Reflections

[Brian Graham 0]

Assistant Security Officer's Personal Log

Brian Graham

USS Excalibur

Stardate 200405.1

 

The conversation had broken up a little quicker than Brian expected. The Captain had been the first to leave, after receiving a message. Brian had no idea what it contained, however it was sufficient enough to get the Executive Officer rattled. Commander Krax left not soon after, followed by Dr. Katarina and then Ensign Veloras, all with pressing business needing attention.

 

That left a one person sitting at the table, Brian Graham, trying to decide whether to drink his beverage or start a conversation with it. He decided on the former and took another sip of water. He was less than satisfied with his performance at the impromptu gathering. One thing that Brian had always been taught, even before joining Starfleet, was to show respect to others. And then, after Starfleet Academy, Brian felt this applied more so to those higher than him in the chain of command. Already he'd gotten a reputation at the Academy as too polite, usually addressing superior officers by their rank when he started a conversation, and then using "sir" with almost every subsequent sentence. Not to mention instinctively going to attention when anyone with more pips than he had talked to him. And now history was repeating itself on the Exclaibur Brian supposed he had his father to thank for that.

 

"One thing to remember son, always respect those older and higher than you are," his father had told him on several occasions.

 

He guessed it was too old of a habit to break now, so he might as well stick with it. Getting up from the empty table, Brian headed over to one of the lounge's large observation windows and gazed out at the stars. But not just any stars, these were the stars of the Gamma Quadrant.

 

It was kind of funny actually. Eighteen years of his life was spent on Earth, nowhere else. He'd never even left the planet before joining Starfleet. And now, less than two years after graduating he was in another quadrant of the galaxy, thousands of light years from his home, and looking for a race he'd never even met.

 

Heard about, yes. Every aspect of the Dominion had been beaten to death when the Alpha Quadrant was consumed with the war, and that was everything the news talked about. Brian had been too young to get involved in the conflict. But here, if anything went wrong; after this mission, or even during, Brian, everyone on this ship, and perhaps even the whole Alpha Quadrant again, would have to take up arms and display their colors once more.