed so he opted for telling her in the morning.

Lily took the hand firmly, keeping close to him as they searched the room. "No monsters please," she said firmly with a frown. "Or spiders. Or tribbles," she nodded, crouching down to look under the bed.

Chuckling softly Luke knelt down and check under the bed along with Lily, “Nothing here squirt, closet?” He said with a smile picking himself off the floor and moving over to it and opening the closet slowly.

"Just clothes," she said softly, looking in with her flashlight. "But....it makes a comfy nest..." she shifted the blanket at the bottom of the wardrobe to be more fluffy, crawlling in and sitting at the bottom of the closet, curled up so she was resting back into the corner of it. She smiled up at Luke before leaning to pat the other side of the wardrobe floor, indicating he should join her.

Luke listening and watched as her the light from her torch danced around the closet. Once she had declared she was happy and had formed her nest inviting him in he let out a soft chuckle once more slowly lowering himself into the nest. “So, you don’t think you just called me to check under your bed and closet.” He said.

"It was lonely," she frowned, shaking her head for a long moment, thinking on it as she let out a heavy breath for a young girl. "Mummy's asleep. Proper asleep. Not...getting up asleep."

Confused at her use of words like spoke “Lily what do you mean? Not getting up asleep? Just a deep sleep do you mean?” He hoped that that was the answer and the small horror in his mind didn’t mean that what the young girl meant was... never waking again sort of sleep.

"Well, sometimes Mummy goes to sleep, but then wakes up and walks around at the night," she leaned forward, holding on to her toes. "But she's proper asleep now, so I won't wake her," she shook her head stubbornly.

Somewhat relieved at her clarification Luke leaned back into the closet “You really should choose your words much more carefully” he teased ruffling the girl's hair “So how have you been squirt? Been keeping yourself busy?”

The young girl shrugged, biting her lip as she watched him in the dim light. "Did some reading with Mummy today," she said softly, watching her feet as she set her chin on her drawn up knees, clearly thinking about it. "Your book had your name in. Your big name."

Luke was silent, thinking for a moment “Ah so that’s how you managed to get the ‘Lady in the ship’ to speak to me, very clever just like your mother” turning to face the young girl he sighed “You seem down Lily, what’s the matter?”

Lily was quiet for a few long moments, resting her chin on her knees with a slight frown. "Do you have a Daddy, Luke?"

Luke nodded slowly, “Of course I do, he runs a large civilian freight company” he said then realised what her question might be leaning towards. He knew of Scarlets old relationship but not the exact details. “Why?” He asked.

"I don't have a Daddy," Lily said quietly, shaking her head with confusion as she looked to him, her eyes wide and dark blue in the dim torchlight. "But...everyone else does. Even if...they're not here anymore, they had one. I don't."

"Yes you do Lily, I don't him personally but everyone has a dad" He said, "You said it yourself sometimes daddys just aren't around. "and besides you have the best mummy in the entire world, more than that universe." He said ruffling her hair "And you have me! Your partner in crime" Luke said teasingly.

She giggled softly at that, biting her lip as she rested her cheek to her knee, watching him closely. "Why did Mummy say I didn't have one?"

At this Luke frowned, “I don’t know if I’m the right person to answer that Lily, maybe she is just trying to protect you?” He suggested not really understanding why Scarlet would say such a thing.

Lily was silent for a long moment as she contemplated that, holding her breath tightly. She finally crawled over to his side of the wardrobe, curling up his lap and hugging him with a small smile. "But silly, you know everything..." she teased gently, better spirits returning, even if not her fully cheerful self.

Luke sat there for a moment hugging the young girl back, he wasn’t sure how Scarlet would take him sitting in her wardrobe and the thought made him chuckle, but it also made him decide the next cause of action. “Let’s get you to bed squirt, before your mum comes in and we have to deal with a real monster” he teased.

"Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum....I smell the blood of a crosspatch Mum!" Lily giggled against his hair, but remained holding on tight to him, clearly expecting him to carry her to bed rather than walk.

Laughing Luke scooped her small figure up in his arms her hair tickling his nose as she held tight against him. "Come on, let's get you to bed," He said standing and walking to the bed. The trip was short and the covers were already pulled back so placing her down softly on the bed was easy. Pulling up the covers and tucking her in he smiled before saying. "Now, no more running around in the middle of the night and please try not to call me every night. I don't think you mother would approve of you using the LCARS system to contact people in the middle of the night but I won't lock you out. So use it only when completely necessary, Promise?"

"Promise," Lily nodded with a soft smile, but her eyes were serious as she watched him, gripping the top of the cover to pull up to her chin. "Just wanted to see if it worked," she whispered.

Patting her head he chuckled “It did, and I'm actually quite proud of you being able to do it by yourself. You’ll make a great Officer one day, if that’s what you want” he smiled, “Sweet dreams Lily” He said, waiting for her response before leaving her bedroom.

"Sweet dreams, Dinoboy," Lily murmured as she snuggled down deeper under the cover with her toy under her arm, wiped out more than she cared to admit from her little adventure.

OFF:

Lily Blake
Civilian Child

Lieutenant Commander Luke Wyatt
Chief of Security

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