All in the Family (Part I)

Posted on Sun Jun 27th, 2021 @ 11:43am by Lieutenant Bobbie Sue "Bobcat" Hunter & Commander Alexander "Alex" Knight

1,021 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Allegations
Location: Bobby Sue's Quarters
Timeline: After the trial and before leaving Earth

ON

Bobbie Sue was not involved in the trial. There were plenty of pilots to testify, and Trigman was the best one to represent the fighter pilots. That gave her plenty of time to visit family and do some sightseeing. But now that the trial was over, she was eager to get back into space and flly. Her only regret was that she hadn't seen her favorite uncle. Granted he was incredibly busy and had only been around for a couple of days, but it still would have been nice to talk with him again.

She walked into her tiny quarters, planning on spending the evening relaxing before finding Phyllis to get the latest news.

But as soon as she got four feet in she stopped. "Uncle Max?"

"Lights." A familiar voice said as the room was immediately illuminated. Sitting in a chair, tucked away in the corner, was Max in his usual black suit and tie attire. With a smile on his face, he rose to his feet, as he said in his calming voice. "I see you've managed to keep your room spotless this time."

Laughing, she ran over to him and gave him a big hug. "I will neither confirm nor deny that it wasn't this clean when we arrived. I was just thinking about you and wishing I could have talked to you before you left."

"That's my girl. Never confirm or deny. Always leave them questioning." He laughed slightly as he hugged her firmly, kissing her on the top of her head, before pulling away. "I could never leave without saying hello to you and seeing how things are going." He gestured to a table with a wrapped gift now on top of it. A gift that wasn't there before.

"You know, when I was little, I thought you could do magic," she said, grinning. "Thank you. Can I get you a drink before I open that?"

"No, but thank you." Max replied as he put his hands behind his back. "Whose to say I can't do magic?" He looked to her and winked before smiling. "I hope you like it."

She grinned. She wouldn't be surprised at all if he performed some sort of magic. "I'll love it because it's from you," she said, carefully opening the package. The first thing she saw was a holonovel about a team of WWII fighter pilots. He knew she was fascinated by dog fights and the skill of the early pilots. Below that was a second holonovel. This one was an early 20th Century cross-country race with old-fashioned cars called The Great Race. "Oh, Max. Thank you!" She gave him another hug. "They're perfect! I found a couple of old books for you. I left them with my folks because I didn't think I'd see you before we left."

Max hugged her again, smiling warmly, before sitting down at the table. "I thought you would like them. I was also tempted to buy you a replica of Amelia Earhart's pilot jacket and cap, complete with goggles, but I wasn't sure you would be interested in that." He smirked slightly, looking away teasingly.

"Ooh. That would be interesting. There's a pilot here who actually flew with her. She has a scarf given to her by Charles Lindbergh. To be honest, those bomber jackets are pretty awesome." She grinned. "I know, I'm such a geek. So, tell me what's been going on with you--outside of work, which I know you can't discuss."

Max chuckled slightly, smiling as he did so, before placing a hand on the small table. "If you want to talk about how I've been, taking away all work related stuff, its going to be a short conversation." He smirked slightly before nodding his head before shooting through a few quick things to see what she would catch. "Health is good. Ship is good. Been drinking less coffee. Added some more juice and tea to my diet. Got married. Spending more time on my starship. Can't decide between getting a cat or dog."

"Wait...you got married? When?" The comment caught her off-guard. "You said you'd never get married."

Max laughed a bit before nodding. "I've said a lot of things, but not everything went the way I thought. Besides, I've known this woman for a great deal of time and we work well together. I love her. What can I say?" He smiled as he looked at Bobby Sue. "I wish you could have been there, but it was so sudden and I knew how focused you were with your studies that I didn't want to intrude. We're also trying to keep it inside a small circle of trust. So, don't tell your father because Jeremiah won't let me hear the end of it. And you know your mother. As great of a woman she is she can't keep a secret."

She understood not only what he said, but the meaning between the words. "I won't say anything. So, who is she and why was it so sudden?" To her, those were the most salient points.

Max smiled slightly, trying not to chuckle from her enthusiasm, before saying softly. "She's a strong and smart woman. Always holds her ground but is knows when its okay to break a rule or two for a good cause. You would like her, I think, and I think she would like you too. She's an Admiral, just like me, with her own ship. A quant little ship, but a great ship none the less. Don't ever tell her I admitted to that." He chuckled a bit.

"She'd have to be all that for you to fall for her," Bobbie Sue said. "You know I won't tell my parents. How many times did I call you because I needed to talk and couldn't talk to them? So, who is she and why the hurried marriage? Was it just that you both had time and took advantage of it?"

(To be continued...)

Lieutenant Bobbie Sue Hunter
Fighter Squadron Leader
USS Tokyo

Admiral Maximilian "Max" Hunter
Covert Operations
Theta Fleet

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