Times Gone By

Posted on Mon Feb 20th, 2012 @ 8:02pm by Captain Vorn Krace

Mission: Heart of an Explorer
Location: USS Iapetus - Captain's Quarters
Timeline: MD31 2100hrs

The Captain's quarters on the Iapetus were suitably large and well-furnished for the rank of the occupier, though Vorn had barely ever spent much time within aside from sleeping, washing and - when he'd not felt in the mood for the mess hall - eating. Tonight however, he had retreated here after the end of the day's shift, but hadn't felt in the mood for either food nor sleep. His uniform jacket lay draped over the back of a chair by the door, the lights kept low, and the captain simply stood by the curved windows, giving him a view of the warp-streaked stars outside matched only by the views from places such as the observation lounge or the Ridge Lounge itself.

It had been a long time since he had been on a mission that was as pure as the one they were on today. In his twenty years in Starfleet, he had gone from an assignment along the Romulan Neutral Zone, to taking part in a number of large fleet actions during the Dominion War, to more patrols in the Beta Quadrant, followed by a posting as Chief of Strategic Operations in a rather turbulent sector. Even his time aboard the Lincoln had involved more attending to diplomatic and tactical brush fires, and the one exploration mission the Iapetus had been involved in had turned into a hunt for terrorists. The only time that he could recall a long-term assignment of exploration was during his time on the London, almost immediately after the war, when Starfleet was keen to show the citizens of the Federation and neighbouring powers that their primary purpose was still to go boldly where no man had gone before.

The London had been a fine ship, certainly, though he had only been on board for three years, and the latter months of his assignment were tinged with the loss of his father back home. Was that really seven years ago now? Time had gone so quickly since then, and his promotions after returning to Starfleet had come so rapidly on top of that; it was hard to believe that since his leave of absence had ended he had risen from Lieutenant to Captain within the space of six years. Admittedly, the promotion to Lieutenant Commander had come just a short time after he had returned to duty, but to climb the rank ladder so quickly was, in retrospect, very impressive.

As he stood, looking out at the stars, it also dawned on him that he was now nearly forty years, and aside from the few short romances during his life, he had never found himself a partner he could feel truly comfortable with, and look towards a future together. It wasn't a thought that saddened him, and it wasn't at all uncommon for a career Starfleet officer to skip out on such a relationship, but the realisation did feel... odd. He had always assumed that one day he would get married, at some point. Have children perhaps, but thus far the opportunity for such a life hadn't presented itself. Indeed, he hadn't even been looking for one.

His thought process was disturbed by a loud yap behind him, and as Vorn turned, his eyes fell upon the young beagle pup, standing on the back of one of the chairs, tail wagging energetically in the dim light. The image reminded him that he hadn't exactly been without companionship these past years... afterall, his crew had become his family during the time that they had been together, and he considered some of them to be close friends. And for now... that was enough. There would be time to thing about unfound opportunities and romances later in life, when the thought of finding something new out there among the stars didn't excite him quite so.

"Come on," he said to the pup, grinning at its exuberance. "Let's go find you something to eat."