In the Pale Moonlight - Part One of Three

Posted on Tue Nov 7th, 2023 @ 5:57pm by Captain Samuel Woolheater

Mission: Season 6: Episode 4: Memory Lane
Location: DECK THIRTY-TWO - MARINE COUNTRY
Timeline: MD3 - LATE
1815 words - 3.6 OF Standard Post Measure

[OOC: Previously…this post may help for background and context https://usselysium.com/index.php/sim/viewpost/2665 “The wicked bend their bow”]


[ON:]

”Sam!”

Sam awoke with a start. He was aboard a ship and in bed. He was naked and he rolled over to look at who was sleeping next to him. He sat up in bed, he didn’t remember getting on a ship. The sleeping figure stirred and moaned. He leaned over and brushed her hair from her eyes and she awoke. “Emily?!” he said in disbelief.

“Hey handsome” Emily Pope smiled back at him with love and affection. “Sam? What’s wrong babe?” she said as she sat up.

Sam just looked at her and put is hand to his mouth, “Emily?!”

Emily reached for him and he grasped her hand and brought it to his cheek and kissed her hand. “Emily. Is it really you?”

“Of course, it is. Sam? What’s wrong?” she asked him. Her nude body got close to his as they sat on the bed.

Sam kissed her hand and her wrist and looked at her. He touched her, all over. He tried calling for the computer to “End Program!” and “Arch!”. But there she sat. Alive and well. “I thought….I don’t know what I thought. Am I going crazy? Emily? How is this possible. “Sam? Are you putting me on?” she smiled as if this were one of his jokes.

He shook his head, “No honey…no oh baby girl, I’ve missed you so much! I’m confused. I’m very confused but I’m so happy to see you!” He hugged her and let her go and just looked at her. She was looking at him weirdly and she said, “Ooookaayyy?!” To which Sam laughed once. “I don’t know what’s going on but….where are we?”

“We’re on our way to Earth. To get married remember?” She snuggled up closer to him, covering herself with a sheet as the bay windows to their suite had an empty starfield in the background. “Earth? Married?” he questioned. She looked up at him. “Yeah? You still want to right?” she asked.

“Oh of course. Yeah girl, I want to marry the hell out of you” he said and hugged her tightly. It was then that he noticed her “baby bump”. He looked at her, “Are you…?”

“Preggers? Yes. I guess I won’t be able to hide my bump much longer huh?” she said as she caressed it. Then she looked up at him. She slid out of the covers and padded to the replicator and got an orange juice. Sam watched her walk and her booty and feminine figure. “Mmmmm….hmmmm” he said. He got up and crossed the room to meet her at the full-length mirror. There he put his arms around her, his hands on her hips and his chin on her shoulder as he admired her in the mirror. She set the glass of OJ down and then brought his muscular arms to her womb.

He asked, “Do you know who the father is?”

To which she shot him a full phaser fire look. “Uh, yeah! You are!” and she swatted at his balls making brief, but painful contact. He yelped away laughing and aching. “Owww…..oh..oh…ouch!” She tossed him his boxers and a marine green t-shirt. He caught it grinning and playfully teasing as they got dressed. She smiled back at him. She loved him. This goofy marine. “Come on and get dressed. We’ll be there soon.”


=== A SHORT TIME ===

Samuel carried their two handbags. He didn’t remember much, but he knew he loved her. As they walked to the main desk of the luxury liner, he stood with her and almost accidentally caught sight of the name.

S.S. JUBILEE – RICERCARE & WOLFRAM SHIPYARDS – SERSA – FONTALIS

Sam stopped. His blood ran cold. He looked at Emily who was busy checking them out of the liner. He thought to himself, ~Jubilee? SS. Jubilee? Jubilee?? Jubilee!!~ he put it together. This never happened. He wanted it to happen. He wanted this to so badly happen. But it didn’t. The Jubilee was the ship that Emily was on. When it was attacked. When it was destroyed. And suddenly, the true memory of what happened came flooding back to him.~


=== THE PAST ===


=== STARFLEET COMMAND – TITAN AIRSPACE – FLIGHT CONTROL ===

In the Titan Flight Control Room, there were large displays and overlays on boards and monitors all about the room. In the center, was a holographic display of Titan’s space perimeter and the orbital traffic. In one section, about three-quarters of the way out but just inside the security zone, a red circle formed and then zoomed in on that section of the holo-display.

“Pipe it through?” said the CONN officer. A Starfleet officer in charge of this operational theater and the traffic in and out of Titan.

“…mayday…mayday! We are under attack by unknown ships. Coordinates, 130 by 225 by 100. Our position is…130 by 225 by 100. This is the SS Jubilee. We are a passenger cruiser. T transport! Break off your attack! Can anyone hear us?!”

The Starfleet officers and controllers got working quickly. The officer at the sensors started speaking, “SS Jubilee we read you clear. Disengage your engines and evacuate your vessel…”

Another was ordering up Starfleet mixed fighter group. Starfleet fighters that were training were already being called from the far-side of Titan. The fighter group at Camp Margrave was also being spun up, “Sixteen unidentified craft have fired upon a civilian craft SS Jubilee GS-605. Emergency! Request support and interdiction craft be dispatched immediately…”

And on it went. Each station responsible for some of the operations getting to work.

On the COMM were displayed the coordinates of the Jubilee. She was surrounded, taking heavy fire and she was listing and venting atmosphere.

The Starfleet officer barked, “Where are those fighters?”

=== SS JUBILEE – WITH TITAN IN THE BACKGROUND ===

The observation deck exploded outward at the pressure was too much for the weakened transparent aluminum. Shards of the material mixed with bodies spewed out of the deck. Jubilee’s engines were smoldering and then went out. She started to list to port. As she lost her stabilizers. And still – the fighter craft came on relentlessly. Firing again and again at the stricken ship. Their attack didn’t seem coordinated. It seemed random and the whole of the Jubilee was attacked.

Suddenly, something inside the ship exploded outward. The middle of the ship bulged sickeningly outward, like a fat sausage and then quickly contracted before exploding in a bright flash. The two halves of the ship smoking and venting people and debris split apart.


=== IN DREAMS ===

Sam scooped up Emily and ran. He ran as fast as he could. Each breath was more difficult. Each step was harder. But he dare not let go. He fell, but he held on to her. Emily held on to him. She looked at him, kissed him and said, “Don’t let me go Sam! Don’t let me go!” The force of the venting atmosphere was tearing them apart. And still he held on to her. Curled around her like armor. His body being beaten by flying objects. Until broken transparent aluminum, like so many arrows, landed on his back, his shoulders, he neck, his kidneys and thighs. Each one was like a hot knife. Each one made him weaker. Until his grip was slippery with his blood and his muscles weakened. Emily held on to him and screamed,

“Sam! SAM! Oh god. SAAAAMM!!!” she cried.

The Jubilee took another hit and the ship started to list to port. “I love you Sam. I’m so afraid. I was so looking forward to seeing you again Sam!”

Emily put her hand to his face. Sam was in tears, “Not strong enough for you. My girl. I’m sorry honey. I’m sorry!” She was crying and shaking and trying to hold on as the ship rolled on its side under the attack. “You can be anything you want to be, Sam. I will always love you. You are…my upright man. My upright man…Sam…” the audio was lost. The video showed the ship disintegrating and Emily was sucked out into space as the warp core exploded. Vaporizing the center of the ship as it cracked up.


=== AWAKE – SOMEWHERE IN CIRCINUS ===

“Ahhh! EMILY!” Sam rolled onto the floor of his quarters in the barracks and hit the cold deck. He was startled and he jumped to his feet. His marine green t-shirt with sweat patches on the underarms and the chest. The very same marine green standard issue t-shirt Emily had given him in the dream. In the nightmare.

He stood there in his boxers and T-shirt and his heart pounding in his chest. He took deep breaths. “Emmmmily……Emmmily…….oh god…….I’m sorry sweet girl.” He went and sat on the floor near the edge of the bed. And thought about the attack on her ship. And he wept. Alone in his quarters he relived that nightmare and felt as utterly useless then as he did now. He thought about the life that would never be. The child; his child that he would never see grow up.

After a long time, he got to his feet and looked out the porthole window. Put his head on his arms and, for the first time, really felt how alone they were. All alone out here in space in Circinus.


DECK FOURTEEN – OUTSIDE ANDRINN ORIN’S QUARTERS - CHERUBIC HYMN

Sam eventually pressed the chime to Andy’s quarters. He wasn’t in uniform. He wore clean a T-shirt and sweatpants and white socks. The door opened and Andrinn answered it. He was surprised to see Sam standing there. His arms crossed; he looked like he was hurting. “Sam?” Andy asked, the sleep still in his eyes and somewhat groggy. But seeing Sam standing there made him more awake each second.

Sam stood there, embarassed and hesitant, he looked at Andrinn, then his eyes cast downward. His arms crossed. "Uhhhmmm...hey..."

Andrinn repeated, “Sam? Are you ok?”

Sam tried to speak but no words came at first. His voice sounded quiet and thin, “Andy? Can’t sleep. I had. More than a bad dream.” Andrinn knew something was wrong now. “Can I come in? Please? I don't want to be alone.
Please?”

Andrinn, “Oh Sam” and he stepped to him and wrapped him up in a great big hug and welcomed him in.


[OFF:]

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