Good Bye is Forever

Posted on Thu Oct 13th, 2011 @ 8:03am by Lieutenant James Holbridge

It sure was odd being in class again after all these years, but as the Admiral had said Jim had been in the Corps and needed to review some of Starfleet's operating policies and procedures. They weren't too terribly different from the Corps's way of doing things except Starfleet preferred diplomacy over direct action, something that chafed against Jim's very nature as a combat flier.

The Academy staff was very helpful in getting Jim signed up for the classes he needed. There were six courses needed in all: Strategic Thinking, Strategic Leadership, Theory Of Spatial Exploration and Strategy, Federation Security and Strategy, and Defense Enterprise Management. These courses required two years to complete, but Holbridge wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Jim knew that his post on the base was a vital one and didn't object to the coursework. The classes themselves were prerequisites for advancement through the ranks and to tell the truth Jim was happy he wasn't being mustered out.

=^=Lieutenant Holbridge, Captain Lorenz is inbound in the runabout Albany and has requested a private meeting with you at the Nexus club. SIGMA. Message ends=^=

Jim stood and gathered his pads. An instructor came over to his table. "Is there a problem, lieutenant?"

"I have an appointment I forgot about, Commander Hooker. I need to be excused for the day."

Hooker nodded her head and Jim fairly bolted out the door.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER
THE NEXUS CLUB

Jim came up to David's table and saw that his friend was no longer in uniform. "Rough day on Divitia, Dave?" Jim asked as he seated himself.

"Nice costume," Lorenz retorted. "You lose a bet?"

"Touch", Jim smiled as he poured himself a glass of Romulan ale. The stuff was illegal in the Alpha Quadrant, but the base seemed to have a never-ending supply of it. "What the fuck is goin on with you, Dave?"

"I'm resigning from the Corps! That fucking bitch, Fulton, read about my formula that damps my telepathy and recommended that I undergo rehab." Substance abuse rehabilitation was essentially a kiss of death for any officer who loved field action. "I hit Sakkath in the jaw, and rather than detain me he simply ginned up a resignation on the spot and had me return a runabout to the station. I have to gather my gear and be on the way to Dormeil Prime in the Alpha Quadrant within thirty-six hours."

Jim took a big swig of his drink. "I could have you placed under arrest, taken to the brig, confined to solitary, and begin court martial proceedings against you for striking an officer...but, since you resigned," Jim picked up the padd and made a correction, "some hours ago, Starfleet rules no longer apply. So I can't take you into custody without a civilian review board on the base. See my point?"

"Yes." David answered shortly.

"Look, buddy, we been through some hairy shit together. You had my back and I had yours. Even out here in the Delta, that's what we did. But it's time for us to move on, do something different. Head back to your home and chill for a few months."

"I need to book passage on a ship heading back to the Alpha Quadrant, Jim. I'm outta credit." David looked at his friend, his eyes pleading.

"I got it, buddy. There's a ship called the Algonquian at slip number 2 getting ready to shove off. I'll book you in VIP quarters so you won't be bothered by the on-board constabulary." Jim smiled.

David looked at his friend, a man whose life he had saved several times. "I didn't want it to end like this, not with me running away."

"If you had kept your temper, you'd still be a Marine...but maybe that is the problem. I still say you joined for the wrong reasons. They never found who killed your brother, did they?"

Dave shook his head.

Jim continued, topping off his friend's glass. "You became a Marine so that nobody would ever fuck with you again. When that damned Fulton did an end run and stabbed you in the back, something in you said 'Enough of this shit!' I'll see what I can do about mending fences with Sakkath. The main thing for you is to get to your mom's place and hole up there for a month or two." Jim checked his chrono. "The ship is heading out in thirty minutes, pal. Materiel just beamed your belongings to the VIP quarters."

"Walk me to the ship?" Dave asked.

"Of course."

SLIP TWO:
DOCKING PORT, USS ALGONQUIAN

Jim Holbridge and Dave Lorenz looked at the small Intrepid-class vessel docked and waiting for its VIP to board. Lorenz had tears in his eyes as he looked at his friend for what might be the last time. "You have been a brother to me, Jim. I want you to have these." David handed Jim his captain's bars and his Starfleet communicator. "When you look at 'em, always remember they belonged to the man that saved your ass!"

Jim reached into his duty vest and pulled his aviator's wings out of the pocket, then handed them to David. "These are for you. If you ever get in over your head, just call and I'll come get you."

Both men wrapped each other in a bear hug. Jim stepped back. "Get going before I change my mind and have you thrown in the brig!"

David smiled, then turned his back on his friend, Starbase 900, and the Marines and strode into the ship's airlock, head held high. Jim turned and walked away, making a mental note to speak with Sakkath and Commander qeraQ' when they returned.

a post by

LT. James Holbridge
Strategic Operations Officer
Starbase 900