There's No Place Like Home

[Sergio Giovanni 0]

"There's No Place Like Home"

Log entry 23: 15 February, 2155

 

"Thanks alot, eh?" Sergio shouted to the shuttle pilot as he stepped off the craft with his belongings. He waved his thanks and watched as the shuttlepod got smaller and smaller as it gained in altitute in the skies above. Sergio shouldered his bags to his 22nd Century equivilent of a car and proceeded to put his luggage in the trunk.

 

As he got into the driver's seat, Sergio turned on the ignition and pressed a button to retract the roof. He slipped into gear and drove away from the airport in Nice bound for his home in Monte Carlo in the Principality of Monaco. With the wind in his hair smelling faintly like the Mediterranean Sea nearby, Sergio donned his Ray-Bans and smiled.

 

"So nice to be home again" Sergio said to himself. The Challenger just returned to Earth after their harrowing mission of rescuing Commodore Moose, a number of other Challenger crew captured by an Orion slave ship; including several from his department and several the Drayloni colonists -- the actual reason the Challenger was out there in the first place.

 

Admiral Gardener ordered the Challenger out there to see what they can do in preventing a collision of a large asteroid with Draylon, an M-Class planet currently housing 400 Colonists. Happily though the efforts of Sergio and his brilliant assistants prevented the collision.

 

According to Sergio's scans, the psionic wave hit it's mark and pushed the asteroid off course enough to pass by Draylon harmlessly, missing by only a few thousand kilometres. After the Challenger's rescue mission was sucessful, the Challenger dropped off the colonists back on Draylon and made it double time back to Earth.

 

Upon arrival, the Challenger was dry docked in a nearby station to undergo repairs of the extensive damage inflicted to the Challenger in her recent missions. A moment not too soon, thought Sergio. These past few months encountering the Suliban, Klingons, the Andorians and the Orion left the Challenger hurting and in desperate need for repairs.

 

But that wasn't the reason why they came back though, no. Starfleet's newest NX-Class ship, the Columbia, NX-02 was due to launch later this week. Heck, even the crew of the Enterprise, the Pride of Starfleet, are back here to see them off. Heh, maybe they can meet up with the famed Captain Archer himself. Sergio thought.

But from what Sergio read about the Columbia's construction progress , he was a bit surprised that Starfleet even got the ship complete.

 

Numerous construction delays, and setbacks really hindered the Columbia's progress, there were times when nobody thought Columbia would even launch at all. Espacially given the fact that the Challenger, which began construction at about the same time as Columbia launched five months before her, despite the numerous setbacks Challenger had during her own construction phase.

 

Sergio slowed to a stop as be presented his Identification to the Border Guards at the Monaco/France border. They let him pass through moments later with a nod after giving him back his ID. Though crime was virtually eliminated on Earth by now, Security in the Principality was still high.

 

State-of-the-art Closed Circuit cameras and plain clothed security officers and policemen watched your every move like a hawk as soon as you would enter Monte Carlo city limits. Twenty minutes later, Sergio pulled up to his driveway of his mansion.

 

He was greeted by a butler who took his bags to the house. The Columbia's launch was scheduled for later this week, which means a period of R&R for the Challenger crew until then. For the first time since September, Sergio stepped into his Earthly home. The cleaning staff sure did look after the place, he thought appreciatively. Sergio looked around and sighed. "Yeah, man.. there really is no place like home"

Edited February 16, 2005 by Sergio Giovanni