From Sun To Shining Sun (Part 2)

Posted on Wed Jan 1st, 2025 @ 9:42pm by Captain Violet Bluegarden & Commander Celeste Tiae
Edited on on Wed Jan 1st, 2025 @ 9:42pm

1,236 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: 84 Years Young
Timeline: After 'From Sun To Shining Sun (Part 1)'

Previously, on Star Trek: The Sullivans:

With a nod, Violet tugged at her right driving glove. As the brown leather glove slid off, the lights of the room gleamed off metal as a prosthetic hand was revealed to have been beneath the glove. Using her now-exposed prosthetic hand, Violet proceeded to slide off her left driving glove, revealing a second prosthetic hand. After revealing her prosthetic hands, Violet proceeded to push up her sleeves slightly, revealing the prosthetic arms that they were attached to before letting the sleeves fall back into place.

"I will admit, I did not expect that." Celeste said softly, eyes taking in the revealed falsehoods that were in the place of arms and hands, "But it would be unfair of me to conceal my own secrets from you, insomuch as they're concealed from everyone else at a sight." She raised one hand in a gesture that caused the windfox around her neck to reluctantly move, using the arm that had been raised and then lowered to delicately debouche from his perch and down to the floor where he sat primly, curling his tail around his feet. "There are fewer than a dozen Aethiri in all of Starfleet, mostly in the enlisted ranks."

And now, the continuation:

As Celeste spoke, her skin tone started to become noticeably lighter, losing warmth and pinkness. Her ears began to slightly lengthen, "Aethereum is in the extreme galactic South of the Federation and our Home fleet, where most of our military-minded subjects serve, is responsible for covering three sectors of the border of Federation space, so it is unlikely that you have met any of us." As she spoke, her skin lost most of it's luster as well, until it began to look like porcelain, her eyes going from a matte red to nearly glowing. The uniform looked ill-fitting to what it had before, "This is my natural form. We Aethiri have minor shapeshifting abilities, which is part of our elemental heritage, as we were once elemental in nature before we interbred and lost much of that heritage." She snapped her fingers, sparks coming from them, waving her other hand and causing her skirt to move as if in a brief breeze. After the demonstration, her skin tone began to regain it's apparent warmth, albeit slowly.

Violet had to admit, she wasn't expecting to be assigned a first officer whose abilities at a glance seemed awfully similar to that of their enemy.

"Forgive me for asking the obvious, but what exactly separates someone like you from one of them Founders?" Violet asked, pulling her driving gloves back on. "I'm sure I need not tell you that it's a dangerous time to be a shapeshifter right now, and you'd be one slip up away from sparking mass panic."

"I have been in the form you've seen me in for the last fifteen years, before I even joined Starfleet Academy, maintaining it is second nature to me at this point and doesn't even require concentrating on it anymore. But in this time, I can certainly agree with you on the nature of being like me." Celeste reached up to brush an errant few strands of her red hair behind her now definitely humaniform ear, "We are nothing like the Founders, for one what you saw me do is nearly the limits of our capabilities, aside from the ability to 'bulk up' a little bit. We cannot leave a humanoid form and while we can adjust and adapt our facial features a fair bit, the further from our natural state of being, the more concentration it requires to maintain it. Also, Aethiri are not carbon-based, we are silica-based, and in it's pure state, oxygen is actually toxic to my people, though the 'standard' atmosphere is not harmful because of the high relative concentration of Nitrogen, though Aethereum also has a higher concentration of Xenon and Argon as well as Helium in our own composition."

Now that Celeste looked back the way she had when she walked in, she gave a slight shrug, "I'm sure that if the Founders ever came to Aethereum, they'd wonder if we were an offshoot of their evolution, briefly, but we truly are not. Oh yes, before we joined the Federation seventy years ago, the Republic ruled an area of seven star systems, which we still inhabit and control, but never with an iron hand, but one of cooperation, even with the Havarth, one of the native species on our colony world of Nevia. We did not know there were sentients developing there when our colonists landed nearly a thousand years ago, but we made sure they knew we weren't gods or anything of the like. We may be a bit arrogant at times, but who isn't, ma'am? And by the way, may I introduce Eviar, my companion?" She made a gesture and with a deft jump, the fluffy white creature made it to Celeste's forearm before climbing up to perch on her shoulder, "He's a Windfox from Aethereum, quite well trained and my protector since I was a child."

"I see... May I pet him?" Violet asked.

"You may." Celeste gave her permission and then whispered to the windfox next to her, "Selonge." And he carefully jumped to a clear spot on the desk in front of the Captain, "He can sense emotions from others and makes for an excellent barometer of their intentions. If someone intends harm to me, he knows how to signal me, but if they are actively in the midst of attacking, he won't wait for any command before moving to protect. Despite his size, the Windfox are apex predators in the mountains of my world, able to take on creatures many times their size and win, yet, they can be domesticated and trained. Eviar is exquisitely trained and will follow my commands above all else."

Violet hesitated, unsure of how well Eviar would take to having metal with cow skin stretched over it touching him, but the windfox seemed to take quite well to being petted by a prosthetic hand.

"So, I have to ask:" Violet said. "I saw him move off you before you did your shapeshifting thing: Does he... Assist you in any way with maintaining your front-facing form?"

Celeste watched with delight as Eviar pressed his head into Violet’s prosthetic hand with a buzzing purr, “Aside from being a comfort to me by having around and meaning I’m not stressing out about my appearance? No.” Celeste said definitively, then gave a slight smile, “When I said he is my protector, I do mean it literally, otherwise…” The Aethiri shook her head, “My other secret, one that I hope will not lessen me in your eyes, ma’am.” She took a deep breathe and straightened her back even more, “I am also Celeste Annae Viol Fresce Mila Tiae, Crown Princess and heir to the throne of the Aethiri Republic. Duchess of the world of Mariapol and theoretically beloved of the people.” That last came with a shrug, “My father wanted me to take a detachment of the Royal Guard with me, but I convinced him it would only cause resentment and make me a target, plus Eviar is better than any Guardsman. I’m not here to be a Princess, I’m here to be an officer of Starfleet.”

To be continued...

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