The BLTS Archive - About A Boy and The Stars
by Sarah James (sarah_james_42@yahoo.com)

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Two pairs of eyes gazed, taken aback, into the clear night sky above.
Their mouths were wide open in unison, as they observed silently. All
the while the moon shone down on them, bright and full, looking truly
pregnant, as by its side, one star after the other peeped into
existence.

Deo McClellen sighed wistfully. "Can you see Jupiter, Montie?" he
asked the little boy next to him, passing the mini-telescope on.

"Aye," the dark-haired seven year-old grumbled, not one little bit
impressed.

Deo's heart gave a twitch. How could this sight not drive anybody
daft? Briefly he saw himself, when he was the age of his godchild,
standing there lost, lonesome under the stars, no family within reach,
only the doubtful company of occasional fosterparents who would never
keep him too long. "Are ye sure?"

"Yes Uncle," the lad replied, rolling his eyes impatiently. "I can see
it with me bare eye. I dinna need this useless telcop!"

"Telescope, son," Deo corrected him, with a half-hearted rebuke. "And
the big round silver thing there is the moon."

"I kent that," Montie barked, blushing.

Impatiently Deo slapped the back of the boy's head. "Don't be so
cheeky, young man," McClellen, second Helmsman of the USS Hood replied
with a stern glare. "You're lacking respect for your elders. Everybody
else would tremble the minute I raise my voice."

"Who would tremble, Uncle?" dark eyes suddenly glinted with mischief.
"The third helmsman?"

"Hmph," Deo couldn't help but chuckle. So young and already so sharp,
he remarked to himself. What a pity he couldn't fascinate this lad for
space. Montie seemed to come after his obnoxious, stubborn father
rather than his grandfather, after all. "True pity."

"What?"

"You and your lose tongue, Montie. It's only gonny be a matter of time
until you talk yourself into trouble. And then I might no' be there to
save your hide and put it back in place with a healthy skelping. Ach,
you're so different from your lovely twin sister."

"Aye," Montie agreed wholeheartedly. "Of course I am. She's a wee
bebbe."

"Eight minutes do make a tremendous difference to you. Aye?"

Montie gazed up at him, furrowing his eyebrows sceptically. "Sometimes
she acts eight years younger, not eight minutes."

Deo laughed. "What a pity," he sighed with a sad notion in his eyes.

"Deo!" a familiar voice interrupted them unexpectedly as Cissy Scott's
round face appeared behind the balcony door. "Don't keep the lad up
again. He's supposed to go to bed. It's way past his bed time already
and well ye ken!"

"Oh Cissy," McClellen quickly put up his hands in a gesture of
reconciliation. "I only showed him Jupiter. It's such a rare clear
night. Just five more minutes then I tug him in, I swear."

A kind smile took over her round cheeks too quickly, as always.
"Fine," she chortled. "And don't forget to leave the wee light by the
bedside table on."

Lt. junior grade McClellen grinned. "Will do." Slowly his attention
drifted back to his godchild, mellowing visibly. By the time he locked
eyes with his best friend and mentor's grandson, there was nothing but
love in his youthful face. "The moon shines so brightly, I'm sure you
winnie need the wee light on tonight. Shall we try without?"

Montie frowned sceptically, as expected, but swallowed his protest.
Suddenly he seemed a lot more interested in the night sky. "Can I have
the telcop – the telescope, please, Uncle?"

A fleeting smile lightened up Deo's features almost instantly. "Sure.
Remember where I said you find Jupiter? Let me know when you think
you've got it. And then tell me what you feel."

Montgomery observed the picture silently for a while. "What I feel?"
he mumbled puzzled.

"Aye. What does it feel like?"

"It's small."

"That's because it's so far away, son."

"My sister would say it's bonny. But I think it's magic."

A relieved sigh dropped from Deo's lips. "Laddie, I think you're
coming a little bit after your grandfather, after all. Hush now. It's
time to go to bed. You can keep the telescope. And remember it's
telescope not telcop."

"But I'm no' tired yet!" Montie protested, eyes wide with new
excitement. "I want to know more about Jupiter."

Slowly, Deo, rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Very strange, young man.
Five minutes ago you weren't interested at all. I think you're just
looking for a reason to stay up as late as possible."

"That was five minutes ago!" Montie barked angrily. "Hey! My
grandfather is your Captain. I'm his grandson, so that makes me your
Captain too."

"Three things, now, young Montgomery Scott that you shall better keep
in mind before I have to spank it up your bottom. Command can not be
inherited, I'm still your godfather and you are an impertinent wee
devil. Do you even ken what that means, impertinent?"

"No, but I can read and I know how to send queries to N.A.T.H.A.N on
Lunar Base II. Would you like me to find out now?"

"Spare the effort, son," Deo shook his head, unable to bite back a
grin. "You'll find out soon enough. Good Lord, a second Scott that is
trying to tee off on me, telling me what to do. How do I deserve that
eh?" A few moments later Deo resigned with a shrug. "Fine, I'll give
you another half hour. But we will no' tell your Mom and I'll only do
it under the proviso that you let me turn the wee light off tonight."

"OK"

"Well now," Deo began, deeply satisfied. "Jupiter is one of the
brightest natural objects in our night sky. At the same time it's the
biggest planet of our Solar System. Surrounding it, we space people
like to say orbiting, remember that Montie, it's an important word –
So orbiting it are a dozen moons. The four biggest and most important
ones would be Io, Kallisto, Europa, and Ganymed. Can you see any of
them? If you move this lever here you can zoom in – Very good. Aha!
That should be Europa. Like many other moons, Europa was colonized.
Although it'd be interesting to know that most moons only serve Star
Fleet as unmanned, automated Forts, as defence against possible
invaders..."

Thirty minutes later Montgomery was in bed. Tame and good-mannered
like a little lamb, he had his eyes closed while Deo pulled his
blanket up, tugging him in tightly to keep the cold out.

"There, that a lad," McClellen whispered satisfied. "Do you know where
the name Europa comes from?"

"That's the continent we belong to," Montie answered, already
struggling to suppress a yawn.

Silently Deo congratulated himself. He'd never had the lad break away
so quickly ever before. Good job, helmsman, he told himself. "Europe,
aye. But were does the name really come from? It's an old name Montie,
comes from the ancient Greeks. They had a goddess with that name."

"Was she beautiful?" Suddenly the lad's eyes were wide open again.

"I dinna ken." Deo sighed; he had celebrated victory all too soon.
"She rode on the back of a bull. As far as I understand the bull was
said to be Zeus, father of all gods, and in the story the bull throws
her off and rrr... Ach that's nothing for wee lads. Here now, sleep.
Enough stories for today."

"Did you get to meet her, Uncle?"

"Son," McClellen said with a soft growl that he always put on before
slapping the back of the young boy's head. "I'm twenty seven. I'm no'
that old. No, I dinna ken any ancient Greeks as well as you know. Do
you have any idea how late it already is?"

"You're trying to distract me, Uncle. What did Zeus do to Europa?"

"Nothing that should bother before you come to age. That's all you
have to know for now."

"When will that be?"

"Too soon, I'm afraid. Well, about Europa... God damn. Now you made me
lose track again. You will fall asleep, right now, Sir. That's an
order!"

"Aye, Sir." Montie closed his eyes smilingly. "But tomorrow you will
tell me the end of the story. Promise?"

"Aye, you pain in the arse. Good night." Gently Deo bent down to kiss
the boy's forehead. He looked back one more time before walking out
the door, mumbling beneath his breath, "Montgomery Scott, you must
always keep your humour about you."

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The End