If You Build It ....

Posted on Wed Aug 30th, 2023 @ 8:03am by Captain Isabella Perry & Antony Lockwood & Commander Riko McCord & Harina True

1,221 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Rescue
Location: Planet ?????/Brookhaven
Timeline: MD 6, 0945

"Time to rise and shine!" called Harina to her youngest child.

"Mooo-ooom!" Fannie, the youngest at eight years old, complained. "I told you not to say that!"

Her mother laughed. "And why not? It was good enough for me, good enough for your grandmother -"

Fannie interrupted with a sigh, "I know, I know, good enough for generations of Trues."

Harina ran her index finger down the slide of Fannie's nose, and tapped the tilted up end. "Exactly! And you are the next generation of True."

Mumbling to herself in what could only be a grumpy mood, Fannie slid out of bed, noting her older siblings were already up and gone. Of course they are, she continued to fuss. They're perfect in every way. Just ask them.

Calling back from the hall on her way to what passed as a kitchen in the small quarters they'd found in the village, the doctor said, "I'm fixing pancakes and bacon for your breakfast. Come on out when you're ready, but don't take too long. I have an appointment to look at an office in the village before too long. I need a place to hold office hours outside of Brookhaven Clinic," she said, before her daughter could ask.

Brightening at the prospect of food she liked, Fannie was in and out of the fresher in no time, dressed for a day outside in long shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. It was her favorite style of clothing since they'd left the ship that dropped them on the planet, and she saw no reason to change that any time soon.

She skipped down the hall and plopped down on a stool at the high bar where the family took their meals. "Ready!" she said, then added, "Is everyone else already gone for the day?"

Sliding a dish in front of her youngest, and sitting next to her with her own, Harina replied, "Yep, gone like the wind. Eat up, and we will be, too."

-----

As they strolled down the main street of Brookhaven, Harina took in the shops that were open. "It seems strange to walk someplace and have a distant horizon, doesn't it?" she asked her daughter.

"What seems stranger is having shops ... and empty buildings. I thought there would be more ... I don't know what, but more of something. People? Business? Where is everyone? This is a planet, isn't it?" Fannie asked, stopping to peer curiously into a window that showed an empty space beyond.

"It is," her mother confirmed. "There's a lot we don't know about this place, Fannie. What we know is that it's a refuge for us. We will serve the people here, and neither Starfleet nor Federation mysteries will ever concern us again. Remember, we don't ask other people questions about their backgrounds, and they shouldn't ask us, either."

"I know," the young girl answered, thinking this was the oddest mission her parents had ever undertaken ... so far. "I don't understand, but I can follow the rules, you know."

Dr. True reached out and ruffled her daughter's hair, something Fannie disliked intensely. "I do know," she smiled. "You are probably better at it than your siblings, really. I appreciate you."

Fannie ducked away from her mother's hand, but was pleased, nonetheless, by the compliment. "Thanks," was all she said, however.

They passed a book store with a sign that read 'Pale Moon Books' and a flower shop, as well. Then the office Harina had been looking for showed up. The sign on that door read simply 'Brookhaven Properties'. "Ah, here we go," she said. "Let's see what's available."


---

Antony sat in the antique chair reading over his financial books, admiring the business he had done over the last few months. He was so engrossed in what he was doing, he didn't notice the women who had entered his shop until they were right on top of him.

"Oh my!" Antony let out with a touch of fright in his voice. "You two almost gave me a heart attack!"
he said with a big grinning smile on his face.

"Now, who do we have here, and how may I be of service to you lovely ladies?"

Fannie rolled her eyes at her mother, who merely smiled and replied, holding out her hand in a traditional Terran greeting, "I'm Dr. Harina True, and this is my daughter, Fannie. She's helping me look for office space today. I'll be starting at the Brookhaven Clinic next week, but I need space for private office hours, as well. We have quarters at the moment, but I wouldn't mind looking at office space which includes housing upstairs, perhaps? There are five of us, including two teenagers, and what we have is acceptable," she paused a moment and reflected just barely! "but something a little roomier would be ... lovely."

"I'd very much like it if I didn't have to share with a sibling," Fannie declared.

"Antony Lockwood at your service, my lovelies." He said as he took Harina's hand in his and gave it a good firm shake. Hearing the requested details from the Doctor, he walked over to a set of books that was on a table across the room which also had a computer terminal on it.

"You are requesting a big ask, my friend. Office space with living quarters big enough for a family of five will be something of a rarity. Tell me a little about yourselves, while I search the database." The realtor began entering some of the info Harina gave him in the search parameters on his terminal.

"Oh, there's not much to tell, really. We moved here from a civilian posting that ended, because I fit the parameters of what the clinic wanted." She didn't want to go into too much detail, because that's what they were getting away from and they'd been warned to be careful. What they were moving toward was more important. "The two teens are a male and a female, and both working toward finishing schooling. We don't need a large living area, but four individual spaces would be nice. However, if you don't have it, you don't have it." Harina moved as if she would turn and walk away, reaching for her daughter's hand. "I expect we'll get by until something opens up somewhere."

Antony looked up from the search on the screen in front of him and saw that the Doctor was making her way toward the door. "Where are you going, Doctor? I just began the search for your new home and office. Wouldn't you like to wait for the results before you leave?

The realtor was puzzled by Harina's abrupt turn around and possible departure. "Ahhh look here. Already we have a couple of matches. Are you interested in the results still?" he said with happiness in his voice.

True turned back toward him as Fannie pulled on her hand. "I'm interested!" she exclaimed. "Come on, Mom, don't give up so easily. The nice man found something, so we should at least look."

The doctor nodded and turned back, "Alright," she said, letting go of Fannie's hand. "Let's see what you found." Maybe she'd been wrong in thinking he was trying to get more out of her. Maybe she shouldn't be so suspicious.

 

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