New Beginnings

Posted on Fri Nov 8th, 2019 @ 3:13am by Ensign Solomon Keppler

662 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: E1 Only The Beginning
Location: Starbase 249
Timeline: MD01 || 0500

Solomon had not been able to sleep the entire night before, tossing and turning, full of excitement for his first real assignment. The energy he'd been feeling reminded Sol of the night before his first day of classes at the Academy. There had been a temptation to give up on sleep and to simply get up and pour over the briefings on the Magellan yet again, to further commit more details to memory. However, he managed to resist the urge and instead tried in vain to go to sleep.

When his alarm went off, Sol nearly jumped out of his bed. Quickly, he made his bed before getting ready for his morning workout. Then it was time to get clean, dressed, and packed. The last things to get neatly placed in his luggage were his uniforms, and smaller personal items. Starting with his dorm at the Academy, he had hung a small painting of himself and his two brothers that had been done by their neighbor back at the Cooperative. That too got carefully packed, bringing a smile to Sol's face as he thought about home.

The last things to be packed was his US Marshal outfit he used when enjoying his western Holo-novels. It wasn't a replicated outfit either, instead it was custom made, by hand, in Texas, just for him. It had been a gift from one of his favorite instructors at the Academy who had introduced him to western Holo-novels.

With everything packed, it was time to check in with the Cooperative since he had no idea when he would be able to connect again. Setting his luggage by the door, Sol sat at his desk and connected his cranial transceiver to a small transponder that boosted it's range enough that he was able to connect. As soon as it was powered on Sol knew it had worked as he could feel the presence of the entire Cooperative in his mind.

In mere moments his entire experience since the last time he had touched base was shared with the Cooperative. Without the need to describe his journey to the Starbase or his excitement about finally getting onto the Magellan, he was able to perfectly share his experience with the Cooperative. In return he felt a wave of pride and approval come from them along with thoughts of encouragement. Sol could also feel the presence of his father and brothers and was happy to communicate with them.

It only took a few minutes to get a taste of home, find out how things had been since last he had checked in and to feel validated in his efforts once more. Disconnecting from the booster, Sol gathered up the device and started whistling “Way Back Home” by Bob Crosby. Once he was ready, Sol grabbed the rest of his luggage and left his temporary quarters. It was almost time to board the Magellan and he wanted to be ready for transport as early as possible.

Sol waited for just a few minutes before he was told he could proceed into the Transporter Room. Walking into the room, Sol was hit with a rush of nervous energy. It was a weird mix of anxious and eager but he did his best to remember his connection with the Cooperative and the incredible, wonderful feeling he always had afterwards.

The Transporter Chief smiled at the young ensign, and motioned for him to go ahead and step up onto the platform.

“Excited, sir?” The chief asked.

Up until that moment, Sol had been mentally running through statistics, the names of senior officers, and other details he thought were important in an attempt to calm himself. A slight blush crept up on his cheeks and Sol stepped up onto the platform.

“Is it that obvious?” Sol asked, smiling bashfully.

The chief chuckled without looking up from his console. “Only when you smile, sir.”

Sol couldn’t help but smile that much more as the transport began.

 

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