Undercurrant and concerns

Posted on Sun Feb 26th, 2017 @ 12:44am by Lady Catherine Waddington

Mission: Another Day in Paradise
Timeline: after waking up

Lady Catherine Waddington walked onto the holodeck an sat next to Meredith. The pilot was watching the smaller dark haired marine skate. Catherine looked like a china doll in comparison to the six foot pilot.

“thought I missed the usual thud of knives when she is pissed or hurting.” Catherine smiled.

Meredith shook her head. “I hid them. I know this mood too well. Recognised it during the evacuation of the Starbase.” she commented taking a swig of her coffee. “This was supposed to be a two week assignment for her and him to figure with time apart what they were going to do about things. She’s as silent as the grave on the topic. Other than to put him in the list of asshole CO’s this afternoon.” Meredith pointed out as Tazanna failed to execute a move properly and heard her mutter in clearly irritated Finnish.

“Aloittaa uudelleen!”

The music started again and she began her routine once more. “pieni lumihiutale’s back.” Meredith sighed.

“What was that?” Lady Catherine was confused. The Slavic languages were not her forte. Meredith frowned.


“When we were kids our parents decided to let us try ice skating. Zanna there took to it like the proverbial duck to water and was called pieni lumihiutale meaning Little snowflake. We called her that the first time her and Jason split up. She swore off emotions and to be fair it made her efficient. Cold but efficient. I THANKFULLY was not assigned to the Ajax with her but I heard enough about it.”

“You mean they…?” Catherine ventured. This drew another low chuckle from the pilot as she watched Tazanna. She shook her head.

“Her first CO on the Ajax was Tyler Fallon, he married her cousin Kachina Isaaisa. They got on well both being from similar backgrounds and she considered him a cousin long before he married China. Then the twins were born and Tyler felt he was too close to the crew emotionally and asked for reassignment. So Command gave them Commander Jason Tigan. Five years after they split he was thrown back in her life. Now Zanna is not the bet at dealing with emotions and well she froze him out. Ice cold on duty and avoided him after duty was over. Neat trick seeing as they served on a glorified runabout.” Meredith added. Again Tazanna mislanded, cussed in Finnish and restarted.
“I swear to God I have seen her pull this off.” Lady Catherine frowned as she watched her. Tazanna was usually so accurate with her movements and it seemed strange to see her mistakes.

“You have a hundred times or more.” Meredith agreed easily. “This is because she is unfocussed and being overly critical of herself. She’s off kilter will be for a while. Just pray that she works it out of her system or we find a way to communicate with the AQ soon.”

“Why did Father ask for you two?” Lady Catherine asked.

“From what I got he wanted two females who could look after themselves and you. Zanna and Jason are volatile. Always have been so they thought a short break may give them focus…” Meredith commented.

“And getting stuck here is going to be hard for her.” the redhead stated. Meredith shrugged.

“Zanna will cope it’s just gonna take a minute off duty.” Meredith tried to soothe her companions concerns. “Jason knew we were going to Starbase Nine Hundred. The report of the battle and no news of survivors will be equally hard on him.”

“You think it will be?” Catherine asked as Tazanna wandered over.

It was unfortunate the Marine’s sharp ears had caught her companions words. Tazanna spoke in the tongue the two women had learned as young girls. “an konsideran li te gen yon kè. Mwen te di nou Spectre, se li ki tout karyè. Pa gen kè.” She said in cold,calm Haitian Creole.

“Tazanna Asha Wilcox I know you don’t believe that.” Meredith pulled her up as she had when they were younger growing up on Goyanthlay IV. Tazanna’s parents often looking after Meredith if her parents were on an assignment where they could not take her.

“Don’t I? The only reason I have for missing the AQ is Yani, Mama and Daddy.” She stated. “Have your fantasies about true love and the like Wraith but at some point you have to grow up. I’m going to go shower.” she stated and with that vanished.

Lady Catherine blinked. “Is she often like this?” she asked

“Only when she’s hurting. She is like her father for that. Her father was security to your father back in the as was mine. My mother was his pilot which may explain his asking for Zanna and I.” She smiled. Catherine nodded.

“That sounds like father.” She agreed as she stood. “What can we expect from Tazanna?”

Meredith shrugged her shoulders. “That I have no clue. Tazanna always, always keeps her emotions in check. For her to be hurting and them to be uncontrolled will annoy her and she will go out of her way to get them back under control so we could have the ice queen back which is good for her doing her job not good for making friends. With us like at lunch she’ll put a bright face on and laugh but who knows what is going on under the surface.” she frowned.

“She’ll be okay won’t she?” Catherine asked.

“She’ll be fine, just give her time to sort her head.” Meredith smiled as they stood. “Why were you looking for us?” she asked.

“Seeing where you two were, although Ferguson was enjoying the peace when he woke this morning. I was wondering what you would think of piloting other craft though. Were the occasion to call for it.” Catherine admitted as they left the holodeck.

Meredith shrugged. “If it has wings I can fly it.” she said non-committally. “Why?”

“I thought it may help to get the place up and running if they needed another pilot.” she admitted. Meredith nodded her agreement. “It would and I am happy to do it just no back seat flyers.” she added. Catherine laughed.

“I shall make sure I tell Brigadier General Mitchell that.” she agreed.

“How is old Fergie?” Meredith asked as they walked.

“He says he is fine.” Catherine responded. “Why do you ask?”

“He reminds me a little of my Uncle Ernie.” she smiled. “Stubborn and don’t like admitting when he needs help.”

“Ernie? You mean Ernest Santini? Your crew chief from the Devonshire?” Catherine asked distracted by the mention of the barrel-chested Italian male. She’d met him as a young child when Meredith’s parents had worked for her father.

The Italian crew chief had been the reason all four children had learnt Italian and had gained an appreciation for Italian food and culture.

“So you DID read my jacket!” Meredith teased. “Ernest Santini is also Godfather to Tazanna and I. The other set of Godparents being Michael and Asha Fallon. The spec ops and Intel community amongst the tribe and mixed bloods is rather small and a lot are related to each other. My mom and dad were happy that Santini and the Fallon’s were our Godparents as they had the same lifestyle in the event of the worst happening then we were going to a family the same as ours. Here we will have to rethink the term family.”

“What do you think MY father will say?” Catherine asked.

Despite travelling with her father she had always been closer to the Price’s who had raised her as though she had been their own child.

“Your father is a strange one. No offence.” Meredith remarked.

“None taken.” Catherine smiled.

“My parents would go ape shit and raise hell like my Aunt did with Aunt Asha when Uncle Mike was MIA. Your father I think would be upset but he never shows it.” Meredith stated thinking of the few times she had met the man both with her parents and without.

She recalled the aristocrat always seemed cold and emotionless. He’d seemed to disapprove of Catherine playing with Meredith, Tazanna and Dyani when they were children. She recalled her own mother standing up to the diplomat and telling him that it did the child good to mix with children her own age.

Lord Waddington had not been convinced but allowed it to continue. Lady Amara Waddington had only taken his cold attitude for so long and when he demanded to take Catherine on assignment with him leaving his wife at home she had done what so many of her ancestors had done and turned to charity work and lovers. Although never officially divorced it the worst kept secret in Diplomatic circles that her mother was living with another man.


Granted her mother was discreet but word had a way of getting about. It was due to her father that Catherine was wary of emotional entanglements and remained cautious.
“Your mother on the other hand… Well she is a redhead.” Meredith teased. Catherine chuckled and nodded at the truth in that statement.

“My mothers a redhead and volatile. If father does nothing about it she is likely to divorce him and shame him in public.” she chuckled.

“Something will turn up to help us. As long as Zanna don’t kill it first.” Meredith grinned as they walked to the residential area. “Now you were going to tell me about Ferguson.” Meredith pressed.

“Well he says he has an appointment with the Doctor, Cara Nichols I think he said, but he said was just a check up. That is all he would say and you know how stubborn he is.” Catherine admitted.

“Well I am sure he is just making sure that he is in the best of health so he can continue as your aide.” Meredith soothed. Catherine frowned.

“I am wondering if I should have let him sit this trip out. His getting on and with the political situation as it is we should have guessed there could be issues.” Catherine fussed.

“Cathy come on. Old Fergie would no more sat this out that Zanna or I. I know you are worried I get that but we cannot change what has happened. All we can do is get through it as best we can.” She advised. “I mean Mitchell has gotta want to see Australia again and any surviving family there. Your admirer has family on Earth, most here will have kin in the AQ. They are gonna want to get back.Ferguson Price is not the kind of man to want to finish his life in a rocking chair on the porch. He loves being your aide. We can make it easier for him but he will resist retirement you know that as well as do I.” Meredith reminded her companion.
Catherine nodded. “I just worry he will die here and I won’t be able to bury him with his Grace.” she admitted.

“We’ll worry about that if and when it happens.” Meredith stated. “For now lets take one day at a time.” she smiled as they entered the apartment.