Mercy stared in silence at Romulus and Ronnie, her gaze intense. When she noticed that no one was speaking up, she took it on herself. She knew that Romulus likely wouldn’t like her speaking up about his issues, but they were involved in a dangerous job. There was no room for mistakes, so if there was something going on between two of the crew members, the commander needed to know. Besides, she was bothered by the tension between the men, and she didn’t want things to get heated between them.
“Romulus and Ronnie have some sort of… history.” She pulled her hand away from Romulus’s, nervous about what his reaction would be. “I don’t think they’re the biggest fans of each other.”
The two men looked at each other across the table, and did that same eye lock they'd been doing in the hall. Except this time, there was a slight nod before they both looked back at the Commander.
"We've shot each other." Romulus said.
"Hunted each other." Ronnie added.
"And had a full on brawl over a peace treaty." Romulus finished.
"So you'll forgive us if we have to figure out how to come to terms with that." Ronnie said evenly.
Commander Verrick raised his eyebrows, his red eyes surprised. "By the sounds of it, we're just lucky you're both alive. I can take that into account when assigning roles, if you can't find a way to live with it."
They glanced at each other, before both shaking their heads.
"We'll work on it." Romulus said quietly.
Arriss tried not to show any affection towards her boyfriend during their meeting with the leader, but she moved closer to his side as they revealed their troubled past. He had never told her about that, and she was worried about how that would affect the mission.
“We’ll be there if anything goes wrong between them,” Arriss said softly. “I’m sure they understand how serious this all is.”
Mercy nodded and stole a glance at Romulus, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. She hoped he didn’t despise her for prying into his business, but that was something the commander had to know whether he wanted to share it or not.
Ronnie looked at Arriss, his expression unreadable, though he pulled her a bit closer, keeping his grip on her hand.
Romulus noticed Mercy looking at him, and gave her a look. An apologetic, ashamed look.
He hadn't meant to cause trouble. He just hadn't expected to see-… to see Ronnie. To meet him as Ronnie.
Commander Verrick nodded slowly. "I think we can go on. This next bit isn't super critical anyway." He leaned forward. "All of you, except for Romulus, have family on Earth, correct?"
Arriss glanced at Ronnie, noticing the expression on his face. She wished she could rest her head on his shoulder and hold him to help comfort him, but she didn’t think that would appropriate while still in the meeting. Instead, she held his hand and gently massaged the back of it with her thumb.
When the commander asked if they had families on earth, everyone nodded except for Arriss and Romulus. Arriss looked down at her hands, knowing she had to give some sort of explanation for it.
“I have an adopted family.” She smiled weakly. “No one that I would want to go back to.”
She decided to leave her explanation at that. That’s all they needed to know.
Commander Verrick looked at her, surprised. She'd been one of the ones who'd hesitated because she thought it might mean leaving Earth, leaving loved ones and friends behind. To hear her information was surprising.
"Well. In any case, We're sending you all home for a bit. To make sure you've been declared dead by your governments, to get your ID cards working, and to let your people know you're alive. We'll go to Earth first, and then to Callisto."
Romulus nodded slowly. "I do have family on Callisto."
Arriss sighed and glanced at Ronnie, smiling faintly. She has a few people she possibly wanted to see, but more than anything, she wanted to stay with her boyfriend. Since they had just started dating, she wanted to be with him as much as possible. As long as he was okay with her meeting his family, of course.
Mercy kept her eyes focused on the table for a few moments before turning to Romulus. “You can come with me while we’re on earth, if you want,” she whispered. “We have plenty of room with my family.”
Ronnie's expression softened as he looked over at Arriss, before a question furrowed his brow.
"What about Valiel? She'd been living on Earth for a few years before she joined us."
Commander Verrick shrugged. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." He didn't seem concerned.
Romulus smiled at Mercy. "You don't have to do that, I'm sure you and Kirk will have a lot to catch up on with them."
“She can come with me if she doesn’t have anyone to stay with,” Conner insisted. “I’m sure my family with love her.”
Arriss sighed softly, glancing over at Conner. She seemed to be the only one who realized Valiel might not be on their team. It hurt; Arriss and Valiel were good friends, and even though she knew they would still see each other, it wouldn’t feel right if she wasn’t on their team. But she was even more worried for Conner. That news would crush him.
“No, no. You should. My family would love you, and it would be nice to have you with me,” she said softly. “Unless you have plans, of course. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
Commander Verrick smiled at Conner. He liked the kid, but this line of conversation was unnecessary at the moment. "I'm sure she'll be just fine while you all are down on Earth. Charad-ti are very adaptable." He seemed almost dismissive of the idea of her needing to be taken with them.
Ronnie's eyes narrowed. He looked over at Conner, before looking at Arriss. "We'll have to talk about something later. Remind me."
Romulus shrugged. "I have no plans while you all are on Earth. Probably hang out here, unless you really want me to come with."
Conner nodded, looking just as ticked as Ronnie was. He was going to take her with him, whether they liked it or not. He didn’t feel safe leaving her alone on this ship, not with aliens that she seemed weary of.
Arriss leaned into her boyfriend, starting to look anxious. Something about this whole thing was bothering her, but she couldn’t place her finger on what. Why couldn’t Valiel come with them?
Mercy smiled faintly and looked down at the floor. “I mean, I would like you to,” she said softly. “But that’s up to you.”
The Commander didn't bother to explain. "In any case, we have a trajectory planned that gets us to Earth in about a day. Once there, you'll have two days with your families, and then we're off again. I know it's not much, but you'll be back to them often."
Romulus nodded as the Commander finished explaining, before glancing back at Mercy. "If you think your family can handle me for two days…"
Arriss went silent for a few moments, deep in thought, before she leaned over towards Ronnie. “Can I come stay with you…?”
“I think they can.” She gently squeezed his hand, smiling softly. “Just don’t act too crazy, okay? And I swear, if you start flirting with anyone…”
Ronnie nodded. "That's fine, but… don't you want your folks to at least know you're alive?"
Romulus grinned at her. "Got a sister? A cousin, maybe?"
“I… uh…” She looked down, pressing her lips together. “I’ll probably send them a call or something. Maybe visit once.”
“Ew, Romulus!” Mercy laughed softly, pushing him away. “You’re messed up.”
Ronnie nodded. "Fine with me." He kept his voice soft with her. "You'd be welcomed."
He turned back to the Commander. "Any other reason you brought us down here?
Romulus had to laugh with her. "Oh, c'mon, you're just upset that your female family members would definitely go for this." He chuckled, but glanced up as the Commander started speaking again.
"Well, to give you the news about Earth, and get your qualifications, but also to check on how you'd feel about working as a team. I'm rethinking that now, but if you two-" he looked between Romulus and Ronnie "-think you can get along, then… there's the question. How would you all feel about being on one team together?"
Mercy smiled and rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Keep telling yourself that.”
Arriss raised her eyebrows at the suggestion before she scanned everyone in the room. Her group would be a little bit bigger than it was before, but she was sure she could handle it. Besides, most of the people in the room knew how to do their jobs correctly.
Mercy, however, was much more hesitant. She glanced over at Romulus, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Romulus, I know you two have a history, but… take it easy on him okay?” she asked softly. “We need to be able to work as a team without getting into fights.”
Romulus looked at Mercy, legitimately a little bothered. "Hey, we haven't punched each other yet, it's ok. We'll be alright."
They did have history, but… Romulus could handle it like an adult, thanks very much.
Ronnie glanced at Arriss, before asking the Commander. "And who do you have in mind as Captain?"
The Commander smiled at him. "Good question. I hadn't decided yet."
“Alright, alright. I trust you, okay? I just… I don’t want anything to interfere with this mission.” She sighed and leaned back in her chair. “This means a lot to me.”
Arriss raised an eyebrow, looking a little conflicted by that information. Part of her would love to be captain and navigate a ship again, but she also worried how that would affect her relationship with Ronnie. After all, the whole reason they were able to be together was because Arriss was no longer in charge. Would that change if she was picked?
Romulus quirked an eyebrow at her. He'd have to ask more about that later. He wasn't sure why the xeno attempt to overthrow their dictatorial leaders was super important to Mercy, personally. But he didn't argue.
Ronnie nodded slowly. "Do you have roles picked, based on our strengths?"
Commander Verrick leaned forward. "Arriss will pilot. You're in engineering. Romulus is there as security. Connor will be educated to work as both cartographer and radar technician. Mercy can be educated as a medic, since her psychology background gives her an edge there." He hadn't decided about Kirk just yet.
Kirk snorted. “I’ll be there for moral support.”
Mercy smiled at her brother’s remark before leaning over to Romulus, a mischievous grin on her face. “I don’t think we should put you on security,” she teased. “You might be buff, but the moment you see a pretty girl, you’ll drop your guard.”
Arriss intertwined her fingers with Ronnie’s before she spoke up again. “So when should we arrive back at earth?”
"We may have more use for you here, Kirk. But it'll depend on what you decide to study." Commander Verrick smiled at him, before turning to Arriss. "We'll pull into Earth's orbit roughly 22 hours from now, and then you all will have 48 hours with your families. The we'll be at Callisto for 48 hours, and then we're off again."
Romulus chuckled at her. "Listen, I think you've got me all wrong. I'm not on duty here, so I can relax and flirt a little bit. On duty though, it's different."
“What I decide to study?” He chuckled before letting out an over dramatic brown. “Sounds like a lot of work.”
Arriss nodded at the general’s comment before turning to Ronnie. “Maybe we can go on an actual date while we’re down there.” She smiled. “Only if you want to.”
“Mm, I don’t know if I believed that,” Mercy teased, but she knew he was telling the truth. Ronnie was good at his job, and he knew when to be serious. She turned back towards the table, staring at her hands as she pulled in a shaky breath. “I’m nervous to see my family again after so long…”
The Commander chuckled at Kirk. "Exactly. Though if you'd rather not, we are in need of a janitor." He let that sink in, an amused expression on his face.
Ronnie looked thoughtful. "…It's not that I don't want to, but… I do have family I want to see." He looked her in the eyes. "I will make time for you though. Just might not be a date exactly…"
Romulus nodded slowly at her. "I can understand that. My family haven't heard from me at all since I went to boot camp, so… I feel that."
“A janitor?” Kirk laughed. “Not to be mean to the janitors out there. I’m sure they’re great. But can you see me bending down, cleaning up someone’s mess?”
Arriss smiled, kissing his cheek. “Of course. I understand,” she said. Her eyes furrowed in concern for a moment, and she looked more anxious. “Do you think your family will like me…?”
Mercy raised an eyebrow. “You know, you never told me much about your family,” she said. “What are they like?”
Commander Verrick answered him honestly, in a very matter-of-fact tone. "What, can I see you- an uneducated human with no powers, no real skills, and no drive to learn because it 'sounds like a lot of work'- cleaning up other people's messes? Absolutely. For sure."
Ronnie laughed quietly. "I think they'll think you're crazy if you're coming home with me… but I think they'll like you."
Romulus looked thoughtful for a moment. "They're ok… I don't really know, now. It's been so long."
Kirk snorted, rolling his eyes. “I can see your kind doesn’t have much of a sense of humor,” he replied. “But yeah, I’ll learn something. It’ll just take some time.”
Her eyebrows furrowed in concern. “I don’t have to come with you if you don’t want me to, my love. I understand just wanting to spend time with your family,” she replied. “I can stay in a hotel or something, it’s no big deal.”
“Well, I think my family will like you,” she said softly, giving him a reassuring smile. “You’re a great person, so I’m sure you’ll get along.”
"And I can see your kind have no sense of respect for rank, or the concept of insubordination." Commander Verrick kept his tone conversational, but his meaning was clear. "You are able to take as long as you need to. We can provide that."
.
Ronnie shook his head. "No, I want you there. They just… I love them, but they don't have the best opinion of me."
.
Romulus smiled at her. "I'm glad you think so. Though I'm perfectly good with staying on the ship if I have to." Earth for him had been enemy territory for so long, this conversation kinda felt wrong to even have.
“Nah, I understand your rank, but I also call out bull crap when I see it.” Kirk gave a simple shrug. “It’ll take me a while, but I’m sure I’ll manage to be useful somehow. Other than being a janitor.”
*
“They don’t?” Arriss eyebrows furrowed in concern before she reached over and held his cheek. “Well, they’re wrong. I think your amazing.”
*
“Stay on here and be bored out of your mind?” She laughed softly. “You don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to. I’m definitely not forcing you to come. But I could show you around my hometown…”
"Sounds more like you call anything with which you disagree 'bullcrap'." Commander Verrick chuckled. "I'm sure you will, though the offer still stands if you ever decide to give up."
.
Ronnie shrugged. "Yeah, I went off to school to learn to kill people. They didn't think too highly of that."
.
"There's plenty to do here." Romulus laughed. "But… I'll definitely come with you if you want me to."
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