Light Finger Louie - Chapter #108

Free Enterprise  -  Light Finger Louie  -  Chapter #108



Early the next morning, while Tamara still slept, Tyr eased out of bed and headed for the gym. There he did his usual brutal workout, got cleaned up and went to the Bridge to check things out.

Upon arrival, he found Commander Gilgamesh had the con. Tyr stood quietly beside his cousin as he was given a verbal rundown of the affairs of the day.

“We will be arriving at Deep Space Ten at approximately 1812 hours,tomorrow afternoon.” Gilgamesh intoned. Tyr frowned. He had been originally informed that the trip would take ten days at warp 9.

“How we manage to shave a whole two days off the trip without flying the Insurrection apart?” Tyr wondered.

He gazed over at the helm and instantly knew why. Their newest Ensign, a Klingon female named Kesha was a former test pilot for the Klingon Space Force. She broken with her families tradition ( a long line of pilots in her house ) and entered Starfleet Academy in order to expand her talents even further. Reportedly, she could fly anything as long as it was space capable, and, she always flew ships like she'd stolen them!

Tyr had heard about her, but had not been able to meet and welcome her on board, due to circumstances. . . . .

“Ensign?” Tyr asked.

“Ensign Kesha, Sir.” she replied, stood and nearly saluted. A Klingon salute, Tyr noted. You could always tell the ex-military Ensigns from the brand new wet-nosed Ensigns. They were ready made soldiers and were old hands at this.

“Welcome aboard the Insurrection.” Tyr said. He mightily resisted saying: “The best ship in Starfleet.” Khan warned him against saying that. Why? Because EVERY captain thought his or her ship was the best, so those would be considered fighting words by some who'd transferred from other ships.

“Thank you, Sir.” she replied.

“As you were.” Tyr ordered. Kesha returned to her seat. Tyr was glad because he did not relish the fact that his ship was flying at warp 9 on auto pilot. . . .

“I will be in my Ready Room.” Tyr informed Commander Gilgamesh, as he headed to his Inner Sanctum.

Of course, Khan was already there and waiting.

“Good Morning to you too, Tyr.” Khan said pleasantly. To which Tyr just grunted.

“I thought you were anxious to get back to Deep Space Ten.” Khan continued.

Tyr sighed and told him about Tamara, Desi, and Amanda. He also expressed his concerns about the huge diplomatic confab and reception which required his presence the moment the Insurrection docked at the station. Khan listened with an expression like he already KNEW these things were going to occur. Of course, he did. . . . .

“Amanda will leave. Tamara and Desi will not.” Khan replied sagely, after several minutes of companionable silence.

Tyr grew concerned. In truth, he didn't want any of his wives to leave, so hearing that Tamara and Desi were not going brought some relief. Especially since Desi was with child.

“Why is Amanda going and not Tamara and Desi?” Tyr frowned asked. After all of their years as brothers, he knew Khan wouldn't answer him, but he had to inquire anyway.

“To quote an old James Bond movie 'If I told you, I'd have to kill you.'” Khan replied as he gazed at his Pride Brother and pulled his whiskers half way back.

To Tyr these were unmistable signs that some deep kimshee was about to hit the fan. That along with the small hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He'd even gotten the chills.

“You'd better call HaxHis and let her know you're arriving early.” Khan said, purposely distracting his brother.

Tyr sat behind his desk and called up HaxHis. After their initial greetings, her expressing surprise that they would be there tomorrow, they got down to real business.

“It's just as well that you will arrive early, because there was some kind of mix up with the dates and both events started early. I'd swear it was some kind of conspiracy to throw us off so that we couldn't get our operatives in place in time.” HaxHis fussed. “I hate to ask this of you Tyr but when you arrive you're going to have to come in hot.” she continued.

Tyr nodded. He knew the term “Coming In Hot” meant coming in with weapons armed and ready for battle. That translated into Harper and Monique being ready for the Hoverboard competition, and likewise he had to be up to diplomatic snuff. He sat still and listened as HaxHis outlined the plans.

“Oh, bye the way, do you have anyone among your crew who is an expert pickpocket?” HaxHis asked.

Tyr gazed at HaxHis' leonine face in the communications console. No doubt she felt that gaze hundreds of light years away. And returned it with equal ferocity.

“No, not YOU, Tyr.” HaxHis stated, as she rolled her eyes. Being a pickpocket was just one of Tyr's little known talents in the Academy.

“It would be highly unseemly for you, a Starfleet Admiral and the Nietzschean Viceroy to be a pickpocket. You'll need to find someone else and have them ready by the time you arrive tomorrow.” she continued.

“Why is there a need for a pickpocket in the first place?” Tyr asked.

“Because we've received word that Racurr, the Romulan Ambassador will be carrying the data chip on his person during the reception.” HaxHis replied. Tyr nodded as he saw why it would be a horrible diplomatic misstep for HIM to pickpocket the man. There was perhaps another ten minutes of conversation before the communication finally ended.

Tyr sat back in his chair to puzzle out who else on his ship knew how to pickpocket. After a minute of silence, Khan cleared his throat.

“Dr. Kori left a message. I don't think it bears repeating.” Khan said.

Tyr rocked back in his chair and gazed up and to the right at the Katay standing next to him.

“You have been avoiding Dr. Kori of late, and she has exactly what you need.” Khan continued.

“What? My annual Star Fleet Physical?” Tyr groused.

“That too. But, she has something even more important.”

“Oh?  What pray tell is that, Khan?” Tyr asked.

“VuVu.” Khan replied.

“VuVu? Why VuVu?” Tyr asked. Suddenly, he recalled VuVu deftly snatching a Nietzschean Sovereign out of his hand. He abruptly sat up pointed and shook his finger at at Khan. There were so many things Tyr wanted to say, but found he had been rendered speechless.

“VuVu is a Pickpocket Plant, and thus has the perfect cover. After all, who would expect a ficus to be a pickpocket?” Khan replied, as he pulled his whiskers back with mirth. “Dr. Kori will let you use her, but you'll have to have your physical first, Tyr.” he continued.

“Bribery.” Tyr rumbled, as he rolled his eyes, and shook his dread locked head.

“As long as it not unethical, it helps to get things done.” Khan replied.

“Well, she will have to wait. Looks like I've got a very busy 24 hours ahead of me. In fact, we all do.” Tyr said, as stood and headed for the Ready Rooms doors.

“Don't forget to eat a decent breakfast.” Khan tossed out at Tyr, as the doors closed behind him.

“Crap! I did forget.” Tyr thought as the turbo lift sped down to engineering.

After having a private meeting with Seamus and Monique about the bogus chip and the Hover Board Championship, Tyr left assured that everything was in place and ready. His next stop was to have lunch with Xena and his sons.

As they ate, Tyr frowned at his two sons. They both looked alike ( and were the splitting image of him by the way ), but both clearly had very different personalities.

Despite the fact that Tyr had asked Xena not to dress the two alike, she'd done so anyway. The outfits were the same, but different colors. Even so they were mirror images of one another, except when it came to the hair.

Lysander was sporting a head full of neatly twisted baby dread locks, and looked very much like Tyr did when he was a mere babe in Victoria's arms. However, that resemblance stopped when it came Alexander. Where his brothers hair was neat, Alexander's was matted and tangled.

Tyr frowned deeply as he gazed at his son.

“Xena. Why does Alexander's hair look like a rodent's nest?” he asked.

“Because he refuses to let me do anything with it.” Xena replied.

“Refuses? He is not yet a year old and yet he REFUSES?” Tyr asked, incredulously. He knew full well Nietzschean children were stubborn and headstrong. One needed a firm hand to deal with Nietzschean children, even if it meant a swat or two to get the point across. After all, HE was the same way.

“Tyr, he fights, and now that his teeth are coming in, he bites.” she replied as she showed him a bruise on her right arm. Tyr rolled his eyes inwardly. Xena Anasazi, The Chief of Security for The Insurrection, would gladly take down a 400 pound marauding alien or two, but couldn't deal with her own son.

“Perhaps she does not wish to strike the child.” Tyr thought.

“Leave him with me and I will take care of it.” Tyr said. Xena stared in wide-eyed horror at her consort.

“No, I will not hurt him. However, he will learn never to bite anything unless it is food, or to defend himself against a mortal enemy.” Tyr assured.

Without another word, Xena scooped Lysander up and quietly left before Alexander got wind of it and started to cry. As it was, he didn't even notice his mother and brother were gone. He was so busy putting his puzzle together.

“Alexander.” Tyr called as he stood.

Alexander looked up, all of a sudden noticed he was alone with his father. He screwed up his face with the full intent to let out an air raid siren of a cry. Only he got a good close up look at his fathers face and quickly decided against it. The tears which already started rolling down his cheeks seemed to reverse course back into his tear ducts.

“Now, pick up your toys and come with me.” Tyr said, as he got up and slowly walked to the living area. Alexander put his toys into his toy caddy and pattered after his dad.

Tyr sat on the sofa and beckoned the child to come up and sit with him. Alexander obediently scrambled up. Tyr picked him up and put him in his lap. Without warning he ran his hand through Alexander's mop.

The reaction was instantaneous. His little arms flew up, tiny hands fought to push his hand away, tiny nails tried to scratch. Just as Xena warned, he tried to bite Tyr. Tyr grabbed Alexanders left hand and gave it a stiff “tap” with his right index finger.

Large hazel eyes stared up at Tyr as if to say: “You HIT me?!?!”

“Yes, I did, and I will do it again and again until you learn not to fight or bite when someone combs your hair.” Tyr replied.

Little Alexander screwed up his little face, the tears flowed and he started crying, again.

“Alexander. Stop the crying. I am not slaughtering you. I trying to help you.” Tyr said. “But, I will not allow you to fight and bite me. I will also not tolorate you biting your mother, or my other wives. Do you understand?” Tyr stated.

Little Alexander may have not been able to speak coherently yet, but there was nothing wrong with his comprehension. Tyr removed a wash rag from Alexander's kit bag and washed his little face, and made him blow and cleaned his little nose. From there on Alexander allowed his father to clip, wash and twist his hair into neat baby dreads.

By the time Xena returned three and a half hours later. Alexander was sitting in Tyr's lap and turning the pages of an old fashioned children s story book, as his dad read to him. Xena smiled as she realized the book had to be one of Tyr's own childhood books which he preserved and saved for this very occasion. To read to his own legacy.

“Victoria saved my books for me.” Tyr said, as he reverently closed the book, carefully put it aside and stood with his son.

”She gave them back to me after my father's burial ceremony. Her way of letting me know, it's time I start adding to Pride Kodiak.” he continued with a smile.

He handed Alexander back to Xena, and she watched as he held tiny arms out to hug Tyr before he surrendered to her.

“Oh my, what did you do? Bribe him with cookies?” Xena asked as she clutched Alexander to herself.

“No. I just showed him who the Alpha is in the family.” Tyr replied.

“You didnt hit him did you?” Xena asked.

“A couple of well-placed taps. . . . It did not kill him.” Tyr replied.

“What does not kill one, makes one stronger.” Xena quoted from Nietzsche.

“Agreed.” Tyr replied and smiled.