An Imponderable Injustice

Posted on Thu 22nd Aug, 2013 @ 3:25pm by Colonel Horatio Drake

1,071 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: http://sb109.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/missions/id/5
Location: Deck 27: Drake's Quarters
Timeline: MD-01: 0330

ON:

It had been a long week, but thing were returning to normal. It had been three weeks since Dobbs has escaped the station... it may as well have been three years ago as far as life aboard the station was concerned. The hustle and bustle soon returned and with an ever increasing population on Protector, Dobbs was just a story from the past.

Despite now being at nearly half capacity for personnel, the station still struggled without a Chief Tactical Officer... this was a job that Drake found himself filling most of the time, simply to get his mind off the endless administrative tasks that seemed to follow him around.

He had got back to his quarters only an hour ago and fell asleep nearly straight away, still in his uniform.

~~~~~~~~~~~~


The stars seemed to shine just as bright as the sun itself. The water around the San Francisco bay glimmered and reflected the moonlight in a perfect harmony of nature. The two men stood at the railing of the restaurant overlooking it all.

"This is absolutely amazing" Patrick said, smiling warmly and he snuggled under Ashton's arm.

"Isn't it, just" He closed his eyes and took in the comfort and warmth - he couldn't care less where they were, he had all he wanted.

"So, how did you get the entire restaurant emptied on a Friday night?" Patrick asked, crumpling his nose as he always did when he was asking a question. One of the things that Ashton loved about him.

He pushed Patrick away gently and put on a mock voice. "You forget, mere civilian, I am a Lieutenant Colonel in Starfleet... my Uncle is a Rear-Admiral... I can book an entire restaurant for the evening if I should so wish!"

Patrick burst out laughing. "Ah OK, so how is it then that a mere civilian can shoot better than a trained Starfleet Officer... an ex-Chief Tactical Officer, no less?" He raised his head in a joking question.

"I was tired... !" Ashton defensively said "and you cheated!". The two burst out laughing again. Patrick had been referring to a game the two had in the holodeck some days before - the setting was a mountainous environment, each player equipped with standard Starfleet Type II phasers. The aim of the game was to hunt down the enemy team and hit them as many times as possible. Each hit counted for various points, depending on where you struck them and how hard the shot was. It was a programme recently decommissioned by the Academy that Ashton had managed to get his hands on; sufficed to say his score had been poor. What he didn't realise what that Patrick had pulled in a favour from a friend of his and had the scoring system of the programme rewritten... it turned into a Kobayashi Maru for Ashton... he couldn't win!

After a few more moments of taking in their surroundings it was Ashton who broke the silence. "Listen, Patrick, I've made a decision... it's something that I should have done a very, very long time ago."

Patrick frowned, not knowing what he was talking about.

"I'm resigning, Patrick... I'm leaving Starfleet. My uncle has persuaded me to do one more tour, just to see the Ronnau off to a good start from her refit. Then I'm out." He smiled... a warm, affectionate and genuine smile.

"What?!" A look of shock overcame his face. "But, Ashton, Starfleet’s your life?"

Ashton chuckled in response, "No baby, you're my life" he put his right hand on his cheek gently.

"You can't leave... they're making you Captain of the Ronnau. You'll be the youngest CO in Starfleet!" He protested.

"Hrm... the youngest CO in Starfleet or the luckiest and happiest man in the galaxy? Tough choice..." He winked at him.

"But... you can't leave for me... and besides...".

Ashton put a finger on Patrick's lips, "Listen - my mind's made up, it’s already gone through. One more tour, two more months, and you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives together. It's as simple as that."

With that Ashton grabbed Patrick in a tight embrace as a tear ran down his cheek. "I've been an idiot... all along I was thinking that commanding my own ship was my dream, when all along I've had it for a while now. Next to you Starfleet is immaterial... I love you more than life itself"

===

Ashton shot up screaming and screaming, covered in a cold sweat. He was in an utter state of panic. In a fit of rage he tore the tunic that he had fallen asleep in from his body.

"NO!" He started ripping at the under-layer now. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!".

For minutes he just sat there, panting like a mad man, with a torn uniform in his hands, and burst into tears. His dreams were so vivid, it was like someone giving him back the one thing he would die for, and then tearing it away from him once again. He hadn't had one in a number of months now, which made this one even worse. Why was this happening now?

He jumped out of bed, hit the drawer release on his bed side table and pulled the half empty bottle of scotch out. He hadn't had a drink for well over a week now – that was about to change. Without even looking for a glass he pulled the cork out, threw it across the room, and downed as much as he could before his body screamed for oxygen.

Pulling the bottle away he savoured the burning sensation - it was one pain to take away a tiny bit of an enormous pain and burden that was constantly threatening to overwhelm him. He had never done anything bad in his life, never wronged anybody, and never committed a crime or an injustice. He had always worked hard; given everything he did his absolute best. He was a good son, a good officer... so why had something so unfair and so unjust happened to him. A fresh set of tears made their way from his eyes as the bottled resumed its work at his mouth.

"Patrick... Patrick... why did you have to leave me by myself in this fucking life!"

He threw the bottle across the room, it smashed against the wall, as he held his head in his hands and sobbed.

OFF:

 

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