Of Buttholes and Blood

Posted on Fri Jan 25th, 2019 @ 4:30am by Mackenzie Bergman
Edited on on Wed Jan 30th, 2019 @ 1:51am

Mission: The First Step...
Location: Mack's Apartment/Magellan Station
Timeline: 2388/08/26 2100 (August 26 2388 9:00pm)

Kelly wandered the grounds of campus after leaving Gwen, but had no destination in mind. She wanted to go see Doctor Dering, but it would be his off hours and she didn't want to drag him to his office so she could talk to him. She had found it very hard to talk to him when she first met him on Magellan Station, but he had made it easy. Now she needed to talk again and her roommate and friend had suggested that she talk to her cousin.

Having permission to leave the campus, she veered off and headed towards the staff housing of Magellan Station with a purpose. Gwen was right she mused. The best thing to do was go and actually talk to the one person that she wanted to talk to, and she knew what she would say when she got there. At least she thought she did. Arriving at the building that her cousin was in, she checked the director and pressed the chime to let Mack know she had a visitor at the front door who wasn't staff.

"I'm coming... I'm coming..." Mack called to no one from her perch on the couch. She was looking down at a PADD on her lap writing to her Uncle Streeh and and Aunt Victory, letting them know she'd seen her young cousin and assuring them that she was just fine. Saving what she already worked on, the redheaded woman leaned forward to place the device on the coffee table, then rose to her feet to move to the control panel next to her door. "Yeah?"

"Mack?" a young female voice said. "It's Kelly. Can I come up?"

"Of course, one sec." Mack said, pressing the console that would open the door for her. "Come on up."

When the door chimed, Kelly entered and checked the directory again to make sure that she had the right apartment, then headed up in the elevator. Arriving on the right floor, she went down the hall and pressed the chime on Mack's door. "It's Kel," she called out.

"It's open, come in!" Mack called, pulling her robe on.

Entering, Kelly smiled lopsided at her cousin and closed the door behind her. "I hope it isn't a bad time. I can come back if it is."

Mack shook her head and gestured to the couch. "Have a seat." She said, settling back down on the couch. "It isn't a bad time. I was just writing a letter home. I'm very proud of you, sweetheart."

"Thanks," Kelly said, going over to sit on the end of the couch. "I haven't had a chance to yet. I was talking to Gwen after you vanished."

"I ran in to grab a drink. When I came back outside, you were gone." The older of the two stated.

"I wasn't about to hang around outside with Butthole Bannerman," Kelly said. "He's an arrogant ass."

"He can be, yes." Mack agreed, resting her head against the back of the couch. "He was gone by the time I got back out there, too."

"He probably went off to admire himself in a mirror or something," Kelly said. "I'm going to have to deal with him for four years? Ugh."

"You can do it, honey. You're a strong person, and I have faith in you. Besides... you want to be the best pilot Starfleet has to offer. Let that be your driving force to get you through the day." Mackenzie stated.

"Yeah," Kelly said, looking a bit uncomfortable for a moment before she steeled herself. "I kind of want to talk to you, but I'm not sure how to go about it."

"Just go about it. There's no sense in beating around the bush."

"Okay," Kelly said, taking a breath. "It really upset me when you starting bickering with Butthole out there. Today was supposed to be about a celebration, an accomplishment. I'm the first person in our family to make it into Starfleet, and you wanted to toss words around with an asshole. You didn't even notice when I walked off from both of you, and that really hurt, Mack."

Now, Mack felt like complete shit. Worse, in fact. "I'm sorry, Kelly, I really am. I was extremely inconsiderate, and I shouldn't have been. I promise you, that that will never happen again."

"What made it worse is the fact that he's my instructor, Mack. The way he seems, he'll come down on me like a ton of bricks just because you got him riled up. I'm the one who has to deal with him and make nice-nice. Not you. How is he going to look at me when I see him in class for the first time tomorrow? As Cadet Khan, or the cousin to the woman that was sniping him the night before?" Kelly asked.

"Your instructors are going to expect the same out of you as they will everyone else, Kel. You're going to be noticed as Cadet Khan, because that's who you are. The majority of Starfleet personnel know how to keep their personal and professional lives separate."

"He doesn't seem that way to me, especially the way he was acting," Kelly said. "Especially with his comment that all the cool kids took Flight. Then his attitude about having to be in a torpedo casing before I became better than him. A real instructor would have encouraged me and properly introduced himself."

Mack ran a hand through her hair and pulled her legs up onto the couch with her, getting a bit more comfortable since it was getting later. "He was right, though, Kel. All the cool kids take Flight. You are, by far, one of the coolest kids that I know. Don't worry about what he said regarding the casing. You have the potential to be the best at anything you want, and flying just happens to be it. You will become the best pilot Starfleet has ever seen. I have no doubt about it."

Kelly nodded. "Of that, I have no doubt, but that doesn't change the fact that he's an arrogant asshole. Just do me a favor and leave him alone. I don't want to change my major just because he gets pissed at you and takes it out on me. It wouldn't be bad if you weren't my cousin, but you are, and I'm not going to let some asshole take shots at you while I have to deal with him."

"You won't have to change your major, Kelly." Mackenzie said. "I'm a big girl, and I can handle Bannerman."

Kelly blinked. "What? You mean you plan to continue to snipe with that dickhead?" The look on her face was one of disbelief and she didn't care about her language.

"I never said that, did I?" The older of the two questioned. "I just said I can handle him. Regardless of what I do with my personal life, it won't effect your academic career. I have zero idea what's going to happen with my life. I could get smacked over the head by a falling boulder tomorrow."

"The best way to handle him would be to stay away from him," Kelly said. "You have that choice, I don't." She felt something rising in her chest and she swallowed hard, raising a hand to feel her face and around her lips, a frown forming.

"Kelly..." She shook her head, trying to clear it a bit. What could she really say here? "Focus on what you need to do."

Kelly took a deep breath and held it, closing her eyes. A moment later, her eyes flew open and she jumped up off of the couch. Before she could take more than two steps towards a bathroom she didn't know the location of, she threw up all over the coffee table and floor. Kneeling, she gagged again and tried to steady herself with one hand on the couch and the other covering her mouth.

This night just keeps getting better and better. Mack mused to herself as she quickly rose to her feet and moved to her cousin. After slipping an arm around Kelly, she escorted her to the bathroom and lifted the lid on the toilet, that way... if she was going to be sick anymore, it would go where it belonged. She wet a washcloth quickly and placed it against the back of the young cadets neck. She'd worry about the mess in the living room soon enough. "Let it out, kiddo, and try to relax. If you don't... it will only make it worse."

"Ugh," Kelly managed after Mack helped her get to the bathroom. "No more wine for me. I...I'm sorry, Mack." She looked at the toilet and closed her eyes, beads of sweat forming on her now pale face. "Picard may have been a great Captain...but his family wine....no," she said with a shaky voice.

"Don't be sorry, Kel. You didn't mean to do it." Mackenzie said, running her hand over her back while she held her hand back with the other. "When you feel like you're ready, you can change and crawl into my bed. I'll be able to wake you in enough time for you to make it to your first class."

Kelly managed to shake her head. "Can't. Room checks. Don't want to get written up before my first day. Too important." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Okay, honey." She said, taking the washcloth from her neck and holding it out for her to take. "Try not to stress out about anything where I'm concerned, though. Just focus on you."

Taking the offered washcloth, Kelly wiped her mouth before spitting into the toilet. "I'm such a lady," she said with a weak smile. Reaching for the edge of the sink with her other hand, she pulled herself upright and looked at herself in the mirror. "Oh, you are one sexy Targ right now."

"It wasn't that bad, Kel. I'll take care of it." She moved toward her cousin and brushed some hair out of her face. "Everything is okay."

Looking down at her dress uniform, she was a little pleased to see that she hadn't thrown up on it by some miracle. "I...yeah. I come and get upset at you, then throw up in your living room. How am I going to handle real pressure?" She stopped to think about the scenario that she had had thrown at her during her entrance test for Starfleet and knew they wouldn't have accepted her if she couldn't handle pressure. This is different. How? It is. Prove it. Shut up. went through her mind in a second. "Don't worry about me. I'll find a way through this. I'm Starfleet now."

"You are, and you're going to do amazingly well. Show all of your instructors what you've got to offer. Wow them. Show them all of those impressive skills I know you have." Mackenzie said, leaning back against the wall behind her.

"Have no doubt about that," Kelly said after splashing water on her face and rinsing out the washcloth. Gargling a bit, she finally sighed. "This evening turned out peachy."

"It's only the first night, sweetheart. It will just get better."

"I need to get back to my quarters and get some sleep," Kelly said. "Tomorrow is going to be a royal pain if this evening is any indication." There was more that she wanted to tell her cousin, but this wasn't the time or place.

"Let me get this cleaned up really quick, then me and Liekos will walk you back." She moved out of the bathroom and to the kitchen to grab what she needed just as the little pup moved out of the bedroom with a huge yawn.

Kelly smiled at the puppy. "He's so cute! A shame that we can't have any pets just yet. Well, that I know of, anyway. A shame that Butthole can't be like him."

"He's a mess, but he is cute." Mack replied, making quick work of cleaning her living room without getting sick herself. "You can come over and play with him whenever you want to, too." She disposed of everything in her hands, then moved into the bathroom to wash them before moving back into the living room area to grab his leash. "Want to walk him?"

"Sure!" Kelly said as she moved over and reached for the leash. "He's adorable. Hey Liekos, want to go for a walk with Aunt Kel?" She knelt down to offer the puppy her hand to smell.

Mack passed the leash over to her as Liekos leaned in to give her hand a sniff. He was super little, but that was because he was the runt of his litter. "Don't let his size fool you. He's feisty."

Taking the leash, Kelly let the puppy sniff her hand before giving him a scratch behind his ears. "So am I."

Mackenzie laughed. "In case you haven't noticed, Squirt, I'm three inches shorter than you are."

Kelly stood up and looked down at her older cousin. "Keep that in mind, Pipsqueak. Ready?"

She laughed again and shook her head. "Yes, I'm ready. Let's get you back so you don't get into any trouble."

"Sounds good to me," Kelly said, reaching out to pet Mack on the head with a giggle. "Come on short stuff. You too, Mack."

"Oh, you are so lucky I love you." She said, moving out of the front door with them.

"That's because I'm awesome," Kelly said as she guided the puppy out the door on the leash behind Mack. "Just remember what I said earlier and I won't have to go crazy on anyone."

"You won't have to go crazy on anyone." Mackenzie stated, walking next to the two of them.

"But going crazy is so much fun," Kelly said. "I can't have a lot of coffee. I can't have a lot of chocolate. What's left?"

"It is fun, isn't it?" The shorter woman asked. "Why did they cut your chocolate intake?"

"It has caffeine in it," Kelly said. "I can't exert myself dancing, swimming, doing my martial arts, or have more than one hundred milligrams of caffeine a day. At least until I get done with my medical treatments at Phlox."

"They'll be over before you know, and then... I'm going to make you the biggest chocolate cake you've ever seen."

"I'll hold you to that, just like I'm going to hold Commander Butthole to his word about taking me up in his flyer," Kelly said. She had already proven to everyone that any time she set her mind on a goal, she would do everything in her power to accomplish it and to hell with anyone who tried to stop her.

"I'll make sure he does, because I know you're going to wow everyone and earn it." Mack said.

"He's going to feel like Captain Kirk by the time I get done with him," Kelly said with an evil grin.

"Why?"

"Khannnnnnn! Kelly said dramatically with anguish in her voice. "The Augment that Captain Kirk had to take down. Except I'm all natural and I know history."

"Ah. I see what you're saying." Mackenzie stated, then slipped an arm around Kelly's shoulders as the walked. "Listen, kiddo... I know you want me to leave Commander Bannerman alone because he's your instructor, but he's only that when he's teaching classes or on duty. Any time after that, he's just... Jake. A regular person just like I am. I know you won't get it, but the sniping and arguing we do... it amuses me."

"Amusing yourself with my instructor, regardless of who he is when he's off duty, can still affect what he does when he puts his Starfleet uniform on. If he takes it out on my when I'm in class with him, I will not hesitate to file a report on him, even if it drags you into the middle of it. Starfleet means everything to me, Mack, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anything interfere with what I want. If people can't accept that, they can kiss my ass."

She handed the leash over to Mack. "I'll see you later, if you care." With that, the young woman took off at a sprint, not caring if she over-exerted herself or not. She just wanted to get away from the entire situation and she resolved herself to the fact that she may have just alienated her cousin. No one was going to take her chances of becoming a pilot away from her for personal or professional reasons unless she did it to herself.

Mack took the leash and watched Kelly run off with the shake of her head. Why did Kelly have to blow things so WAY out of proportion? None of them knew what the future held, so why was she looking to the negative? Ugh... I need another drink. Instead, she looked to Kelly's retreating back, then called out. "Kelly Marie... come back, please. Or at the very least... stop so I can catch up to you."

Kelly stopped but didn't turn around, her anger clouding her eyes and her heart raced. She was so mad that she couldn't think straight, and she had no idea what she was going to say. She clenched and unclenched her fists, trying not to think about anything at that particular moment.

Mackenzie scooped Liekos up and ran toward Kel to close the distance quicker. Once she reached her, she moved to stand in front of her, reaching out to caress her cheek. "Kelly, honey, calm down. Please. Look at me?"

Kelly flinched back from Mack and defiance sparked in her hazel eyes. "What?"

Mack swallowed a lump in her throat and pulled her hand away rather quickly. She didn't feel like she deserved Kelly's animosity, but the young cadet obviously felt like she did. "Neither of us knows what the future holds, but you've got yours paved out so well that you're obviously going to make it. White Lotus is all I have, but that can be taken from me in the blink of an eye. My life... is a mess. I came here to get away. Start over. Is it so wrong of me to want to find amusement from someone? Even if that someone is your instructor?"

Kelly sighed. Now she felt a little bad, but her temper was very slow to cool. Still, she did her best to think before she spoke and took a moment to formulate her words. "No, it isn't, Mack. I admit that it's possible that I'm jumping the gun, but I just don't want anything to happen to my chance to do what I really want. I've studied hard for two years to get where I am now. You have no idea the tests that they put me through to get to this point. Some of them were grueling and I saw other potential cadets get taken away because they couldn't do it."

She paused and took a breath, looking at her cousin. "Why didn't you tell me, Mack? I'm your cousin and we are truly the only two who have each others backs out here. We're seventy thousand light years from home and anyone else who might understand what is going on. I don't want to lose you as family, Mack, but I also don't want someone as arrogant as Commander Bannerman to take it out on me for something you say that might piss him off."

"You're wrong, Kel. I do know what the tests are like. I applied to the Academy nearly ten years ago, and I studied my ass off. I obviously didn't make it, which is one of the reasons I'm so proud of you. It's hard. Insanely hard, if I'm going to be honest." Mackenzie said, then shook her head. She'd moved on from that, and didn't want to look back now. She managed a smile, although it was sad and tears started to rim her blue eyes. "Because you've got so much going on in your own life right now, sweetheart. You don't need to worry about me, too. I'm a big girl. I can take anything life wants to throw my way. And don't worry about Commander Bannerman. He won't take anything out on you. You'll be treated just like every other cadet in his classes."

Kelly looked down. "I'm sorry, Mack. I didn't know," she said as she stepped forward to give her a hug. A moment later, she looked at her again. "You don't know that or him, though. Unless you suddenly developed the ability to see the future. If you have that, let me know how if I surpass Butthole in piloting."

Mackenzie returned the hug being mindful of Liekos in her arms. "You don't have to be sorry, kiddo. It helped shape me into the person I am today." She pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I don't have the ability to see the future, but at the same time, you don't either. How about we just take things one day at a time?"

"Can I ask what happened?" Kelly asked her.

"It's embarrassing." The redhead replied. "I had a salon and spa back on Earth... another one popped up... started spreading rumors that I was a happy ending salon. Basically... they were implying I was a prostitute, and slinging all sorts of hurtful things my way. I lost all of my business and had to close the place. It eventually came out that the rumors and slander wasn't true, but by that point, it was already too late. That's why I came here. It was a second chance for me to be happy, to do what I loved to do and get away from those horrible people. More importantly, though, I get to be closer to you."

Kelly grunted. "That's screwed up," she said. "When we get back there, point them out to me. You'll be avenged."

"Daddy took care of it already, but you're more than welcome to do it, too." Mack said.

"So...tomorrow night...you, me and Leikos hanging out?" Kelly asked.

"We can do that, but I've got a feeling you're going to be busy tomorrow night because of homework. Do you want to meet up for lunch. I'll bring you a little slice of chocolate cheesecake." Mack replied with a smile, grateful above all else Kelly calmed down.

"Tomorrow is just orientation, according to the schedule," Kelly said before she heard chocolate cheesecake. "That's not fair. Doctor McKinney said I couldn't have stuff like that."

"Then, we'll share a piece."

"That's a tease," Kelly said. "Oh, and if it's replicated, I'll know, so no trying to pull a fast one on me."

"I would never give you replicated chocolate, sweetheart. There's nothing like the real stuff." Mackenzie said with a smile. "We'll get that worked out, though, and we will get together."

"As long as Butthole doesn't get between me and chocolate, or me and you," Kelly said. "That happens, and my teeth will latch onto a jugular vein."

Mackenzie couldn't help but laugh. "One day at a time, but no one is going to come between us."

Kelly chomped her teeth on the air. "They better not or they shall feel the wrath of Khan."

"Come on... let's go check out that place Mister Raziel owns. You've still got a ton of time before you need to be back." The shorter woman stated, extending her arm toward her cousin.

"Who?" Kelly asked her, not familiar with the name or many of the places on Serene.

"Um... I think it's called Dev's Place"

"What is and who is Mister Raziel?" Kelly asked her. "And will they let Liekos in?"

Mackenzie shook her head. "Liekos will have to go back home, but he'll be okay for an hour or so. Walking wears him out." She said, looping her arm around Kel's and passing the leash back over to her. "I know it's some type of restaurant. I'm not entirely sure, though. As for Mister Raziel, he's the owner. I met him when I first arrived. He seems to be a sweet man."

"Okay," Kelly said. "Let's take Liekos back to your place, then go get something to eat. I'm starving now and I didn't eat much before I had that wine."

"It's a date, then. Let's go have a little girl time." She smiled and headed back to her place with Kel, then they were off to enjoy a quiet dinner together.

Freshman Cadet Kelly Khan
Flight
Magellan Campus

&

Mackenzie Bergman
Owner: White Lotus Salon and Spa
Magellan Station