The Set-Up

Posted on Wed Apr 6, 2016 @ 3:46am by Commander Caden Aldrex & Civilian Sigrún Aronsdottir

1,316 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Pangaea (Wrap up)
Location: MV Starlight Innovator, docked at DS5
Timeline: MD 11 - 1830

[ON]

"No, absolutely not." Sigrun said, rolling her eyes. She turned around to order something from the replicator, hoping that would end the conversation.

Cade Aldrex wasn't going to let it go so easily. "C'mon! He's a great guy. Give him a chance."

"I don't have time for a date. Iced coffee, sweet." The beverage materialized in the receptacle. "And by the way, how dare you try to set me up with your friend? Do you think I'm some charity case who needs a hand?"

"Of course not. I think you're an exciting, spirited..." he searched his brain for more superlatives. "Gorgeous, vivacious specimen of a woman. Any man would be lucky to spend time with you."

Sigrun shot him a glare as she took her iced coffee back to her desk. They were in her tiny cabin aboard her ship. Cade was by the door, leaning on her locker. "Sweet talk will get you nowhere," she told him. "Besides, I'm shipping out in a few days. We're busy here."

"Oh, come on. You're not that busy. You still have to take meal breaks, right?"

"Yes, but I'd rather eat alone in my flight coveralls, and not have to put on makeup and a dress. My way sounds much more relaxing."

"You don't have on put on a dress! Just meet the guy! If not dinner then how about coffee?" He nodded to her mug. "You like coffee. So does he."

Sigrun heaved a sigh. "Cade. No. Really." She brought the mug up to her lips.

Cade flopped his head until it hit the metal locker with a thud. "Is it Riley?"

She shrugged in response to that. "I don't know, maybe? It's only been sixteen months since the love of my life died in a horrible accident? I'm just now learning not to cry whenever I think of him? I can't think of another man right now. I'm just not ready."

That earned a resigned sigh from the Trill. "Yeah, okay. I can understand that."

"Besides. He was rude to me."

"Liam, really? When?"

"At that diplomatic reception you had. He was super nice to all the bigwigs in the room. But when he met me he said something like, 'Uh...enjoy the party,' then he left me standing there by myself."

"Really? When did that happen?"

"After you and Amia went for a dance."

"Look, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to leave you by yourself. I was the senior ranking officer there. I had to partake in all the stupid stuff. And in fairness to Liam I don't think we even introduced you. He's is not a rude person, I swear. He's the best man I know."

"Just forget it."

Cade exhaled sharply. It was mildly disappointing. In his fantasies he imagined his two best friends hitting it off and falling in love. What a great couple they would make! He knew, however, that he couldn't force his own dreams onto other people. Especially matters of the heart. "I won't mention it again. Everything else alright here? Anything you need?"

Sigrun nodded vigorously as she sipped, nearly sloshing the contents of her mug onto her chin. "Yes, as a matter of fact. I've still got an anti-matter generator sitting in my main cargo bay. Thirty-seven metric tonnes. Your station regulations prohibit beaming it out. I need a dockside tractor beam to unload it, but your dock master says he's already got a big backlog of duties for it. Yet every time I glance out into your harbor, I see it just sitting there!" She made a frustrated gesture with her free hand.

"Okay, I'll talk to him about it. We'll get it done," Cade said gently. "If all else fails we can assign a workbee with a built-in tractor emitter. It ought to do the job."

Sigrun calmed herself. "Thank you. It's just that we can't leave until that generator is unloaded." She set her mug down and scratched the back of her blonde, close-cropped head. "Sorry."

"No worries. Come see me and Amia before you leave, will you? Let's do dinner or something."

Sigrun nodded. "Sounds good." She managed a weak smile.

"Great. We'll see you." Cade managed his own weak smile. He activated the door control and stepped out. The door swooshed shut when he was gone.

Sigrun stared at the closed door for a moment, then reached for the small holo-emitter at the corner of her desk. Activating it revealed a small holographic image of her late husband, Riley, wearing the black trousers and white shirt that she'd always thought looked handsome on him. Plus everything else that she loved: the lopsided grin, the wrinkles around the eyes, the thinning hair that worried him so often.

The only thing missing was the chief engineer's PADD that he always had with him. He always had some idea that he wanted to try. One day he would figure a way to fine tune the plasma flow. Another day he'd be obsessed with readjusting the field coils.

She had met Riley on the USS Endurance. Almost ten years ago. Their mutual friend Cade had introduced them to each other, which was fortunate because otherwise they might have wasted all their time stealing shy glances at each other from opposite sides of the mess hall. Hey, Sigrun. This is Ensign Vance from engineering. Can you two talk already? Because he never shuts up about how amazing you are. She smiled remembering the day Cade had blurted that out in the turbolift, followed by Riley's stricken look.

Years later, Riley beamed up one morning from their farmhouse in Virginia to the USS Prevail, an experimental starship built around his new engine design. Before he left he kissed her on the forehead and promised he'd be home in time for dinner. Just a few trial runs at warp speed, then debrief. No big deal.

Sigrun went to work herself and thought nothing of it. Until she got home that evening and found two Starfleet officers waiting for her at the front door.

The ship was gone. With all hands. The cause, they later found, was an undetected flaw in the engine design. Riley's own creation, for which she had encouraged him, had been the cause of his own death. His and 141 other people. In less than a microsecond the Prevail had compressed itself into a one-dimensional quantum string. Not enough time for the crew to even perceive that they were dead. Much less register pain in their minds.

That part was a comfort, albeit a very small one. At least he didn't suffer.

Sigrun switched off the holo-imager and exhaled sharply. "Oh, hell with it," she muttered, flipping open her communicator. "Sig to Aldrex?"

Two seconds passed before the reply came back. He was probably walking through the crowded concourse to get to the turbolift. "Aldrex here? What's up?"

"This friend of yours. Is he really that hard up for a date?"

Uh...no. In fact he has a pretty good social life when it comes to the ladies."

"So why did you come and drop this on me then?!"

"I didn't drop anything! I just thought you two might like each other. I did say I wouldn't mention it again, remember?"

Sig rolled her eyes then said, "Tell him...tell him I'll contact him when I get back. We'll do something. I don't know, dinner maybe."

There was a long pause. So long that Sigrun began to wonder if Cade had heard. Then he replied. "Okay, you bet. Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I figured why not. Let's make it a plan before I change my mind."

"Great! I'll catch you later. Aldrex out."

[OFF]

Lt.Cmdr. Caden Aldrex
Executive Officer

Sigrún Aronsdottir
Freighter Captain
(PNPC Bert)

 

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