Chapter Text
There was a momentary fuzziness in her head, then they were sailing way from the gate and following a line of ships into space, presumably to their next portal. Kat looked down at her feet and saw they were her own. She expelled the breath she had been holding.
It actually hadn’t been bad; less disorienting and traumatic than the transporter and waiting for her bits to reassemble. She smiled in relief. Colin grinned and squeezed her fingers, biting back a comment about wussy supergirls. She narrowed her eyes briefly at him but was feeling generous as she remembered her consciousness could be floating around in his head at the moment.
Darius said, “It will be several hours before we reach the Literian gate. Would you care to join me for tea?”
Kat nodded as Colin thanked him and declined. “I need to compile some correspondence for home. I’m behind on responding and I should take advantage of the gate upload.”
Darius nodded. “Your mother mentioned something about you being terrible at keeping in touch lately. You are welcome to add your posts to our dispatches. They usually are filtered to family faster than Starfleet.”
“Thank you, I will,” Colin said before Kat and Darius left for his quarters.
Once there, Mason poured tea for them and offered Kat a selection of treats. She asked the name of each and Mason calmly explained, answering her questions about flavors and even histories of the delicacies. Darius watched her in amusement.
She smiled sheepishly. “I have heard of some of these and of course Mum made some of them, or at least a Gorchan version of them, but these are from Earth,” she said with a bit of wonder. She shrugged. “I honestly never thought I’d taste a real macaroon.”
She bit into the treat and savored it, considering for a moment. She smiled at Mason. “It’s really wonderful. I can see why they were my mother’s favorite.”
Darius chuckled. “As much as getting to know Earth food is an experience for you, getting to know about your parents is a delight for me,” he said. “I have to admit, I had a huge crush on your mother as a young man.”
She gave him a quizzical look. She knew her father had quite the cultural impact still on earth but she was surprised at the warmth in his voice when Darius mentioned her mother.
He tried to explain. “In our flawed history, she was the beautiful young woman, lost too soon. A pawn of powerful men, loved by your father and the inspiration for his stunning escape.” He shrugged. “It all seemed terribly romantic, but to be honest, knowing that they had a life together is one of the best pieces of news I’ve ever heard.”
Kat nodded. “I understand I think. In hindsight, their lives were quite an adventure but to be honest, they were just my parents.” She considered for a moment, then smiled. “It’s hard to picture Mum as anyone’s pawn, certainly not Daddy’s,” she said.
His smiled widened as he raised his teacup. “It just gets better and better.”
Kat tried another of the delicacies and hoped the Atlantis had a full gym like the Excalibur. She would need it if she kept eating everything she saw from Earth. The refined sugars were already hitting her bloodstream. She sighed and put the Napoleon down and sipped her tea.
“I imagine history will be rewritten quite a bit now. Certainly with scholars studying the Bounty, it will change.” She remembered the Oedipus’ captain and his rage at losing control of the ship. She bit her lip as she considered the man seated casually facing her.
“Captain Heidleman made a plea for the Bounty,” she said. “I imagine that was disappointing.”
Darius sighed. “I’m sure it was done with all his normal diplomacy.”
Kat laughed. Darius continued. “You did the right thing young lady. If I had been there, I would have encouraged you to make that same choice.”
“Thank you for understanding,” she said in relief.
He gave an embarrassed shrug. “I’m as much a fan of your parents as the next man. To know that they had a happier ending than we believed is delightful. I also fancy myself a bit of an explorer and I cannot wait to learn about their adventure. And yours.”
“Well, you are certainly a part of the journey now,” she said. “Thank you for offering us passage. I understand it made it much easier for me to keep my promise.”
He gave her a questioning look. “Promise?”
She nodded. “I assumed the Admiral had told you. I was a very minor piece of a recent rescue. The Admiral had promised the Literian gate operator a personal concert if he helped them.”
Darius’ face was blank for a moment. Then he quirked an eyebrow. “The admiral simply asked if you could be a stowaway as we were heading this way. He didn’t mention the intrigue.” He smiled at her. “You see, it’s already an adventure and I’ve only known you a few days.”
She laughed. “Well hopefully it stays a charming adventure. There are other kinds,” she said.
He shook his head. “I imagine you’ve seen both sorts already on the Excalibur.”
“It hasn’t been boring,” she said.
He chuckled. “A very diplomatic answer, Dr. Harrison.” He considered his tea, as though reading it like the fortunetellers on Atrias. “I will be returning to Earth shortly. Would you be interested in accompanying me to your genetic home world?”
She held her breath for a moment. She had talked with Captain Pike about visiting Earth but the timing had not been possible with Tabby’s condition. Now, the possibility was very real.
She told him, “I am very tempted. I’m nervous about venturing too far while Tabitha Scott is healing. Once she is rehabilitated though, I would very much like to.”
He nodded. “Rain check then?”
She frowned as she tried to interpret what a weather report had to do with their bargain.
He laughed out loud. “Oh my dear. I forgot you don’t have command of our strange idioms yet. I’m sorry. It means that the offer does not have an expiration. I am happy to offer assistance when you are ready.”
She shook her head, smiling. “Thank you. And with you I don’t have to worry about less than appropriate translations.”
That eyebrow arched. “Our Colin? He wouldn’t!”
“He would!” she retorted. “And Damian too. They are terrible.”
He threw back his head and laughed. “So the Horsemen haven’t changed a bit have they?”
She wondered what he meant.
“The boys were known for getting into their fair share of scrapes when they were younger. They nearly drove Maggie mad with some of their high jinx.” He shrugged. “I thought over the years that she might be spoiling them, but they turned out well so obviously, she was right. As usual.”
Kat could sense the very real warmth as he mentioned his childhood friend.
“Oh do tell. I need something to hold over their heads when they are being kosheidas.”
“Kosheida?” he asked.
She blushed a bit. “Uhm. Monsters?” she translated very, very loosely.
He said, “Well the one that comes to mind may not be helpful. I noticed you were nervous going through the wormhole. How are you with transporters? Most souls from this galaxy are less than fond of them.”
She sighed. “I admit it. I don’t like the transporter. Especially after hearing about crew being switched out of their bodies.”
He looked horrified for a moment, then held up a hand. “Something on the Atlantis I assume? It’s always the Atlantis,” he said, sounding resigned.
“Yes, Apparently the chief engineer became the host for a young crewwoman’s conscious.”
“Good lord. I didn’t even know that was possible.” He shuddered. “I may have nightmares now.”
Mason poured more tea as Darius continued. “The technology is quite a marvel. We haven’t met other cultures yet that have the ability.”
She asked, “Have you had it long?”
“About twenty years after your father,” he paused, “appropriated the Bounty, the first teleportation was successful. Now young engineers study it in their first classes.”
“That seems dangerous!” she said.
He sighed. “It is. Colin and his cousins were in quite a bit of trouble once over building their own transporter over summer break when they were about twelve. The scamps tested it with a stuffed bear. It was disastrous. And Ben’s little sister was devastated. They then tried to teleport their school opponent’s mascot.”
She looked horrified.
"It was a statue of a bulldog,” he hastily explained.
“Ah. Where did it teleport to?”
“We never really knew. It was then Maggie banned them from any further experiments without adult supervisor,” he said, smiling at the memory. “The Four Horsemen.”
She nodded. “Wait. Damian has known them that long?”
“No, Ben’s brother was part of the gang. When the others went to engineering, he studied science and chose academia and they became the Three Horsemen. Damian later became the fourth horseman to replace Daniel.
“And now there are two?” she said softly.
“Temporarily,” he said. “I’m sure Ben won’t be banished for long. I half expect Captain Pike to bring him and Adrian home when you and Colin return. Do you know how long you will be on the Atlantis?”
“Only a couple weeks. Colin needs to help with some communication problem but I’m loathe to be away from Tabby for too long.”
“Understandable,” he said. He raised his teacup. “To adventures and meeting the rest of the Horsemen.” He shook his head. “Ben is going to lose his mind,” he thought and then realized she had heard him.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly.
He waved a hand. “No, it’s fine. I was just thinking how enamored young Ben has always been with your father. Be prepared to be pestered with a million questions. He’s not a bad lad so feel free to tell him off if it’s too much.”
She grinned ruefully. “You are not the first person to have that exact thought. Damian put it rather more colorfully.”
Darius laughed. “Well there was another incident...”
“The painting.”
“You’ve heard.”
“Damian told me,” she said cheerfully.
He snorted. “I never pictured that lad as holding a grudge.”
“He didn’t. He just had to explain why the Berticelli was hanging in the crew quarters of a certain starship.”
“Ah,” he said. “It is a hell of a coincidence.”
“Damian thinks that Ben was so versed in my parents and their genetic makeup that he unconsciously recognized me.”
Darius gave her a startled look. “That actually is quite plausible.” He considered for a moment. “Ben is going to lose his mind,” he said aloud, then began to regale her with more stories from his godson’s childhood.