EXETERRPG: (3 - 0000) CO Cpt Trip Williams and R&SE Ashlyn Williams

[Mark Howard]

Mission: A new day dawns

Day: 3

Stardate: 2446.01.30

(Earth- Home of Trip and Ashlyn Williams - The Snug – CO Cpt Trip Williams
and R&SE Dir Ashlyn Williams -0000)


As things winded down and people went home, Ash and Trip were finally
alone. Trip didn’t know if anyone was in the guest house, he didn’t even
know if anyone was in one of the guest rooms. He just was basking in the
glow of the fire. He was deep in thought, one could even say he was deep in
prayer. Trip had struggled with his spirituality throughout most of his
teenage and young adult life, well not that he was that old to begin with.
His mom and sisters were very ardent believers in the Betazoid religion and
ways. Trip, who often struggled with integrating his human and betazoid
halves and always yearned to be more human, didn’t quite feel fulfilled by
those practices. Still after Rae, his imzadi, passed away during a
terrorist attack in 2443, he had often struggled with the question if there
was something else, something beyon this life, if there was such a thing as
an afterlife. It was present in many of the religions and mythologies of
many planets and Earth was no exception. The afterlife, heaven and hell,
the Elysian fields and the World of the dead, paradise and eternal
damnation. It all started with the concept of the soul.

Having studied ancient philosophy in High School he was fascinated with
Aristotle’s take, that of the rational human soul versus the more
animalistic soul present in creatures like dogs and cats. Of course he
learned to not go around telling young children that if there was an
afterlife their little Fluffy probably wasn’t going in there. He believed
in a soul, partly due to scientific reasoning of conservation of matter. If
there was some spark that made us go, then it stood to reason that when we
died it still needed to exist. Plus his own close encounters with
trans-dimensional beings, such as Quella, made him think that of course
there had to be something more than just the temporal plane he lived in.

He wanted to hold out hope for an eternal soul and an afterlife, not
because he was some strong religious adherent, he was spiritual but not
really religious, but because he feared the alternative. Any time he
thought of existence or non existence after death, all he could fathom was
a dark void where he was alone for all eternity. He struggled with any
thought or notion that one day he might just cease to be. Furthermore, he
always dwelt on Aristotle’s notion of the unmoved mover. The theory that if
everything in motion was put in motion by something else already in motion,
a stationary ball beginning to move after being hit by a moving ball which
was put into motion by a human hand which was put into motion by a human
action, the human body being in some shape or form constantly in motion.
Then in order for the universe to exist, for the big bang to have happened,
for the first thing to be put into motion, there must have been an unmoved
mover who made it all happen. Whether this was the Bajoran Prophets, the
Betazoid goddess, the Christian triune God, Zeus, Chronos, Gaia, or even
the god of thunder Thor himself, Trip didn’t know or didn’t really care.
His hope was in the reality that maybe he would see his friends again, his
friend again. That in the afterlife he and Ravok could make up.

Sitting quietly he was so entrenched in contemplative thought he did not
hear Ash enter into the den.

Ash looked sadly at her husband. So much had happened, and she knew that
Trip took so much more pain on board that he really should. ~Uneasy lies
the head…~ she thought as she stepped up behind him, and gently rested her
hands on his shoulders, a gentle smile on her face as she slowly rubbed the
tension out of the muscle. “I have no real words. If there’s a silver
lining I’m not sure what it is. At least he’s not in pain anymore.”

"Hey pookie." He said smiling. "wanna sit?"

Ashlyn smiled, “I don’t fit on your lap anymore” she pouted playfully. She
did however, sit on the other end of the sofa, slip off her shoes and rest
her tired feet on his lap, wiggling her toes expectantly. “Thoughts?” She
asked simply.

"I think, I think it's just the shock of it all. I mean. Right now, I
think, most of my hurt is for Keira."

“Hurt…and fear?” She didn’t know Kiera as well as others, but thoughts of
honour and vengeance would be forefront in a few minds.

"yeah. That too."

“All our wounds are still open, they’re all still so painful.”

"well thats the thing, if I lost you, who knows what state I'd be in."

“Yeah I know. Me either to be honest.”

"It's kinda what my mind keeps coming back to, this family and how lucky we
are. how lucky I am."

“We found love, it took us a while to figure that out I’ll admit, but we
did.” Ash turned round, and leaned on her husband's chest, his arms coming
round and resting on her abdomen. “Feel like I’m the lucky one, all things
considered.”

“Well, we can both be equally as lucky.” Trip said with a smile, feeling
for tranquil for the first time since he found the news that Ravok was gone.

Ashlyn sighed. “I always knew we’d lose people. I suppose I was naive to
think it would never be anyone so close to our hearts, so close to yours.”

“You know part of me thought we would be invincible. Like somehow, we were
draped in some magic bubble of protection, luke magical plot armor, that
even if people around us met sad ends, somehow, those closest to us would
be shielded from the pain. Of course that’s naive thinking, and I know its
not true. But….you never expect to lose the ones you’re close to.”

“No you’re right.” She said, “Even having lost most people I was close to,
I never believed it could keep happening, that reminder of our mortality.
It doesn’t help the people I’m surrounded by. It’s like you all have no
time for impossible, You, Kiera, Erin, all of you; especially Ailynn when
she has that set about her, that look in her eyes where she’s absolutely
certain of weaving fate around her, around all of you, and the makers
themselves need to quake in their shoes you know?”

“Yeah, but I think that is because of our youth. I think there is a certain
attitude that we look at ourselves as if blessed by destiny, and act as if
we are chosen by fate. But you look at everything we’ve been through, and
it just as easily could have been anyone of us who went home draped in
posthumous honors rather than with a suitcase of dirty laundry.”

“Yeah I know, that bubble bursts. We all think we’re immortal.”

“Well, after Ronnie….I no longer think that, and it has me scared shitless
that we are putting are kids in danger.”

“We’ve had this conversation, but are we doing the right thing, not raising
the children here? Or Mars? Are we bad parents even thinking of doing
anything else?”

“I don’t think we’re bad parents. My dad was raised on ships. Of course
when they turned 14, my grandparents sent all their kids, except for my
youngest aunt, to Earth to live with my great grandparents to go to High
School, to have a more stable environment.”

“I smell a but.” Ashlyn was no empath, but she knew people.

“But….it is too quiet here, and I think that is the problem. This appears
safe, but too safe.”

“I see the logic,” Ashlyn sighed, she changed mental tack. “Saw you in the
study, talking to the new guy, Alex?”

“Yeah, just a little pick me up chat. It’s nice to have someone around who
has the wisdom that comes with age.”

“If the Exeter has a fault it is a little ‘young’ perhaps that, mature,
‘been round the block a few times’ attitude, would be a good thing.”

“He kept mentioning how beautiful our family was….and honestly, makes me
want to stay here even more.”

“He did? How sweet. I like him already.” Ashlyn smiled. “Trip?”

“Ash?”

“Ask you a question? And you can truly be honest?” She turned to him, and
kissed him gently.

“I can’t lie to you. You know that. You scare me.” Trip said laughing.

Ashlyn was normally extremely eloquent, with a verbose vocabulary, now
thought she was stuck. “What are your true thoughts? What do you want next
sweetie? Workwise I mean?”

“I don’t want to leave the Exeter. I know from a career perspective I won't
be fulfilled right now in my life doing anything else.”

“No, I know.” She knew Trip, had done since High School.

“And while I want you and the kids to be safe, I can’t live without you at
my side, but I can’t promise I won’t grow resentful in domestic felicity. I
need the Exeter and I need you. But I’d rather be grumpy and have you
alive, then have my dream job and lose my heart.”

Ash half smiled. “I made a promise, for better or worse. I yearn for
adventure as much as you, you know that. Could we settle here and be
ranchers? Sure. You and I know well enough though that that wouldn’t be
enough.”

“What about you? You have better job prospects here on Earth.”

“Not really. I have a lot of opportunities, there’s so many programs now
the fleet is expanding. Especially for one with my qualifications.”

“Oh so you’ve been searching?”

“A girl always has her eye on the ball.” she winked playfully.”

“What about, that thing we talked about. Using your psych degree? There is
a certification test next week for civilian counselors.”

“That’s a good start. What if…” She looked at him, and pushed the thought
back.

“What if what?” he asked.

“I have thoughts, but I need to come to terms with them.” Ashlyn said
gently.

“You look like you’re up to something my dear.” Trip said with a smile.

“Mean.” AShlyn giggled. “Seriously though. I like the Civilian Counsellor
track. Prophets, I’m doing it anyway. My office practically has a revolving
door.” she laughed.

“And I think some of the crew would prefer to go to a civilian. People who
don’t know you think you’re nicer than Lt. Roberts.”

“Really?” Ashlyn was surprised. She’d always found Jack a pleasant man.
“That does come as a surprise. I’d have thought that they’d have worried
about me gossiping? You know, giving you the inside track?”

“They think you’re too nice to gossip.”

“Aww. that’s lovely to hear. So…Civilian Counsellor? I like it. It’ll
dovetail with what I already do. Long term?”

“You know, Officer Candidate school with your academic background would
only take four months,”

“You’re kidding. With one hella test at the end I’m guessing?”

“And like 6 hours a day of class, and PT tests, and at least 4 essays and a
test every 4 weeks.”

“Essays I can do. I’d be awake anyway feeding your son?” She giggled.

“And if you completed it, Then I’d get to boss you around.” He said with a
playful wink.

“If?” Ash kissed him. “ ‘Sides, I’d like to see Command boss around
counselling.”

“Oh, should I just make you captain and you can boss me around?”

Ashlyn chuckled.

“Still, I think we’re dancing around the issue. Do we do what’s best for
us, or our kids. Can we keep our kids safe on the Exeter?”

Her face falling still, Ash looked at him. “Safe here? Safe there?
Nowhere’s safe, and the EVENT is still fresh in our souls to know that
nowhere is safe. So wherever we’re together, we’re safe.”

“And I guess…I guess, well, I mean we can’t go the Quella route and just
create a pocket dimension free from strife. Is that really living?”

“Not at all. No it isn’t”

“So, back to the Exeter, no regrets, make the best of it that we can?”

“Make the best, live life and love. Have fun, experience the universe while
we can. Time will come we’ll settle down, but that time isn’t now.”

"It'll be when we're old and we make Ronnie take care of us. or drew, or
whichever future kid is our favorite."

“We love each of them. All of them.”

"AI is right, we have a beautiful family."

“Yes we do. I love you Trip Williams.”

"Always and to the end of time." He replied.

(Reply none)

(Posted by Will and Mark)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://startrekfreedom.com/pipermail/exeter-rpg_startrekfreedom.com/attachments/20211227/9447b119/attachment-0001.html>