The Emerald Island

Posted on Tue Feb 21st, 2017 @ 8:32am by
Edited on on Tue Feb 21st, 2017 @ 8:57am

617 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: New Faces and Terror Beyond
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Timeline: Two Weeks Earlier

Lieutenant Commander James O'Connell walked up the long stone pathway towards the small cottage that sat up on a hillside located just outside of Dublin. He stopped and took a deep breath taking in the various smells of whatever it was that his mum was cooking inside. According to the chronometer of the Praxis in orbit around Earth by the time he had beamed down to the planet it was dinner time.

"What are ya doin'?"

He heard the feminine voice coming from the top of the hill and looked up to see a thin red-headed Irish woman staring down at him. James instantly recognized her as Erin and grinned. "Visiting home." His own Irish accent had lost some of it's flavor from eighteen years of service to Starfleet.

Erin charged down the hill and wrapped her arms around her oldest brother and pressed her head into his chest. She looked up at his collar instantly recognizing them as the insignia of a Lieutenant Commander, "A promotion?" She asked giggling lightheartedly.

"Yea."

Hearing the commotion Richard came outside, "Mum has supper waitin' get yer arses up here!" He wore a smirk on his features happy to see James standing down there. It had been four years since his eldest child had set foot on Earth.

Erin turned and looked at her dad shaking her head, "I swear that ole' man has lost his marbles!"

James burst into laughter, "Alrigh' alrigh'..." He remarked dragging his little sister and his bag up the hill until they were inside the cottage. The first thing that greeted him were all the photographs lining the walls of the home. "Where's Tyler and Jen?"

"Headin' this way now..." Riley remarked.

A few seconds afterwards two forms materialized inside of the kitchen startling their mum. "I really wish ya had a bit o' respect..." Riley squeaked.

Erin rolled on the floor in fits of laughter. "Don' be so dramatic Mum." She managed to breathe between the giggle fits.

James stepped in between his little brother and other little sister so that he could help get the dinner items to the table. Something about his entire family made him regret joining Starfleet and made him wish he could just resign his commission and come home. But, he knew that his father would never allow that.

"I see Starfleet promoted ya." Tyler chimed as he grabbed James by the shoulders and shook him firmly. "Congratulations are in order... Da' where's the ale?"

Jen rolled her eyes, "He probably has ta leave this evenin'?" She smiled wrapping her arms around James' waist. "It is nice ta see ya." She kissed him on his arm.

"After dinner aye." James remarked sadly, "I have been reassigned to the Dreadnought as Chief Engineering Officer."

"Then we best get to eatin'." Riley remarked with a smile, "Congratulations mi' boy!"

Just then Tyler burst into the room carrying several bottles of Irish ale. "Let's get d'is party started eh?"

Richard planted his face into his palm and shook his head before sitting down at the table. He finally looked up and smiled at each of his children all of them were successful in what they were doing. This was his legacy... Four children three stayed at home while the eldest explored the stars. Erin had decided to take up oceanography while Jennifer and Tyler were both Federation News correspondents.

James sat down after everybody else had and looked up with a smile on his face. This was his family and in about two hours he would be leaving them again in order to head towards the USS Dreadnought a ship that he did not quite realize the full scale of just yet.

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