He Stays a Stranger

Do You Doubt It?

"Actually," Kira played his trump card, "this should interest you both."

"Oh?" Arashi finally looked up from his PADD, where he was going over finances. He was, perhaps, even more bored than Izo. "Is there any profit to be had?"

"Quit thinking that way," Kira said, "you ever wonder why you two are a few years apart in age? I mean, I'm born in '58. You're born in '59. And then Izo here doesn't show up until '61." What he did not know was that there had been an earlier birth – Jun – in '56. But that did not matter to his point.

"I dunno," Arashi said, "maybe Ma didn't have a lover for a while."

"C'mon, this is Ma we're talkin' about here," Kira said, "and she turned thirty-one that year. She definitely had a lover."

"This is still boring," complained Izo.

"Izo, she didn't just have a lover then. She got pregnant," Kira said.

"What?" Arashi was incredulous, "We have another brother?"

"No lie," Kira said, "and it gets even better. See, I remembered a little something, but it was not much. I mean, I was only maybe two and a half then. So I had that Vulcan slave, T'Pau, look things up. She had to get a bit creative as most of the records were destroyed."

"Destroyed? By whom?" Arashi asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Izo asked, "It had to have been Ma."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Kira said, "well, back when, it was a few months before you were born, Izo, and the inventory noted there was an escape pod missing. It was just before they left the area – right after Travis Mayweather and José Torres were killed."

"My Dad," Izo said, referring to Travis.

"And maybe mine," Arashi said, referencing Torres.

"There was also a record of a little girl's dress being purchased, really early in '61," Kira said.

Arashi looked up after searching for the purchase information on his PADD, "Huh, I never noticed that before. Are you saying we had sisters?"

"One sister, and one more brother, far as I can tell," Kira said, "I can't tell what their names were, though."

"You think they're alive down there, in that system?" Izo asked. The question hung in the air for a moment.

"There's someone down there building contraband starship parts," Arashi said, "think they'd be involved?"

"They're Ma's kids," Kira said, "Do you doubt it?"

=/\=

Yimar, Jennifer, Tom and the twins flew over to the Defiant, and were allowed to dock. The Empress herself went over to meet them, with her sons. She even took Milton along, "Watch what I do," she said, supremely confident.

Tom and Yimar got out first, and Hoshi looked him up and down like a piece of meat. Then Jennifer – Hoshi narrowed her eyes. "You're familiar somehow."

"I get that a lot," Jennifer said cautiously.

And then the twins appeared. Hoshi just stared. Kira finally stammered out, "Uh, are you?"

"Yep, we are," Takara said. "We are your brother and sister. You must be Kira."

"I, I am."

"We're between Arashi and Izo," Takeo said, and introduced them.

Hoshi finally recovered enough to stammer, "It's a trick. Those two are dead."

"No, Mom," Takara said, "now, what other lies have you been telling yourself about us, and the Calafan people, and anything else?"

Milton arched an eyebrow and looked over at Tom and Jennifer. Perhaps he could get out after all. Those two seemed to be his best bet. He decided, if there was any way for him to get away on their ship, he would do so, even if it meant stowing away.

"We'll take DNA tests if you want us to," Takara offered.

"That won't be ..." Hoshi began.

"No, uh," Milton began, and Hoshi glared at him, so he added, "it could be amusing."

"Oh, all right," the Empress was a tad exasperated, but she did call for Doctor Stone.

"We've got what you need," Yimar said, "and we can continue to make these ... materials ... as needed."

"It seems like a trade would be a good idea," Jennifer said.

"What if we just take what we want?" Arashi asked, "Your stock – even of incomplete goods – could prove helpful to us. And we know you haven't put anything together yet, so all you have against us are ships that are the level of the old NX class or so."

"We have expertise," Jennifer said, "a thing which I know many of your engineers have been lacking."

"No one asked you, Crossman," Hoshi said, all of a sudden remembering who Jennifer was. She then punched up Communications again.

"Engineering. Ramirez here."

"Get over here," Hoshi commanded, "you're being disparaged."

"On my way."

=/\=

Can't buy me love

Everybody tells me so

Can't buy me love

No no, no, no

– The Beatles (Can't Buy Me Love)