THE OLD GUARD
STARDATE 03.06.22
SECTOR 50
Captain Severick floated out of the Assembly Room in his Anti-Grav Wheelchair. He was one of the last ones to leave the meeting. The briefing had taken all day and he was exhausted. The Europa Offensive to destroy the P10A Battleship was a complicated plan, but it had a good chance of success. Much of it depended on how Babylon would respond to their assault and what countermeasures they would implement in advance. There was much to be done aboard the Old Guard before the Offensive launched.
In the hallway outside of the Assembly Room, Captain Severick literally bumped into Captain Melina Dequest, an old flame of his. Immediately, long buried emotions surged to the surface within Captain Severick. If anyone was to be the One for him, it would have been her.
“Oh! Captain Severick! I apologize. I didn’t mean to run into you like that.”
Captain Severick answered promptly. “No need to apologize, Captain Dequest. The fault is mine. Sometimes I fail to see certain areas around my Wheelchair…blind spots if you will. How are you doing?”
“I’m…fine,” Captain Dequest replied in a soft voice as she tucked in her hair behind her ears. When Captain Severick had known her, many years ago, her hair was blonde. Now it was colored black. It was a refreshing change. Her deep blue eyes were still unmistakable, as was her voice. The years had been kind to Captain Dequest, kinder than they had been to Captain Severick, for her skin showed few signs of wrinkles. She looked almost exactly as she did back when she and Captain Severick were together. Her body was slightly larger, but this was normal for a woman her age. Typically, Captain Severick would have towered above Captain Dequest. But since he was now in a Wheelchair, it was she who was looking down at him. It was unsettling for Captain Severick, although he would never admit it.
Captain Dequest quickly tried to shift the conversation away from herself. “I’m so sorry to hear about your legs, Stephanos. I know it must have been so difficult for you to adjust to a Wheelchair. I would have come immediately if I wasn’t so far away. My assignment was on the other side of Europa. But I really wanted to be by your side. You must believe me.”
“I do,” Captain Severick replied as he looked downward momentarily. He recalled the first few days of using his Anti-Grav Wheelchair. It was not pleasant. “But you have your own Ship and Crew that you are responsible for, Captain Dequest. Your first duty is to them, not me.”
Captain Dequest went quiet as she studied Captain Severick’s facial features. Although weathered, she still found him handsome. She remembered all the times they spent together.
“Please Stephanos, call me Melina. You are not my subordinate and I am not yours. After all we’ve been through, I think we have earned the right to call each other by our first names.”
“Of course…Melina,” Captain Severick said hesitantly. “So…what is your impression of Europa’s Offensive Plan?”
“I think it is foolishness,” Captain Dequest stated plainly. Captain Severick was surprised by her candor, but then again, Melina never had a problem openly speaking her mind. It was one of the qualities he admired about her.
Captain Dequest continued, “To risk so many ships, so many lives, just to destroy one Battleship? I don’t see the justification behind the decision. There must be more to this Offensive than we are being told. Surely there are more efficient ways to destroy the Behemoth? And really, how much of an effect can one ship have on the War with Babylon in general? A limited amount, I would say.”
Captain Severick thought to himself. He rubbed his beard out of subconscious habit. “You may have a point, Melina. But it is not our place to question Orders. Like those under our Command, those Orders must be obeyed, whether there is agreement or not. I will do my part.”
Melina was always impressed by Captain Severick’s devotion to duty. “And I will do mine, Stephanos. But surely Captains are allowed to think, aren’t they? We are not simple robots following commands. That is why we have our positions. To question, to analyze, to conclude, to ponder, to wonder, to formulate. You think the same thoughts as I do, you simply don’t voice them.”
Captain Severick went silent. Melina knew him well. Perhaps too well. He did not dispute her claim.
“Where were you anyway in the Assembly Room, Stephanos? I didn’t see you in the large crowd. You weren’t avoiding me, were you?” She giggled softly.
“Of course not!” Captain Severick answered as if he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Few could make him feel embarrassed as Melina could. “Like you, I was simply engrossed in our mission plan. There can be no room for error when executing our roles.”
“Yes,” Captain Dequest said in agreement. She reached down and put her hand on Captain Severick’s cheek. Again, he was surprised by her maneuver. She looked into his eyes deeply.
“You know, Stephanos, I never maintained a steady relationship after you. Oh, I tried, but they all fell short. What we had was something special. So special. And we were so young. So stupid! It just wasn’t meant to be between us, Stephanos, as much as we both wanted it. But there are nights…when…when I would have given up my entire command just to be with you.”
A tear fell from Melina’s eye. It slowly dribbled down her right cheek.
Captain Severick quickly wiped the tear away and then grasped Melina’s hand with his own. His heart ached with memories of the past.
“Don’t say such things, Melina. We both made our choices in life. And each of our roads has led us here. We should accept that, not wonder about what might have been. That will only lead to heartache. Just know that you are often in my thoughts, a priceless treasure I keep locked within me for the world to never know. You will Always be there.”
Captain Dequest smiled. She stood straight up again, withdrew her hand, and regained her composure as a Europa Captain.
“Stephanos…we both might die in this Offensive. Should it come down to a choice between Me and your Duty…”
“I will do my Duty,” Captain Severick answered coldly with a hard stare. “For Certain.”
“Of course, Stephanos. I know you will. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must prepare my ship. I wish you all the best, Captain.”
Captain Melina Dequest kissed Captain Severick lightly on the lips. Then she moved away down the corridor and disappeared into darkness.
AND DEEP WITHIN CAPTAIN SEVERICK’S SOUL, HE WONDERED WHAT DECISION HE WOULD REALLY MAKE IF IT CAME DOWN TO A CHOICE BETWEEN MELINA OR HIS DUTY.
