Once Every Ten Years Or So....

[DrDMatthews 0]

It had been a quite ride....to Pacifica. Debbie was grateful the Captain allowed them to use one of the ship's runabouts. Not only did that save them money, it allowed them to spend a little more cash on their much needed vacation. It also granted them a couple of extra days they would have lost had they been forced to use "public transportation."

 

Once on autopilot, both she and Aidan were able to relax after their harried departure. It still amazed and annoyed her that she'd forgotten about their holiday. She'd personally spent hours planning it, making reservations and discussing the details with her husband. But that had been weeks ago, shortly after their return from that notorious mission to the Romulan Neutral Zone. So much had happened since then......

 

They'd been on Pacifica for three days now. On this particular afternoon, they were lounging on the beach in a couple of delightful chaises, protected from the sun by a massive umbrella. The soft melody of the tropical foliage fluttering in the gentle breeze intermingled with the muted rumbles of the waves washing ashore a few meters away. It was a gorgeous day in a magnificent place...a place she'd looked forward to visiting for eons. So how was it she allowed her brain to misplace their plans to come here?

 

Aidan had gone inside for a couple of drinks. He'd promised her something "special." She expected him back anytime but for now, her only companions were the sea, sand and numerous trees that resembled coconut palms.....only the fronds looked more like ferns. She tried to clear her mind but found her thoughts drifting back to Reaent and her crew mates. So much had happened since their return from the Neutral Zone.....

 

For one thing, half the crew had been replaced. And that included the Captain. Debbie found Patrick McQueen efficient and a lot more engaging than his predecessor. At the same time, she felt heavy hearted whenever she thought of Fred Michaels. He'd been CO of the Reaent for ages and she'd been through hell and back again with him. She couldn't help wondering why Command kept sending him and his ship on impossible mission....something that happened over and over again throughout the years. And why was he eventually relieved of duty under such unusual circumstances. Was he alright or was he suffering another flare up of Denton's Syndrome? She and Aidan considered him a friend yet, in spite of numerous attempts, they hadn't heard a word from him since he disappeared into that conference room on the starbase following their return from the Proxima mission. No one had heard from him. He might as well have been swallowed up by a black hole.

 

Debbie sat up a bit straighter and gazed absently at the greenish blue horizon. She wasn't a superstitious person but she sometimes felt like Reaent was cursed....and her crew with her. Or maybe it was Captain Michaels who was bedeviled. Was that why their last assignment had gone so smoothly? Michaels had been replaced and McQueen insisted it would be a routine mission. Deb, for one, hadn't believed it for a minute. Their missions were never routine.

 

But the new Captain had called it right. Nothing disastrous happened or even came close to happening. In fact, the exact opposite was true. The mission was strictly routine. That, and the new counselor, allowed time for a good number of the surviving crew to regain some sense of balance. By the time they returned to the starbase, the general atmosphere on the ship was calm and confident. Things felt...normal and Debbie liked that....a lot. She couldn't shake the feeling Captain McQueen had somehow arranged for a mission like that and fate had granted him his wish because even fate knew how badly this ship and her crew needed "routine."

 

Maybe that's why she forgot about her vacation. She was so enamored by the mundane she felt like she'd already left the Reaent...or, at least, the Reaent she'd become accustomed to. This new ship under her new CO was quite different. There was an air of normalcy about her and her crew. It was almost exhilarating to those who'd survived the previous two or three missions.

 

Yes, mused the CMO with a slight grin, that's probably what happened. That's why we both forgot about our vacation. We were in shock over a routine mission. She heard the sound of footsteps coming down the path from the bungalow they'd rented. Aidan was returning with his "special" drinks. Debbie closed her eyes as he approached, satisfied with her new found excuse for her absentmindedness.

 

Perhaps they'd grow accustomed to "routine missions." Maybe they'd become the norm rather than something that occurred once every ten years or so......

Edited October 9, 2009 by DrDMatthews