"Hope Springs Eternal"
(Previous Post: Tallulah's 'The Chance...')
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Stardate: 60300.1100
Setting: USS ANUBIS, MAIN ENGINEERING
"Don't you start. I received a temporary transfer of assignment to NEW ALEXANDRIA and I am not in the mood to wear a color that I don't like."
Thinking about all that the CEO had just said, the Romulan/Terran hybrid reached out for the man whom she had done her Academy days with. "Temporary transfer? Why?"
Pulling his shoulder away from the COO's hand, the CEO continued to work on what he had been busy with. "I have no idea; all I know is that it has been one headache after another."
Understanding that he did not want to be disturbed, the Ops officer pulled back by a few steps. "Fair enough, but if you feel like talking I'm here. I just hope that once this temporary transfer is done and over with you will get back to your normal uniform, I would hate to mistake you for someone else and assign you to an Operations or Security task in the middle of a crisis."
David looked at her like she lost her mind. "Mistake me in the middle of a crisis? Serrena, How long have I been wearing this color?"
"Every since we were assigned to the AVALON. What's your point?"
"Gold... or mustard as we engineers like to call it, have been wearing this color for more than 80 years. Call me old school, but I'll be damned if I wear blue."
"Its a good color David... it brings out the color in your eyes." Serrena said and David s brow shot up his head.
"What?!" and she was grinning... ever so slightly.
"My one attempt at humor to lighten your mood" she said dryly.
"Gee Serrena... I love you too." the CEO said rolling his eyes and facing the console.
"David... as talented and smart as you are, why it so hard for you to accept change? You raised hell when Sabrina gotr her memory back and went to her wife. You raised hell when we transfered to NEW ALEXANDRIA and to the ANUBIS and you still raise..."
"*IS* there a point to your reasoning for picking apart my faults?" David replied.
"What I'm saying is... you should learn to accept change. It happens all the time. And when its difficult for you, its difficult for others... mostly the senior staff who's closest to you."
"I never asked *any* of you for pity." David hissed as he stood and Serrena blocked his path.
"Its not pity David. Its concern. As... difficult for me to admit sometimes, if something were to happen to you... it would be a loss to me..."
Serrena turned and walked off before stopping and looking over her shoulder, "...and we've all had enough loss to last a lifetime. So let's keep what we have." and she left the engineering deck.
David stood as his assistant brought him a padd. He glanced over it, signed off on the workorder and stood in silence. Had he been a pain? Had he not thought about how his actions had effected the rest of the crew... and the senior staff as Serrena put it. Maybe there was something there he should look into.
"But I'm *still* not wearing that damned blue tunic" he said to himself as he left.
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Stardate: 60300.1136
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Engineering Holodeck
"What was that?" Lea asked looking around as David was on his feet moving towards the door. As he exited the holodeck, the deck was mostly empty, save a few engineers. David's eyes scanned every inch of the deck for a abnormality, but he saw none. He turned and went back to Lea.
"That was odd... sounded like someone was in here." the CEO replied.
"Sure it wasn't a glitch in the program?" lea asked with a sly grin as David shook his head.
"I'm positive there's no glitch. Especially when *I* wrote this program."
"Excuse me *Mr.* Perfect" Lea replied laughing and sighed.
"Something wrong?" David asked.
"Have you ever had a feeling that with a single moment in time that everything in the universe is right?"
David's mind immediately raced back to the moment before he proposed to then Lieutenant Commander 'Samantha' Rikar. At that given time, everything in his life was right as rain. Nothing could have destroyed the perfect moment he had planned... but in David's case, fate didn't shine well in the CEOs life.
"No... no I haven't" the CEO replied bitterly, "I not so fortunate to have good things like that happen to me." he said tossing his linen onto the table and standing, walking to the wrought iron railing and leaning against it. In the foreground stood the tower, beautiful in all its majesty. And the people... the sights... was perfect. The couples holding hands... gazing longingly into each others eyes... he remembered bring Sabrina here... not to ths same spot, but they went to Paris on their personal leave.
**Why are you repeating the past?! What the hell's wrong with you?! Lea *IS NOT* Sabrina! STOP TREATING HER AS SUCH!**
David rubbed his temples. "Computer, end program and delete!" he said venomisly.
The program ended and Lea looked around.
"David... what's wrong..."
"Lea" he said and pressed passed her, "I'm sorry. This isn't..."
She picked up the pace for the third time that day for catch the CEO.
"David talk to me..." as the doors opened she was greeted by a warm smile.
"Here's where it said I'd find..." and he glanced upward at the massive CEO, "Lieutenant Dawson. We meet at last."
"Who the hell are you?!" David growled.
"David... temper..." Lea said with a friendly warning tone.
"Its ok Lea. He and I haven't been formally introduced" he said holding out his hand, "Lieutenant Luke Onison."
David looked at the man's out stretched hand, then into his face. He sidestepped him and walked off. Luke sighed.
"Well... I was told that should be expected."
"You were told 'what'?" Lea asked.
"That David was... unreachable... problematic. I really don't see why you associate yourself with him."
Lea's eyes almost jumped out of her head. "Luke, he's a friend *and* my shipmate. He risked his life to save me."
Luke's smile turned into a scowl, "And like *I* didn't?"
"You know what I mean" Lea said.
Luke sighed, then smiled. "You're right. I'm sorry. Oh... I wasn't interupting anything was I?"
**Only the best date I've had in years** Lea's mind said sarcastically. "No... you didn't interupt..."
=/\= Medical emergency, code blue, engineering section 3 alpha. Medical emergency, code blue, enginering section 3 alpha. =/\=
Lea turned and ran into a full sprint. She almost floored a engineer.
"Where's section 3 alpha?!" she asked.
"That way" he said nodding to the lift, "2 decks up right off the lift... you can't miss it."
"Thanks" she said and ran off. Luke caught up with her.
"Where are you going?" he ask meeting her stride for stride.
"Did you *not* hear the call for that medical emergency? Aren't I a doctor?!" she said as they got to the lift.
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Stardate: 60299.1215
Setting: NEW ALEXANDRIA, Engineering Deck, Section 3 Alpha
Lea stepped off the lift, turned right and ran at breakneck speed. She saw a smal crowd gathered at a juction and a woman kneeling over him crying.
"Breathe David... breathe damn you!" she said pounding on his massive chest as she tried C-P-R... but the CEOs chest was too thick.
"Oh my God!" Lea exclaimed, "what happened?!"
"He pulled Commander Vasquez away from tha conduit over there at the last minute. It exploded in his face."
Lea stepped in and checked his vitals. Weak pulse and he was bleeding and badly burned.
"Get back!" Lea ordered and tapped her badge, "Computer, 2 for site to site transport to the infirmary, authorization Summers 22-epsilon-1097!"
===================== 2005 post #066
Julian Knight (d_dawson_1@yahoo.com)
as
Lieutenant David Dawson
Chief Engineer
USS ANUBIS NCC 18501
"A Starfleet officer...that's all I am and that's all I'll ever be."
- Avery Brooks as Captain Benjamin Sisko,
Commanding Officer of the Federation Spacestation Deep Space 9
