Graduation Day

Posted on Tue Dec 15th, 2015 @ 1:20pm by Major David Lorenz & Marine Captain Quentin Harrison & James Holbridge & 2nd Lieutenant Jordan Holbridge

Mission: Further Challenges

Several hundred people milled about after the graduation speech read by Commander Rousseau had put most of them to sleep, grateful to be moving again. Jim Holbridge and his son, surrounded by friends and family, stoof in a knot near the center of the quad.

Holbridge looked at his son with a mixture of pride and love. "I can't tell you how proud I am of you, boy. If your mom was here, she'd be busting her buttons, too!" Jim said and gave his son a fatherly hug.

Lorenz stepped forward. "I have an announcement. I have consulted with Major Smith and he and I are in complete agreement: the Fighter Corps is no place for our new nugget! However, I know this lad has had his heart set on flying for a long time. Therefore, I am assigning JD to our CSAR department as a rescue crewman/flier."

The small group broke into a round of polite applause as Lorenz ruffled JD's hair.

"This way you can rescue yer Uncle Q when he gets his arse in a jam!" Harrison chuckled.

"Thank you, everybody!" JD said, looking proudly at the golden lieutenant's bar on the left shoulder of his dress blues.

"Okay, enough of this mushy bullshit! There's food and drinks at my place!" Jim smiled.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER
HOLBRIDGE FAMILY QUARTERS
STARBASE 900

Jim and David sat in Holbridge's study, sipping on some Archadian brandy, a potent liquor that gave the traditional O'Bannon's reserve a run for its money. "Dave, I'm getting old!"

"Me too, buddy!" Dave smiled, gunning down another glass of the brandy. "When I first met you, JD was no more than a sprout and Kim was just a babe. Now, the boy's an officer and Kim is on her way to being a heartbreaker, just like her mom."

Jim smiled. "Yup, my kids have a lot of Tricia in them.

"They also have you in them, pal. That's why they are so strong."

Jim looked at David seriously. "I want your word that you will look after my boy, He's my only son...that I know of. He's my pride and joy, along with his sister. They are all I have."

David put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I will protect him as much as I can, but you and I both know the dangers of being a Marine officer. I can do only so much."

"I know, buddy." Jim sighed and rose to his feet. "I have to take the Poltergeist to Hobyshian Yards tomorrow and I'll be gone for a couple weeks. Sam will be running HSI day-to-day and Matt has NGSC. Don't forget us.

"Not a chance!" Lorenz saluted his friend and left the luxury apartment., wonder where Amanda had wandered off to.