A Rite of Passage

[Cmdr JFarrington 0]

XO Log Stardate 5006012.9

Cmdr JEFarrington, MD

USS Manticore, NCC 5852

en route to Nede Prime

 

A strange sense of calm wrapped itself around Cmdr Farrington as she sank into her chair on the bridge. For several minutes she became lost in the image on the viewscreen. The Bourgeon nebula, several light years from Starbase 9, spewed vibrant color even at that distance, wafting from red to indigo to violet then back again, tendrils reaching into space, like a planetless aurora borealis grasping for something to cling to. Was it dying, or just being born? Hard to tell. Birth and death are so similar.

 

In a flash the nebula was gone as Manticore leapt to warp on its way to their next assignment, minus two of her command staff: Admiral Atragon and Commander Roget. Jami had made it abundantly clear that what was heard on the bridge bore a special confidentiality, but - contrary to popular opinion - it wasn't for her sake. If word got out that an Admiral Atragon-9 from Starfleet Black Ops was roaming the galaxy unprotected, no telling what nasties might get wind of it and exact revenge. Let the bridge crew believe what they will, as long as A9 and Margaux were safe.

 

Jami paused. Strange thought, that. Atragon and Margaux. Safe. Together. Why didn't it bother her? And what about that strange sense of calm she felt at the moment? It was a sense of relief that wrapped itself around her like a warm blanket. Atragon had finally decided to face his worst enemy: himself.

 

Atragon needed space to think, to learn, to find himself. He needed a rite of passage, one that truly tried the soul of the ascendant, a rite most human cultures unfortunately lacked. There was a wisdom in a rite of passage like that of the Vulcan Mok Farr or the Klingon Age of Ascension. It brought the individual to the edge of existence, stripped them of all pretense and taught them who they truly were. For Jami that rite of passage had come inadvertently. It's amazing what one learns about oneself when caught in an avalanche, covered with snow, waiting to die. Atragon had come close to death several times. Why he had not experienced that kind of epiphany was known only to him. And, for whatever reason, Atragon needed that kind of experience now.

 

As for Margaux, it was probably better for Atragon that someone be with him, someone who knew him well, and there was probably no one who knew him better than Margaux.

 

Jami leaned her head against the backrest, watched the warp distortion of the stars through the dome viewport for a few minutes, then closed her eyes and smiled. A9 and Margaux. Alone. Together.

 

And Margaux wouldn't pull any punches.