Lyra

Posted on Thu Feb 23rd, 2012 @ 2:43pm by

1,569 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: [Typhon] Through a Window Darkly
Location: Various
Timeline: Various

Sirgei had long protected this secret from prying eyes. The thing that quite a few people were curious about-

-Lyra and Sirgei's sleeping arrangements.

To the contrary, however, of most opinions, they did not even sleep on the same sleeping surface. Lyra, in fact, slept on the top bunk of a bunk bed, and Sirgei, on the bottom.

Because that way, Sirgei could fight off the monsters under the bed.

A great many people thought Lyra was just unintelligent, or crazy, or a ditzy blonde. Sirgei did his best to encourage it. They only saw her when she was on duty. She acted like a little child, largely because that's where her mindset was stuck.

Lyra scrambled up the ladder, and Sirgei stepped up on the small step-ladder, next to the bed, to tuck her in.

"Sirgei?" Lyra asked, as Sirgei made sure that Lyra could not roll off the bed, which had happened before. Oddly, the moment Sirgei had mentioned that they had been in bed at the time, the Doctor wanted no further details, as to how Lyra had broken an arm, a leg, and three fingers.

"Yes, Princess Lyra?" Sirgei asked. In private, Lyra was treated, as a child. It was a carefully guarded technique, that kept Lyra more or less sane, at least, to the point, that few questions were asked about her personal life. Most people assumed that Sirgei and Lyra had a romantic relationship, of some kind. Sirgei fed it. He knew, full well, that Lyra wouldn't handle a psychological evaluation properly, and he wasn't about to let Lyra down.

"Where do you think my mittens went, earlier?" Lyra asked.

Sirgei's carefully guarded mindset faltered, briefly.

"I don't know, really." Sirgei said, with a shrug.

"Well, I think it was either gremlins, or a transdimensional incursion which caused them to temporarily phase out of existence. I'm not really sure which, though." Lyra said, looking thoughtfully at a small, stuffed pig, named Link.

"Well, you think on it some more, and we can ask Commander Skylar in the morning." Sirgei said, tucking Lyra's arms into an especially tight roll of blankets. "Too tight?"

"Nuh-uh. Just right." Lyra said.

"Good." Sirgei said. He put Link next to Lyra's head, and carefully brushed her hair out of her face.

And just like that, Lyra was asleep.

It wasn't always like that. Sometimes Lyra needed a story, or some juice. Sometimes, Sirgei would have to sing her a lullaby. It was much like trying to put a six year old to sleep. That was, more or less, how Lyra lived. Like a six year old. It was the only way she could function.

And it was Sirgei's fault.

As Sirgei lay down, on the bottom bunk, after making sure to check under the bed for Lyra's monsters, he closed his eyes...

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Four years ago
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15 year old Sirgei sat, in the cargo hold, of his father's ship, with the Ensign in science blues. He had no idea how to explain to a woman who was 23, that the fifteen year old was absolutely smitten with the brilliant woman.

Lyra Walsh, however, barely acknowledged the boy. She was only aboard, because her shuttle had been detained, and she had to be at her next assignment, a colony, in a week.

"So, what, exactly, is that you are working on?" Sirgei asked, trying to make heads or tails of the random collection of letters, symbols, and numbers, Lyra had drawn on a whiteboard.

"It's a theory, based on Cochrane's warp theory, and several concepts regarding closely parallel universes, or dimensions, which stipulates that a vessel, in warp travel, in one dimension, or another, may accidentally, or on purpose, get 'stuck' in the same position as a specific place, or thing, in another dimension, by engaging it's warp engines, at the perfect moment in time, space, and relativistic position of dimensions, or universes in question." The woman noted.

She looked up to see Sirgei's slightly confused look.

"It involves transtemporal travel, multi-universe theory, warp theory, quantum physics, and several trans-dimensional theories, most of which are either experimental, untried, or untestable, without actually coming across it actually occurring." Lyra said.

"Sweetheart, no offense, but I know how to code computer systems. I know how to repair a warp engine. I know the program that runs it, by memory, but I can't, for the life of me, understand how the science works." Sirgei said.

Lyra blinked, several times. "Not many people call me sweetheart." She said, shaking her head. "I'm not certain whether to be concerned, or flattered."

That's when it happened. Sirgei's automated cargo management program, which he had coded, specifically to try and prove to this woman, that he was as smart as she was, decided that now was an appropriate time to completely decompile it's entire database.

Sirgei was rather harshly thrown out of the way, when a box decided it needed to be on the other side of the cargo bay.

Lyra, busy with her calculations, completely didn't pay any attention to her surroundings, and was thrown into the bulkhead by a misplaced cargo box.

It took nineteen hours, to get the wreckage sorted, and Lyra, and Sirgei both spent nine weeks in the medical ward of the planet Lyra was supposed to be assigned to.

The woman in charge of the Sciences Department, on the planet, was impressed with the amount of responsibility Sirgei took, and together, they had come up with a valid scheme to keep Sirgei in a position to be able to watch over Lyra.

He had not left her side, since. It was more, or less, his prison sentence, of sorts.

He would not have had it any other way, either.

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Present
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"SIRGEI!" The voice was an almost infantile scream. It was not the normal voice one expected, out of Lyra Walsh. It was scared, and innocent. Sirgei was used to it. It happened, once, or twice a week. A bad nightmare, or indigestion. Occasionally, both. His eyes snapped open, at once.

He quickly climbed up the step-ladder to see what was wrong.

"Link is gone!" She said, indicating the spot on her pillow that Sirgei customarily put the stuffed pig. She was crying.

Sirgei rubbed his head. He knew that he couldn't simply replicate another pig. He knew that he couldn't try to reason with Lyra, that the pig wasn't necessary. He knew he couldn't do anything, to get her to sleep, until Link was found. He knew that it was going to be a long, long night.

Sirgei climbed up the Ladder, and wrapped his arms carefully around Lyra.

"It's okay. We'll find him." Sirgei said, kissing her forehead. "It's okay, pretty princess Lyra."

Lyra, however, was crying, like most six year old children who's favourite toy went missing would.

Sirgei simply rubbed her back, gently. This was as close to a physical relationship, as Sirgei, and Lyra could have. Like a father, and daughter, more than anything else. Entertaining, when one considered, the fact that Sirgei was 8 years Lyra's younger. Sad, when one considered this would probably be his life, for the foreseeable future.

But, to Sirgei, it was his duty. Lyra had almost died. he had promised to watch over her. It was oddly fulfilling, most of the time.

Except, of course, when Lyra was crying. Then it tore his heart in two.

"It's a theory, based on Cochrane's warp theory, and several concepts regarding closely parallel universes, or dimensions, which stipulates that a vessel, in warp travel, in one dimension, or another, may accidentally, or on purpose, get 'stuck' in the same position as a specific place, or thing, in another dimension, by engaging it's warp engines, at the perfect moment in time, space, and relativistic position of dimensions, or universes in question." Lyra's voice echoed through his mind, from within his dreams.

Sirgei's eyes opened wide. "That... almost makes sense." Sirgei said, looking down at Lyra.

"What almost makes sense?" Lyra asked.

"A transtemporal interdimensional incursion." Sirgei said. "You told me once, about a theory, based on Cochrane's Warp theory, several concepts about parallel universes, and dimensions. That'd-"

"Nuh-uh. I've decided it's gremlins." Lyra said.

"Lyra, this is important, you have to remember." Sirgei said.

Lyra shook her head. "I don't know. I'm pretty sure it's gremlins. If it were a transtemporal interdimensional incursion of a foreign object, there'd be detectable chronometric variances, easily detectable throughout the station, if one was specifically looking for them." Lyra said. She appeared thoughtful, briefly. "But I'm pretty sure it's gremlins. Gremlins would be undetectable, and be capable of dirty, and dastardly things like Grand Theft Mittens."

Sirgei patted Lyra on the head. "Close your eyes Lyra. We'll find Mister Link in the morning." Sirgei said. Privately, he wondered how insane people would think he was, if he brought one of Lyra's ideas up as a plausible explanation for what was going on here. Especially if anyone were to find out that the six year old girl personae was all that was left of the brilliant Lyra Walsh, save a vast treasure trove of seemingly random technical, and scientific knowledge.

For not the first time, over the last four years, he desperately hoped that a specific Admiral kept her mouth shut.

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Lieutenant Junior Grade Lyra Walsh
Propulsion Specialist

Chief Warrant Officer Sirgei Bobgdonovich
Computer Systems Specialist

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