Family Hour

Posted on Wed Sep 28th, 2011 @ 8:23pm by Sarah Byrne [PNPC] & Jacob Byrne [PNPC] & Captain Benjamin Byrne

Mission: Kingdom Come
Location: US Endeavour - Captain's Quarters
Timeline: MD09 2300hrs

Benjamin let out a deep breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding as he stepped through the doors of his quarters, and unzipped the front of his dress jacket. The uniform always felt unduly tight around the midsection and neck... and yet it was perfectly tailored to him. He swore Starfleet designed them that way.

"How'd it go, Ben?" Sarah called out from the lounge, where she and Jacob had been watching the latest news feed to come in from the Federation. Their receipt of such transmissions was delayed to a day later than the vast majority of 11th Fleet ships at present, due to their location within the Cluster, and the rest of the Fleet were always a day or two behind the Federation core worlds on all but the most critical communiques from Command, so it sometimes took some getting used to corresponding the days the reporters were referencing with the ship's current date.

"As well as could be expected," he responded, giving his wife and son a kiss on the head before moving through the slight partition into the bedroom. "Though I still hold that these damn dinners are the worst part about being a diplomat," he called through behind him.

"Then why did you become one?" Sarah teased with a smirk from the couch.

"Ha ha, very funny," Benjamin responded, as he emerged from the bedroom, clad now in a more casual set of pyjama bottoms and a simple t-shirt. He dropped himself down between the two, his arms resting along the back of the sofa. "So how were your days then?"

"I went to Bolarus," Jacob announced plainly.

"We're progressing on to galactic geography," Sarah explained, flawlessly taking on her persona of home tutor. "We're working our way through the core worlds. Vulcan, Tellar and Andoria were last month."

Benjamin nodded. "I hope you didn't make him try any of their Bolian souffl..." he said, grinning. It was just then that the latest news bulletin to play caught the trio's attention.

"The Klingon Ambassador has once again neglected to attend a meeting with the Federation President and Special Advisors," the news anchor reported. "This marks the fifth such meeting that the Klingons have chosen not to show up for, and political analysts believe that it is part of the continuing trend within the Empire, and the growing sense of tension between Qo'nos and the Federation which began with the Klingon-Romulan border disputes in 2380, following the Shinzon coup."

Benjamin shook his head as he reached up to rub his eyes. "Why can't any relationship with the Klingons ever be simple?" He asked, rhetorically. At the enquiring look from his wife, he stood and began to pace towards the replicator as he explained. "The Empire took the opportunity after the Shinzon incident to try to annex a few of their worlds which they had lost to the Romulan Empire over the past hundred years or so. Thankfully, with them still stepping up their forces along their Gorn border, they weren't overly confrontational when the Federation intervened to stop the attacks. When we asked them to assist in providing aid to the Romulans earlier this year, they flat-out refused. Some of Starfleet's analysts are saying that tensions between the two of us are almost as bad as when they pulled out of the Khitomer Accords in seventy two. Coffee, white, extra sweet, hot."

"Why do the Klingons always have to fight somebody, Dad?" Jacob asked, as he looked up from his hot chocolate to try and get a bit more of an understanding of the way the galaxy worked.

Benjamin sighed as he perched himself on the edge of one of the wall-mounted surfaces facing the pair of them. "It's in their nature I suppose, Jake. They've always been a warrior society, but I had hoped that after the war we'd finally managed to get to the point where we had a decent working relationship between all of us."

"Put it out your mind, Ben," Sarah said, as she stood up and moved over to her husband. "We're the other side of Archanis from the Klingons. Let's just focus on the Nevarrans, OK?"

Benjamin nodded, seeing the obvious logic in her plan. "Anyway Jake, it's definitely well past your bed time by now. Why don't you go off and get into bed. I'll come see you off in a bit." The boy nodded as he finished his hot beverage and padded off into his room. Benjamin let yet more air escape through his pressed lips as he hugged his wife. "I just wish one of these days galactic politics will become simple."

"Well, I have a feeling you can keep wishing," Sarah returned. "Go on, go see Jake off. I'm tired myself, you know."

--------------------
Captain Benjamin J. Byrne
Commander, USS Endeavour

Sarah Byrne
Captain's Wife

&

Jacob B. Byrne
Captain's Son