The BLTS Archive - Beginning of the Road
First in the Road series
by Kerri Bush (Blondiee17@aol.com)

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Disclaimer:  All of us travel upon a road in our lives. Paramount
holds all rights to this one.  I have merely provided the map so these
two may find their way.

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It was a cool afternoon, with a gentle breeze that whipped her hair
around her face.  Her hair sparkled silver in the sunlight, with only
a few strands of bright red betraying its luminous color.

She sat on her back porch, watching the children of the small colony
play.  She noticed a man come sit beside her. Out of the corner of her
gorgeous eyes, she took in his figure.

He was a young man, no more than thirty Terran years, if that many.
He wore the red of a Starfleet officer.  Three golden pips were
prominent on his collar.

It was she who broke the silence.  "Penny for your thoughts."

The man turned toward her and raised an eyebrow.  "Pardon?"

She smiled at his confusion.  "An old Earth expression, a polite way
to ask what one is thinking."

"Um, yes," he stammered.  He again looked out toward the children, his
eyes following one in particular.  "I was just thinking of how she
is."

The woman did not need to look; she knew the child to which he was
referring.  "I assure you, Commander, she is fine. Will be fine."

"It was such a tragedy," he continued.  "She saw so much, lost so
much, and yet, she plays with the other children as if she were no
different."

"She is no different, Commander.  She sees herself in no other light
than the others.  That will come later."

"It can't be healthy," he stated.

"It is the only way.  She must deal with this on her own.  I speak
from experience, Commander, do not doubt me."

"I don't, ma'am, it's just..."  he sighed.  "I never liked children,
never cared anything about them, but when she came on my ship, I
couldn't help but feel-"

"Pity.  You felt sorry for her.  Because she has been though more in
her short life than many will in five.  She comes from a strong line,
a surviving line, and she will make it. All have before her, and will
after her."

The man leaned back.  "Surely it will have some affect on her."

"Oh, it will.  She'll never be as trusting.  She'll be very
independent.  She'll need nothing from anyone.  Or so she will think.
She will be haunted by nightmares."

"And yet you say she will be fine."

"I said she would be fine, Commander.  I did not say she would fully
recover."

The officer shook his head.  "You are not the optimist you seem."

"No, I am not.  It took me a lifetime to become this way. It took that
child three days.  Who will have suffered more: Myself, in my life,
with my unbiased views of good in the world around me until I am old,
or her, in her darkened views in youth, forcing herself to depend on
no one?"

"I'm afraid I do not know."

"Neither do I.  Only Time holds the answer to that query," the woman
stated.

"It is a shame she had to give up her childhood to answer it."

They sat quietly for a large span of time.  When the sun began its
slow journey down to the horizon, he stood.  "I must leave.  We will
break orbit soon."

The woman did not stand with him.  "Will you not speak with her?"

His eyes dropped.  "As I said before, I'm not good with children."

"And also as you said before, she is no longer a child."

"I would much rather remain nameless in her life, rather than be
referred as the one who did not render aid."

The woman smiled.  "It was not you directly, Commander.  You were
given orders not to interfere."

"But will a child understand that?"

"And I repeat:  she is no longer a child."

"Nevertheless, I believe it is better this way."

She conceded.  "As you wish.  Farewell, Commander."

"Farewell."

---

The sky was nearly black when the child returned home.  The woman was
still on her porch.

The child sat next to her.  She avoided looking at the stars, instead
staring at her hands.  Eventually, she spoke.

"They're gone now?"

"Yes, child, they're gone."

"Good.  I didn't like that commander."

The old woman looked up at the stars.  A sudden burst of light from
the heavens, an omen from the gods, enticed her to speak.  "I wouldn't
be so quick to judge, my Beverly.  I feel that you'll be seeing a lot
of Jean-Luc Picard in your lifetime."

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The End