Backstory: Puzzle solved.

Posted on Thu Oct 13th, 2022 @ 3:45pm by
Edited on on Thu Oct 13th, 2022 @ 3:46pm

Mission: The Lost Brother
Timeline: Current minus 2 months

Melissa Williams Corporal SFMC had quietly left the comms station when she'd heard Bertrick and the Doctor from the USS Dreadnought.

Conflicted, she stepped into the chill morning air and licked her lips. The woman had been right, if anyone else had wanted to notify a marine that they were going to be a father, there were communication channels specifically for that. She tucked her dark hair under her hat and strode into the ruddy light.

Not sure what her intentions were, she walked towards the command center as she quietly reviewed the communication from the USS Dreadnought. Most of them bore a personal seal from one Lieutenant Acacia Thomas. A few bore the informational seal of general shipwide updates. Something like a status board. That was not important. A wide eyed stare at the date on the first message from Dr. Thomas made her look a bit like an owl. "Shit. 7 months of messages? Shit. "

At first Jack saw this opportunity as just that, a chance at something better and to provide a better more comfortable setting for Acacia and himself. Acacia even mentioned once about a private practice and if this assignment pulled off, that was on the cards for sure. However this assignment was supposed to be a short one, month or two at the very most....not this long.

Jack had tried to send messages but when he got no reply he thought maybe the ship was out of range or on some mission where communications were restricted, but this long? Something was a miss but his duties had kept him so busy to really look into it much, he'd asked questions but got the usual 'Will get back to you' answer.

She decided to do something a little sneaky and bring in a fresh pot of coffee for the command staff. It was easy enough to make her way inside and replace the pots. Comms sometimes rotated through that duty when the needs were pressing. Meeting the eyes of each of the men in the room she greeted each quietly. "Good morning Major Taylor, Major Kell, Colonel Frost. "

"Williams." Jack spoke acknowledging the new arrival. He wondered what would transpire within the next few hours. There were many things that he wondered even outside the scope of the assignment before him but he had to wonder who, why and what else.

She poured out coffee for 5 people just in case and distributed them to the officers, adding sugar to one, cream to another. A smile hovered on her lips and as she placed a cup in front of Frost she murmered "It might interest the Colonel to come to Comms at 1900". Her voice was pitched to be heard only by him. Williams met his gaze for a bare moment to impress upon him the importance of her words before she retreated back to the coffee pot.

Anyone could tell the importance of that one statement especially when spoken in such a hushed tone. He watched the Coffee be poured and caught Williams's gaze. Being a marine meant he was no stranger to silent communication and what ever Williams was trying to convey was important....his own gaze giving the answer that was sought.

A gleam of satisfaction flickered in her dark eyes, and Williams knew that she'd just nailed the Coffin on Bertrick's career. She would back any investigation of the pretentious arse, and would enjoy being the fly on the wall this evening.

1900 rolled around and the expected call didn't come. "Shes late. "

"You should stop meddling in this Bertrick. " Came Williams voice. It was frustrated, but there was a hint of satisfaction in its tone that Bertrick missed.

"Stow it Williams." He growled "Women. Gotta hand it to the Colonel, he has good taste. Wonder if it's the rank or the uniform that gets her blood going."

Williams laughed but her tone was bored. "That woman loves him and I'd wager it has little to do with either. You are going to drown in this torrent you stirred up by not letting her messages through.".

It was 1903, and the chirp sounded. "You're late Sunrise." Bertricks voice was like satin, all fake niceties and softness.

Acacias voice was furious as she snarled "It's Doctor. Not Lieutenant, not Sunrise. Not Sweetness. Doctor. And you lost any right to speak to me when you involved JAG in this. Get me your direct C.O."

Jack had heard everything as he stood in the doorway, the door partially open as if on purpose and it was taking every thread of his being to stop him from tearing the Corporal apart. So casual with his significant other, talking to her behind his back yet preventing her from talking to him. He was not sure which planet of his that was going to fly on but it sure as hell wasn't this one.

"You don't need to." Jack spoke, his eyes like a hawk on the Corporal as his voice carried across the link to Acacia. "I...." It was clear by his voice and his face that sheer rage was causing his hesitation in forming a sentence. "Stand up!!!." Jack barked at Bertrick. "At attention!!!"

"You dare, talk to my partner like that." His fists clenched so hard he felt nail dig into skin. "An officer of Starfleet, like that...Corporal." Jack was laying out the cards piece by piece. "I don't know where to begin." It was difficult to contain the sheer blood filled rage that was mounting. "Williams, I want to know how many messages have been sent to me that I have not received because of this....individual."

"87 sir, not counting additional sendings with photographs and small data attachments. " Williams answered immediately, crisply, her lips tight over a smile that threatened.

Bertrick held his hand poised over the comm stop button, and went rigid in his chair. All the color drained out of his face, in a manner most satisfying to Acacia who was watching. "Colonel Frost, sir. I had special orders regarding your...personal communications sir."

It didn't take a mastermind as to who, especially considering who's involved. "Let me guess, General Frost, my Father?" Jack spoke followed by a heavy sigh. "But we will come back to that, do you mind explaining to me what you are thinking talking not only to my partner, but also a Starfleet Officer in the manner I observed, sunrise?"

"I..." His eyes dropped at the confirmation of his source of orders and he whispered, barely audible in the din of the communication hub. "Her hair. It looks like a sunrise. I didn't think, after having fielded daily messages for 2 months. I felt...I mean .." he whistled a tiny bit through his teeth in frustration, his face burning to match Acacia's hair. No point in drawing it out. "I wasn't thinking about my familiarity with the Doctor, Sir."

Jack was seething, seeing red and nothing but. "I'll deal with the General, as for you, I'm here, now. If I were you I'd consider the consequences of your actions." He asked. He turned to Williams. "I want those messages, and any that come through from hereinafter unread and contents unopened."

He turned back to Bertrick "You so much as mention her name....hmmm?" Jack had a look on his face that was clear he wasn't joking, he was here and the General wasn't. "Williams, a secure holo connection to the General in 10 minutes and l don't care what he's doing or if he's asleep."

Jack gave one final look to Bertrick, a man that came very close to having an unpleasant physical encounter, and he knew it, before turning and walking out of the room.

Williams nodded and her fingers began to flow over the console easily. The other Corporal raised her eyes to the view screen, where Acacia stared after Jack. The sound of his voice- his absolutely furious voice had rocked her physically. Her heart was set to racing, and she gasped a quiet sound that was overpowered by the sound of boots. The baby, accustomed to its fathers voice from Acacia's recordings moved within her in response. Acacia's blue eyes streamed tears, silently, one pale hand pressed to her lips as if to keep in a cry. The women met each other's eyes and understanding dawned in Acacias gaze, and as the comm connection with the Dreadnought died, Acacia felt a weight lifting from her shoulders. He. Knew. He knew! HE KNEW!

The Corporal tied secure connections together into the recorder and set them in place in the proper channels with the urgent emergency codes attached until the end, where they hit the personal communications system on Earth, where it was currently 0500. "Comms ready sir."