Out Of The Frying Pan

Posted on Tue Sep 29th, 2015 @ 8:28pm by Commander Louie Rousseau

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Fleet Shuttle Rosewood

The morning alarm buzzed insistently, pulling him from a pleasant dream of sun and hills and a lake that sparkled so vividly that he had to shade his eyes.

"I don't wanna go to school today..." Louie mumbled. He had a final exam to proctor, a make or break exam for the seniors who planned a career in covert ops. With a groan, he rose and staggered his way to the bathroom. Prying one eye open, he looked in the mirror and the other eye immediately popped open. His hair was...white! Frantically, he ran his hand through it. Like that is going to help. Not a sign of brown anywhere. What the hell??

You are seventy-two Louie, what do you expect? It was Céline's voice. But she was gone...wasn't she?

He cursed aloud as he braced his hands on the counter, letting his head drop. He certainly did not feel his age but the mirror didn't lie. What was going on?

“Commander Rousseau?"

The male voice reached him, instantly scattering the images and he jerked awake to find himself stretched out in the back of a shuttle. The hum of the engines told him they were in motion and a sigh of relief escaped him. It had been the dream again. Or was that nightmare? Ever since his orders for SB900’s Academy had come in, it had been an almost nightly visitor. He knew the exact day that haunted him, too. The last class he'd ever taught, the day of his retirement. And it had preceded the day he had departed for a long overdue vacation and travelled into the annals of legend.

It had only been a few short years since they had re-emerged in the Fleet but to Louie, in context, it was a flash in the pan. No one, save what few crew members and passengers had survived the jump through the rift that had carried them forward in time, could understand what it was like to be literally reborn. It made them oddities alright, but by Louie's estimation, he was one lucky man. He didn't look like he was 169 years old, and he certainly didn't feel like it.

"Commander Rousseau?" The ensign's voice interrupted his thoughts yet again. "We will reach SB900 in one hour."

"Noted. Open a channel to Admiral Hawke and I'll take it back here, thank you."

"Aye, sir. Just one moment."

One moment. The very idea brought a smile to Louie's face. Time certainly held a very different meaning for him these days and he laughed softly.

"Sir?" The pilot spoke up at the laugh.

"Nothing, Ensign Greyson. Just an old man enjoying a joke."

"Right sir." The pilot exchanged a look with the co-pilot, then they shrugged and left Louie in peace.

Louie turned his attention to the monitor before him and the map of the area surrounding SB900 displayed there. He certainly had gone from the frying pan into the fire. This sector was always a most interesting chess match among those with an interest here, and one wrong move...

"Sir? Admiral Hawke is on."

That kid had some timing. Louie smiled as he shook the thoughts away and turned to the monitor.

"Louie, it’s good to see you." The distinguished face in Louie's monitor smiled, and the deep, mellow voice was most pleasant.

"You as well, Lucius. I know you must be busy, I just wanted to take a few minutes to check in and update you on my arrival."

Lucius waved the concern aside. "You caught me at a good time, actually. By some stroke of good fortune, my office has cleared out. I am glad you called, however. Admiral Wegener has just returned from his trip out to the colony and is looking forward to your arrival. We’re lucky to have lured you to 900. It’s not often we have someone who’s a Fleet legend among us."

Louie laughed at the choice of phrase. "So how much did they pay you to take on a crotchety old man?"

"You underestimate yourself, Louie. You were in high demand and we needed you. Your background makes you the perfect person to oversee the Academy here."

"The background I was given whetted my appetite more than a little, so the choice was an easy one. Besides, I have no one back home to miss me, so staying in the back forty won't be a problem."

"The back forty?" The laugh that rumbled forth from Lucius was jolly and unrestrained. "That's right, as I recall, you grew up in bayou country. We'll have to get down to Archadia and drop some lines in soon. As for the crew here, you will find them a wide mix. Most have stellar credentials, and quite a few have unusual events in their records just as you do. The cadets are an interesting mix as well, but they've come together nicely."

"At least it won't be dull, sir, which is what I am counting on."

Lucius nodded. "I look forward to your arrival. How soon do you arrive?"

"We will reach you in just under an hour, according to the tadpoles driving this shuttle, then I'll be out of their hair and into yours. I'll find you once I beam aboard and meet with Admiral Wegener. I'm looking forward to being on a station and back to an academy atmosphere,” Louie replied.

"Then I'll see you in a few hours, old man. Travel safely."

"I will indeed. Rousseau out." Louie ended the transmission and looked to the pilots. "Let's get this bucket in gear, boys. I'm not getting any younger."

They didn't seem to get the joke, but it kept Louie laughing for a good half hour as they sped towards SB900.

*********

Lt. Commander Louie Rousseau
Dean of Education, Starfleet Academy SB900