[2006: JAN-FEB] The First Promotion

[Tracey]

A sim I wrote about my character going home a long time ago.

Enjoy

((USS Hammond))

::Sector 001 was moments away. The Hammond and Ranger dropped out of

warp at the outskirts of the Sol system and headed through the system

on impulse drive. Eventually, a little blue planet, the third planet

of this system, came into view on the main viewscreen. The planet

that Tracey called home.::

::The Hammond`s arrival at Earth left a sickly feeling in the pit of

Tracey`s stomach. As most of the crew rejoiced in the Hammond`s

homecoming, Tracey felt an awful feeling of lonliness. A couple of

weeks ago Tracey felt just as anxious as the rest of the crew to get

home and tell her parents about the mission. Tell them what life in

Starfleet was like. Tell them about the first of her hopefully many

adventures. But that would not happen. Her parents were lost,

presumed dead, and listed as such by the powers that be. But the

facts did not add up. No bodies were recovered and no debris was

found. So what the h—l happened to that transport between Earth

and Vulcan, a corridor of space that has been traversed by tons of

vessels for so many years?::

::The last two weeks were hard for Tracey. She didn`t put an awful

lot of effort into her daily tasks and spent most of her free time

searching for clues into the disappearance of her family. This was

probably affecting both her physical and mental health since Tracey

was eating little and was refraining from her regular exercise

routine. She considered seeing Counselor Stewart but never got around

to it. She was too busy searching through data banks and files. Time

was the problem, and Tracey didn`t have enough of it. Tracey only had

two weeks to get as much information as she could before going home.::

::Information was hard to come by however. Tracey compiled a list of

all Federation vessels that were in sensor range of the transport on

that day. She tried to get access to their sensor logs and crewmember

ships logs for clues but she was hitting roadblocks. Their sensor and

ships` logs were inaccessible. Tracey found this odd. Ship`s sensor

and general logs are usually public domain but in this case they

weren`t.::

<What`s going on?>

::Tracey then tried to compile a list of all non-Federation vessels

that were in the transport`s sensor range that day, but according to

Federation records, there were none. Again a weird phenomenon. The

corridor of space between Earth and Vulcan is usually very busy. All

kinds of different vessels make that journey. Private couriers,

Klingons, Ferengi, the list goes on. But there were none that day?

All this began to lead Tracey to believe that perhaps there was some

sort of coverup going on here.::

::If this problem happened to someone else, Tracey would probably

advise that person to let it go. Allow their parents to rest in

peace. If the Federation is covering something up, it`s probably for

a good reason. But this hit home. This problem was her`s and she

would not be able to go on until she had exhausted every possible

means of finding out what exactly happened. Then and only then would

Tracey allow her parents to rest in peace, and she herself, rest

peacefully.::

::When the Hammond attained a standard orbit, Tracey went to her

quarters, packed her data PADDS and headed for the transporter room.

Tracey was not alone in wanting to go the surface. There were many

other crewmembers who also wanted to transport down. Tracey had to

wait her turn.::

WELLESLEY: "Tracey!"

::The ensign stopped and turned around immediately looking a bit

surprised. Brynn walked quickly to catch up with her.::

TOWNSON: "Sir."

::Shaking her head, Brynn accompanied Townson to the airlock, who

looked forlorn.::

WELLESLEY: "We're on shore leave, so just ignore the uniform for

now." ::She smiled but her face turned somber right away.:: "I'm

sorry to hear about your parents, I know by experience it's not

easy…" ::Her voice trailed off.:: "If there's anything I can do,

let

me know, ok?"

TOWNSON: Yes Commander, Thank you.

::Brynn simply nodded and walked silently beside her. After a while,

she reached in her pocket and pulled out a tiny box.::

WELLESLEY: "I was going to wait until we returned from our shore

leave to give you this," ::She handed the box to Townson, who looked

all the more surprised. Brynn waited for her to open the box, which

contained a half pip before continuing.:: "I wish I could given it to

you under better circumstances. Congratulations, lieutenant."

::Tracey looked into the box. She wished that she had something to

say. Some way to portray her gratitude, but all that came out

was…::

TOWNSON: Umm, uhh thank you Commander. I really appreciate this. I

will continue to do my best to serve you and this ship to the best of

my ability.

::Instead of transporting each individual to a specific location on

the planet, the transporter chief transported everyone to Starfleet

Headquarters in San Francisco. From there it was up to each officer

to secure their own transportation to their various destinations.::

::Tracey materialized on a transporter pad in Starfleet Headquarters

and proceeded to a shuttle docking bay in order for her to get to her

home in Canada. There was a long lineup as crewmembers from both the

Hammond and Ranger were there. As Tracey waited in line, her patience

began to wear thin and she began to mutter under her breath `let`s

go, let`s go`. She shifted her weight from leg to leg as if she had

to go to the bathroom. Tracey wanted to get to her home quickly and

meet up with her Uncle Sorel. She believed that that was where he`d

be.::

::Around a corner, came a robed figure. The robe was black and it had

writing down the front of it. The hood was covering the head of the

figure. The robed individual headed towards Tracey. She did not

notice this person until he spoke.::

FIGURE: Ensign.

::Tracey turned to look. She was not able to see who it was through

the shadows of the hood. At that moment, the individual uncovered his

head to reveal the figure`s facial features. The pointed ears, the

upswept eyebrows, and the short-cropped black hair. Now Tracey had no

problem identifying who this individual was. She dropped her bag and

ran directly towards the man. When she got to him, she gave him a

long hug and began to cry.::

TOWNSON: Uncle Sorel!

((Earth-Starfleet Headquarters))

::Tracey`s uniform consisted of all the normal aspects with the

exception of her uniform tunic. That was replaced by her pastel

colored yellow and green ski jacket. She was wearing it with the

collar up, covering her new rank pip on her red turtleneck

underneath.::

::Tracey backed up from Sorel to leave a short distance between the

two of them. She lowered her ski jacket`s right side collar to reveal

her new rank to her uncle.::

SOREL: Pardon me , Lieutenant. Congratulations.

TOWNSON: Thank you.

::Tracey wiped her eyes dry with the sleeve of her jacket.::

SOREL: You don`t look too well. Perhaps you should see a physician.

TOWNSON: No, no. I`m fine.

::Tracey felt much more comfortable now that she was in the presence

of Sorel. Comfortable to the point where she felt like eating again.::

SOREL: Very well. I have secured us a shuttle. Are you ready to

depart?

TOWNSON: Hold on.

::Tracey ran back to the line to retrieve her bag of data PADDS and

then came running back.::

TOWNSON: OK. Let`s go.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

-

::The furthest the shuttle was able to go was New York City before

Tracey had to stop and get something to eat. There wasn`t a lack of

choice restaurants in this neighborhood, but Tracey needed something

fast, so the two of them chose a little fast food restaurant called

the Replideli. Tracey knew the food here was made through a

replicator, but she didn`t care. She was starving and replicated food

was fast.::

TOWNSON: How`s your salad?

::Sorel took time to finish chewing and swallowing before answering.::

SOREL: Agreeable. How was your sandwich?

::Tracey had just finished her pastrami sandwich, a staple in this

city for centuries, and was now sipping from her cup of coffee when

Sorel asked her his question.::

TOWNSON: Excellent. Hit the spot. ::She patted her stomach.::

So….What do you think?

::Sorel was looking over the data PADDS that Tracey brought with her,

while eating.::

SOREL: Your findings are inconclusive since you were unable to

retrieve any logs from the vessels listed here.

TOWNSON: They`re gone. I couldn`t get access.

SOREL: I see. When we get to your house, I shall try to access the

necessary records. While I am busy with that, you should get some

rest.

TOWNSON: Aye sir.

::Tracey smiled at Sorel, but as usual, her uncle did not reciprocate

the action, although his mouth did move into a slight smile, but only

for a fraction of a second.::

::Sorel finished his salad and washed it down with a glass of water.::

SOREL: We should depart.

::The two of them left the restaurant and headed home to Montreal. As

soon as Tracey opened the front door, she headed straight to her room

and fell asleep in a bed she had not slept upon in years. Sorel went

to work to try to access Starfleet records through the Townson family

computer.::

((Townson Home-Montreal))

::The aroma of freshly brewed coffee was circulating around the

house. The morning sun was sending rays of light through the kitchen

window. Sorel was sitting at the table still going over data PADDS

when Tracey entered.::

SOREL: Good morning.

TOWNSON: Morning Uncle.

SOREL: I thought you might like some real coffee after so long

drinking the replicated beverage.

TOWNSON: You read my mind. Thank you.

::Tracey went to fill a cup full of coffee before joining her uncle

at the table. She sat down at the table and stirred her cream and

sugar into her coffee and started sipping from her cup. Her eyes

wandered to the kitchen window. The late fall weather made the leaves

on the trees change their colors. Some were red and some were yellow.

It was a sight that captivated Tracey. She had not seen fall weather

since she left for the academy. Tracey had always looked forward to

this time of year when she was young. She used to go out everyday and

look up at the sky hoping it would snow. Fall meant winter was around

the corner, and winter meant ski season would begin. That same

learned, anxious feeling came back to her and she was caught off

guard when Sorel began to speak.::

SOREL: It seems as if my old Starfleet security codes are

ineffective. I am having the same difficulties as you have had in

gaining access to any files pertaining to the transport.

TOWNSON: Oh…oh yeah. Sorry. ::She rubbed her eyes.:: I`m still

sleepy. Were you able to tell granny what happened?

SOREL: Yes. I sent her a communiqué eight months fourteen days

ago. She never responded and since I have not had the opportunity during

that time to make my way to Earth to visit her, I can not be sure she

even received it, or for that matter, understood it.

TOWNSON: Then she`s still at Starfleet Medical?

SOREL: Yes. I believe she is still a patient there. I have not

received notice of her being moved to any other facility.

::Tracey`s paternal grandmother `granny` was diagnosed seven years

ago with a neurological disorder that affected the way she looked at

the world around her. Every now and again, she would revert and

relive various portions of her past. She would believe that the

people around her were people from the particular time she was

reliving and would reenact these portions of her life as if it was

taking place now. Sylvia Townson, formerly Admiral Sylvia Townson of

Starfleet Command, now spent her time wandering the halls of

Starfleet Medical with a rare disorder that affected one in a millon

people. Although she was normal, and quite fit for her age, her

relapses made her a danger to herself, and she was unable to make any

trips off the facility without a chaperone. Various medications given

to her reduced the effects of the disease to the point where around

70% of the time, she was normal, but there was no cure. Eventually

Tracey`s grandmother would succumb to the inevitable, permanent loss

of knowing where or when she is.::

TOWNSON: Maybe we should go tell her in person. Maybe she didn`t get

the message. ::Tracey abruptly stood up.:: Let`s get ready. We`ll

head back to San Francisco, visit granny, then go through files at

Starfleet Command. We`ll ask around. It`s obvious we`re not going to

get anywhere from here. Maybe even granny can help us out. You in

Uncle Sorel?

SOREL: It seems like the next logical course of action. Very well

Tracey, I am in.

::They both prepared themselves for the journey and their day ahead.

They both boarded the shuttlecraft and headed back to San Francisco.::

((Starfleet Medical))

::The nurse was looking at Tracey while holding a data PADD::

NURSE: Name please.

TOWNSON: Sylvia Townson.

::The nurse looked at Tracey with confusion. She was behind a desk.

Other nurses were scurrying about behind her.::

NURSE: Sylvia Townson is a patient here.

TOWNSON: Yes.

NURSE: I meant your name.

TOWNSON: Oh. I`m sorry.

::The nurse looked down at the PADD and typed Tracey`s and Sorel`s

name in it after Tracey told her.::

NURSE: Sylvia Townson. ::She said quietly to herself.:: Ah yes. Here

she is. ::She looked up from the PADD.:: She`s in the anteroom. ::She pointed

down the hallway.:: Straight ahead, three doors to your left.

TOWNSON: Thank you.

::Sorel and Tracey went to the room they were told to go to. The

doors swooshed open to reveal a large room with tables and chairs set up in a

classroom type setting. There were about 50 to 75 patients filling the seats. There

was a man spinning some sort of apparatus with balls in it, up on a platform in

front of the room. Tracey and Sorel asked the caregiver, who was standing at

the doorway to point out the location of Tracey`s Grandmother for them. He

pointed in the general vicinity of the middle of the room.::

SOREL: May I ask, what is her condition?

CAREGIVER: She seems fine so far.

SOREL: We are pleased to hear that. Thank you.

::The two of them made their way to where Granny was sitting. Tracey

noticed that all the patients had data PADDS that had grids with letters and

numbers in each grid. They also had tools to mark the squares on their PADDS.

When Sorel and Tracey arrived at Sylvia`s table, Tracey noticed that Granny also

had the same type of PADD and marking tool.::

TOWNSON: Granny?

SYLVIA: Hold on.

::The man on the stage pulled a ball out of the now stopped spinning

apparatus and looked at it.::

STAGEMAN: B-5

::Sylvia looked over her PADD then leaned back in her seat. Tracey

noticed there was no B-5 on her PADD. From the back of the room, someone

yelled `BINGO`. Sylvia sat up and threw her marking tool in front of her.::

SYLVIA: [...] it!

::Everyone, including Tracey and Sorel, turned to see who had yelled

out `BINGO`. A woman, around Sylvia`s age, was standing up in the back of

the room with a smile.::

::Sylvia leaned over to speak to a lady sitting next to her.::

SYLVIA: Can you believe it. That`s Abel`s third win this week.

LADY: Come now Sylvia. There`s no need to get all huffy puffy. It`s

only a game. Besides, ::She pointed towards Tracey and Sorel.:: I think you

have visitors.

SYLVIA: Ah yes. ::She turned to look at Tracey.:: How may

I…Tracey?

TOWNSON: Yes Granny. It`s me.

SYLVIA: What a pleasure to see you. How`s my little Cadet?

TOWNSON: Granny, I`m no longer a Cadet. I`ve graduated. I`m an

officer now.

SYLVIA: Oh yes. I forgot. You`re on the Hammond now. How come you`re

not in space?

TOWNSON: We`re on shore leave now Granny. I brought someone with me.

::Sylvia turned to look in Sorel`s direction.::

SYLVIA: Mr. Sorel.

SOREL: It is I Admiral.

SYLVIA: Well. Look at you. You look like a spring chicken. ::She

looked back at Tracey.:: Hard to imagine that he`s nine years older than me.

SOREL: Vulcan physiology is…

SYLVIA: Yes. I know. Vulcans are faster, smarter, stronger, live

longer than humans. ::She began mumbling to herself.::

TOWNSON: Granny?

SYLVIA: Hmmm? Ah yes. Sorry. So how are the two of you? How are

Scotty and Cynthia?

TOWNSON: We`re fine, but Mom and Dad, they went missing.

SYLVIA: Missing?

SOREL: Yes. I sent you a communiqué regarding their disappearance,

a few months ago.

SYLVIA: Oh yes. Now I remember. ::She turned back to her PADD to

reset her card.:: No need to worry yourselves. They`ll be back.

::Tracey looked at Sorel with astonishment. She then turned back to

address her Grandmother.:

TOWNSON: How do you know they`ll be back? Where are they Granny?

SYLVIA: It`s not a question of where they are but when they are.

TOWNSON:: What do you mean Granny? What do you know?

::Sylvia Townson looked up at both Tracey and Sorel.::

SYLVIA: I can`t tell you anything. I wish I can. The temporal Prime

Directive is in effect. Please leave this matter alone. If Lt. Munroe`s

calculations were correct, they should be back in about four to six months. When they return they will be debriefed by Starfleet Command and then hopefully, everything should be back to normal.

SOREL: Lt. Munroe? The Entente`s assistant science officer? That was

forty-two years ago, Admiral. How is this possible? How come I was not informed

at the time?

::Sylvia abruptly stood up and gave her PADD to the lady sitting next

to her.::

SYLVIA: Agnes, can you take my card? I`ll be back shortly.

AGNES: Sure dear, take all the time you need.

SYLVIA: Thank you. ::She turned to face Tracey and Sorel.:: Let`s go.

We can`t discuss this here. ::Referring to the BINGO room.::

::The three of them left the anteroom and headed for Sylvia`s room.::

((Time-warp – A few days later - A Ski Resort Chalet Somewhere In

The Canadian Rockies))

::Tracey decided to relax for the last two days of her R&R. Dwelling

upon her parents didn`t make any sense especially since circumstances were

beyond her control. Besides, how often does a Starship officer have the

opportunity to return to Earth?::

::Tracey`s Uncle Sorel headed back to Vulcan three days ago after

confirming the story that Tracey`s Grandmother told them. According to Sorel, Lt.

Monroe`s slight error in trajectory calculations, in sending Tracey`s parents` transport back to the present, from forty-two years back, had them

overshoot their time by fourteen months. So five months and twelve

days from now, the transport that disappeared a little over eight months ago,

should return, if it survives the return flight. And Tracey`s parents will

be just over five days older than they were at the time of the transport`s

disappearance, because, according to Tracey`s granny, they only spent

five days there.::

::The story that Tracey`s Grandmother told her and Sorel left

Tracey`s head spinning. Forty-two years ago, Sylvia Townson was first officer of a

Starship called Entente. The ship`s Captain and Science Officer (Lt. Commander

Sorel) were on a mission off ship. Tracey`s Grandmother, Commander Sylvia

Townson at the time, was left in charge. To make a long story short, the Entente

answered a Federation distress signal from a transport vessel that was

obviously Federation origin but of no design that they were familiar with. With

audio communications only, they informed the Entente that they were heavily

damaged after travelling through a temporal rift between Earth and Vulcan.

Commander Townson put two and two together and ordered no further contact

between the two vessels with the exception of notifying engineers as to what kind of equipment was necessary to help repair the transport. All necessary equipment

was sent back and forth using only transporters. No contact with the transport

was made otherwise. No one, including Sylvia Townson, knew who was on board the transport or when it came from, but Tracey`s Grandmother did know the

name of the vessel. It was written across its hull. The same name that was

written across the hull of the transport that Tracey`s parents boarded eight

months ago. The Terrasse.::

::What goes around comes around. What happened in the past must

reoccur in the future for the timeline to work out, was what Tracey`s Grandmother

said. That is why Starfleet allowed the Terrasse to make the journey knowing

full well what the outcome of that journey would be. The Terrasse was part of

history, and in order to make history, it had to make it`s journey eight

months ago. All records of the event were sealed so that no one could intervene, and that is why Uncle Sorel was never informed. This paradox left Tracey with a

splitting headache everytime she thought about it.::

::Still, no one knew the outcome. Not even Starfleet. Would the

Terrasse survive the return flight? Tracey would have to wait five months and

twelve days to find out.::

::Right now though, Tracey was relaxing with a cup of hot chocolate

in front of a fireplace in a ski resort chalet. She knew this mountain well from

her younger days when she competed. She almost always fared well here.

This was the last place she wanted to spend time at before heading back to the

Hammond. Before coming here, she wrote her parents a note at home to inform

them she was there, in case they returned, and paid one last visit to her

Grandmother again at Starfleet Medical. But her time was running short. When she

finished her hot chocolate, she put the cup down on the coffee table in front of her,

took one last look around, stood up, threw her bag over her shoulder, and took

her comm badge out of her pocket and pressed on the front of it.::

TOWNSON:=/\=Townson to Hammond…one to beam up.=/\=

Edited February 25, 2006 by FltAdml. Wolf

[Tracey]

Here is the arrow.