Reflections

Posted on Tue Jul 16th, 2013 @ 5:24am by Commander Connie Butterworth

Mission: Nothing Stays the Same
Location: Butterworth's Quarters, USS Pacifica
Timeline: 22nd of December 2382, 07:35 Hours

ON:

~~Butterworth's Quarters USS Pacifica~~

Connie sat at the glass dining table in the corner of her and Daniel's quarters with a large mug of replicated coffee in her hands. It hadn't been the start to the day that Connie had been hoping for when she had first got out of bed in the morning. Last night Daniel had become distant following the bombshell that was dropped on him by Admiral Grayson. He had gone to bed in a bad mood and had woken up in the morning in the exact same mood. He had barely touched his breakfast and had left for the bridge much earlier then he normally did. It was all unusual behaviour from Daniel and it was starting to worry Connie who was growing increasing concerned over her husband’s wellbeing. She knew that he hadn’t been sleeping very well over the past couple of days. Last night had been no different as she had felt him tossing and turning throughout most of the night.

Reflecting back over the last couple of weeks Connie realised that it had everything had started back when Lieutenant Commander Markson and First Lieutenant Mitchel went AWOL in search of Markson’s sister. At time Connie along with many others had been gobsmacked by the decision of the officers to take matters into their own hands. Daniel had been shocked as well, but Connie suspected that it had affected him more than he had originally let on. It was followed a few days later by the sudden promotion and transfer of the Pacifica’s Executive Officer L’Verrem who had been selected by Starfleet Command to take command of the starship Destiny. L’Verrem’s transfer had hit the entire crew hard and left Daniel scrambling to find a suitable replacement on very short notice. It was a decision that she knew he was still struggling to make. That brought her back to the events of last night, to the Christmas tree that they had both diligently worked on and to the call by Admiral Grayson. Daniel had found his usual Christmas spirit and was in such an excellent mood as they worked together on putting up the tree for the year. Connie had taken it as a positive sign, she hoped that he was back to his usual self but then the Admiral had called and sent her hopes along with her husband’s mood into a rapid tailspin.

As she nibbled at the crust of her last slice of toast that was covered in a generous helping of raspberry jam, Connie looked across to the tall Christmas Tree that stood near the door that led into the bedroom. The tree was a glow in colourful blinking lights of red, blue, green and yellow. Its broad green pine needle branches were covered in gold and silver tinsel, dosens of coloured glass balls and various ornaments that both she and Daniel had collected over the years hung from its many branches. She noticed somewhat sourly that there were still decorations to be hung as there were a number of bare patches still on the tree. Despite its unfinished state the beautiful tree filled Connie with a sense of hope and optimism, deep down in her heart she knew that everything would work itself out in the end. She just had to remain patient, keep doing what she had been doing and just be there for him.

She finished her toast downed what was left of her lukewarm coffee, then stood from the table and cleaned off the table. It was starting to get late and she needed to get moving if she was going to make it to Sickbay on time. She returned the dishes and food scrapes to the replicatior unit then made her way into the bathroom. Once in the bathroom Connie hanged her satin dressing gown up on the hook next to the shower bay and stripped out of her nightgown. She let it drop down into a pile on her floor along with her underwear. Tucking her hair behind her ears Connie gently moved her clothes out of the way and into the corner with her foot then stepped into the shower cubicle. The doors slid shut behind her and she turned the shower on activating the sonic jets that hummed into life. She closed her eyes, allowing the sonic waves to wash over her and massage the muscles in her back and neck. Connie didn't mind using the sonic option in the shower, but she much preferred the more delightful feel of good old fashioned water and soap, which was the option that she nearly always took.

Connie deactivated the shower and reached out to grab her violet satin robe that she had hung from a hook on the bathroom wall. Shrugging herself into it, she freed her hair from under the collar of her gown and went about tying up the sash around the waist. She gathered the rest of her things from the floor as she walked to the door. Exiting the bathroom she was greeted by the sight of the sleek grey lines of a Federation shuttlecraft as it flew past the windows in a graceful arc. In the distance she could also make out the faint outlines of another Federation starship hovering close to Starbase 456 with its unmistakable red and blue glow from its nacelles shining bright. She couldn't make out what type of ship it was but she assumed from its small profile that it was probably a small scout ship or a destroyer of some kind, maybe a Sabre or a Centaur. She quietly wondered to herself if the ship was the USS Tranquillity, the vessel that Daniel had told her would be taking Lieutenant Commander Horne to the peace talks on Starbase 99.

She continued to look out over the impressive view from the windows as she walked the length of her quarters to her and Daniel's bedroom. Connie stowed her night clothes under her pillow for use again that night and straightened out the bed covers, flatting out all of the visible creases. She picked up her hairbrush from her night stand and turned to face the free standing mirror that was an old family heirloom of hers. Running the brush through her shoulder length dark brown hair, Connie studied her reflection closely as she fixed up her hair for the day. Once she was satisfied with how her hair was looking Connie placed her hairbrush back down on the counter and walked across to the wardrobe that she shared with Daniel where she started getting dressed.

OFF: I hope that I managed to get the timeline right with everything that I brought up in the post. Also I had hoped to post again sooner then this but I am away with my family at holidays until Friday. I will post again when I get home. - Connie