Coming Back Home
Posted on Sat Aug 13th, 2016 @ 12:33pm by Major David Lorenz & Marine Captain Quentin Harrison & James Holbridge & Sam Elliott III & 2nd Lieutenant Jordan Holbridge
Mission: Further Challenges
HOLBRIDGE HALL
GRAND BALLROOM
ARCHADIA PRIME.
Jim Holbridge's opulent mansion was decorated tastefully in preparation for the gigantic welcome home party Dave Lorenz had planned. Upon hearing that his best friend had been located, Lorenz had immediately began planning thhe welcome home celebration for his friend. Archadian diplomats, Starfleet pilots, Marines, sheepherders, drunks, anyone who had been influenced by Jim had a standing invitation to the party.
Dave and Quentin Harrison stood on the mansion's landing pad awaiting the inbound gunabout. Both Marines had helped Jim search for his brother and form what was now known as Nebula Gold Security Company, now a Delta Quadrant private security company with several important clients ranging from high-powered dictators to low-level drug czars. Lorenz and Harrison, along with Sam Elliott and Maxim Kamarov, had trained and codified the TRADOC used by NGSC and had established the company as the gold standard of private security.
Dave looked up to see the NGSC Arrow-class combat runabout, or gunabout, swoop in for a landing. The craft flared and settled to the rear, then quickly leveled off for a soft touchdown. Lorenz grinned to himself, Jim must have taught his son that little move! he thought as the boarding ladder hissed open.
The first one down the gangway was Sam Elliott, followed by Amanda Fulton, both NGSC senior operators and mission participants. Like Lorenz and Harrison, Sam and Amanda were both original founding members of NGSC and along with their friends made up the clandestine unit known as Team One, a black ops capable strike team long since retired as each member now was involved in other projects in and around Starbase 900.
Last down the gangway was Jim Holbridge himself, thinner than normal and sporting a full beard, Jim looked around the pad in suprise, then smiled at his friends. "You wen through all this trouble for little old me?" he grinned at Dave, grasping his friend's shoulders and mock-shaking him. "I said 'no parties!'"
"I'm not your subordinate anymore!" Lorenz shrugged, returning his friend's grin.
Jim looked back into the gunabout and motioned to a red-haired woman. "Come on out, Rhona! he smiled widely as a beautiful red-haired woman descended to the pad. "Wait till you see what I found while I was playing!"
Lorenz rolled his eyes as he extended his hand to Rhona. "I'm Major Lorenz, commanding officer of the Marine detachment on Starbase 900 and your boyfriend's best friend."
"James has told me about you, and you as well, Mr. Harrison!" Rhona said extending her hand to Quentin.
"Pleased to meet ye, lass!" the big Scot smiled.
"The pleasure is mine, Quentin," Rhona turned to Jim. "Your friends want to welcome you home, darlin'! I suggest we let them!"
"Hear hear!" exclaimed young JD Holbridge as he descended the ramp. "It will be nice to welcome Dad home the right way!"
"Then it's settled. Everybody inside!" Jim gestured, making his way towards his home.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER
The party had wound down as most of the visitors went home. Jim, dave, Quentin, Rhona and Amanda sat at a table watching JD and a young Archadian woman argue. Both young people were pilts, but JD was arguing, quite convincingly, that the outcome of a dogfight depended on the skill and experience of the pilot, not the machine. The Archadian woman was having none of it.
"Five slips of latinum says the boy gets clobbered!" Harrison said.
"No way, ten says he dogfights her!" Lorenz disagreed.
"You're both wrong, JD will demonstrate why he's right....there!" The Archadian pilot slapped JD on his back, then chugged her mug of beer. JD followed suit, loudly belching after he finished his beer. The woman pounded the young man's back enthusiastically.
"Who does he remind you of?" Lorenz asked, looking right at Jim.
Jim looked at his son, smiling with pride. "He's a chip off the old block, but he got Tricia's style and manners."
Dave continued to look at Jim. "It's been awhile, pal. I miss Tricia, too; but I am glad you are moving forward. I don't think she would have wanted you to stay alone forever."
Amanda came up to Dave and put her arm through his folded one. "I agree, Jim. You found a good one in Rhona."
"Indeed he did, missy, and I will be keeping this lug outta mischief, sure!" Rhona grinned, wrapping an arm around Jim's waist.
Jim pulled her close, catching a dark look from his son as he did so. Jim arched an eyebrow at him and the boy quickly turned away. Shit! Jim swore to himself. I'll deal with him later. Jim found a champagne glass and tapped it with his finger. Ladies and gentlemen thank you for this wonderful welcome home!" The remaining crowd erupted into polite applause. "I can't tell you about most of the details of what I was doing, but I had made the decision to hunker in a bunker on Dormeil Prime, but reality and a defective plasma conduit quickly changed my plans. I came to on a strange world not knowing who I was, and a kind, lovely redhead and her father found me and nursed Rme back to health until my Marine pilot of a son and my CSAR team could locate and rescue me." Jim gestured to Rhona, who drew closer to him. "I want to thank you publicly for my rescue, Rhona. You saved me from making a terrible mistake."
Jim leaned in to kiss her cheek, but Rhona turned to kiss him squarely on the lips. "You're welcome, Jimmy!" she smiled when their lips parted.
THE NEXT DAY
0700 HOURS
STARBASE 900
NGSC OFFICES
Matt Collins was sitting across from Jim Holbridge, who was reviewing a padd containing Matt's request to join Starfleet and become the station's chief engineer. With a sigh, Jim tossed the padd onto his desk. "Why in hell do you want to work for the Fleet when you have a plum job here? Don't I let you design what you want, build what you want? If you join up with Admiral Grumpy Gus and his All-Weirdo Review, you'll be saying 'yessir, nossir, three-bags-full, sir' until you wanna rip your hair out by the roots! My advice is stick with the shipyards awhile longer. I have an idea for a ship that will need your special touch, kid. Think of Project:DAUNTLESS but with a drive system that actually works!"
Matt nodded and smiled. "I wouldn't mind taking a crack at slipstream drive again." He took a sip of coffee from his mug and continued. "Boss, I been working for you nearly three years, and it hasn't been boring. I know I belong in Team One, and I know I have a home here at HSI, but the other members of Team One have moved on with their lives, while I'm here building ships for the Fleet like always. I want to do somethjing new, meet new folks..."
Jim nodded. "I have just the ticket. I just got a contract with a Talaxian freighter company. Seems that their having issues with pirates jumping them on their routes. I'm going to send Ghost Squadron to escort them to and back on their runs, and I want you to take a fire team and train the freighter crews in anti-boarding tactics. If you still want to join the Fleet after you get done with this deployment, I'll give you a glowing letter of recommendation to Admiral Grumpy."
Matt couldn't hide his smile. "Why do you call him that?"
"Piss him off," Jim shrugged grinning. "The Talaxians will be here in seventy-two hours. Do the prep, work-up, and have your reports submitted before you launch. Oh yeah, take Amanda with you. She is our best hand-to-hand instructor."
Matt nodded and rose to his feet. "I'm off the see the wizard."
"Get lost!" Jim grinned.
"Sir, a Ms. Rhona McDermott is here to see you," Eddie,s voice said as Matt left the office.
"Send her in!"
Rhona came in, hugging Jim warmly and kissing his offered lips. "Hello, I came to see exactly what it is you do here!"
"I build ships, guns, and other things for Starfleet in the Delta Quadrant. I own several factories on Archadia Prime and the orbital shipyard complex. I also own Nebula Gold Security Company, private military outfit that does security and 'other operations' informally for Starfleet."
Rhona nodded. "I see. Tell me, what do you know about a renegade Vulcan named Sybok?"
"Ambassador Spock's half-brother from Sarek, rejected Surak's logic in favor of Vulcan emotions, disappeared over a hundred years ago supposedly beyond the Great Barrier. Everybody knows that."
Rhona nodded, looking at Jim closely. "What do you know about his research in shield technology?"
Jim looked at her. "Why do you ask?"
"I have heard rumors about an experimental shield matrix that Sybok developed and integrated into the Enterprise-A's emitters. That shield design was advanced for it's time and would be worth a lot."
"True, I can look it up for you if you like. I'm sure Memory Alpha has a record of the shield specs." Jim said, typing in some commands on his console. "Oh, damn, it's classified! eyes Only, Starfleet Command."
Rhona shrugged. "It was just a thought I had for making you more latinum! Come here to me!"
Jim wrapped his arms around her and lost himself in her kiss, wondering why she brought up Sybok's shields."
Jim, Dave, JD, Sam, Rhona, and Amanda
Back Home Where They Belong
