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ORIGINS: USS Hood May 2010: Difference between revisions
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==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Salutations and Delivery== | |||
===by Brian V. Mansur=== | |||
SD 2261.131 | |||
MD End of Mission | |||
[30 Minutes Prior] | |||
Scene: Engineering, TSS HOOD | |||
With the confrontation between the HOOD crew and Anti-Hemux over, everyone began | |||
to leave the engineering compartment that housed the Tholian device. Suddenly, | |||
Jeri took Seans's hand, and told him, "Wait a minute." She looked around and | |||
led them into a corner office. She shut the door, leaving Sean in bewildered | |||
anticipation of what she was on about. | |||
She looked at him with deep concern in her face. "You said, 'this time'. What | |||
happened to me ... I mean her?" | |||
Sean gazed into her eyes, his features suddenly pained. "What happens to two | |||
people in love when they don't learn to bend. We broke. And by horrible | |||
happenstance, my Jeri died on her way back home." | |||
He looked away for a moment, tears welling in his eyes. "I ..." he caught his | |||
breath forcing back a sob. His mouth was dry. "I ask her to forgive me in my | |||
prayers." | |||
Jeri regarded this mirror of her husband and felt a mixture of pity and | |||
gratitude towards him. This Sean was very much like her's: at heart a decent | |||
man. | |||
"Any children?" | |||
"No. We never decided ... for the best I suppose." | |||
Jeri nodded slowly. Had she and her Sean really been the lucky ones despite all | |||
that was wrong with their universe? Warmly, she put a hand on his shoulder. | |||
She could not absolve him of his sins. But she knew she could give him | |||
something. | |||
"If she loved you, then you must know that she would have wanted you to find | |||
peace." | |||
Sean bobbed his head. "Yeah. It has taken me a while to believe that. But | |||
yeah, you're right. I know." | |||
She turned his face to her, holding his cheek at arm's distance. "You are still | |||
a young man. When this is over, go and live Sean Merrick. Do good things with | |||
your life." She paused to consider her last words. Then she smiled tenderly | |||
and nodded gently at him. "Marry again." | |||
Her hand fell to his shoulder. She squeezed it once and left. Sean stood there | |||
for a minute longer composing himself, watching the doorway that Jeri had left | |||
through. Sniffing back the last of his tears, he quietly said, "Thank you Jeri. | |||
I will." | |||
[Present Time] | |||
Scene: TSS HOOD Shuttlecraft | |||
Merrick waited as the cold inevitably crept in. Through the flickering of a few | |||
barely functional control boards and emergency bulbs, he caught Jeri's eye. He | |||
smiled. They'd be fine. It was just a matter of time before they were picked | |||
up. The earlier tingle of the transporter attempt meant that the HOOD knew | |||
roughly where the derelict shuttle had to be. | |||
As Gar and Steele worked to get a lazy transponder going, he looked over to the | |||
other end of the cabin. There was the device that would send Jeri and the | |||
precious few Sovereignty survivors back to their own universe. He hadn't had | |||
time to process the news when Corbett had told him. If Jeri didn't go away, | |||
she'd die. What a cosmic irony. She had died before because she *had* left. | |||
At least this Jeri would not be alone this time. The other Sean would still be | |||
aboard the USS HOOD. They would find their way back, he was sure. | |||
The previous days had changed Merrick in ways he had only begun to process. | |||
Oddly, he felt happier. Happier and more at peace than he'd been in years. | |||
Which was a strange thing considering how many people had just died on | |||
Anti-HOOD. But there it was. | |||
"There, got the damn tracker going," Gar finally said. | |||
"Was there any doubt," Merrick cajoled. | |||
Steele, who seemed in no mood, made a zipping motion across his lips. A good | |||
point. Oxygen was in decidedly short supply. There was nothing to do but wait. | |||
He looked back to Jeri again. There was room to sit beside her but he wasn't | |||
going to move. It wasn't his place. And that was ok. He settled back to wait. | |||
By chance, he looked back at Jeri. | |||
"I'm pregnant." | |||
She barely whispered the words across the tiny space. Between the buzzing | |||
shorts and a stuttering environmental fan, Sean doubted any of the others had | |||
heard her. He might not have noticed it himself except that he had seen her | |||
mouth the words. And just in case he hadn't caught it, she put a hand to her | |||
abdomen. | |||
He smiled warmly and nodded. | |||
"I'm glad," he whispered back. | |||
There was nothing more to say after that. They just waited. Merrick couldn't | |||
see, but he was fairly sure Corbett was occasionally sipping from his tiny flask | |||
of tequila. Gar and Steele watched out the viewport for signs of another ship. | |||
Although it must have been mere minutes, it seemed like hours before the | |||
friendly tingle began to tickle his spine again. And like Dorothy on a wish, | |||
they all found themselves back home aboard the USS HOOD. | |||
NRPG: I think I'll get Sean a girlfriend next mission. He's earned her don't | |||
you think? | |||
Respectfully Submitted, | |||
Brian V. Mansur | |||
LCDR Sean Merrick | |||
FO, USS HOOD NCC-1703 | |||
ASR ORIGINS | |||
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Harry I. Iha | Harry I. Iha | ||
hiha_asr@... | hiha_asr@... | ||
==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Captain's Log== | ==[ORIGINS] USS HOOD: Captain's Log== | ||
