The Beginning Of The End - Part Two

[DJMcKinny 0]

"Hey there, girl!" said Robby, grinning from ear to ear. But the grin quickly disappeared once he got a good look at DJ. Before she could say a word, Robby leaned forward, his jovial demeanor replaced by one of deep concern. "

 

"Good night, DJ," he exclaimed. "What on earth happened to you? You look terrible!"

 

From the "Beginning Of The End - Part One"

 

"Gee, Robby," replied DJ sarcastically, "it's good to see you too."

 

She was glad to see him but she was also annoyed....annoyed that he'd caught her at such an awkward moment. She swiveled her chair 180 degrees and reached for a PADD on the credenza behind her desk. Glancing at it, she placed it back where she'd found it and casually picked up another trying to buy a little more time before having to face Robby again.

 

Picking up yet another PADD, DJ turned the chair around and placed it on her desk. She smiled gamely at the image of her older brother, his concern and curiosity clearly evident by the expression on his face.

 

"I'm serious," said Robby. "What's wrong? Have you been crying?"

"No," lied DJ. "I just had an awful allergy attack."

Robby looked at her skeptically. "I didn't know you had allergies."

"Well, now you do," replied DJ quickly. "So, why are you spending a fortune bouncing the comm over a zillion relay stations? Is something wrong?"

 

The thought had just occurred to her. Something must be terribly wrong for Robby to feel it necessary to contact her in real time. Since her arrival on Aegis, all other communication with him had been via comm mail. She found herself staring at him intently while bracing herself for really bad news. She half expected to hear there had been a death in the family.

 

For his part, Robby didn't seem overly upset. He continued staring at his younger sister as though she had two heads. It was apparent he wasn't buying her allergy story. "What is it, Robby," asked DJ, loosing patience. "What's wrong?"

 

Robby leaned back in chair and relaxed a bit but his usual smile was no where to be seen. "There's nothing wrong," he answered calmly. "I just wanted to give you a heads up, that's all."

 

"What is he talking about?" thought DJ silently. "A heads up about what?" She was just about to voice the question when Robby answered it.

 

"You've been transferred," he informed her with a grin. But the grin quickly disappeared when he saw the expression on DJ's face.

 

She closed her eyes and hung her head, Robby's words echoing in her mind. "Transferred?" she thought. "How could they do without even asking me?" DJ knew they didn't need to ask. She went where Starfleet assigned her. But she found herself keenly disappointed that the powers that be were moving her so soon. She was finally settled on Aegis. She felt like she belonged here. Now, they were sending her somewhere else to start all over again. And it had to be those guys in personnel. She'd seen her evaluations from the Aegis Command Staff. They were happy with her. No, some wise acre in San Francisco was responsible for this.

 

"I thought you'd be pleased," said Robby softly.

DJ looked at her brother's image in the monitor. "Why did you think that? I told you things were going well here."

He shrugged. "Aegis is about as far from home as you can get. You were committed for a year. The time is up. I thought you would be happy to finally get out of there."

 

DJ tried to answer but couldn't find the words. Robby was right. Starfleet guaranteed her a transfer in one year. They'd even put it in writing. But she thought she would have the option to stay. It appeared that wasn't the case otherwise, they would have consulted her before cutting her new orders.

 

"Well you thought wrong," huffed DJ. "Can I appeal this?"

 

Robby nodded. "Sure, but why would you want to appeal it?" He leaned closer to the small view screen. "DJ, they're sending you to Eglin....Eglin in Pensacola... Pensacola as in Florida. You're going to be the Chief Medical Office there. This is a great opportunity for you. Why would you want to appeal it?"

 

Again, DJ stared at her older brother. She hadn't thought it possible they would give her a ground assignment especially a ground assignment on Earth....and in Florida to boot. "Why would I appeal it?" she thought. "This sounds like an offer I can't refuse. But can I bring myself to leave here. How could the year be up already?