CHAPTER 39 C

They left Sick Bay. Kacey logged off duty and went to her quarters. Kate headed back to the Bridge. Kacey changed out of her fatigues and put her thread bare comfortable clothes on. She started the music disc and lay on the couch. She closed her eyes and let the music take her away. She concentrated on every note, picturing where her fingers would be on the strings to play that exact note. She was still lost in the music when Natalia returned from her duty shift.

Kate stepped off the lift. A spring in her step as she sat in her chair. She looked up at Anya and smiled. Liam knew from the easy way Kate walked and her smile, the two girls had made their peace and he was happy.

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Kacey lay on the bed in Sick Bay watching the doctor attach the electrodes that would connect her to the heart and brain monitors. The I.V. line was already dripping fluids into her arm. Natalia, Kate and Patricia watched the Doctor's actions. Only Kate would be allowed in the same room when the session started. Natalia and Patricia would be able to watch from the next room. Patricia was upset that Kate would be the one to verify the authenticity of the memories, until she realized that her older daughter knew things from Kacey's past that she herself might not.

"Colonel, I need you to lay very still so I run a base line scan." Dr. McCloud stated.

"Understand. Go for it Doc." Kacey said.

The Doctor turned on the machines. The hum sounded loud in the silence. The machines ran for a few minutes.

"All right Colonel. As soon as Dr. DiMarco comes in I will give you a very mild sedative. The more relaxed you are the easier it will be for you to go under."

"Okay Doc. Before we do this, could I have a minute alone with Natalia?"

"Of course, Colonel." Everyone stepped out of the room but Natalia. She stood by the bed and held Kacey's hand.

"Sweetheart, please don't worry. This is something I really have to do." Kacey told her.

"I can not help worrying. I love you."

"I love you too. If there is any danger, Dr. McCloud will stop it. How about a kiss for luck?"

"Always." Natalia leaned forward and kissed Kacey "Your mother and I will be in the next room watching. She does not need to know everything. If you get my meaning."

"What happens when we are alone is for us only. Now go keep mom calm."

Natalia kissed her again and left. Patricia followed her into the next room. Dr. DiMarco entered. Dark hair cascaded in wild curls around a kind face. Her deep brown eyes were friendly and looked out over half glasses.

"Kacey are you ready to do this?"

Kacey took a deep breath. "Lets do it." She said.

"We will start with your childhood. I have the list of ages to take you to. We will start with your earliest memory. If at any time you do not feel comfortable, we will leave that age." Kacey nodded. "Olive, you can give her the sedative." She said. Dr. McCloud picked up a syringe and injected the sedative into the I.V. line. She turned on the machines. "Kacey I want you to take deep breaths and relax." She kept her voice low and steady. "I want you to try to lift your right arm." Kacey did so without any trouble. She lowered her arm. "Relax your body and your mind. Start with your legs. Feel them relax and get very heavy. Can you feel them getting heavy?"

"Yes" Kacey said softly.

"Good continue to relax. Now your arms are getting very heavy. Feel your arms getting heavy. Can you try to lift your right arm?" The arm raised slowly. "Keep relaxing Kacey Can you feel yourself getting tired? Just keep relaxing."

For twenty minutes the doctor talked softly. She shook her head. "She is not going completely under. That can happen to strong willed persons."

"What about using music?" Kate asked. "I have seen her enter another world when she listens to music. It is her own form of meditation."

"It is worth a try."

Kate went into the next room to talk to Natalia. "Go get that music disc she was listening to yesterday." Natalia left and returned with the disc and portable player. She set up the player and placed the headphone near Kacey's ear. Soft strains came through. Dr. Dimarco returned to the bed and spoke softly.

"Kacey listen to the sound of the music and relax your mind and body. Take slow steady breaths and hear each note. Go to that special place where the music is all around you. Relax your mind. Relax your body."

The results were visible to them all as Kacey finally relaxed completely. Her breathing slow and steady, her mind quiet. The music helped her go completely under.

"Kacey can you raise your right arm?" Kacey tried to raise her arm without success. "She seems to be under." The doctor stated. "Kacey can you hear me?"

"Yes."

"Good. We are going to revisit your childhood. What is your earliest memory?" "Stairs. There is a big stair case and I want to show mommy that I can climb it. Each time I try to show her she slaps my butt and brings me back down stairs. Daddy put up a fence to stop me. I don't like the fence." The doctor looked at Kate for confirmation. "Wow, she don't think she was even two when our father put that gate across the stairs at home. She was fascinated with that big stair case." "To be able to access a memory from such a young age, she is completely under." Dr. Dimarco stated. "Kacey, you are six years old. Did anything important to you happen when you were six?"

"I got my first violin." Kate nodded when the Doctor looked at her for verification.

"What happen the first time you tried to play that violin?"

"I scared the cat. and the dog started howling." They all chuckled softly. "But I got better and she no longer went and hid The dog still howled just not as much.."

"Did you have other pets?"

"A dog named Bear, a horse named Conrad, and some fish."

"That is good to hear. Lets go forward a few years. You are now ten years old."

"Kate left when I was ten." Kacey stated sadly.

"Where did she go?"

"Away to the Space Academy. I did not want her to go but she did anyway. I could only see her on vacations. I am going to go there too. I want to be just like Kate."

Kate nodded as tears filled her eyes. "I almost did not go because she was so upset." Kate said softly.

"Did you have a best friend when you were ten?"

"Kate was my best friend."

"Other than Kate was there another person who was your friend?"

"Allison. She played the flute in the school band. We would practice together all the time. We almost got into trouble. If it wasn't for Kate we would have."

"Would you like to tell us about that?"

Kate looked into the next room aware that Kacey was about to tell their mother things that were secret between them. "Doctor can we pass over that?" She asked. Kate noticed Patricia fold her arms.

"Of course, Captain. Do you know where Allison is now?"

"She died. She got sick and died. I miss her."

"How old were you when she died?"

"Eighteen."

"Did anything else happen when you were eighteen?"

"I took the tests for college. My test scores placed me in the Marine Academy, that would also count as my mandatory service. I wanted to go to the Space Academy. My whole family went to the Space Academy. I wanted to fight the placement."

"What changed your mind?"

"Kate. She said I could leave my mark on the world in the Marines. She said it was time to step out of her shadow and forge my own path. To break the family tradition and go in my own direction."

Kate gasped. "That is exactly what I told her."
"How was your time at the Marine Academy? "I was very busy. Between classes and military training, then being part of one of the Marine Bands, Dressage training, and Mounted Honor guard, sometimes there were not enough hours in the day." "Did you have a best friend at the Academy? "My roommate Mike. He was my room mate and best friend all four years. We studied together and challenged each other." "Fast forward four years." "Come on lard butt are you going to let a woman beat you out here. It's only twenty five miles. Do you want to have to take the challenge again. If you can not do it in six hour how the Hell are you going to make it in five. " "What was that?" Dr. DiMarco asked. "To graduate they had to take on a twenty five mile canyon at a run in the allotted time. She made it and so did Mike, her best friend because she insulted him and made him mad enough to keep going." Kate told her. "Kacey did anything else happen that year?"" "I stood with Kate when she married the love of her life, Anya Hendriks. I wonder if I will ever find someone to love as much as Kate loves Anya." "You had a busy year. Did anything else happen that year? "Madame President, General Conrad, honored staff, family, friends, and fellow graduates, four years ago we walked through the doors of this hallowed school for the first time. We had a big adjustment to make. Just three months before we were on top of the list as Seniors in High School. Suddenly we were lower that low. As Freshmen, the world became a bigger scarier place. We were no longer children, but adults out to make our mark on the world."

"Doctor if you do not stop her she will recite her entire speech." Kate said.

"Kacey lets move forward. You have graduated and have your first posting as a newly minted Lieutenant. Where are you?"

"Washington."

"Did anything happen when you were in Washington?

"I was assigned to the President's mounted Honor guard and received invitations to join the Marine and United World Symphonies."

"That is very impressive. Why didn't you accept the symphony invitations?",

"I almost did, until they offered me a position closer to my family and a promotion to Captain. I took the position and moved to Florida where I started training on all the flyers. I was able to be near my family. I rented a house with Kate and Anya on one side and my parents on the other. I became an aunt. "Kate and Anya have beautiful twin daughters. They asked me to be God Mother.

"Lets jump ahead again. You are now a Lieutenant Colonel "

"I was short listed for the first Star Traveler. They picked me with a promotion to full Colonel. Kate was picked as Captain. I am very nervous about serving in the same location as Kate. I am scared I will disappoint her. She is still my hero. I do not want to let her down."

"Oh my God" Kate said.

"All right Kacey, you are now on Andromeda. You have rescued the Queen from Marcus Prime. Was there anything out of the ordinary that happened at that time?"

Kaceys's breathing increased. The monitors showed increased activity as her heart beat and brain activity sped up.