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Post by Brie on Oct 29, 2006 17:49:34 GMT -6
As soon as Brie entered Amy's room a cold chill ran down her spine. She tried to shake it off without Amy noticing. Brie thought about it for a micron, she had felt it before but couldn't quite place it. There were things that had happened lately, important things she was sure, that had started to blur in her mind. She remembered that it had something to do with when she accidentally shot Artus while firing at crawlons...there was more there, something frightening and then peaceful, but it felt like trying to remember a dream.
"I didn't think I was going to be able to see you yet," Brie started. She wanted to give Amy a hug but knew that after surgery it was a bad idea. "Last I heard, you were only allowed family. I just saw Lazant, frack, Amy, he's a mess. He was burned badly on the latest mission, and they don't know if his eyesight will return. He did want me to send you his best, whatever that is. He fared better than Skyler, Skyler didn't make it back." Brie glanced around the room and noticed the box with the shoes. She grinned slightly. "They may seem like a ridiculous present, especially from me, but I thought that you'd like them. I know your mom tends to be picky about what she thinks you should wear, but the way I see things you're an adult now, your mother needs to realize that fact."
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Post by Amy81 on Oct 30, 2006 11:29:00 GMT -6
Amy sat there, listening to Brie. As she looked at the Major, she noticed the similarities, the facial features and other things that seemed so obvious if you knew to look for them. If Amy had picked up Brie's hair color, they could pass for sisters. But we aren't sisters, are we Brie? Hades, we aren't even friends. Are we, mom?
Brie said something about Skyler not making it back. Amy felt bad hearing this. She'd always admired him, though they'd never seen much action together. Brie had always thought highly of him, and at one time what Brie thought was always important to Amy. Isn't that right, mom? And Lazant, burned? Now there was a daggit who could use a little suffering. Amy and Lazant locked horns many times, and in fact, it was a poorly thought out strategy of Lazant's that had earned Amy a trip to a coldcell on that rogue basestar so long ago...
Brie had stopped talking, having touched on quite a few subjects in so short a time. Amy just sat there, listening, the last part of what Brie said playing back over in her mind: "I know your mom tends to be picky about what she thinks you should wear, but the way I see things you're an adult now, your mother needs to realize that fact."
Amy opened her mouth to speak, then stopped herself for a moment. Already Brie had managed to add two more lies to the grand total, first pretending she wasn't family, then talking about Amy's mom as if it were somebody other than her. Was it always so easy for you, Brie? You have it down so well.
Finally Amy said, "You know a lot about mothering, do you, Major?"
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Post by Brie on Oct 31, 2006 9:05:02 GMT -6
"You know a lot about mothering, do you, Major?"
The first part of Amy’s question took Brie so much by surprise that it didn’t even register that Amy had referred to her by rank, something neither of them ever did in normal conversation. Brie shook her head. “What would I know about mothering? My mother was blown up!” she started. “As you know, I was raised in an orphanage, I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have parents.” She paused for only a micron before speaking words she never thought that she would say. “That’s why I let them convince me that you’d have a better life if I gave you away.”
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Post by Amy81 on Oct 31, 2006 13:13:14 GMT -6
Amy just sat there looking at Brie. "Excuse me?" she asked.
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Post by Brie on Oct 31, 2006 15:17:24 GMT -6
"It's funny," Brie started slowly. "Elmer had insisted that you never find out. Then after he died, when your surgery started, your mom and I had a long talk. She couldn’t see any reason to not tell you finally, but me, well, I used Pierce as an excuse. But Abby is right, we can’t keep it from you anymore.” Brie shook her head. “She really loves you, Amy, more than you’ll ever know. I feel a bit guilty telling you without her here, but the story starts with me. Abby is your mother, Amy, in every way that matters, but that story I told on the Agro Ship? It’s true.”
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Post by Col. Charybdis on Nov 1, 2006 12:06:03 GMT -6
I finally finished in the turboflush. Good thing they had a big stash of PlayWarrior in there! I went back out to the waiting room.
The medtech said, "Colonel. We couldn't find you. Major Brie is in with the Captain now."
"Frack!" I muttered. This could take all cycle, especially with Brie. She has the habit of having long, drawn out conversations.
"I have to get back to the bridge. Tell Amy I'll come see here when I'm off-duty. There's just too much going on for me to stay any longer. Tell her I'm sorry."
I quickly left and returned to duty...
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Post by Amy81 on Nov 2, 2006 6:48:29 GMT -6
"I know it's true" Amy replied, still off balance from the surprise of Brie telling her. "I just didn't expect to hear it from you after so many yarhens of lies. How could you, Brie? All this time knowing who I was, and pretending I was just...?"
She picked up the shoebox, teary eyed. "Even this. Your note was more lies. I'm not even sure who is supposed to like these fracking things." She threw the box onto the floor, covering her eyes as she began crying. She wasn't sure exactly what triggered the tears: the yarhens of lies or the truth suddenly being told to her.
Or maybe it was the release of it all finally being over with.
Or was it the truth still wrapped in lies? Sad thing was, Amy couldn't tell. It would be so easy to just blame the dead guy: "It was all Elmer's fault. I didn't hand you over, he took you from me..."
It wasn't easy finding what to do with the hatred that had been building inside her since the demon had revealed the truth to her. If she opened her eyes, she wasn't sure if she'd want to hug Brie or go for her throat....
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Post by Brie on Nov 2, 2006 9:26:37 GMT -6
“Amy,” Brie said slowly, “I’m not your mother, any more than the man who raped me is your father.” She surprised herself by saying it so calmly, normally she would have referred to him as anything but a man. “I’ve never thought of myself that way, not once the whole time I’ve known you. I don’t look at you and think ‘she’s my daughter.’ Instead, I see an amazing young woman who is smarter than most people give her credit for, and who has an incredible unrealized potential. I would feel that way no matter who gave birth to you. This friendship that we’ve formed has nothing to do with biology and everything to do with what a fantastic person you’ve become. You’re my best friend, Amy, because of who you are and nothing else. I gave up any rights to anything else a long time ago.” Brie wiped away a tear, surprised that she had started crying. “I won’t blame you if you hate me, but before you do there’s something I’d like to tell you. Something that I’ve only told to Turner, and something that only one other person in the fleet knows, if she even remembers.”
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Post by Amy81 on Nov 2, 2006 16:20:32 GMT -6
"I gave up any rights to anything else a long time ago.”...
Brie's words echoed through Amy's head. She wanted to ask something, but Brie had more to say. So Amy sat there, not trusting herself to look at the Major. She kept her head buried in her arms, her knees drawn up as she sat on the bed.
"Go ahead" Amy said in a muffled voice...
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Post by Brie on Nov 3, 2006 13:58:33 GMT -6
Even though Brie knew that Amy wasn't looking at her, Brie stared at her own feet. What had made so much sense, seemed like the only choice all those yahrens earlier, now seemed selfish and shallow. "As you've probably figured out," she started slowly, "I was seventeen when I was......when you were conceived. It was my eighteenth novayahren when I found out that I was pregnant. Amy, that was the happiest day of my life. Everything was so clear, it had all happened for a reason. Suddenly I saw the possibility of having a life instead of dying way too young like my own parents had. The unofficial motto of the orphanage that I was raised in was ‘there’s no greater honor than to die in battle,’ but for the first time I had someone else to think about. I wouldn’t become a warrior, wouldn’t join the military in any capacity because a battlestar is no place to raise a child, I wouldn’t leave my child an orphan. I would find a civilian job and raise my child to the best of my ability.”
Brie blinked back a few more tears. “And that’s exactly what I tried to do. I headed to the main computer room on the Galactica and searched for a job and housing. Since my entire education had been military-based I was considered ‘unskilled’ but that didn’t matter. I was going to find some way to give my child a decent life. I did find something, there was an opening for someone in the sanitation department on an old Gemonese cargo ship. Even though working in sanitation with morning sickness probably wasn’t a good idea I accepted the position and went to meet with my superior, Colonel Athena, who was still a Captain at that time. I had every intention of dropping out of the special pre-Academy program that I was a part of.”
Involuntarily Brie glanced up at Amy, hoping for eye contact or some sign that Amy didn’t hate her. There was no sign offered. “When Athena asked me why I was quitting I had intended to just tell her that I was pregnant, but instead the whole story came out. I didn’t have any real friends at that time and hadn’t shared any of it with anyone. She was very sympathetic and insisted that I be checked out by a female doctor. And then she led me to a shuttle. She took me to the Gemonese cargo ship that I was planning on calling our home. Amy, it was horrible. There were no windows except for in the cockpit and the people were crowded in worse than most ships that I had seen. Our housing was a torn blanket on the floor in a room shared by five other women. Athena started up a conversation with two of those women. They were from the Gemonese sect that doesn’t believe in physical contact between the sexes except under certain conditions every few yahrens. Being a single, pregnant teenager who had no idea who the father was......Amy, I couldn’t bring you up in a place like that! And I know that I could have tried to explain to them that it was rape, but the sad thing is that it’s a very personal crime. No matter how hard I tried to believe in my head that it wasn’t my fault part of me will always blame myself. Before that I had never even kissed a guy...”
Brie shivered. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make this long and drawn-out. On the way back to the Galactica Athena said she had one more stop to make. We stopped at the Agro Ship. At first I didn’t understand why. She introduced me to Elmer and Abby. She asked them if they had ever considered having children. Elmer said that it would be nice to have someone to carry things on when he was gone but Abby just excused herself. She was crying. Elmer took us for a tour of the fields and it all became so clear to me. I could try to raise you myself in an overcrowded ship surrounded by people who would hate us both, or I could give up my rights and let you be raised on the most beautiful ship in the fleet. And so I did what I thought would be best for you. We made the arrangements that day. Elmer insisted that you never find out, knowing that I would be joining the military and quite honestly would probably die young. It made sense at the time.” Brie sighed. “I’m sorry it didn’t turn out like I had hoped.”
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