Leap of Faith (Part 1)

Posted on Sat Oct 31, 2020 @ 9:35am by Lieutenant Cassandra Kennings

1,697 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Binary Suns
Location: Kansas, Earth
Timeline: 14 or so years from now

Cass walked up the long path from her hovercar to the front door of her house. She pressed her thumb on the lock plate and as the door opened, she hurried inside and closed it behind her, keeping out the winter chill. She stomped the snow off of her boots onto the entryway rug and took off her scarf and coat, hanging them up on nearby hooks. The house seemed extremely quiet, with no signs of life in any of the rooms on the ground floor, but she’d seen smoke from the chimney. She climbed the stairs to the second floor and walked to the end of the hall, seeing the old pull-down ladder to the attic had been opened.

It was one of the larger farmhouses on the edge of their small town, having been built centuries earlier, back in a time when large families maintained the farmland around it. With only three occupants at a time over the last few generations, however, much of the house had been repurposed. Richard had his study downstairs, there was a master bedroom, their daughter’s bedroom and two guestrooms, and then a good-sized attic. Cassandra had secured the attic for her own study－referred to by the family as the “library”－but her daughter had taken to invading it frequently when she was studying, or wanted to be alone.

As Cassandra ascended into her den, she smelled hickory logs burning and heard them snap in the flames of her fireplace. She walked over to her reading nook to find her daughter curled up on a chaise lounge, a blanket around her, and a book in her lap. Several more were piled up on the table next to her, stacked haphazardly, as well as the floor around her. In front of the fireplace, Darla’s green, feline Familiar lay stretched out in front of the fire contentedly.

“Darla, have you been here all day?” Cass said, looking at the mess of books around her daughter.

“Oh!” Darla looked up in surprise, having been yanked out of the story she’d been immersed in. “I um...I think so,” she looked around the room. “What time is it?”

“Almost six,” Cassandra said, sitting down in her favorite high-backed armchair. “Where’s your father?”

“Daddy went to help Mister Eash repair something in the barn,” Darla said.

Cass smiled. Richard found the Amish farm hands that worked on their property to be “fascinating” in the way they’ve kept their culture unchanged for so many centuries. To Richard, it was like observing history live and in person. “Well, we’ll leave him to his fun,” she said. “When did you renew your interest in my old books?”

“When I found out they were real!” Darla said. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Cassandra gave a small shrug. “They were better suited to sounding like fairy tales and bedtime stories at your age.”

“Mother,” Darla said, “I’m fourteen, not four. Why didn’t you tell me you had all these adventures? Is this your way of keeping a journal?”

“I have a journal for my private thoughts,” Cassandra said. “But I thought perhaps chronicling some of my more colorful times in Starfleet would have some therapeutic value down the line.” She smiled at some of the titles. “When did you realize?”

Darla looked through the piles and pulled out one of the golden-leather-bound volumes. “When I read this,” she said, handing the book over.

Cass took it and looked at the title. “The Queen of the Dead,” she said, nodding.

“You told me that story when I was, like, six,” Darla said. “It was a bedtime story! But it had happened to you.” She pulled another book out. “And this one: ‘The Knights of the Fourth Realm’? That’s about Auntie Nic and Auntie Camille isn’t it.”

Cassandra smiled. “Correct,” she said.

Darla sat up excitedly, her rainbow-colored hair shimmering in the firelight. “And this one,” she said, holding out another text. “The Occultatum Imaginibus. That’s why you and I can….” she hummed a note and violet sparks appeared around her fingers.

“Correct again,” Cassandra said.

“Wow,” Darla breathed, looking at the books she’d read. “So…” she rummaged through and pulled one out. “Why are some of them locked?”

Cass took the book, which was bound with a diary-style key lock and she sighed. “Because some of these are still classified. Others are just a bit emotional.”

“What about that one?” Darla said, nodding to the one in Cass’ hands. “‘Leap of Faith”? What’s it about?”

Cassandra smiled and ran her fingers along the edge of the book. “This is the story of how your father and I fell in love.”

Darla let out an “awwww!” and clasped her hands together. She paused and frowned. “Then why is it sealed?”

“It was a rough ride,” Cassandra said, quietly. “It was a bit dangerous, and I almost lost him.”

“Daddy almost died?” Darla gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

“Worse,” Cass said. “He almost left before our relationship even started.”

“What? No. That’s...no way,” Darla said, scoffing. “Like, you and Daddy are a perfect couple. I wish I could meet a boy that I get along with that well.”

Cass smiled. “Yes, well, it wasn’t always this easy. It took a lot of work, a lot of communication and, well, a leap of faith.”

“A leap of faith? About what?” Darla said.

“About me, about us,” Cass said.

“Read it to me,” Darla said.

“Sweetheart, it’s not the kind of book--”

“Mother, I want to hear how you two met. Please?” Darla pleaded, using her “but mom” voice.

Cassandra sighed and placed her hand over the lock brushing it away like it was so much golden sand.

“As you know,” she said, opening the book to the beginning, “the first ship I served on with your Godfather, the USS Nazareth, was destroyed. Many of us returned to Earth, and I realized I was not ready to return to Starfleet. So, I joined a think tank called The Questor Group….

---

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Alistair Sampson, one of the project leaders at the Questor Group, announced, “may I present the newest member of our team: Doctor Cassandra Sanders.”

There was a round of polite applause, but Richard could see the looks on everyone’s faces. He’d read the introduction notice, same as everyone else. Someone who had actually managed to acquire the ability to convert between matter and energy, and could perform “magic”. Or, at least, that was the rumor. What hadn’t been disclosed was the astounding physical attributes. Her hair was every color imaginable, her eyes were violet, her skin practically glowed. Richard couldn’t take his eyes off her. For that matter, pretty much all the male staff was staring. Richard felt bad when he saw her blush from the attention and immediately tore his gaze away. He looked around at his colleagues and realized the race to court her was officially on.

Richard had studied courting customs from dozens of cultures, both Earth-born and otherwise, but despite all the research, advice and anecdotal data he’d accumulated in his life, he found himself unsure how to proceed. His competition seemed similarly baffled. The ones who were single, of eligible age, and had sufficient confidence tried approaching her, but none seemed to get further than shop talk.

After two days, Richard finally screwed up his courage and braved the waters. He’d developed a foolproof plan and grabbed a padd from his desk to implement it. He then walked confidently down the hall and knocked on the door to her office. “Hey there,” he said.

Cassandra looked up from her terminal and gave him a friendly smile. “Hello,” she said.

Richard couldn’t help notice the “welcome gifts” around the office, including flowers, cookies and a few bottles of wine. He was immediately glad he was going a different route. “Hello,” he said, giving her a smile. “I’m sorry to interrupt your settling in, but I remember Alistair saying you were a psychologist, and I was wondering if I could get your help on something?”

“Oh, no need to apologize. Of course, I’d be happy to kibitz,” she said, smiling at him. “What is it?”

“I was working on a paper regarding the development of the Andorian military culture and how it relates to Earth’s Spartans, but I was hoping you could add a bit more insight into the psychology aspect of ancient humans.”

“Sounds interesting,” Cassandra said excitedly. Richard held out the padd to her and she took it happily.

“Perhaps we could meet to discuss it tomorrow around one, once you had time to look it over?” he said.

“Sounds great,” she said.

“Fantastic,” he said, a bit too joyously. He pulled himself together and backed to the door. “Well, I’ll let you get back to what I’m sure is a laundry list. Good meeting you!” he said.

“You...too...” she said, sounding confused as he left. He got about six steps when he stopped cold and realized his blunder.

A moment later her door burst open and he stood there red in the face. “I’m Doctor Kennings, by the way,” he said.

Cassandra let out a laugh, a hand over her mouth. “I was wondering how long it’d take you to realize,” she said through her laughter. “I’m Doctor Cassandra Sanders. Most people call me Cass. It’s a pleasure to meet you Doctor…Kennings…Richard Kennings?” she said, her laughter suddenly gone.

“Yes...have we met before?” he said. “I think I’d remember.”

“No...no we haven’t,” she said, sounding thoughtful. “I’ve just heard your name before.” She stared at him for a moment longer.

“You’ve read one of my papers?” he supplied.

She blinked as if coming back from a daydream. “Yes...yes that must be it, of course,” she said, and put her smile back on. “A pleasure to meet you in person, Doctor Kennings. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

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