Fun with Baseballs

Posted on Thu Mar 19th, 2020 @ 6:27am by Master Chief Petty Officer Chen Vaxx & Lieutenant Commander Kameron "Foehammer" Solusar-Yamaguchi

Mission: Mission 98: Building Our New Home
Location: Various Locations - Starbase Vanguard
Timeline: 1730Hrs - July 15th, 2393

Chen Vaxx held the baseball bat in his hands as he prepared for the coming of the baseball, when it suddenly shot from the machine, the baseball sped through the air before receiving a glancing blow from Chen's bat, it was redirected almost straight up before hurtling back to the ground as a result of gravity effects on the ball, plus the surrounding hundred billion metric tonnes of spinning metal and everything else that made up Starbase Vanguard as it sped through space in its orbit over Utgarde Four.

The ball landed with a loud thud as Kameron smiled. "Nice bunt Chen."

"Thanks, I wasn't sure I was even going to hit the dammed thing," Chen answered with a surprised look in his eyes.

"Well, go again," Kameron answered as he watched from the side of the batting cage, safe from the reach of the speed of the baseballs as they sped towards their almost certain doom at the hands of the man wielding the bat.

Chen stood and waited, ten seconds went by before another bat was spat out, this time the bat connected and the ball flew high and wide of center field, before landing near the edge of the field.

"Nice shot," Kameron added with a smile, the two men changed places as Kameron waited for his turn, the ball thrower registered his presence and counted down from thirty before it spat a ball out, the ball felt the power of Kameron's swing. The ball sailed out into the stands and had there been a game going on, it would have been a guaranteed home run.

"Oooh yeah, that'll play." Chen agreed as he watched Kameron move away from the batters place before Chen took his position. "What do you think Rachael will do?"

Kameron heard the poof from the launcher and Chen swung his bat, the ball and bat connected and the ball flew through the air. It landed right at the edge of the field. "Nice." he breathed out. "Hit a few more balls, Chen... You asked me a simple question that requires a long-winded answer."

"Hoo boy. I don't know what Nebris sees in her, that woman is truly worthless." Chen's answer was as blunt as it was harsh. He was referring to Tienn Iteela.

Kameron raised an eyebrow as he regarded the older man. "Don't you think that's a tad harsh?"

"Nope," Chen answered. "Siaxx and I, we had our problems and issues but we, at least, made something of an effort to resolve them, after losing Merris. My outlook on life was never quite the same and while Sildra wanted vengeance, I wanted answers." Chen swung the bat, which connected with the ball that had been hurtling at him with an earsplitting crack, sending it hurtling out of sight.

Kameron was impressed. "Go on... It can't have been easy for you and Siaxx to be reunited after all this time. I mean she was stuck inside that temporal sinkhole for eight years." he knew whereof he spoke as he had been stuck there for two years of his own. He had bedded Siaxx twice in that timeframe but that was something he told Siaxx he would never speak about, she was never concerned but he felt it was important. The sex he had shared with Siaxx had colored his relationships with his wife but Elizabeth knew why, as Kam had told her quietly but nobody else knew.

"Siaxx was not the same woman she was before she went off on that damnable ship, before that, that damnable base almost destroyed her. She felt a kinship with that AI program that was on USS PT-Hundred and nine which that fool Admiral tried to kill. He then threatened Siaxx over it, to which Torilla very nearly killed him for his afront to my wife, something Siaxx doesn't talk about is what losing that AI did to her."

"It's not dead." Kameron found himself saying. "The AI duplicated itself in the confusion and left behind the copy to handle matters while it fled that oversized patrol boat," he admitted. "I know this because Elizabeth told me, Mom is hiding the program on a spare datacore that's been marked as 'destroyed' near Starbase twelve. Aunt April is keeping a close eye on it. I know the Federation is working on some AI tech." Kameron called Torilla his mother and he was very blunt on the subject too.

"So Siaxx's suffering is meaningless?" Chen answered in a snide tone of voice.

"No. Siaxx had every right to act as she did, the AI did die, just not the one she knew," Kameron answered honestly.

"Oh... You want to create a Federation AI out of that AI?" Chen inquired.

"I do," Kameron answered. "If it works, I can use this AI as a template for all starship AI's in Starfleet. It will have been Siaxx's sacrifice that honestly, saved me a lifetime of work. I owe her much for this." Kameron answered.

Chen paused as he swung the bat at another onrushing ball that was hurtling at him, the ball flew backward, narrowly missing the ball thrower and landing on the other side of the field.

"So what happened between you and Siaxx?" Kameron inquired. "You mentioned issues."

"Siaxx was always hot-tempered. She might be a little itty-bitty woman but fuck, she had a mouth on her that you had to hear to believe. She could make a sailor blush. But our relationship started quietly and I wanted it to remain that way, we fought and argued over the stupid things like what we were having for dinner. It wasn't until I got to know her better than I realized what was pissing her off, it was all the drama in her life so I helped her to deal with it, which seemed to calm her down. Then she became pregnant with our first... It was twins and she had to abort one of them because the assignment we were on was not set up with her situation in mind and she couldn't be spared so we selected the second egg and terminated it. Its always been a major regret of Siaxx's. I know she still has nightmares about it." Chen answered with a soft sigh.

"Oh wow. I don't know how I'd cope with facing something like that if it were Elizabeth in Siaxx's shoes.." Kameron admitted. "I'm sorry Chen... I truly am."

"So am I Kam. I didn't mean to bring it up." Chen answered.

"No, I'm glad you did." Kameron smiled. "I sometimes moonlight as a therapist. I help Elizabeth when she needs a shoulder to lean on and I help with her various problems. But most of all. I know how to keep quiet and listen."

"Y'know Siaxx told me that about you," Chen admitted. "She said that you had the gift of silence, you knew when to talk, and when to keep quiet and let others talk. I found that last part really hard to believe as the younger generation has issues with silence." Chen answered with a smile.

"Well, in the defense of my generation." Kameron smiled at the older man as he spoke. "Now all of us are bad people. We're just inexperienced and naive at times. Just like every other generation when they were our age."

Chen nodded. "A fair point but I know Siaxx wants a baby girl, two if she can get it."

"I wonder if Elizabeth will be assisting. Hell if Beth could, she'd happily carry a baby for Siaxx to term." Kameron commented. "But the facilities are already in use with our second child and... Humans and Bolians are incompatible. Something in the blood."

"Yeah, With humans, it's iron and with Bolians, its cobalt." Chen supplied the answer. "I wish Elizabeth could. I'd have asked her long ago. I know Siaxx would have asked too."

"Yeah. It sucks if you ask me, our blood is just too different." Kameron sighed softly. "I can't imagine what Siaxx dealt with... " he shook his head after a moment.

"Yeah, ever since then, she's made arrangements that all of our children were singletons as she is a very small woman." Chen sighed softly. "Only our first was really a set of two eggs... But Siaxx and I discussed her carrying one to term and one more in an artificial womb that would be delivered when the time came. She really wants to honor the three women in her life who helped her more than anyone else."

"Mom and Beth... Who's the third.?" Kameron inquired.

"Galiaan Fordring. Oh, Siaxx loves that woman." Chen commented. "After we get settled, maybe she and I can have a third baby girl."

"We can only hope Chen. Siaxx deserves it as do you." Kameron smiled

"Elizabeth Dvald-Vaxx... Different but its a good name." Chen paused. "Torilla Dvald-Vaxx or Galiaan Dvald-Vaxx. I hope whoever didn't get a child named for them doesn't get upset about it." he paused. "Do you think anyone will?"

"Nah. Mom is one of the greatest people I've ever known and Beth is just peerless. Galiaan Fordring is also a real sweetie or so I'm told." Kameron answered. "Don't tell Elizabeth because she has a hard time with not being blabby about good news," he added. "Besides. If you are asking for my opinion, give it to Beth and Fordring first. Let Siaxx deal with these two and then, later on down the road, surprise mom with a third daughter." Kameron explained. "How you and Siaxx choose to do things is up to the two of you, but if you are asking, that's the approach I'd do."

"I can see why Siaxx likes you," Chen answered. "You take the time to understand how the women in our lives feel."

"Chen, Torilla is one of the best things that's ever happened to me, she became the mother I lost at age twelve when my brother died, she blamed me for his passing which was an accident. To make matters even worse. She's assigned here to the Starbase." Kameron sighed softly. "Dad made an effort and apologized for what was said, but that was after Elizabeth give him an ass-kicking in public that really brought him down a few pegs. Oh, she was abusive on the matter."

"Yeah, I heard about that. Elizabeth took on a three-star General and won." Chen smiled. "Oh she has more balls then most men I know," he responded evenly. "You can tell her I said that. If I had my way, I'd take that handsome beauty to bed and make her scream. You can tell her I said that too."

"I'll tell her, knowing her, she might take you up on your offer." Kameron answered, a look of mirth in his eye.

Chen chuckled softly. "Here, you hit the ball for a while. My arms hurt."

"Sounds good to me." Kameron came over and the two men switched places. Chen smiled as he sat down on the bench as he watched Kameron prepare to swing the bat at the next ball.