New Beginnings

Posted on Wed Oct 5th, 2022 @ 9:06am by Commander William Gerhard & Ensign Michael Sloan

Mission: Sojurn
Location: Mess Hall
Timeline: Day 312, 23:00
1152 words - 2.3 OF Standard Post Measure

If recent events had told him anything, Sloan had been reminded that the journey they were on was dangerous. Going home was not certain. And, they would most certainly run into more beings that they had never encountered before. Hopefully, the majority of them would be peaceful, but so far they were not exactly fortunate. The Vrav had been one thing, now they ran into universe jumping soul eater. Even though he had been cleared to return for duty and the leadership team had developed methods that would hopefully counter any more incursions, Sloan was still kept awake by his own mind. Leyton's death and the loss of two crewmates into the unknown made the Chief Engineer consider the crew and how small everything around him felt now.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Sloan let his gaze fall from the table before him out to the black emptiness of space. His thoughts drifted between two lifetimes that still felt like movies. What felt more real to him more than anything were the flashes of memories from the encounters with the Xindi over Earth and the time aboard the Atlantis at the beginning. It was the same ship and mostly the same crew, but everything had changed. They were truly on their own out here. Deep in his own thoughts, Sloan was entirely caught up and unaware of what was going on around him.

William entered the mess hall and immediately made his way over to the beverage dispenser. Grabbing a glass from the cabinet, he placed it in the machine and spoke, "Water, cold." As the glass began to fill he leaned against the bulkhead and rubbed his face. While nearly recovered from his injuries, William had been having some difficulty sleeping still. Dr. Avira had mentioned something about residual psychological trauma, but she had emphasized that it would take some time. This particular evening, William had tried to fall asleep. But he'd been restless, and the dreams were still coming to him. So he'd ventured to the gym, figuring that some exercise would tire him out. All that had succeeded in was making him more sweaty. So he was here in the mess hall, perhaps some contemplation was in order.

He saw Sloan seated at a table staring out into space, and as he took a few sips from his glass, he made his way over to where the man sat. He didn't sit down immediately, rather he stared out the view port with him. "Puts things into perspective doesn't it," he asked as the stars passed them by.

"It does," Michael replied, turning to the voice. About to offer some quip about interrogations, Sloan decided against it. It had become more known about the traumatic experiences Gerhard was subjected to by the whole John Smith experience. If anyone else aboard the ship knew what it was like to have their head messed with, it was Sloan. Instead, the Chief Engineer used his foot to scoot the chair on the other side of his table out. "Care to join me?" he offered.

William stared at the proffered chair, before looking back towards Sloan. With a curt nod, William sat and leaned back as he took another pull from his class. For a moment, the two men sat there in awkward silence, which neither was eager to break. Before long, William cleared his throat before speaking, "We seem to be having a run of bad luck. First the Vrav, now an interdimensional creature stalking us."

"I think I'm just about ready to see the beach planet where they practice a culture of rest and relaxation," Sloan smirked as he took a sip of his coffee. Looking down at the table for a moment as he tried to figure out how to say what he wanted to say, the Chief Engineer reestablished eye contact, "You've really proven yourself, and I'm happy that you made it."

William laughed slightly at the mention of a beach planet. Personally, William would prefer a planet with a much colder climate. He looked back over at Sloan and their eyes met. He nodded slightly before looking back out the viewport. "I can't help but wonder if I'm deserving of it. Seems the only thing I've proven is how inadequate I am at protecting this ship. The Vrav, the alien ship, the tower collapse, and now this...creature," he said softly.

"We're alive," Sloan pointed out. "How many other Atlantis versions do you think he cut through?" shaking his head a little at the thought of different versions of himself being killed over and over, "The survivors in the pod no longer have their ship or their universe."

William shuddered slightly as he also thought about what Sloan said. "That thought sickens me, but part of me wonders if we were just lucky," he said before he looked over at Sloan, "Who is to say we didn't just buy more time before the inevitable?"

It was something Sloan thought about often as well. "If you're asking how much of our survival was skill versus luck," he shrugged slightly, "it doesn't matter, we just learn and prepare for next time."

William looked back out the viewport and took another long sip from his glass. Without looking over, he cleared his throat slightly before speaking, "I...feel I understand what you went through now." He knew nothing more needed to be said. William was of course referring to Sloan's revelation as being a Romulan spy and William's hostile treatment towards him. Having gone through his own psychological trauma of late, William now looked back on his own conduct. Especially now being the XO, he knew that he if there was anytime to bury the hatchet it was now.

Waiting for the inevitable but, Michael took a few moments to respond. This was one of the only times that the two of them had sat peacefully in recent times. It felt strange to remark on each other's experiences. They both were different people who had undergone different mental trauma, discussion felt like it would only lead to a comparison that would take them nowhere. Instead of getting sentimental, Sloan merely reached out his hand while making eye contact with William, "To new beginnings and being better than we were yesterday."

William looked over at the man as he sensed some movement. He saw Sloan's outstretched hand and for a moment he just stared at it. He was surprised that Sloan had been the first of the two to make the gesture. Had the roles been reversed, William knew that he might not be as forgiving. The hostility between the two had been fierce, but it had not affected their roles when on duty. After contemplating for a moment, William reached out and took the other man's hand and shook it firmly. "New beginnings," he said in response.