A New Dawn

Posted on Sun Jan 7th, 2024 @ 8:14pm by Commander Jenna Ramthorne

Mission: The Beginning of the End
Location: Earth
Timeline: Current-ish

“Computer, thunderstorms please.” She said as she tossed another article of casual wear into her cargo bag and picked up another. She didn’t have much where memorabilia was concerned. Just a few odds and ends, a photo or two.

The computer acknowledged with a be-deep and then began a preprogrammed series of thunder and gentle rain falling. With the advent of weather control devices on Earth, the rain only happened when those in control decided it was needed, and rarely with the joy of thunder and lightning. But over the course of her stint alone, sulking in her moments of deep depression, the rain had provided a quiet escape from her thoughts. And with the recent judgment of the council, she had plenty to think about.

Bag mostly packed, she began peeling her own duds from her person. Pants slid right off, a sign of her weight loss. As she pulled off her shirt, she paused briefly as the scar displayed brilliantly in the mirror's reflection. She touched it gently and wondered why she had chosen to keep the memory. And then she turned slightly, catching a glimpse of the whip scars upon her back.

Every bump, groove and disfigured lump of skin was a reminder of where she had been and what she had been through. They were the pieces of memorabilia she carried with her, which she would never lose and never forget. After tossing her dirties into the reclaimer, she moved to the replicator and ordered a new uniform in her size, and began combing her hair out. It had grown long, almost to her tailbone, long. For now, she would wear it in a high ponytail, later maybe she would have it cut. The red-violet color had lost some of its vibrant sheen unfortunately over the years.

Hair up and back, she began donning the new gray and black uniform with the red-accented undershirt. Pants on, boots laced, she stepped back to have a look in the mirror. Posing and shifting to get a better look, she commented, "I miss the old uniform." She pulled her hair out of the jacket, as it was trapped, and then noticed a cardinal had flown up and perched upon her window sill. Vibrant red with a silky black stripe upon its chest, she watched in awe as it cleaned its wing, before leaping off and taking flight once more.

"Well, you understand how I'm feeling, don't you?" She asked of the long since departed red bird. "Computer, I'm feeling good, play something classical." She said as she turned back towards the mirror with a small box in her hand.

"Playing Feeling Good by Michael Bublé." The computer responded before belting out a rhythmic tempo that almost perfectly summed up how she was feeling.

She opened the box, dread filling her heart. Three pips, not four. A significant reduction in rank. From Captain to Commander in the blink of an eye. With a sigh she began placing them on her collar properly, all the while thinking she was lucky she had earned back any rank at all. Pips on, outfit complete, she gave one last look around the room as the man sang:
It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
I'm feeling good

She slung the bag upon her back, then hesitated for a moment as she thought about her personalized hand phasers hidden in a box under her bed. Polished titanium finish with formed alabaster hand grips, they were the last remnant of her previous life. But the song held the answer for that, and she acknowledged it for what it was. Turning, she walked out the door, knowing the automated system would take care of things for her. She then tapped her badge, "Starbase One, one for transport." And a moment later she was gone in a shimmer of blue stardust. A new day, a new beginning.

TBC