Second Chances (Part VI)

Posted on Tue Aug 10th, 2021 @ 5:21pm by Lieutenant Soren Dillinger 'Speedy' & Lieutenant Bobbie Sue "Bobcat" Hunter
Edited on on Tue Sep 7th, 2021 @ 10:23am

1,688 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Operation Romulus Return
Location: Rio de Jainero
Timeline: Immediately after "The Wrong Foot"

[PREVIOUSLY]

Bobbie knew exactly where he was looking and smiled. She was glad he had someone else in his circle. Someone he could trust and love. Someone who clearly trusted and loved him, too. She hoped...well, that Soren fit into her Rule 1. Both Uncle Max and Rafe seemed to think he was worth it. She wanted that, too.

[CONTINUED]

Max let out a deep sigh, before continuing. "That's what this was all about, Bobbie. As much as I love having you hold onto my secrets, it was wrong of me to not consider how it would affect you. What kind of toll it would take on your life to hide all this and to keep checking yourself before speaking sometimes. I'm sorry. You deserved the right to open up to whoever you needed to hold onto the pieces that was hard to hold on to." He paused for a moment before adding. "This is not to say I won't be relying on you like I always have, but it's to let you know I trust you open up to who you feel you can trust. Someone you care about enough to let in to your secret world and share it with them. Like I did you. You may not have walked the same road I have, but you are every bit as smart and creative as I ever was at your age. You have every bit of that magic in you that I have so use it as best you can. Know that I will always be here to back you up. What do you pilots always say? I'll be your wingman."

"I know, Uncle Max," she said softly. "I'll be your wingman, too." She glanced over at Soren, not sure how he was reacting to all this. She was surprised that Max wanted her to share her secrets, but she trusted him. She thought she could trust Soren, too. She very much wanted to, in spite of everything that happened.

Soren couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Hearing her talk a back to a recording. He looked over to her a smiled a bit.

"Soren, I understand all this is difficult for you. The memories I bring up, especially when it comes to your mother Diana, but be painful. And I want you to know that I did everything in my power to keep her at home, but your mother is a driven person and you inherited that. Whether it was flying in a fighter or fulfilling a contract you found a way to get it done. Using every trick you had at your disposal. And if you didn't have it. You built it." Max leaned back in his chair a bit and smiled as he continued. "A trait, I hear, you get from your father Conrad. A great Engineer and a fine Captain. Right up until his retirement. I want you to know that your mother always watched out for you and, in turn, so did we. When you lost your legs, she came to us, and Rafe and his wife spent all their time working on them. That facility you woke up in was one of ours. When you left and were caught it was me and you mother who petitioned to give you a second chance in Starfleet."

Soren looked down at his legs, placing a hand over his racing suit, closing his eyes. He remembered how, in the beginning, the doctors said they couldn't do much. However, as if overnight, they suddenly had the answer. At the time, he was so hurt over Tammi, he didn't care. Now that he thought back to it, he realized it must have been Max in some way. A small smile formed on his lips before turning to look back at the screen.

"I know you can't forgive me for what happened in your past. I accept that. So, be mad at me if you have to, but don't be mad at Bobbie. Until now, she never knew how I was connected to you. I give you my word, and Rafe and my niece will tell you, my word is everything to me. And don't be mad at your mother. She wanted nothing but the best for you and she did everything she could to keep you in the right path. Our mission, Paladin's mission, was to ensure the safety and security of the Federation by maintaining a constant flow of Intelligence between Starfleet and its allies. That network is our life’s blood and, your mother, help build that. For you and for Bobbie. To make sure you never have to go through the darkness we did in before we got to where we are now. Sure, The Federation will have its fair share of battles, but that network will act as a safety net to ever keep it from falling." Max paused for a moment before going on. "I heard a man today talk about being a true patriot today. And I realize, true patriots, don't sing their own praises because their actions speak for themselves. They don't hide. They are on the frontlines, standing alongside the many others who fight, to keep the ones behind them safe and secure. If I were to list people I feel we're true patriots, your mother would be on that list, Soren."

"And so's Max," Bobbie said, ever loyal to her Uncle. "I will always have his back." She wanted Soren to know that, even though Max said she was blameless, if he couldn't forgive her uncle, she wasn't sure she could share secrets with him.

Soren just sat there, listening to all this. His eyes focused on Max, hanging on his every word, wondering how deep all this went. How far his mother was in and why this long? Why didn't she tell him herself?

Max took a drink from his glass, finishing it, before placing it back down. "Now, kids, what I have to say next I say to both of you. The property you are on, the building that Rafe lives in, is the first base of operations for Paladin. It's birthplace. We all worked from this place. Your mother included Soren. It's contents and location are a guarded secret which you two now share. I feel, deep down, that you two were meant for great things. Whether it’s in your fighters or on the group, you two are in sync with each other. You two share a bond that not many do, and so it's up to you two to see where it takes you. Whether it grows deeper and loving or it stays where it is that's not for me to decide. Maybe, for once, this is something I would rather let play out on its own and see where it goes. You two have my full support and confidence. Don't waste it on being angry or upset. Fill it with love and respect. Honor and loyalty. Fill it with hope. Hope for a better tomorrow even at the darkest of times." A slight shuffling was heard off screen as Max quickly looked over, smiling a bit, before turning back to the screen. "Keep on the path. Stay strong. Never lose hope. And if you ever need anything. Rafe and I will never be too far away." The screen flickered again, showing the Paladin symbol from before, only this time it stayed a bit longer before turning off.

Bobbie Sue sat for several moments, saying nothing. She didn't know about this place, except that it existed, before now. She didn't know about the four men who founded Paladin. What surprised her, and shouldn't have, was that her uncle considered her part of that group, even though she'd never worked for him or done anything with intel. She kind of liked the idea. Not as an official intel agent. At least not now, but as someone Max could call on if he needed the type of help she could give. And, as always, she appreciated that a man like Max Hunter trusted her with his secrets. Or some of them.

She looked over to Soren. "And?" She hesitated. "And not the I talk back to recorded messages sort of and."

"And... I don't know." Soren said softly as he looked over to her. "It's hard not to feel like I am just a pawn on a board, you know? Like how much of my life has this man, your Uncle, manipulated?" He let out a sigh and looked down for a minute. "Or whether I earned this second chance on my own or because my mother has a hook up." He looked back at her and leaned against the cushion of the car. "I get it, Bobbie. I get why you had to keep this all to yourself. Your Uncle does seem like a pretty cool guy and wants nothing but the best. It's just hard to wrap my head around where I fit into all this? Was I supposed to be in this group because of my mom or did I screw it all up after the accident? On top of that, you and me, is that part of his plan or just coincidence? If you really think about it. He seems like a really scary dude who can easily move people around and make them go and do what he wants."

"He's both really cool and really scary," she said. "And yes, he can manipulate people and situations. He got us here, tonight, and he sent us the message." She turned to face him, "But if he didn't think you deserved his help, he wouldn't give it. Not even for your mother. Oh, he might have gotten you out of a penal colony, but not into Starfleet. And he wouldn't tell you all that he did if he didn't trust you."

(To be continued...)

Admiral Max Hunter
Covert Intelligence
NPC of Alex Knight

Lieutenant Soren Dillinger 'Speedy'
Squadron Leader
USS Tokyo

Lieutenant Bobbie Sue Hunter 'Bobcat'
Squadron Leader
USS Tokyo

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