Next Step

Posted on Sun Feb 4th, 2024 @ 4:26pm by Lieutenant JG Dustin Reynolds & Lieutenant JG Aubrey Miller

2,401 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Episode 119 - "Shattered Mirror"
Location: USS Falcon
Timeline: Backpost for Episode 118

"Sweetheart she can be fixed, I know you're going to be upset but she can be fixed." Dustin said is he tried to ease into the conversation. You are walking around the corner heading to the airlock for the USS Falcon. Their ship was damaged, the city attack on the station the station itself was not in pretty good shape at the moment.

Dustin was surprised that the captain was still going to go on with his wedding, but I guess they had decided that they had waited long enough and there would never truly be an ideal time. In some ways he was very proud of his captain because through it all they were going to look for the good in the universe in grasp onto it instead of clinging to the despair.

“I’m almost afraid to see her.” Aubrey fussed. She had heard the Falcon was in sad shape but a part of her knew it was probably much worse than she imagined. Dustin trying to comfort her made her wonder if he knew more than she did. She immediately dismissed it, they had a trusting open relationship.

"If you want to turn back I'm more than willing to." Justin said, feeling that he already seen the ship wasn't really looking forward to see me again in it's current shape.

“No.” Aubrey said in a strong voice. “I would be putting off the inevitable.” She looked at Dustin. “It is bad, isn’t it?”

"I could sugar coat it but I'm not going to, yes." Doesn't that not knowing how to really sugar coat it for her. He knew of his best chances were just to be honest.

Aubrey took a deep breath. When she saw the Falcon her eyes went wide. “What the hell!” She was so angry in a matter of seconds. Their newly refurbished ship was in bad shape. She shook her head. “Why!” She growled. Aubrey didn’t know what to say or do. She wanted to hit something she was so angry. All that work and now look at her.

"I wish I could say this is the worst of it that's just a cosmetic exterior look." Dustin said knowing she wasn't going to like looking in the interior especially in engineering.

“It gets worse!” She declared in a loud voice. “Captain Bagwell had better have few words for me and that is that they will pay!”

"I wouldn't take your expectations too high, he's bound by his old to the federation just like you are." Dustin said and hating the fact he was sounding like he was collaborating .

“It’s not fair that they get by with us!” Aubrey declared as they got closer and she could see there was much more damage than she had thought just a few minutes ago. “I need to assess the ship so I can start fixing her as soon as the wedding is over.”

"I see a lot of late night dinners in our future, you won't do it alone." Dustin proclaimed to Aubrey.

Aubrey smiled at him. “Thank you, I appreciate that.” Her smile quickly left as they entered the ship and she saw more of the damage. “Dustin!” She cried in frustration.

He wanted to pull her clothes to comfort her, but they were on the clock and he knew that would not be a good idea. Instead he walked up next to her. "I know it's horrible." He simply said as he felt the same as he did the first time he saw it.

Aubrey was devastated at the destruction as they walked through the ship. They had been told it could be repaired but she wondered if they might change their mind. As bad as it was she wanted to put the Falcon back together. They needed to show they would just get back up and keep going.

"We'll fix her." Wasn't all that definitely getting to say you don't want to over stress her but he wanted to give her some hope.

Aubrey knew they would but right now she was just feeling so much anger and pain at the same time. This ship was their home and in an odd way she felt violated. “We will.” She said in a strong voice.

"I have a feeling we're going to be having a lot of replicated meals working late on trying to get her up and running again." Nothing suggested to Aubrey knowing that she's going to want to work some late nights.

“Sleep will be a luxury.” Aubrey said. “I won’t rest well until she is back on the mend.”

"you need to sleep, once in awhile I guarantee if the doc finds out you're not sleeping they'll pull you from active duty. I hope you're just teasing me." Dustin said. The chief of security he had a moral obligation to look out for her moral health her physical health and her mental health.

“I will rest.” Aubrey assured him. “But I’m going to be buried in fixing our ship. It will take a lot out of me, I am going to be honest.”

"Everything has to be perfect for the new captain, I know." Dustin said as he predicted what she was going to say next.

“It has to be.” Aubrey said as her eyes widened. “Poor Sarah, her first ship is in ruins!”

"Falcons not in ruin she can be fixed, just a few cosmetic touch-ups here and there are a few conduits replays maybe a couple hull panels we're going to be fine." Dustin said hoping that would make her feel better.

“I like your definition of few.” Aubrey smiled, though she sounded tired. “It makes me feel better.”

"If we stay positive, I believe that good things will happen." Dustin said trying to sound like the voice of optimism.

“You are right.” Aubrey nodded. “If we wallow then they win. We will show them.”

"You will get her up and running in no time." Dustin said having all the faith in the world in her abilities.

“Your right.” Aubrey said, shaking off her feelings. “We have to wait until after the wedding.”

"I know it's been a few months, but doesn't it seem like everything is moving way too fast?" Dustin asked. He had no idea that the two lovebirds have been waiting almost 6 years. But it's slowly dawned on him that they have been together for a long time so maybe it wasn't quick maybe it's just he wasn't used to change.

“No.” Aubrey replied with a smile. “They’ve been together for years. I can’t tell you exactly how many but at least four.” She was glad to talk about something else. “Some people know almost right away.”

"Well I know for sure." Dustin said keeping his answer quick and short to the point. He don't want to scare her off in case she didn't feel the same.

“I knew when you took me on the surprise date for our one month anniversary.” Aubrey smiled as she remembered. “We were on leave and you reserved a holodeck and took me to Risa.” Her eyes met his. “It wasn’t about the trip but your thoughtfulness and planning. You knew what it meant to me.”

"You mean the world to me, someday I can see us getting married." Dustin said, knowing that he wanted you he should probably talk to her family.

“So do I.” Aubrey nodded. “But Dustin, I don’t want a wedding like this one. I want to enjoy it and if I were in Anna’s shoes I would be so nervous I would be sick to my stomach.”

"You do realize we're not engaged right, I'm saying someday." Dustin told her, knowing deep down that this is not how he was going to ask her to marry him he would have a better plan than just simply talking about it casually.

Aubrey’s eyes widened and she felt her face flush in embarrassment. “Yes, I know that.” She needed to change the subject. “How are we doing for time?”

"I don't have anything on the calendar for tonight, I just want to spend time with you." Dustin said with the big smile on the face.

“What do you want to do?” Aubrey asked him. She was rattled over the ship damage, the wedding for their friends and Dustin thinking she assumed they were engaged.

"Maybe the promenade, been awhile since we went on a date. been so busy with everything been going on lately that we haven't had time just to be us without work.

“I like that idea.” Aubrey nodded. “It will distract me from thinking about the ship and the job ahead of me.”

"I think we all need distraction. It still hurts me you know. Having the Borg inside my mind like that and not be able to stop them." Dustin said, you know I knew how Picard felt all those years ago. The stupid transporter recoding sequence was all it took to force a mass assimilation of the young population of the federation. Now thankfully they were able to solve that problem this time, but the board were proving to be more annoying than ever. Their technical prowess was definitely improving and not for the better.

“I’m sorry.” Aubrey said. “I need to be more considerate of what you have been through.”

"I'm not the only one that went through this you know." Dustin said is he starting to feel like a Debbie Downer. He didn't want to spend too much time on this topic, he wasn't sure why he was bringing it up now. Maybe has to do with the wedding in the marriage and him wanting to marry her but needing to find the right way of doing it. He didn't want to be in a casual conversation he wanted to do some big Grand gesture.

“I know that.” Aubrey said quietly. “It affected me too. I just have a problem talking about it. I don’t know if I want to face the reality of it. “

"I don't think we're going to have much choice. Starfleet is practically forcing therapy down our throats I know there are some people who are resisting like me. I don't need a shrink telling me what I already know."

“Therapy didn’t help before.” Aubrey said with a sign. “It just brings it all back up and I end up in pain all over again.”

"I can't speak for you but I agree with you, but I think it's cuz I wasn't ready. I still don't know if I'm ready." Dustin said, he was trying to be open with her about how he felt.

“If you feel like you need to talk to someone then I think you should do it.” Aubrey said quietly. “I just don’t know if it will help me.”

"That's the problem I'm in the same boat as you are, I don't know if it'll help me. People keep telling me it will." Dustin said shaking his head, lost and confused not really sure what to do in that aspect.

“I think the best thing would be to sit down with people who went through it.” Aubrey murmured. “I feel like the last counselor I saw really didn’t understand.”

"Probably true, but what do you say let's get out of here for a minute maybe get something to eat or go walk around the promenade." That's an asked, as he's trying to get his mind away from this topic release for the moment.
“I am up for that.” Aubrey smiled at him. “I’d like to spend time with you and not think about all of this.

"Then follow me to the promenade, we're going to make the most of this night." Dustin said as he held her hand which is something he hadn't done in a while. But tonight he felt like he wanted to be really close to her.

"That sounds like just what we both need." Aubrey said as they joined hands. They needed this before they started fixing the Falcon.

Admiral Potato Head — 10/16/2023 4:44 PM
Since there is no one else around he pulled her close with the hand that he was holding and then embraced her with a small kiss to show his passion for her.

Aubrey kissed him back quickly. “Let’s have a good time and forget about the universe around us.”

"That sounds exciting and scary, I approve. Just don't get me fired from my job." Dustin said with the big grin on his face.

Aubrey smiled. “I would never do that because where you go I will go.”

"what happens if I want you to serve on a federation penal colony a Chief Warden?" Dustin ask with a teasing tone to his voice.

“Then I guess I will adjust.” Aubrey smiled at him. “You aren’t scaring me off.”

"Don't worry I don't want to work at a prison." Dustin said is as they started walking back towards the promenade.

“That’s good.” Aubrey grinned. “I really didn’t want to either, but I would have.”

"seriously? You would go somewhere distasteful just for me?" Dustin said his heart practically melted before, he know that they had a strong relationship he didn't realize it was that strong.

“Yes.” Aubrey nodded seriously. “We are together for better or worse. I will always walk beside you.”

For better or worse, they weren't married why was she using words like that, he wondered. "I can behind that."

Aubrey grinned. "I just dont want a long distance relationship."

"The lucky for you I'm not interested in command anytime soon." Dustin said with a smile on his face. At some point he wanted to be a commanding officer but not today.

"When you do we will figure things out then.” Aubrey replied. “You will make a great command officer one day and I will be there to support you.”

"I appreciate that, we can talk about the future another time right now I want to live in the moment with you." Dustin said as the scene starts to fade away.

“I couldn’t agree more.” Aubrey said with a smile. She sensed he wasn’t on board with discussing their future and she was fine with that. Today was good enough for her.

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