Family Affairs, part two

Posted on Sat Sep 21st, 2024 @ 10:33pm by Captain Aisling Banerjee

1,459 words; about a 7 minute read

*I am sensing just a little bit of tension.*

Aisling's response to Elle was a low grunt. Anjali turned and regarded her sister, eyebrow cocked.

"Is everything all right?" Anjali inquired mildly.

You are on my ship, back in my life, Aisling thought. Nothing is remotely all right. She kept that entirely to herself.

*You want me to arrange an 'accident'?* Elle inquired, *Life support malfunction, open turbolift shaft? If you want me to get truly gruesome I could do something creative with a gravity plate.*

"Is the guard truly necessary?" Anjali inquired of the third visible person in the tubolift.

The security guard remained stoically silent and Aisling did not bother with a reply.

Not to anyone.

The turbolift doors opened, Aisling led the pair to her quarters. She murmured for the guard to remain outside as she led her sister through the open doors. Anjali looked about, nodding, "Very nice. Much larger than that closet of a cabin on that tiny ship you used to be in charge of. Your fortunes have certainly changed for the better," she stared at the corner, "Is that a sunken tub?"

"It is," Aisling replied as she walked over to-

"And is that a wet bar?"

"Well, as you said, my fortunes have changed for the better. If I recall you preferred bourbon."

"Only if you are having one."

"I am on duty. And it is morning, ship time," Aisling poured her sister the drink and handed her the glass. As Anjali accepted Aisling inquired, "Now, why are you here?"

"Can't a sis-" Anjali saw something in Aisling's expression. She sipped the bourbon and glanced about the room for almost a minute.

"Mother is going to get married."

Aisling frowned, "Rather sudden, isn't it? She never mentioned any of this in her communications to me. So, who is the groom?" Aisling saw something in her sister's face, "No! Mother is re-marrying Father? After all those years of telling us what a fiend and a cad he was?"

Aisling clamped down on her reply. Instead to Anjali she said, "And so she realized she could not tell me so she sent you. Which was not much better."

Anjali scowled, "That wasn't very nice."

"Neither are you."

"You certainly can hold a grudge," Anjali murmured. She sipped her bourbon, grimaced, "Not exactly a very good brand."

"Perhaps you are simply tasting your own sourness."

"Gods!" Anjali snapped, "How many years has it been?"

"Fifteen."

"And you-"

"No, I haven't."

Anjali grimaced, "Anyway, Mother would like you to be at the wedding."

"When is it?"

"A month."

Aisling took a breath, "I will not be able to make it. I have a new ship, a new mission."

Anjali rolled her eyes, "Oh, please! Do not tell me you do not have months of leave time saved; you never use it."

"My duties-"

"Your family is important too, Aisling," Anjali smiled, "Your nieces would love to see you again, it has been so long..."

Aisling grimaced and looked away. It was true, she hadn't seen the four nieces in quite some time. And they were fond of her, their moody aunt who seemed not to get along with their mother at all for some reason. Last time Indira had noted how close twins were supposed to be. It was not Aisling's place to tell the then eleven year old why she was so angry with her mother.

And her father.

"I can make no promises," Aisling replied, then held up her hand, "That is as far as I can go, Anjali. I will see where things lay at that time but I cannot make any guarantees."

Anjali seemed ready to say more, but she sighed, "All right, I will tell Mother. She will not be happy."

"You made Mother a grandmother four times over; you have brought her more happiness than I ever could have."

Aisling walked over to the door, it swooshed open and the guard turned his head to regard her curiously. She said to him, "My sister's business is done here; please escort her to the nearest transporter room."

"Aisling," Anjali began, "Perhaps we could-"

"I am very busy, Anjali. Perhaps I will see you in a month."

Anjali hesitated, then approached the door. She paused, then held out her arms.

"Seriously?" Aisling replied with an arched eyebrow. both Anjali's face and arms fell. She allowed herself to be led away by the security guard.

"I have questions..." Elle began.

"Take a wild guess," Aisling replied as she made for the wet bar.

"Your sister stole your man and married him."

Aisling froze in mid stride. She stared up at the ceiling, "How-"

"It was that or she killed your dog, and there is no record of you owning a dog. You...must have been very much in love."

Aisling gripped the edge of the wet bar. Her voice failed her so all she could do was nod. Fifteen years. Fifteen years and seeing Anjali made her feel like that wide-eyed junior lieutenant all over again, oh-so-smart when it came to problem solving, all stutters when it came to speaking to men. But Anjali did not have that problem; she never did. She could have any man she wanted.

And she had wanted hers.

"She posed as me," Aisling finally said, "Cowan did not know I had a twin yet, and I informed him that evening I would not be able to make our date. So Anjali stepped in fed him a story. It was supposed to be our second date, he did not know much about me. And Anjali, being Anjali, swept him off his feet. A month later they were married."

"I...would quip that I could arrange a transporter accident...but I am afraid you would take me up on that offer..."

Aisling smiled despite herself, "It was not so much losing Cowan than it was losing Anjali. But as much as I try I simply cannot get past it. it is part of the reason why I wear my hair in a bun, to look less like her. Perhaps that is why I still wear the bindi as well."

"Are you going to attend your mother's wedding...to your father?"

"No."

"You might ch-"

"I will not," Aisling replied with a sigh, "Mother wanted us to marry, to have children, so she could be a grandmother. Anjali was already pregnant so naturally she would side with her. Father...well, he and mother were always fighting and it led to his all but fleeing when things grew too acrimonious. He sympathized, I will give him that. He must be very lonely to come back to Mother."

"Is there anyone else?" Elle inquired mildly.

"Uncle Nolan," Aisling smiled, "He broke Cowan's jaw. Then he turned to Anjali and stated flatly she was damn lucky she was not a man and then threw a glass of champagne in her face. I wish I had been there to see that," Aisling sighed and let go of the wet bar, "There are my nieces, but..."

"It is difficult to speak to them without thinking of their parents."

Aisling nodded, "Yes."

"Do they know?"

"Their aunt did not show up for their parents' wedding, they must suspect by now. I will not tell them; that is up to their parents," Aisling sighed, "I should get some work done, take my mind off of-"

"I just booked some holodeck time for you," Elle stated, "Your fencing instructor awaits. You either focus and put your sister out of your mind or he is going to repeatedly stab and humiliate you for two hours."

Aisling hesitated, then despite herself she felt an honest smile cross her face as she made for her desk where he sword cane lay, "Thank you, Elle," as she made for the door she added wryly, "Although part of me does wish you had made that offer regarding the transporter accident."

"Ah," Elle noted, "About that...Can your sister swim?"

* * *

Senior Chief Petty Officer Quentin Quirke still did not understand it. The coordinates had been spot on. He had double checked them as always: measure twice, cut once, as the ancient saying went.

And yet...He shook his head. Had he missed something in the last diagnostic run through? Damn it, he was a rogue and a scoundrel but that did not interfere with his duties. If it was a glitch it was the oddest he had ever seen.

He sighed as his hand raised to his chest so he could tap his comm badge. He was going to have to tell his captain her sister had somehow wound up in the Bangalore Aquarium...having materialized a meter over one of their tanks...

 

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