New Year, Same Old Nightmares

Posted on Mon Oct 9th, 2023 @ 12:55pm by Captain Jack Solomon

711 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Episode 118 - "It's About Family"
Location: Starbase 400, Jacks Quarters
Timeline: MD1

Jack laid on the sofa in the quarters he kept for himself, after finishing a shift in the new Tactical Operations area.

Thinking.
Something he considered dangerous whilst having time to himself.

2401 had started with something of a bang, especially with all the re-emergence of the Borg via the Anomaly in the Alpha Quadrant.

The Borg Singularity Ship and the cooperation between Queen Jurati was…unique. With her ship continuing to be a ‘Guardian at the Gate’, many hoped it was a new era for the Borg, even though this was a distinctly different mini-collective.

Having been back for a good few months after his ordeal of being held captive by his Mirror universe twin, Jack had settled back on Starbase 400, however as soon as the news of the Borg returning got to the Starbase, his nightmares returned, from his time being held captive as a slave by the Borg Queen, or at least...one of the many Borg Queens that there seemed to be out there.

He'd often questioned why she hadn't assimilated him off the Valkyrie, something in his past that had never been answered so far in all the years since he'd been left a free man on a planet in the middle of nowhere, where they left him after the Queen's time with him was done.

Jack often wondered why she'd done that, acting completely out of character for what was expected. Whilst the Borg Singularity Ship held guard at the Anomaly, Jack's nightmares continued, but they began to die down.

Then, a short time later Frontier Day happened. Oh yeah, did that happen alright.

He'd been working on board the Europa, with what were to be the new upgrades being fitted the Luna Class Starship, however, all hell broke loose when the USS Titan went on the run and word got out that there was an alliance between Changelings helping the Borg Queen... the original Queen who had somehow survived or regenerated... either way, Jack was reminded of his time during Dominion War, back on the Wildcats A & B.

He fought the Dominion many times, going into battle against the Jem'Hadar, the Cardassians and later, the Breen when they entered the war. He lost a lot of friends and colleagues during those two years of war and combat and the thought of the Changelings returning near Frontier Day was scary, to say the least.

With all of the events related to the Titan, the Changelings and Frontier Day finally over, Jack was left with more work to do. Taking on the Strategic Operations role on board SB400 had been interesting in the short time he'd been back and with there being a scattering of Changelings posing as Starfleet Officers who needed to be rooted out, his work had increased tenfold.

However, one pleasing thought was the new work area. With all the damage to the Starbase itself in recent times, a major redesign of the station’s Administrative levels had taken place. The new Station Operations area was larger and easier to work in, allowing Jack to interface with other departments and and when he needed to. Tactical Operation's new locations allowed for a little more room, and room to expand if needed and that also helped when needed to work on a system basis in a crisis... and there had been quite a few of those of late.

Despite being held captive for two years, something Jack missed was being out there, on board a Starship and with the Europa, he had a command once more. His recent voyage with the fleet to the Delta quadrant had shown that he still had the edge and he liked being back in the big chair again.

Sitting up from the sofa, Jack took a sip of the mug of Earl Grey tea he was drinking. He found it helped settle him of late and wasn't adverse to ways of find ways to keep calm.

He sat for a while longer and decided that a walk would take his mind off things and help clear his head a bit.

"After all, what harm can a walk around the station do?" he asked himself, before putting his mug back in the replicator and heading out of his private quarters.

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