Unity at Unity

Posted on 29 Jun 2016 @ 4:07am by Lieutenant JG Felix Langston

1,899 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: Risky Business
Location: Starbase Unity
Timeline: August 2388

Characters:
Lt. JG Felix Langston
Captain T'Vrel, USS Sacagawea (NPC)
Ensign Lettie Mae Langston (NPC)
Vice Admiral Remy Langston, USS Halcyon (NPC)

===============

Jab. Jab-cross. Jab-jab-jab-cross-hook.

Felix grunted with each hit, exhaling as his glove hit the bag. He could feel the sweat pouring off every inch of himself. Each grunt and smack of the bag echoed throughout the empty gym.

Jab-jab. Jump back. Bob-weave-jab-cross-jab-jab. It was like clockwork to him.

An alarm sounded four high-pitched beeps. That was the 30-second alert. Felix unloaded a flurry of punches against the bag, letting loose every ounce of strength and energy he had left. Punch-out drills weren't exactly graceful, but they were effective.

The alarm sounded a lower pitch four times in rapid succession. The round was over.

Felix breathed out a sigh as the bag swung listlessly on its mooring. With a loud rip, he undid the straps on his boxing gloves and shook his hands out of them. They landed on the floor as he collapsed onto a nearby bench. He looked down at his beige hand wraps and stretched his arms out. He shook them vigorously to relieve the built-up tension.

"Computer," he said, looking up, "give me a summary of that exercise." The computer gave the familiar "affirmative" chirp as the mechanical voice came over the loudspeakers.

"WORKOUT SUMMARY: TEN ROUNDS COMPLETED. TOTAL PUNCHES THROWN: 632. NUMBER OF THEORETICAL PUNCHES LANDED: 237. PUNCHES LANDED AT 37.5 PERCENT."

Unravelling his hand wraps, Felix chuckled to himself. "Well, that's a lot better than last week." He grabbed a towel and put it over his head, leaning himself back against the wall. Shore leave had been great, but he was ready to get back at the CONN, back behind the helm, the one place that ever made any sense to him. In a short while, he'd be joining the fabled crew of the USS Black Hawk, a nimble Akira-class starship with its own fighter wing. The very thought made him smile. He wondered what the new CO would be like; hopefully he wouldn't be as irascible as his previous captain, the Andorian Tovrel.

"Computer, end program," Felix said as he walked toward the exit.

As the room dissolved to its former state, thought back on his last day aboard the Sacagawea.

===============

"You realize what you're doing?" the Andorian captain said, not looking up from the PADD in his hand. "You're leaving me high and dry without my top helmsman."

Felix stood in the middle of the ready room, hands behind his back. "Well, sir, I..."

"Save it," Tovrel interrupted, holding a hand up. "I know we haven't seen any action for months now."

Felix bent his head quizzically to the side. "What do you mean, sir?" he asked.

Tovrel looked up from his PADD, his antennae bobbed back and forth slightly. He gave a slight smirk. "Look," he said, "you are damn near one of the best helmsmen in the quadrant if not the fleet. You're wasting your time here on our little research project."

Felix shuffled his feet. "Again, I have to ask, what do you mean?"

Tovrel walked towards Felix. "Langston, I've been in your shoes, in fact, almost the exact position that you're in right now," he said. "When I was an lieutenant JG, I spent ten years of my life on a dull freighter because I was too scared to step out and do something. I just watched as all my friends transferred off to ships that were exploring, that were going to the furthest reaches of the known galaxy. Life's too short to waste your time as a LTJG on a science vessel. You were a member of Red Squad! You need to be on a ship that suits your talents."

"I'm honored, sir," Felix said, "thanks for approving my request. What are you going to do in the meantime?"

"Well, I've got a couple new cadets coming on the ship to pick you up," Tovrel said. "I have a feeling they'll develop soon enough. We've got a pretty light load for the next few months. In the meantime, the USS Halcyon will be along shortly, you might want to get packed."

"The USS what?" Felix asked.

"The USS Halcyon," Tovrel answered. "Looks like your old man wants to see you off."

==================

Felix trudged back to his makeshift quarters with his gym slung over his shoulder. As he walked in, he threw the bag on the bed and sank into a nearby chair. The Black Hawk would be leaving shortly. He went over to the desk and opened his terminal. He was immediately greeted by a picture of his father and siblings taken when he'd graduated from the Academy. They were all smiling and happy, it was one of the rarest and most treasured photos he had. Just then a call beeped in and Lettie's face came on the screen.

"Hey, goofball!" Lettie piped up. "I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

"Nah, just hitting the bag for a few, I'm a few days out of practice," Felix said. "What do you want, sissypants?"

Lettie rolled her eyes. "Great one, there."

"Oh hush," Felix shot back. "You love it."

"How are you feeling?" Lettie asked.

Felix looked away from the screen. "I'm fine," he said.

A few seconds of silence passed between them. Felix could hear the slow hum of the station slowly get louder. He got up out of his chair and started pacing in the room.

"Look, I know today can be hard..." Lettie tried to say.

Felix cut her off. "I'm fine, Lettie."

"You didn't let me finish," Lettie said back.

"I said I'm fine!" Felix said as he slammed his hand down on a nearby table. He regained what was left of his composure and sat back down at the terminal.

Lettie looked away, as though she expected that sort of reaction.

"How are Ray and Petey doing?" Felix asked.

"They're good, they're handling it okay, I guess," Lettie said. "They miss you. Ray is going to his first class at culinary school next week. Petey tried out for the football team and is gonna be the starting running back this year."

"That's good," Felix said. More silence followed.

"When are you gonna stop blaming yourself?" Lettie asked.

Felix grimaced. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Mom made a choice, you know," Lettie said. "She chose to save us. It's not your fault she's gone."

Felix placed his elbow on his desk and sunk his head into his hand. "I'm sorry I can't be there today."

"Don't be," Lettie said. "Mom would be so proud of you and all of us if she could be here. And I know Dad's proud too. Whatever it is you're gonna do."

"I wish we could all be here, and that I could tell you what's going on," Felix said. "I wish I could buy you all a soda and we could just watch the ships come in here at the station."

"Wishing ain't getting," Lettie said back.

"Thanks, mom," Felix said, rolling his eyes.

Lettie looked down at her watch. "Look, I know you're busy, just promise to take care of yourself, okay? We're all fine, you've already done all you needed to do plus some. I love you and I'm proud of you." And just like that, her face faded away, leaving the family photo on the screen.

Felix looked up at the ceiling. "Alright, old man," he said out loud, "I guess this is my shot."

He sniffed a couple times.

"I need a shower first," he said.

===============

"Well, son," the old admiral said, "I guess this is your stop."

Felix looked outside the airlock where his father's Insignia-class starship had docked with Starbase Unity. This moment had a strange sense of familiarity. His love for space travel had been born on the edge of the Gamma Quadrant, and here he was about to pilot a ship that would go into its farthest reaches.

"Dad, you didn't have to do this," Felix said while shouldering his bag and reaching down for his foot locker. The old admiral stopped him and went down to pick it up himself.

"And you certainly don't have to do that," Felix said, smiling.

"I know I don't have to," Remy said to his son. "I want to."

"Well, thanks," Felix said as they made their way onto the promenade of the station. As they walked, they saw the hustle and bustle of station life. Both Langston men took a sort of comfort in Starbases, recognizing them for the special places they were.

"You know..." Remy said

"You've always loved Starbases," Felix said, finishing the old admiral's sentence. He'd heard this before.

Remy laughed to himself. "Oh hush, son. Let your old man talk for a bit," he said. Felix rolled his eyes and smirked, his signal to let the admiral keep talking.

"Starbases are wonderful places," Remy went on, "it's like no matter how far you travel on a starship, there's always a place to stay still and let the galaxy move around you for a change. It's a reminder that we could all stop and slow down every once in a while."

"Yeah," Felix said, "I guess so."

Remy put Felix's foot locker down and put both hands on his son's shoulders. "And it's a reminder that even though a place may not be what you initially call home, given enough time and patience, you'd be surprised at what a home you can make among the stars."

"Dad, I..." Felix trailed off as he looked in his father's eyes. He dropped his bag to the floor and wrapped his arms around his father in a warm embrace.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be with you when your mother went missing," Remy said. "Believe me when I say that not a moment goes by when I don't think of her; when I'm not thankful for you and how you took care of your siblings for all that time. And how you still managed to be a top flight cadet at the Academy. Now, you're going to helm one of the finest ships in the fleet. I should know because the old Potomac fought alongside her, and the Black Hawk is still running. To say I'm proud is an understatement."

Felix and his father held on for a few more precious moments.

"I need to go, son. There's not much time," Remy said to Felix.

"What are you going to do?" Felix asked.

Remy went on, "Starfleet Command needs me on the Alpha Quadrant side of the wormhole. Their Intelligence suggests that something is brewing and they need me near Bajor in case anything goes wrong. I've got you a quarters and a duty post here until the Black Hawk shows up. Think you can fly a few more shuttles in the meantime?"

Felix pretended to yawn. "I'll see what I can do," he said playfully.

Remy smiled and ran his hand through his son's curly hair. They both laughed and hugged one more time.

"I love you, bub," Remy said.

"I love you, too, Dad," Felix answered back.

================

Felix snapped back to his quarters. He had showered and was ready for his first shift aboard the Black Hawk. His bag and foot locker were packed. He closed his terminal and slid it into his backpack. He was ready.

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