A nightmare and a new beginning...

[Dustin_Marks 0]

JIA QI!!! NOOOOOO!!!

 

Ensign JP Marks sat up from his bed with a shot, sweating profusely and still hovering between his nightmare and the real world. He quickly drew in breath after breath as his heart seemed to refuse to accept the truth of his reality. JP had to convince himself he wasn’t still on Starbase Alpha Prime and hadn’t been for over five years...

 

"Computer, lights."

 

As the lights came to life into his shared cabin on the USS Galahad, JP shook off the terror of his dream and shifted into a sitting position. As he looked around the empty cabin, he couldn’t believe the length of time that had passed since his posting on Starbase Alpha Prime. "My god..." he thought, "has it been five years?" With all of the vivid nightmares he continued to have about the horrors he had seen culminating with the loss of his wife, it felt as if it was only yesterday.

 

JP stood up and staggered over to the washroom. Turning on the sonic shower, he stripped quickly and walked in. As he cleaned himself, he began to stare at his cybernetic arm and drift back in time yet again. He saw Jia Qi getting crushed underneath the rubble. He saw the fallen bulkhead which collapsed on him crushing his right arm. He even saw the Klingon Malg with that sadistic grin he had on his face during the trial...

 

When they let Malg walk free, JP had vowed never to rejoin Starfleet. After all the evidence, all the arguement, and the darn near iron-clad proof Malg had controlled that freighter that collided with the Starbase, they still let him go. JP recalled himself yelling in anger at the verdict and throwing a punch at Malg with everything he had, shattering his nose and breaking that evil smile. He then remember being dragged away in anger before yelling that he would make Malg pay for what he did.

 

Almost two years passed before JP gave up all hope of hunting down Malg. It was with a truly heavy heart he cried on Jia Qi’s memorial back on Earth and sobbing for guidance. That was when he suddenly realized that he had to rejoin Starfleet. All of the crying in the world couldn’t bring Jia Qi back or bring Malg to justice... But if he could become a Starfleet Tactical and Security Officer, he could make a difference in other people’s struggles.

 

The next three years were nothing but a blur to him. Going back to Starfleet, applying and being accepted to the Tactical program at Starfleet Security, and even his one year probationary period on the Galahad had all been nothing more then fodder for his new posting. Starting tomorrow with the launch of the USS Agincourt, he would be able to finally make a difference in others lives. He would finally be able to help adhere the new dawning peace in the galaxy and bring to justice those who would oppose it. Finally... He would be able to make peace with himself and try to push away these ghosts from the past.

 

JP turned off the sonic shower and quickly pulled on a fresh uniform. Looking at the Holoclock, he saw his shuttle would be departing in just a few minutes. He looked about his cabin for a last time and silently thanked Captain Davies and Lt. Commander Robair for accepting him on the Agincourt regardless of the past. With a kiss to the holopicture of his wife and a lifting of his suspension bag, Jefferson Prescott Marks walked out into the corridor to meet with his new destiny...