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Saving the Colony - Flashback

Posted Jan. 4, 2020, 11:39 p.m. by Lieutenant Junior Grade Shaun Grecken (Doctor) (Steven Sigle)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Shaun Grecken (Doctor) in Saving the Colony - Flashback

Posted by Lieutenant Kate O’Neill (Chief of Security) in Saving the Colony - Flashback

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Shaun Grecken (Doctor) in Saving the Colony - Flashback
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
SNIP
https://www.star-fleet.com/core/stf5/odin/notes/15757/ Link to orignial post -Lets keep this off the record

“Rick let them in,” Grainne’s voice became more authoritative. “You know what will happen so open the damn door.” Her voice was taking on a shrill aspect the longer she spoke.

“And risk infection,” he growled at Grainne. “He is not one of us. You want to sacrifice our lives for his. This…this nobody!”

“I’m not a nobody, I helped you all for years. I can help you now but you just have to open the damn door!”

“Shaun we are cut off and options are rapidly disappearing. We need to get into that building,” Kate said pulling out her phaser. She could buy him some time but Shaun had to be the one to get them through the door. This was one-time brute force was not going to help. Looking at the approaching band of colonists, things started to click into place. The door had not been locked. It had been barricaded.

Lt. Kate O’Neill COS

“We just landed, look you can let us in and set us aside and watch over us if you need… but you can’t just keep us out here.” Shaun said, his tone firm as he looked at the two.

Grecken, Doctor

The rain began to fall as the growls could be heard, looking over at Kate then back over at Grainne he couldn’t help but remember the first time he saw her. He had just arrived on the colony no more than a few weeks. His original placement on the Viking had been redirected at his request. He was supposed to have been married but the time he had been there. Instead he was finding himself at a pub wishing he was anywhere but here.

Two Years - Scripture Pub

Entering the pub Shaun felt the subtle relief of the air hitting him, combined with the discomfort of being soaking wet. Looking around he found a table in the far corner. He said as he sat down with a PaDD in hand. He was clearly trying to avoid most contact as he sat, going out of his way to make no eye contact with anyone as he settled in.

Looking down at the PaDD the subtle dot blinking, awaiting his input as he stared at it. He wasn’t sure what to write in this moment. Just six weeks ago he was going to be married, now she left and fled from him. She hadn’t reached out, but neither had Shaun either. He couldn’t place all the blame on her in this moment of solitude. He never even tried to give her a chance to fix anything. He could have chased her, but chasing gives someone a chance to hurt you twice. Time had giving him perspective and he knew he had to say something, even if it was in text.

“Woke up this morning, can’t shake the thunder from last night. You left with no warning and took the summer from my life. I gave you my everything, now my world it don’t seem right. Can we just go back to being us again?” Shaun said as he read the paragraph back to himself. It seemed beyond cheesy to say the last, sounds like some Irish pop band if he was honest. Looking up he wondered if he should get something to drink. His life had sen bleak but every Irishman he knew wouldn’t pass up a pint during time of sorrow.

Grecken, Doctor

“Sure we can. Order something so I don’t have to throw you out and you can explain to me how I make your world right. I am going to say a warm shirt, a pint of Guinness, and a Rueben for starters. After that, you get some sparkling conversation with your truly that asks all the boring stuff but peppered with enough sarcastic charm about how a man in uniform does not impress me. Finally, the night will end and you will spend until dawn thinking about me and whether I loved or hated you this evening. So shall we start with the Guinness or the shirt?” The tall and rather thin woman said standing next to Shaun. She was obviously an employee of the bar with the apron around her waist but her looks spoke more of a model than bar wench. Long dark hair framed her face. High cheekbones accentuated her eyes which were a muddled green but striking in their own right. Not by the color but by the smile and humor behind them as she looked at Shaun.

Grainne Kelly

“Excuse me?” Shaun said, his accent shining clearly as he narrowed his eyes. Shaun seemed like he was about to say something else as he sat there but couldn’t help but blink as he shook his head. “What? Is… is that some kind of anti pick up line? I mean… do you need those here? This isn’t exactly thrillsville here lass. You just tossing all guys out the airlock before they even ask anything? Come on you can do better than that, make me feel revolted, push me away like no other man has even been pushed away. Go ahead I will score you.” Shaun said with a small smirk as he eyed the young lady.

Grecken, Doctor

“Well, it is only anti-pickup if you are trying to get rid of someone and I am only trying to get rid of extra work not you. You’re dripping on my floor and you can’t be comfortable in that wet coat and shirt. You look like something the cat dragged in and while I only have a set of dry clothes and hot pot roast it is the small things that sometimes can change an entire day. Be right back,” she said tapping the table in a rhythmic fashion before heading off towards the kitchen.

Shaun felt his eyebrow raise as she left. He wasn’t quite sure what to take from this woman. She certainly was entertaining but he felt like shuttle lag, he hadn’t be on the planet long and barley even knew if this was a socially acceptable time to ask for whiskey.

Five minutes later she returned with a bag and a large plate teeming with mashed potatoes over what appeared to be a plate of sheppard’s pie with another Guiness on it. “I made a few choices for you. We are out of pot roast but the sheppard’s pie is far better. In the bag, you will find clothes. You were wrong about this place not being thrillsville. It is small but exciting. Quaint but full of adventure if you know where to look. You are new here. I am from here. This could be the beginning of a new start for you if you give it a chance. I say start by getting something warm in your belly and dry on your back. You can change over there,” she indicated a restroom in the corner. I’ll be back to check on you in a few minutes. Don’t dawdle though. That pie is no good cold and I worked too hard on it to make you think I can’t cook. It’s homemade and not replicated so if you don’t like it don’t tell me to tweek the replicator. ” Granine sauntered off to another table leaving everything she brought for Shaun on his.

Granine Kelly

Shaun looked p at her as she walked off, he couldn’t help but look at the curves of the uniform for her. Smirking he grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a small statement as he got the clothes and walked past the waitress, placing the paper in the palm of her hand.

Standing there Grainine would look down at the paper in her hand, as she opened it she would see one simple phrase written on the paper. You look like you could use a fifteen minute break.

Shaun had been hurt, and while his heart was no way pining for this waitress they often said the best way to get over heart break was either hooch or cooch, he figured right not try both.

Grecken, Doctor

Granine looked at the note in her hand. She wasn’t sure she was ready to go that far with this guy but he was easy on the eyes and she needed a distraction. Finishing up a conversation at the table she was tending to she slowly walked to the room that she had indicated she wanted Shaun to change it. She raised her hand to knock at the door but then decided against it. “You can always claim it’s an accident if you walked in and he wasn’t decent,” she said as she palmed the lock and opened it. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on your point of view Shawn had changed everything and was just getting ready to slip into a shirt. The guy wasn’t built like a security officer but she had nothing to complain about looking at him. After taking in the sights for several seconds a smile started to form on the corners of her mouth. “Don’t you Starfleet boys have some rule or regulation about being out of uniform,” she teased seeing him in the rough tan pants and thick sweater that most of the men wore this time of year. Clearing her throat she walked over to the pile of wet clothes lying on the floor. “Did your mother raise you in a barn,” she said picking up the soaked shirt,”or do you just have a thing about wanting to have a slipping hazard with wet floors.

Granine Kelly

Shaun bite his lower lip as he looked at the woman, “And didn’t your mother tell you to knock, besides you took too long I was able to figure out the clothes all on my own.” he said with a sly smirk as he came up, getting right in the doorway as he made sure both their bodies were close to each other.

“If you had done it in the dark I would have been impressed. Besides you are a doctor,” she said slowly. “Didn’t you have to memorize that whole the leg bone’s connected to the knee bone. The knee bone’s connected to the thigh bone. The thigh bone’s connected to the hip bone,” she said the first part of the song but got a more sultry tone as she said, “do you know what to do when you get to the hip bone.” This guy was so easy on the eyes and seemed to have a quick wit. She liked the verbal play between them and hoped he was not just quick with the pickup lines. Only time would tell. As he stood inches from her, Granine got a good look into his eyes. They were a gorgeous shade and held a hint of excitement behind him.

“I think next time if you wanna take someone up, don’t be so shy… I wouldn’t have bitten, unless you asked nicely.” he said as he leaned in her whispering in her ear as he took the wet clothes from her hand as he walked back to his table.

“That said, maybe I can entertain you lassie, change it up a bit.” he said as he looked behind to double check if she was following him.

Grecken, Doctor

A flush ran to her cheeks but it was not from embarrassment. It was from excitement. This Grecken was going to be a handful and she was ready for the challenge. Following in step behind him, Granine arrived at the table three steps behind Shaun. “I was thinking more that you could help me with something.” Extending her arm she said “I am not sure what to do. My arm hurts when I go like this? Any way to fix it,” she asked holding it out.

====================
An hour later.................

Grainine had been born and raised on the colony so it seemed only natural that she would be the one to give Shaun a tour of the place. The fact that it was at one in the morning made no difference. She and Shaun walked down the center of the town which was filled with colorfully painted buildings selling all the normal things town’s offered: coffee, pastries, clothes, jewelry, and furniture. Leading him to a path behind the large church they found themselves on a small pathway overlooking a spillway from the river. The sound was relaxing as the water created a mini-waterfall about three feet tall as the river ran over the stone. The spot was scenic even in the dead of night. Light from the streets gave them enough illumination to move about without tripping. The inky blackness of the night was filled with a sky filled with stars. Stopping by a wall of large stones, Grainine gestured about. “This place is a favorite in the town. You can’t see it but right over there,” she pointed, “is a large grassy area where a lot of people picnic, kids play ball, people walk their pets…in the day of course. At night people come here for other purposes.”

She let her statement hang in the air. There was no doubt she was attracted to Shaun. Grainine was not stupid enough to think he was head over heels enamored with her but they were both of age and knew what they were doing. “So what do you think of our town,” she said gave him a different topic if the one on her mind was not the one he wanted to pursue.

Grainine Kelly

“I admit I was always much of a city boy, but this reminds me of where my uncles used to take me out in Ireland. My mom was English, well half but my dad never let her claim the Irish side in her. Jeremy and James, my Uncles, would often grab me go on strange adventures, this still do in fact. They wanted me to come back to Cheshire but I just could head out there. Not… now.” Shaun said, a small hint of regret seemed to fill his voice as he shook his head.

“Still, they would love this place. So much to explore, in some ways that’s what they loved to best. See the world, explore it first hand.” he said as he looked over smiling softly at her. “So, what about you… always been a colonizer or did your family start on Earth?”

Grecken, Doctor

“We are all from Earth. It’s the missed transport by five minutes or taking the left path instead of the right on that changes your life and plops you down to the location you’re at,” Granine said in a philosophical tone. “However in a more pointed response my family has been here for as long as it matters. My lotsa back grandparents wanted a change. They were tired of the same future and took a chance.”

Granine’s answer was the truth but it was also an explicit probe to find out more about the handsome stranger standing next to her on the dark river banks. The Starfleet outpost wasn’t huge on Persie but it was not a single man outpost either. Men and women came here for one reason usually: To change their life. Some had done something to get demoted and were trying to get back into the commands good graces. Shaun looked a bit scruffy but he didn’t have the laizze faire attitude of a slacker who didn’t care about his job. Some were young and just got the crap assignment coming out of the academy. This could easily be the reason based on his age and his slightly brooding demeanor. The last option was he was running from something. Many of the younger crowd here were running from their families who black sheeped them for joining. This could also be possible.

The night however was too perfect to get bogged down in a long and drawn out story. If Shaun talked she would listen because the reason he was here did pique Granine’s curiosity. If Shaun didn’t want to bring it up she was okay too. Letting out a deep sigh Granine stretched her arms.

“Persie isn’t such a bad place though,” she said with a happy grin. “You’ll see. The food is good, the air is clean, and the people can be as friendly as you let them.” Moving between him and the river bank Granine looked up at him as Shaun surveyed the landscape.

“If you want tomorrow I can show you this place in the daytime. Over there,” she twisted her top half of her body pointing across the river,” is a lihhhhhh,” she began to squeal as the bank from the earlier rain began to crumble under her feet and she felt her body pinwheeling back toward the water. On instinct Granine reached out and grabbed fist fulls of Shaun’s shirt to try and steady herself as her feet slid rapidly down the muddy bank.

Granine Kelly.

bump

“Are you asking me out on a date Ms Kelly? It sounds awfully date like.” Shaun asked, looking her over he couldn’t help but smile softly at her. She was lovely, and it did help forget the pain to talk to her. “I mean what will the people of this place think… but if you insist I will accept.” he replied smirking a bit as he felt himself blush and grow warmer a the thought.

Grecken, Doctor

“Easy there Mr. Grecken. I am talking about coffee, a muffin, and a trip to O’Shanlin’s Wonder Emporium. I am not sure I like you enough to call it a date. Let’s use the term hospitality tour. Depending on how that goes I might be inclined to let you sample the local wares as one could say,” Grainine taunted him. Whatever had been eating this guy earlier in the night seemed to be sleeping away. He was smiling easier, laughing quicker, and eager to open up.

Grainine Kelly

Bump

“Coffee and a muffin, sounds like a great time then. So what local wares do you guys have here?” he asked her as he playfully bumped her hip and smirked at her. “So where is this Emporium?” he asked her, wondering where they would be heading.

Grecken, Doctor

“Anything that suits your fancy. We might not be as flashy as some of the other worlds but at times all you need is what is right in front of you,” Granine said with a sly smile. “We will have to wait until morning though for the muffin. Walk me home,” she asked him pointing towards an imaginary point in the road.

As they walked Granine realized that Shaun was a nice guy, a really nice guy. He was funny and charming. Why anyone would not snatch him up concerned her. He was obviously just coming off a relationship so the question was, what was wrong with him. It was too early to delve into who broke up with who yet but that conversation would come eventually. It took a bit but soon she had learned of where he was from and his family. Five sisters would shape any guy in ways most men couldn’t understand. As she reached her small house the rain began to pour again. Standing under her small awning, she and Shaun were dry at least for now.

“The first rule of Persie is always carry an umbrella,” she said with a wane smile, “second rule is get cozy with your neighbors and wait out the storm out.” Granine’s tone had a slight rise to it as if it were a question. Her bold invitation was not indicative of her true personality but is he did wait out the rain it would be on her couch.

From deep in his coat pocket a personal communicator rumbled indicating he was receiving a message from somewhere. Glancing at the display it would read O’Neill, Kate.

Lt. Kate O’Neill COS

Bump

“One moment…” Shaun said as he stepped aside moving to a corner slightly out of ear shot from Grainne. “What is it Kate?” Shaun asked, his voice devoid of any real affection. He wasn’t really feeling talking but he knew he needed to, she wouldn’t stop till he talked to her.

Grecken, Doctor

Kate felt her stomach lurch as she noticed there was no visual to her call or that wherever Shaun was it was pitch black. Since they were children they always took calls with visuals but so much had changed in the past few weeks. Kate was having a hard time adjusting. Yes, she had called off the wedding at the last minute but never had she thought Shaun would have bolted that fast from her given the chance. His leaving spoke volumes to her even if it was in ink only she seemed able to read. It was hard going days on end without a word or message. As difficult as it was saying she wasn’t ready to get married, losing him completely from her life was a wound that no doctor could heal or suture. Kate walked around in a daze on auto-pilot praying for a message from Grecken checking her communicator a hundred times a day since they broke up. Kate had mentally prepared herself to not be Mrs. Grecken but she never prepared herself to be no one in his life.

What do you want Kate Everything in her soul wanted to open up to the voice on the other end of the line but what could she say that she hadn’t already. Shaun was hurt and angry with every right yet a part of Kate desperately needed for him to show any emotion other than neutrality. If he was mad, she could apologize. If he was sad, Kate could make amends. It was the apathy she had nothing in her arsenal to combat. I can’t do this without you. I am lost and alone and need you. I need your patience. I need the sound of your voice. I need to hear the rhythm of your breathing as you sleep next to me. I need to know that no matter what you will pick up the call because nothing I say or do could ever cause you to stop loving me, Shaun. I need you to be stronger than I am right now. I don’t know how to be me without you, Kate let the words mentally spill from her heart. This is what she needed to say, yet somehow it was becoming clearer and clearer Shaun could move on.

Kate looked around at her quarters on the Viking. He had no idea of the mix up with her transfer papers. The decrepit ship seemed to be falling around about her like some living purgatory of which there was no escape. Maybe this was her penitence for hurting him. “I spoke to your mom the other day. She said you were heading to a colony instead of the USS Heartford. I just,” Kate let out a small cough to hide the knot forming in her throat. She could barely say Heartford. The etymology for ford came from the Middle English word faren which meant to go or journey. Kate and Shaun joked that their first ship as a married couple would then have been on a hearts journey. Like many other things, it did not come to be.

“I just wanted to make sure you got to where you needed to go safe and sound,” she fought to get out each word in a tone matching his. It was abundantly clear to her though in the first ten seconds that calling Shaun was just another bad idea in a string of bad choices, Kate had made recently. “Wow, looked at the time though. I just realized it is like 0300 hours. I am sorry if I woke you. Take care okay. I luh,” she began on auto-pilot and instantly remembered that was something Kate could no longer say to him. “Bye Shaun,” Kate reached out to click off the screen ending the call.

Lt. Kate O’Neill COS

“Woah woah woah, Katie bug hold on.” Shaun said as he took a deep breath as catch her a few seconds before she could hang up as he took a deep breath as he shifted a bit as he stood there.

Kate felt a cold chill wash over her body. She had exactly what she wanted: Shaun talking to her. The problem was Kate hadn’t planned to actually talk to him. She only wanted to hear his voice. Her hand hovered over the button and she raked her bottom lip with her teeth. The silence hung between them like a thick fog. If they had been in the same room, the silence would have been because she was again in his arms. Now it was because light-years hung between them representing not only a physical distance but an emotional one.

“I’m fine okay… sort of. I need a different route, a new escape, so I found it.” he said as he took a deep breath, he wasn’t certain just how far he really wanted to get into this. He loved her still, he never stopped but she was the one who broke it off. He wasn’t going to just beg her to come back, that wasn’t how this worked. If she wanted him she had to understand she made the mistake. Otherwise, history was bound to repeat itself.

“From me,” Kate said without thinking. It was hard to stay within the polite barriers now constructed between them. Never had Kate worried about these barriers before yet it was like a diplomatic meeting with an enemy every conversation she had with Shaun since the breakup. “You know skip that okay,” she hurriedly stopped the conversation from going down to the corner of Are you Kidding Me Avenue and How Is this My Fault Boulevard.

“Are you okay?” he said, it was the least he could ask as he wondered himself just what she had been up to since getting to the Viking.

Grecken, Doctor

“I have been better,” Kate said in the flippant tone Shaun would know she only used when trying to be funny or silly. For a fleeting second, she was back with him and calling because she was having a bad day. Shaun would waffle between listening, solving her problems, and checking Gaggle for funny memes as Kate climbed her soapbox and fired up the old woodchipper. “I have,”

“O’Neill,” a voice blared over her comm badge. “We need you on deck 18 ASAP.”

Kate made a grumbling sound in her throat and dropped her head to the desk with a thunk. “I gotta go but can I call you later,” she said already standing up in a hurry to log off. Her statement was rhetorical. She would call again regardless yet the ‘I love you’ closure was still not able to be used.

Granine looked at Shaun from under the moonlight. She could tell from Shaun’s verbiage the person on the other end was either someone he was annoyed with or trying to get rid of. Hopefully, it was the latter. “How about some eggs,” she suggested nodding towards her home. It was going on 5 am and even she was getting hungry. She would find out the scoop about the woman on the other end later. Right now she just wanted to enjoy being with Shaun.

Lt. Kate O’Neill

“I… yes we can but… maybe in tomorrow morning at your dinner? I can… I can meet you there?” Shaun asked, knowing this was a bit of a wet blanket right now as he took a deep breath as he looked at Grannine. She was gorgeous, and he would love to see what morning eggs with her might be like but right now he couldn’t think on anything but Kate. He was worried about her, despite her breaking off their marriage he still loved her. He couldn’t stand the idea of her squirming and feel bad about herself.

Grecken, Doctor

bump


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