Security Kit

Posted on Mon Sep 16th, 2019 @ 1:39am by Commander Logan Vance & Cadet Senior Grade Kit Kacy

Mission: Down the Rabbit Hole
Location: Andromeda, Airlock
Timeline: MD: 06

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Time: 1946
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Logan and Amanda both waited patiently as the airlock opened from the starbase. As weird as it was, Logan was a little nervous. He knew Amanda would behave herself but he always his stomach tied up in knots introducing her even after three years.

"What if they don't like me?" Amanda showed a rare moment of worry herself. It caught Logan off guard.

"Just be yourself…" he started. "But remember they'll be more friendly if you treat them with respect. Not as spies to be outmaneuvered."

"But they're children."

"So are you," he reminded her.

"It's not the same," Amanda refuted him.

"So look it as an opportunity to see how a fully human sixteen year old girl would act," he countered. "You can learn a lot from her if you give it a chance."

She tilted her head and accepted his logic, "Very well."

The airlock to the ship opened and reached out his hand to Kit to welcome here. "You made it, Cadet."

"We did," Kit breathed out. "It was a little touch and go for a moment." She cast a glance back at her sister who was standing there with her arms crossed, looking a bit sullen. "But we did it."

"It's good to see you again in person, Commander," Flick said with a smile.

Kit smiled at him and gently squeezed the back of his neck. Her brother was excited to be there, excited to be living with Kit, excited for the opportunity to be in space. Her sister was… less excited and it showed.

Amanda met Pippa's eyes and tried to read her. It was obvious she didn't want to be there but she couldn't get a read on why. What was the word father had used for this? Sulking? That sounded right. She'd read about it. Moody and hostile for not being able to control one's circumstances to get their desired outcome. She supposed if she was in the other girl's situation, she might feel the same way. Of course she'd never be that helpless… at least not again.

Logan knelt down and smiled at Flick. "Good to see you too, future Cadet. You've been looking out for your sisters like we agreed?"

The boy nodded readily. "Yes, Sir, I have."

Kit grinned at her brother. "He's done a wonderful job of it as well." She then turned her attention to Amanda. "It's nice to meet you in person, Amanda. Are you excited to get to be on the Andromeda with your dad?" She knew 'excited' was probably the wrong word to use with the girl, but it was out there now.

Amanda stepped forward and gave a slight smile to be polite. "It's nice to meet you as well. The Andromeda presents many new opportunities and challenges. I am glad to be here," she answered carefully. She really didn't understand her father's attachment to this woman. She wasn't family and while her father was clearly attracted to her, he had made no advances on her. Perhaps that would change now that she was here but he had given no indication that would be the case so far. Her curiosity was piqued and the two younger siblings were prime sources of information to investigate.

She turned her attention to Pippa, having promised to attempt to 'make friends'. "I am Amanda. You are Pippa? It is nice to meet you."

Pippa shot Kit a very obvious, long-suffering look before returning her attention to Amanda. "Yeah, nice to meet you, too," she replied in something of a drone, the response seemingly obligatory rather than truly genuine.

Kit pursed her lips for a moment and tossed a 'I will explain later' look over the top of her siblings to Logan.

"Pip is super mad that she had to leave her friends behind on Earth," Flick stated, clearly not feeling a need to keep things to himself or at the very least, wait for a less embarrassing time before blurting information that he should have kept to himself.

"Shut up, Flick!" Pippa hissed, frowning at him as a pink hue flooded her cheeks. "No one asked you."

"Oookay," Kit interceded, stepping between the two. "You've literally been on the ship for thirty seconds. Let's maybe attempt just the smallest amount of restraint?" She gave Logan a sheepish look. "I should probably take them to go get settled in…"

Logan suppressed a smirk. He knew all too well about having to deal with young people lacking filters. He empathized with her. "You're probably all tired," he nodded. "Amanda, maybe you could show Flick and Pippa their quarters? I just need a few minutes with Cadet Kacy. We'll be not far behind."

Amanda shot him a look of 'seriously?!', which he shut down with a glare of his own. "Of course, father," she agreed, putting on a polite but insincere smile. "Come. Father arranged for you to have quarters near ours because you need the extra space," she explained as she led the two younger Kacys away.

Logan waited until they had a pretty good head start before he motioned for Kit to come with him. "Always a handful," he chuckled. It was a pleasantry to transition to a more serious topic.

Kit blew out a breath and shook her head. "God, are they ever…" She got it, she did - after four years of living with the foster family, her siblings (especially her sister) had formed bonds with them and made friends on Earth. Now Kit was stepping in and taking them away from the things that they had grown accustomed to. Still, she'd thought they'd be excited to finally be living with her…

It was one of those things they bonded over so easily. Both had been dropped into the situation of caring for children without any warning or chance to prepare. Of course it's like that for every parent but it typically doesn't happen when they are already teenagers… "Well, at least you know where I'll be if things get hectic and I strangely enough, I have friends aboard we might be able to call on to help as well."

"Good to know," Kit said with a nod. "I have the distinct feeling that I'm going to need all the help I can get." She glanced sideways at him as they walked. "So, what's up, Sir?" She hadn't missed him strategically sending the kids away and then moving them out of earshot.

"Just something to be aware of. Mostly because I trust you and the more people I can trust with this, the easier it will be to keep under wraps," he told her. He'd shared information with her above her classification before and shown she could keep it to herself. She'd earned a long leash. "Despite what I may or may not have indicated in the past, my… assignments with Starfleet Intelligence did not really end with my assignment to the Hawking. The Captain and a few others are aware of the surface of this but not necessarily all of the details. I mention this for two reasons. One, it is all the more important that you don't mention our previous arrangement regarding how we found Flick and Pippa. And two, I wanted to make you aware that might have need of you during these missions and that will mean trusting you with privileged information you're not necessarily supposed to have."

Kit took in his words and let the process before she gave a nod. "I understand, Sir," she replied. Logan had saved her brother and sister and had done everything he could afterwards as well to make their lives easier. She owned him. More than that, though, she trusted him. She would do whatever Logan needed her to do.

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Commander Logan Vance
XO, USS Andromeda

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Cadet Senior Grade Kit Kacy
Security Officer, USS Andromeda