"A Matter of Time"
(Previous Post: Matt's 'Decisions Made')
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Stardate: 60323.1115
Setting: USS ANUBIS, BLACK HOLE Lounge
Sleep was something that was befuddling the former CEO
of the USS ANUBIS. The more he tried, the more his
dreams were haunted by death... which seemed the norm
in his life right now. Loosing both his parents and
now his kid brother to 'The Uniform' forced the one
time jovial engineer into retirement because death had
claimed his entire immediate family. Oh sure, he still
had his uncle and his cousin, but it wasn't the same.
He felt failure tugging at his soul because of the
broken promise made to his mother before he was
snatched off the bridge of the USS STONE MOUNTAIN... but
that was the least of his worries.
The former CEO glanced around and the lounge was quiet as he swirled his drink around and came back to the original reason he was here in such a state...
Captain Sabrina Rikar.
"Damn you Sammi" David mumbled under his breath as he stared at the bottom of the glass. She was in his dreams again... but not like before. Everytime he closed his eyes, he saw her... or the COs wife, Lieutenant Commander Enaii either dying, or already dead. Then it was their daughter Talia screaming at him for letting her parents die. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why those dreams were haunting him, until a hand on his shoulder scared the hell out of him.
"Dammit Serenna... *don't* do that" he snapped at the ExO and David smirked.
"Good morning to you too Lieutenant." the new first officer said.
"Harumph" David replied, "I guess this will be the second time in as many weeks I congradulate you on a promotion."
Serenna looked down at her uniform and the red stripe at the cuff of the sleeve.
"Thank you" and she got right to the point, "David... I have something to say to you."
"Spit it out then... might be your last chance" the engineer said as he finished his drink and set the glass aside.
"I asked once, but..." as she searched for the right words, "*humor me* for a moment and tell me why have you chose to leave?"
David crossed his arms and sighed. "I hate this place. I simply want out."
Serenna eyed David cautiously, "And the real reason wouldn't be because of the TANGIERS debacule?"
"*Far* from it" David replied, leaning forward on the table "what are you getting at Commander?"
"I know you David" Serenna said as she leaned on the table meeting David's challenge, "and you're far from a quitter. I honestly have to say that you departure is a disappointment."
**Wow... that's a new angle** David thought, "How so?"
"Do you remember your motivational speech to Cadets Lewis and Trelaxl?"
"Cindy and Ter?" David asked, "yeah... what about it?"
"Do you remember how passionately you spoke about Starfleet? How its a respectable lifestyle and we were granted a special honor in serving..."
"*What's* your point?" David hissed, "you seem to think that I'm still that fresh out of the Academy idealist?! Well... *that* David Dawson is gone Commander."
"Apparently" Serenna replied rolling her eyes.
"Look... I don't need no..."
Serenna looked up at her Academy classmate. "Sit down Lieutenant." the tone of her voice laced with authority.
David frowned. "No... I'm..."
Serenna wryly smiled, "You know... I haven't had my morning workout" she replied turning her neck side to side popping the cartledge between the bones and David smiled.
"You looking for a reason? Holodeck 1" he said and exited. Serenna watched the massive CEO leave the lounge and she smiled.
"First part of the plan... check" the ExO said as she headed to her quarters to change.
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Stardate: 60323.1155
Setting: USS ANUBIS, Holodeck 1
The holodeck was completely dark, save a stand with a light above it as Lieutenant Commander Serenna entered.
"Pick your poison Commander" a voice from the dark said as she approached. There was a simple silk scarf and a variety of swords, daggers, and clubs.
"Someone has been snooping in my personal training files" the ExO said.
"Know your friends, know your friends' enemies, know what each one likes" the voice said as the executive officer picked up double ended sword. She checked the weight and looked down both sides of both blades as she grinned and tied the scarf around her eyes.
"Lights!" the ExO said as the lights came up and David charged, blindfolded as well hefting two broadswords. He lept into the air and came down with a death stroke swing that was easily fended off by the ExO as metal contaled metal with a loud klang. Both officers leaned their body weight into the fencing.
"Nice... frontal attack... Lieutenant" Serenna said through huffs.
"Learned... from the best... Commander" David replied as Serenna shifted her weight and hit the engineer twice in the solar plexes which caused him to chuckle.
"You always start with that move Commander... you telegraph yourself too much" David replied.
"Only to set you up Lieutenant" and with a ferrel scream, she attacked with lightning speed which caused the CEO to back pedal, but he warded off each of her blows. Sparks flew in all directions as the speed of her attack increased and David's defense. She parried, thrust, wheeled and stop. A tap on her shoulder and a blow to her chin from the but end of the broad sword of David's sent her to the deck as she skidded to a halt.
"Nice" she said as she rubbed her chin shaking out the cobwebs, "I'll give you that one."
"You'll give me nothing. Took me 3 months to come up with a way to ward off your blitzkreig counter attack..." as fate would have it... he swung the broad sword in a counter clockwise motion and heard 'KLANG'.
"Dammit" Serenna said as she advanced and wheeled. David lept into the air as she tried to take his legs out from under him, the ducked left, then right, then left again. Serenna was able to kick one of the swords out of the hands of the CEO but he quickly grabbed the ExO tossing her into the air as she twisted and landed with the grace of a Xenexian saber cat.
Their workout lasted another 30 minutes, neither combatant giving way as a alarm sounded. Both removed their blindfolds. David laughed as Serenna frowned.
"Commander, you have a *very* nice set of legs" the CEO replied. Serenna looked down and noticed that the engineer had basically carved her out of her pants to about mid thigh. And he had done the same with her top. Her stomach was bare, her sleeves were missing.
"Never took you for a tailor Lieutenant" Serrena replied as she pointed at him. David's laughter stopped when he saw that he was in worse shape that she was. The only thing he had covering him was his pants... about the same amount the ExO had on and his boots.
"You know" Serenna said as she wiped her face with a towel, "you never answered my question from earlier."
"And that question was?" David replied as she did the same.
"You leaving."
David sat next to the ExO and drank some water. "I've told you. I'm sick of this place," David replied, omitting to mention that he had decided, although against his will, to remain for another mission.
"OK... and you're an awful liar. So... truth" she replied and as he looked at her, her eyes narrowed at him.
"I want Zulot... and T'Preel. Both their throats in my hands" the CEO said gesturing a choking motion.
"And that's going to solve anything? Killing Zulot and T'Preel *isn't* going to bring Jordan back."
"SO?!" David huffed, "it'll place them where they should be. In hell."
"And where does it stop after that?" the executive officer asked next.
"It doesn't have to go any further. They killed my brother, I kill them. End of story. The old 'Eye for an Eye'."
Serenna nodded, "Vengence... is a horrible feeling to have David. Simply because it eats at your soul until there is nothing left."
"Well... too late for that" David growled, "my soul is already gone. It died when my brother died" he said and she noticed that his eyes had become darker... souless.
Serenna shook her head, "A pity. Then the David Dawson I remember is not in this room."
She stood to walk away, then stopped and looked over her shoulder, then faced him, "And what if a member of Zulot's family or T'Preel's took the same addage as you?"
"Meaning?" David replied.
"You have an uncle... a cousin... a sister-in-law, *and* a niece and nephew."
**How the hell?!** David thought and the look on his face gave it away.
"*Nothing* escapes me David. I thought you would've learned by now. But do you see my point? Hatred and your lust for revenge can endanger them as well. So... how are you going to protect them all if they're all over the galaxy?"
"I'll think of something. I always do" David grumbled.
"That line of reasoning is *completely* asinine. *But*" she said with a sneer and approached him, "if you want to honor your brother's death, *do* the right thing and help us save his crew. If the brand of justice you want to enact on both Zulot and T'Preel isn't done by you I promise you David they *will* pay."
**God dammit** David thought, **sucker punched *twice* in two days** as he smirked at the ExO. He stood.
"Well... just to let you know, I told Koneki, Commodore Simmoms and Captain Rikar that I'd give them one more mission."
Serenna's eyebrow shot up her forehaed. "Excuse me?"
"The rumors of my resignation has been greatly exaggerated... for now" David said.
"So you're staying?" Serenna asked.
"Yes Commander. I'm going on the mission to rescue the MERCURY survivors. *After* we get them to safety and get back here, I'm done."
David headed for the door leaving the first officer speechless. Before he reached the exit, he stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"You thought I'd leave before I could make your life a living hell? You're in a prime spot Commander. I'd ask the captain about me if *I* were you." and with that he left.
"Hopefully... you noticed that I'm nothing like Captain Rikar Lieutenant." she replied.
"Its not a matter of hope Commander... simply a matter of time." the CEO said as he exited.
"You sneaky bastard" the ExO said to herself with a small smile as she headed for her quarters.
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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 2005 post #257
