Family Business

Posted on Fri Aug 5th, 2011 @ 1:37am by Lieutenant Colonel Damian Highsmith

665 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Mission 76 - Home comings
Location: Highsmith Homestead, San Presidio, California
Timeline: One Hour following Extended Questioning

ON:

Damian leaned back in the chair to catch a few minutes of sleep before the train arrived in San Presidio. He was thoroughly drained from the hours of questioning that he and the endured at the hands of the Starfleet Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was looking forward to his shore leave, his first in about six years. It had been ages since he had seen his parents and old friends and he had to admit that the anticipation was killing him. A soft beep woke Damian and he rose from his seat, grabbing his black duffel bag. He walked down the aisle, taking care not to bump any of the other passengers. Exiting the train, Damian stopped for a moment to put on his barracks cover. Content that he was squared away, he walked off of the station platform and into the town. It hadn't changed much, it still had the small town feel that he was used to with it's tree lined roads and it's old styled shops. It made him feel at home and at ease with his surroundings. Walking down the main street, he saw the park that he had spent a lot of time in as a child, playing his days away. He continued walking until an older man jogged up to him.

"Highsmith? Damian Highsmith?" the man asked, Damian recognized him as John Hawkins, his mentor through his teenage years.

Damian nodded "How are you, John? It's been a while." Damian said, smiling slightly.

"I've been well, my boy! Just running my errands before the day is up." John stopped and looked him over. "By God, you've gotten big and it looks like you've gotten some rank on ya. A Lieutenant Colonel and a young one at that!" Hawkins bubbled

Highsmith held up his hand "Sorry John, but it's getting late. Have you seen my parents around anywhere? My mom and dad are usually out about this time grabbing things for dinner." Damian asked, it was at this point that John stopped and the smile melted away from his face.

"You didn't hear the news?" John said, leaning against the brick wall. Damian shook his head.

"Spit it out, John!" Damian said

John's expression became pained "I'm sorry, son... but you're parents are-" he broke down into sobs. This news hit Damian like a punch to the face and John seemed to be acting how Damian felt on the inside. His tears were the ones that Damian wanted to shed, his pain, the same that Damian wanted to show. The younger man just couldn't do it, not this time. Damian bit back his tears and turned around. Just as he did, his communicator started to ring in an oscillating tone. He pulled it out and checked the message, it looked to be from Admiral Bremer about a cookout at his residence. He figured that we would attend, it would help him let off some steam and suppress the sadness that was building up in his chest. He closed the comm unit and turned back to John.

"What happened to the house and everything?" Damian asked, that house was the only reminder of his family that he had left and he would keep it. John looked at him with a somber look, wiping his tears from his face.

"The realty office has been holding the will and the deed for the house in a safe box for you. They left you everything, Damian in the event that they died. " John said, putting his hand on Damians shoulder before he walked away. It was starting to get dark now and Damian needed to get to the Admiral's home. He noticed a transporter booth and walked into it, inputting his coordinates. Pressing the confirmation button, he felt himself fade away and reappear in a more humid area, a place he presumed was South Carolina. Walking up the driveway, he stopped in front of the Admiral's residence and knocked three times.

:OFF

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