A Better Man

Posted on 24 Sep 2012 @ 9:26pm by Lieutenant Commander Amynta Markos

872 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Episode 02 - Resupply
Location: Starbase 54
Timeline: MD01 - 06:15

ON:

"Amynta?"

The woman looked up from the padd she had been reading, her blue eyes regarding the tall, young man before her. She took a moment to study him. He was tall, well over 6 feet. Thank God he had stopped growing. He was pale, with blond hair that fell into his face and sculptured, clear features. Soft lips, slightly pink, showing the youth in him. She could watch him like that at times, completely detached, observing small similarities and some that weren't hers. Like the set of his eyes, as if he always had some shadows under them despite the brightness of the blue. Yet other things were hers, like the lips were a masculine version of her own. It was strange, at times, to remember that this youth...this young man...was her son. Yet Amynta Markos had never held much maternal love for her child. She loved him, yes. She'd do anything for him. Yet he had never called her Mother and she had never wished for him to. She had not raised him.

Sighing, she put the padd down and nodded, her blond hair curled today, almost to a point of it clouding against a face that was both pretty and harsh at the same time. "Carus," she motioned for him to sit, stretching her legs out before crossing them. "It's dreadfully early...."

"I know," Carus Markos sat down, shaking his head at that. "But I need to keep in shape and while I like having a few days to chill, I have to think ahead. Only two weeks left and I have a lot of the universe to see before I go back to Mars."

"Indeed," she reached for her tea, nodding at the words. "You need to see as much as you can, you know. As much as you can, so you can take it back and become a better Marine."

"You sound just like Aunt Athena," he said as he leant closer, shaking his head as he let out a breath. "It's not about becoming a better marine, it's about becoming a better man."

"You already are a good man," she said and frowned, watching his eyes for a long moment before biting her lip. "Damn it, Carus. You don't have to compensate."

"Compensate? If I knew more about who my father was, what sort of man, then maybe I could-"

The hand slapped the table and Amynta was up, her face close to his as she leant over the small table. She watched him with darkened eyes, breathing harder. "You don't want to know any more about that son of a bitch than you need to."

"Amynta!" he stood, watching her as she too stood, until they were more or less squaring up to each other. "He's my father! And you're my mother! If I don't know my roots, what sort of a man can I be?"

"I'm your biological mother, and he was your biological father. By now, you should know that it means nothing at all. It's biology. It's not who you are, it's not you. You, Carus..." she frowned and touched his cheek, stroking it gently. "You are a good man. You are yourself. That is all you need to worry about. You. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. You can only rely on yourself."

His breath caught and he pulled back, moving to the viewport as he placed his hand against the cool glass, shaking his head. He remained silent for a long moment, frowning before slamming his fist against it. "Who was he?!"

She closed her eyes as she sat down, letting out a breath before rubbing her forehead tiredly. "He was man. Older than me. I fancied him rotten. And I slept with him and got pregnant. And he wanted nothing to do with us...that's all you need to know."

Carus turned to watch her, frowning as he saw he had really upset her. He walked to her slowly, touching her arm before leaning close, resting his cheek against her hair.

"Don't..." she pushed him gently away and forced a small smile. "Carus. All that matters is you. Don't dwell on things like that. Means nothing. All that matters is that you do what you want. That you become the best man you can..." she touched his arm and nodded. "Look, it is dreadfully early. I am going to have a long shower and you, Marine...better do some running. That's why you are wearing those dreadful clothes, is it not?"

He looked down over himself an chuckled, nodding as he met her eyes again. "Yeah. That's why I am in the PE kit. Alright...but we're still on for dinner later, right?"

"Unless either of us find a pretty thing to dine with instead...? Yes." Amynta reached for her padd again and nodded, her eyes gentle. "Off you go, boy." She kept her eyes on the padd until she heard the doors sliding shut behind him and only then did she close her eyes and allow herself the tears she felt.

OFF:

Lt. jg Amynta Markos
Intelligence Officer
Soon to be transferred to USS Galileo

&

NPC

Recruit Carus Markos
Cadet at OCS
SFMC Mars Training Facility

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