Catching Up

Posted on Sat Apr 4th, 2020 @ 10:53am by Lieutenant Elijah Mitchell

Mission: Episode 03: "Interlude"
Location: Administration Building Courtyard | Starbase 11
Timeline: Day 1 at 1155

The last few days had been something of a homecoming for Elijah Mitchell. Following his graduation from the Academy, Ensign Mitchell’s first assignment had been to Starbase 11’s legal office as a Staff Judge Advocate.

Strolling through the courtyard outside the main administration building, Eli was stopped in his tracks by the sound of a familiar voice. “What brings you this way, stranger?”

Elijah turned to find his old Commanding Officer sitting on a bench nearby. His once jet-black hair was now liberally peppered with greys, his figure had softened a little, his face had a few more lines than Eli remembered. But the warmth in Commander Jackson’s eyes remained. Elijah smiled at the sight of his old CO, mentor and friend and it was a genuine smile, not the artificial one he used most often.

“Meeting my new assignment here.” He replied as he walked towards Commander Jackson.

As Eli neared him, Jackson stood and extended a hand. “Ah yes. Chief Diplomatic Officer of the Vesta. Nice work, if you can get it.”

“By the sound of it, you already knew what I was doing out here.” Eli observed as his smile widened and he grasped his friends’ hand firmly and shook it.

Jackson’s eyes twinkled as he released Eli’s hand. “What’s the first thing I taught you about being a trial lawyer?”

“Never ask a question you don’t know the answer to.” He replied with a roll of his eyes. It was the first of many lessons Commander Jackson taught him. The two men began strolling through the courtyard. “It’s good to see you again, sir.”

A nearby ringed planet hung in the cloudless sky above them, several of it’s moons also visible. “It’s good to see you again too, Eli. I’ve been watching your career with interest. Can’t say I was surprised when you made the jump from law to diplomacy. You never loved the law in the way you did politics and interstellar relations.”

“What’s that old saying? ‘Do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life’?” Elijah’s mother had always been particularly fond of that saying. “Well it’s true. I love my work and it doesn’t feel like work.”

The upward trajectory of Elijah’s career was a stark contrast to that of Commander Jacksons. In a little more than a decade, Eli had gone from a green Ensign in the JAG Corps to a seasoned Lieutenant with the Diplomatic Corps, more seasoned and competent but still plagued by the self-doubts that haunted him as an Ensign.

Commander Jackson, on the other hand, had been a Commander then and was still now. He hadn’t even advanced beyond Head of the Legal Services Office. It seemed like his career was standing still, whether that was by choice or circumstance wasn’t clear. Eli wanted to find out.

“What about you, sir? You were eligible for promotion to Captain a few years ago and with a service record like yours, the selection board would have been a formality. So why are you still heading up the legal services office here instead of commanding a sector JAG office or more?”

Jackson let out a sigh. “I dunno, Eli.” He sighed again and seemed to be thinking about it for a few seconds. “I guess I’m just comfortable here.”

“A little too comfortable, maybe?” Eli reached across and patted Jackson’s round stomach.

Laughing, Jackson batted Eli’s hand away. “Knock that off. I haven’t put on that much weight.”

“Rick, seriously,” he stopped and reached out for Jackson’s arm, causing the Commander to stop, “what are you still doing here?”

Commander Jackson sighed again. It was clear that question was one the Commander had been asking himself. “Guess I’m just afraid of that fourth pip. What it represents.”

Eli understood what it was to doubt oneself. Deep down he knew he was capable but some part of him, the part that remembered every time his brother and his friends had laughed at his more bookish nature, the part that remembered every time Alexander told him that he’d never make it in Starfleet, refused to let him believe it.

“Next time there’s a promotion board, allow your name to be put forward.” Elijah counselled. “Don’t let Starbase 11 be the pinnacle of your career. You’re capable of so much more, Rick. Believe in yourself the way I do.”

Jackson looked embarrassed and set off with Eli following closely. “Alright, I’ll allow my name to go forward for the next Captain promotion board if it means you cut out this mushy hand holding crap.”

“Deal.” Eli replied with a smirk.