Unwelcome Revelation

Posted on Mon Jun 27th, 2011 @ 1:05pm by Anaia Viel (Halliwell) & Captain Elsie Halliwell

1,516 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Taylforth
Location: Halliwell's Ready Room, USS Ranger
Timeline: Current

ON:

There it was in black and orange: The lightening bolt that would strike and change Elsie Halliwell’s life course forever. She must have read the same encrypted data PaDD from Starfleet Medical eight times. And yet, as hard as she concentrated on the coloured text glowing softly in her slender hands, she still couldn’t absorb the information. Or the shock. The report - for a report is what it essentially was - was forty seven pages long and contained all manner of results and findings, history and facts. Amidst the flowing prose and several diagrams, Elsie seemed to stumble across the same six word phrase time and time again. And with each reading, the same six words seemed to grow brighter and brighter and the shock more and more as she continued to read.

Direct Genetic Descendant: Elsie Hermione Halliwell

The beaker beside her right hand remained half full. She had replenished the amber liquid only twice during the course of the morning and still the vessel that contained the rest was half empty. Tea was her usual staple and yet, for one reason, this would not satisfy or quench her thirst today. Nor steady her nerves. The aroma of malt was light on her breath but her hands shook at little less at every wasp-sip.

She looked up, another faceless admiral with sympathetic eyes staring back at her through the terminal viewscreen. If she’d ask “How?†once, she’d ask it a thousand times. And Admiral Richold had no more padding to the frame than what lay in the report.

“I just don’t understand,†Elsie pleaded, an utter look of loss lining the edges of her eyes. “And, please, can you stop calling her my daughter? I assume she has a name?â€

For every confused line that creased Elsie's face, there was a matching one of wearied resignation rendering Margaret Richold's face haggard beyond its years. Sympathetic as she was, this rather personal matter was also the last drop in the overflowing pool of a week she'd rather forget. Perhaps it was a particular talent of hers and one that was improving with age, but all the unusualissues had a way of landing on her desk, often en masse. Though the sound was muted on the audio relay, her chair creaked as she leaned back but her sigh translated with crisp clarity that couldn't be misconstrued. She had no clue what to make of this either.

"As stated in the report, the child is known predominantly by a singular name, Anaia. As far as I can ascertain, the formality of additional identification is more for their records than anything else." After a brief, tired pause, the Admiral continued, "Captain, I'm aware that this is...a shock. It certainly isn't something that I can say I have ever dealt with before but the information is compelling enough to warrant investigation, at the very least. That being said...." The older woman sat forward slowly. "The Fa'lutra Institute has attracted its fair share of criticism over the years. Several attempts have been made to condemn it legally but my preliminary research suggests that no case brought against it has ever actually made it to court. A vast majority of the population live there voluntarily and this program, the..." Richold checked her data PADD. "...Nursery, that has allowed for the creation of your...of Anaia, is controversial but not necessarily against any regulations that can be brought to bear on the Institute. Up until this particular case, all donors have been willing."

Elsie just stared blankly at the woman digitally facing her. There were very few times in her life and career where she was speechless. But this just about trumped the lot with its “out of the blue†and shock factor. She looked on at Admiral Richold and shrugged her shoulders silently, searching the screen for another answer, for a way out of this nightmare that now enveloped her every waking thought. But she found neither. The questions that now filled her mind exhausted her to the point of no resolve.

“So because my DNA was harvested for this… procedure, the child has now been removed from the commune and ejected? Where is the child now?â€

It was difficult for Elsie to grasp. Having no maternal cravings of her own, to be presented with what was effectively a “just add water†daughter overwhelmed her greatly. Then the scenario around the entire catastrophe dawned on her.

In a deadpan and cold, accusatory tone, Elsie asked, “Where are you suggesting she be placed, Admiral?†Her eyes now lay steely and detached, burning through the screen at her.

"Captain, I'm not trying to suggest anything." Whilst Richold's tone held measured sympathy, her expression was one of the utmost frankness. "This matter is a purely personal one and not something that StarFleet is seeking to interfere with. The information merely filtered through our channels because it was the only way for these people to track you down." Leaning forward, the Admiral placed her hands on the desk in front of her and continued, "The request they have made pertains to legal guardianship and whilst they have mentioned altering the child's..." She glanced at her PADD again. "..."normal residential status", they say nothing about ejecting her permanently. By my understanding, all they want from you is the permission they should have had to begin with."

Elsie locked eyes with the admiral again, and then she slowly widened her expression to an utterly lost and bewildered air. “How can I possibly give permission for something that was taken from me without my consent?†The question was rhetorical and Richold knew it. She relented, sighed heavily and shrugged her shoulders. “What are my options?â€

"Non-interference aside, my advisers from both medical and diplomatic channels have asked that I convey to you the potential seriousness of this decision." Richold spread her hands slightly as if to convey her neutrality. "Raising a child is not something I can provide any personal opinion on and a claim such as this, despite the compelling evidence, has far too many implications for a definitive answer to be easy to find in such a short space of time. I don't have answers for you, Captain. Why this man stole your DNA and felt it necessary to use it to create a life that was clearly meant to be kept a secret from you is likely not something that can be easily gleaned from a report, no matter how much detail it contains. For all intents and purposes, it seems as if this girl was never supposed to be a part of your life and though they are obliged to minimise the legal ramifications of this professional breach, I read nothing in their request that asks you to take any interest in her well-being."

Richold paused then to allow her words a moment to germinate their intended seeds and then sat back again, elbows poised on the arms of her chair as her fingers steepled together against her stomach. "That decision resides solely with you. At the request of my psychological adviser, I am forwarding you what information we've been able to find on the Institute and its practises so that you have some idea of what Anaia's life is and will continue to be should you decide to sign away all parental responsibility for her. Should you wish to meet her, I see no way that they will be able to refuse and should you choose not to..." The Admiral's eyebrows arched slightly in nonchalant finality. "That will be the end of it."

Elsie remained silent; stoically silent as the cogs of her mind continued to turn. It was usually and painfully difficult for her to express any such reaction to something so personal in the audience of an onlooker, and yet, when it came down to the maternal shift now shoe-horning its way into her life, the thirty six year old woman began to revert back into an emotionally incapable child herself. “I’m going to need some time to digest this and formulate what is best.†She paused, broke eye contact with her superior and shook her head silently. “For my ship, my life… and for this girl.â€

"Take your time, Captain. Under the circumstances, I don't think they have much of a case for attempting to push you." Pausing, Richold then drew a deep breath and expelled it heavily. "Your service record indicates you have strong instincts when it comes to resolving seemingly no-win situations. I hope they help you come to a decision you can live with." With a parting pointed look of both measured compassion and frustration, the Admiral then offered a grim smile. "Good luck."

---

OFF:


Vice Admiral Margaret Richold
Starfleet Command Headquarters
Player by Karen

AND


Captain Elsie Halliwell
Commanding Officer
USS Ranger

 

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