EXETERRPG: (2, 1615) MXO, Lt. Major Sean Masters

[Todd Holladay]

Mission: Space Was Cool Before It Mattered
Day: 2
Stardate: 2446.04.26


 (USS Exeter - Holosuite 2 - MXO, Lt. Major Sean Masters -1615)

Sean walked up beside the door of the holosuite, he accessed the panel.
"Computer load program package Masters, all files."

[Working.] The computer toned. There was a slight pause. [Upload complete.]

"Start program labelled: Flight simulator, pre war."

[Program loaded, you may enter when ready.]

Sean approached the single door of the holosuite and it slid to the left to
allow him to enter. It looked just as it did twelve years ago, the last
time Sean entered his father's old program. An old style locker room with
two rows of steel lockers, six to a row on the left, a hallway to the right
with showers and a water plumbing latrine. He moved to the far row, walking
in the middle. There was a locker with a piece of tape across the front.
Written on the tape was "MASTERS, D." Sean reached out and opened the
latch. The door opened with a click. He pulled out the olive colored padded
bag and opened it revealing a flight helmet with "Thumper" written in
stylized letters.

"Hey Champ, long time no see," came a familiar voice.

Sean turned around. "Dad?" he stammered in disbelief. There he was, his
Father that he hadn't seen, since he went on his last mission.

"Yeah, it's me," the hologram said with a smile, "well, in a manner of
speaking."

Sean wiped the tear away from his eye, "Of course. You always recorded a
message for loved ones before a big mission. I was wondering why I never
got one when you didn't come home."

Doug's image shook his head, "I thought you would have gotten around to the
simulator sooner or later. You always loved flying with dear old dad when
you were a teenager. I thought that would be one of the first places you
went for, well to feel better."

"Just couldn't bear going back until now." Sean said, shaking his head.

"So all this time, twelve years..." Doug said.

"Yeah." Sean confirmed

"Your mother, how's she doing?"

"Sent me to boarding school." Sean said with a grimace.

"Really?"

"We..we didn't quite click." Sean said.

"That's too bad." Doug said.

"She's an Admiral now." Sean offered, "Head of Internal Affairs at HQ."

"That's not much of a surprise." Doug said, " she was always more career
minded. I just wanted to fly."

"She did well once her kid was out of the way.." Sean spat out.

"Hey, Champ..." Doug said in an easy comforting tone. "Don't talk like
that. She's your mother, and she loves you."

"She had a funny way of showing it..." Sean retorted.

"Yeah, she wasn't real good at expressing how she felt, suppressing it all
the time, but she did feel. Besides, she's part of you, just like I'm part
of you. Putting her down is like putting yourself down, damaging yah in
ways you can't track. It comes out of the nebula with phasers on full."
Doug advised.

"Yeah." Sean sighed.

"Look, Champ..." Doug said, "If you're speaking to me, it means I didn't
make it back from that last mission. I imagined you'd have gotten to this
program sooner, I'd give you a little advice on how to proceed, but you
grew up without me, and from the sound of it, not much from your mom. That
couldn't have been easy."

"Yeah." Sean said with his head low.

Doug lifted his son's gaze up. "You made it, kid. You grew up. You made
Lieutenant Major before the end of 25. Not bad, kid."

Sean's eyes welled up, tears leaking out the side. "I... I just wanted you
to be proud of me." spilled out as he began to sob.

"Hey, hey!" Doug tried to comfort him, "I am. I couldn't be more proud. Not
only your old man would be proud of you, but your mother is proud, even if
she can't show it."

"It's going to take," Sean started before wiping his eyes with his sleeve,
"a while to forgive her."

"Give her a chance, is all I'm saying." Doug said, "just remember, you're
half of me. So you're always carrying me with you."

"Never thought of it that way." Sean said, seeming to be gaining control
again.

"Strap in, let's go flying, it'll make you feel better." Doug said with a
smile.

"That's why I'm here." Sean said.

"Good man." Doug said with a smile, "See you up there."

Sean gripped the helmet and walked out to the flightline.

(Reply none)
(Posted by Todd)





-- 
Todd Holladay
SGT, IA ANG (Ret)

"There will always be those who mean to do us harm. To stop them, we risk
awakening the same evil within ourselves. Our first instinct is to seek
revenge when those we love are taken from us, but that's not who we are." -
Captain James T. Kirk

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