The Call Home

Posted on Mon Oct 17th, 2022 @ 5:29pm by Captain Samuel Woolheater

Mission: Season 5: Time Warp
Location: USS Elysium
Timeline: 02AUG2397 - Day Two
1322 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

[ON: The Call Home]

"Computer? open a channel to Pacifica? Today's date - Stardate 74586.1"

Sam sat in his quarters on deck thirty-two to make the call home. He thought about what he would say, depending on who answered. When he was satisfied, he placed the call to Pacifica and the city of Sukahadra. Sam waited as the call was routed through subspace. The emblem of Pacifica came on the screen, and he knew that the call had made it to the planetary subspace beacons. He was in a fresh, new uniform and he had on his new Captain pips.

“Hello?” said a voice on the other end. It was his father, George. Sam had forgotten to check the time difference. It was early morning. Of course, his father would be the only one up at this hour. He was dressed in his workman’s clothes. He was a lineworker, a painter for Starfleet Underwater Craft division. Sam’s mother is a cook at the local Jail. She was most likely just getting up.

“Oh, hi Dad? Hi. Uh. It’s me Sam?”

George looked at Sam, “Uh huh….nobody is here right now Sam. Your mother got called in early to the Jail today. They’re short staffed as it is you know. Barclay didn’t come home last night. I don’t know where he is or where he sleeps. And I was just getting ready for work. You want me to take a message and have her call you back?”

“Hey? Dad? No, it’s OK. I can, I want to talk to you too.” Sam said.

“Huuuh? What happened? Are you OK?” George asked. He was in his 50’s and he was in good health. But his father had never been thrilled that Samuel had followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and not his own. George was more of a pacifist. More of a peace-loving man. Sam’s grandfather, George’s father had been a marine years ago. And Sam had followed that path in the SFC. George had never quite forgotten that.

“Yeah dad, I’m OK.”

“Well…your mom told me about what happened to Emily. Son, I am sorry for you. I liked her and she would have done right by you. Get you out of there. Out of Starfleet. Back working for a living.”

Sam nodded and just took it on the chin, “Yeah dad. I know. I miss her a lot too.”

“Well? What happened? Do you need credits?” he asked annoyingly.

Sam shook his head no, “No, dad. I don’t need credits. I’m fine.”

George said, “Well…? Are you in trouble? Did you get a girl pregnant?”

Sam rolled his eyes, “No dad. I’m 30. I don’t do stuff like that anymore. I mean. Much.”

George couldn’t understand why he was calling, “Well, you want me to take a message?”

“No, dad. I…how are you? How are you doing?”

“Oh? We’re fine Sam. We do alright. There’s a lot of work to be done. Say? You remember the Branton’s? Up on the hill from us?”

“Yeah, sure I do. Are they still there?”

“Oh, you bet. They’re building onto their place a whole new sundeck. And their oldest was in Starfleet and she quit and came home. Now she works with the Selkan’s in an undersea lab. Have you thought about coming home Sam?”

“Uhh….I…no Dad. It doesn’t work like that. I can’t just – dad we’ve been over this before.”

“I know. I know” his father nodded. “I miss you a lot. I don’t always agree with what you do Sam. But I love you. Is anything new with you?”

Sam said, “Thanks dad. I know you don’t really like…y’know…me in the military. If I can stick with it a few more years then I get a good pension. Benefits and such. Anyway – hey? I got promoted.”

George nodded his head, “Oh? What’s that mean?”

Sam chuckled, “Yeah – what does that mean? Well, it means I get these?” He indicated to the pips on his collar.

George peered at them as if looking down his nose, “Nah-huh. Yeah. They look real nice.”

And Sam knew that was as good as he would get from Dad. “Thanks.”

“Well, OK. You want me to tell your mother you called? Should I tell her anything special?” he asked.

Sam took in a breath and sighed quickly, “No…no I guess not dad. I guess not.”

“Uhh huh. You call your siter lately? She’s doing real good. Married a good man too. They’re doing well and we’re so proud of her.”

“Yeah, I know. Joanna has always been the smartest of us” Sam said.

“Yes sir. Oh hell’s yes. You could too you know? You have real sharp eyes Sam. A real gift. Why don’t you do something with that?” his father asked for the millionth time.

Sam sucked it up and said, “Yeah, well…if the whole sniper thing doesn’t work out then yeah, I guess I could find something else?” he wasn’t getting anywhere.

“Is that what you do? Aww Sam. You shoot people? To kill them? Do you kill people son?”

“Just the bad guys dad. The marines get super pissed at me if I keep hitting the good guys. And you know, dumb ass me, I keep trying. Too stupid to quit I guess?”

“Well…I don’t know. You don’t really kill people do you Samuel? That’s really immoral. We raised you better than that.”

“I know dad. You and mom did great. Look at Joanna and me…well look at Joanna. I do what I have to do dad. Sometimes that means making bad guys go away. Look, dad, we’re never going to see eye-to-eye on this. Believe it or not, I’m pretty good at it and y’know, I’m not always wasting my life in the marines.”

George shook his head, “Well…I don’t know Sam. The sooner you get out of there and come home the sooner you can start healing up. OK? You always have a place here. Wherever you are, whatever you’ve done; this is your home, and we love you.”

Sam nodded, “Yeah, I know that dad.”

George said, “Well, I should get on to work. You want me to tell your mother you called? Is there anything special I should tell her?”

Sam shook his head. Getting the promotion, he would have thought was enough. But this was his father. No award was good enough. None of that mattered to George. He didn’t care what hung on the wall or what was on your collar. He only saw the person in front of him. And he took them at face value. It was perhaps, naïve? Innocent. And yet, Sam admired that about the old man. He could see right through all the bullshit. Right to the heart., “No…I guess not dad. Nothing to share. I’ll call again soon OK?”

“Sounds good Sam. OK, you take care. Call us if you have any news OK?”

Sam nodded, “You got it. Take care dad.”

“Nuh-huh. Bye now.” (click)

And the transmission was over. Sam closed his eyes and smiled and just laughed to himself. Going over again in his head with his dad was like:

Marine Captain – “Nyah”, Military Awards – “Nyah”, Member of Starfleet – “Nyah”, Marine Sniper – Decorated – “Nyah”

‘Call us back when something special happens’

He shook his head and just chuckled, “Yeah. OK. Dad. Call you back when I do something right.”

Sam got to his feet, “Fuck it. I need a workout.”


[OFF:]

Captain Samuel Woolheater
“Saepius Exertus, Semper Fidelis, Frater Infinitas”
Division VI, MARDET 62nd Company "Spartans", 1st Platoon CO
=/\= USS ELYSIUM - NCC-89000 =/\=