Weighing The Odds

[DJ McKinny 0]

It had been a long time since DJ McKinny lived on Aegis and a lot had changed. During her visit with Nick, they had pretty much stayed to themselves, not venturing far beyond Sickbay or the expansive Promenade with it's bustling crowds. Whenever they went out, Nick always led the way so there was no need for DJ to keep track of how they arrived at wherever they were going. But, she had noticed the changes and that, in turn, led her to recall why they were necessary in the first place.

 

About a year after she was transferred to Eglin, Aegis endured a horrendous attack courtesy of the Breen. Along with staggering casualties, the station was left uninhabitable. Many of the surviving crew were reassigned although some returned after repairs were completed. DJ assumed many of the structural modifications as well as the numerous interior alterations were the result of the Breen attack. It was a subject she chose not to discuss with Nick. Considering his close call with death just days before her arrival, she opted not to bring up past incidents that may have been just as close.

 

The attack, like all the others before it, was something she didn't care to think about. So, she tried valiantly not to pay too much attention to the remodeled storefronts along the Promenade or the new design of the crew quarters or even the hugly updated and modernized Sickbay. Instead, she studiously concentrated on Nick and enjoying what time they had together....and she was more than happy to allow him to lead the way around the station.

 

That may have been a mistake, considering the orders she now had tucked under her arm. Unless this was someone's sick idea of a joke, DJ McKinny had been abruptly and unceremoniously transferred back to Aegis. Yesterday, she was convinced it was all a big mistake....a misunderstanding that could be easily resolved. All she had to do was contact her older brother, Robby. He was a full commander assigned to Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco, complete with a corner office with a magnificent view of the great bridge and the mighty Pacific beyond. Robby would straighten it out and she'd be on her way home within 24 hours.

 

But things didn't go as she'd hoped. Granted, she spoke to Robby but he'd just heard about the transfer. If it had come down through routine channels, he would have known about it for days. The fact he didn't know about it until five minutes before she called him did not bode well for DJ. Robby promised to investigate and get back to her. Now, it was almost eighteen hours later and she hadn't heard from him. Again, that didn't bode well for DJ.

 

Her new orders specified she was to report to Ops. They would tell her where she was going to live and give her the key code to her new quarters along with any other paperwork the station's administration deemed necessary. She had managed to find her way to the proper office without Nick's assistance. The young officer in charge greeted her cordially. He appeared to be disgustingly pleased with his assignment on Aegis.

 

It was all she could do to keep from biting his head off. But, she managed to resist the urge to take out her frustration on this fresh faced lieutenant. He had nothing to do with her sudden transfer. There was no point dumping on him for simply doing his job. He was well suited for the position too, painstakingly reviewing almost everything about Aegis, from basics about the station's operation to the latest shops now open on the Promenade. DJ wasn't sure how long she could restrain herself from making a snide remark about his overly enthusiastic attitude. She estimated he was about halfway though his presentation when she thanked him for his help and made as quick an exit as possible without appearing rude.

 

Ten minutes later she was standing inside her new quarters. The location was something of a disappointment. They were no where near Nick's quarters but they appeared to be a bit more spacious.

 

Although larger than she expected, they were a tenth the size of the lovely house she'd been living in near Pensacola. The main room was furnished with the standard issue sofa, one chair, a small coffee table and an end table with a lamp. There was also a small desk and computer console tucked away in one corner. Just beyond the living area, the dining room contained a decent sized rectangular table with four chairs. The kitchen was about the same size as Nick's. All of the cabinets and drawers were empty.

 

The bathroom was located along a short hallway off the living room. DJ ordered the light on and peeked inside. She was pleasantly surprised by the ample size of the room and the real bathtub. Even more surprising was the linen closet and the roomy cabinets beneath the sink. A door on the far wall led into the bedroom. .Walking through the bathroom, she slowly opened the door to the bedroom. Inside, DJ found a double bed, one night table with a lamp and a dresser with a mirror. Again, she was pleasantly surprised when she walked in and opened the closet door. It ran the entire length of the room and provided far more storage than she'd expected. Two pillows along with a set of linens and a standard issue bedspread were neatly folded on a shelf inside the closet.

 

Returning to the main living area, the "Physician to the Dips" continued surveying her surroundings. She assumed these quarters were newer. The floor plan differed a little from Nick's quarters. All of the walls were still an antiseptic shade of white and the furniture showed no signs of wear and tear. It looked like no one had ever lived in them before. DJ wondered if that was a good sign or a bad omen.

 

One thing was for certain, the place was depressingly sterile. For a moment, she considered what colors to paint the walls but quickly pushed such thoughts from her mind. Until she heard from Robby, she refused to acknowledge the validity of her new orders. There was no reason for her to waste time thinking about interior decor when she could very well be on her way home within a few hours.

 

But deep down, DJ McKinny was already weighing the odds of her returning to Earth in the near future. With each passing hour, she knew it was more and more likely she would have to remain on Aegis. The only alternative was to resign her commission. Though she'd given it some thought since the previous afternoon, she knew that wasn't a viable alternative.

 

She whirled around as the sound of the comm beeping startled her. For a few seconds, she stood motionless, watching the small red light on the console blink off an on. DJ drew a deep breath and hurried across the room to the small desk, eagerly activating the comm.

 

"This is Dr. McKinny," she said quickly as she pulled out the chair and sat down.

"Doctor, this is Aegis control," came the disembodied reply. "You have a priority one message coming in from Starfleet Headquarters."

"It's Robby," thought DJ silently. "This is it."

"Thank you," she replied a little too firmly. "Please put it through."

 

It took another few seconds for Commander Robert Harrison's image to appear on the small console screen. And in that moment, DJ knew she wouldn't be going home anytime soon.

[Joy 0]

I must confess, whenever I've seen the 'dip' abbreviation for 'diplomat' recently, the image I get is from the old BC comic strip...