11.11.2395

Posted on 09 Nov 2024 @ 11:11pm by Lieutenant Colonel Alexandria Somers

964 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: General Sim Postings
Location: Starbase 51/Various
Timeline: Current

[ON]

They Shall Not Grow Old,
as we that are left Grow Old,
Age shall not weary them;
Nor the years Condemn them,
At the Gowing down of the Sun
and in the Morning we will remember them.

Alex was feeding her kids when she realised it was that time of year again and time to do the one thing she had been doing since that fateful mission over three decades ago. Paul was currently home so she had him look after their kids, when he asked she told him what it was and he understood as it was something she did every year. As they were still on Starbase 51 Alex would have to use the holodeck, so with a see you in a bit Alex left her quarters and headed to the holodeck.

- Holodeck-

After a lengthy lift trip and a walk down the corridor, Alex stops outside one of the many holodecks on the Starbase, she taps in a command code unique to the program and after a short flickering "Program is running, you may enter when ready" the computer voice said and the doors opened and she entered the gate to Arlington National Cemetary, as her long lost friend was what used to be known as American she could be buried here, there were a few foreign fallen soldiers, but they had to get permissions and go through lots of red tapes to be buried on foreign soil, such was the reputation of Arlington, but her friend Annabel Graves was from the Continental US as it was once known so there was no red tape for her.

As she entered, she was holding one large rose in her hand. Alex walked down to simulated pavement until she arrived at her friend's grave. She stood there, head bowed, as she said a silent prayer it was a section from Hymn of the Fallen. When ready, she went down on one knee and gently placed a rose on the grave. She gently caressed the gravestone briefly before standing back up.

"I am surprised you still do this Alex, but then again I would not expect anything less from you" the voice of Annabel Graves said, this time she did not materialize.

"Once a year, every year if I am able I will do this until I too am dead, I have recently concluded that back in the day I thought of you more than a normal friend, perhaps if you had survived I would not be married with children now," Alex said to the air.

The voice of Annabel Graves was silent "Wow Alex I never knew you thought of me in such a way, did you ever work out if it was real or just down to how closely we trained together and youth?" the voice of Annie asked.

"To be honest Annie, I never attempted to analyze it, we got to know each other, became friends, then close friends and then there was that dammned mission with bad intel and I lost you, did my trauma-induced haze not signify anything to you from where you are?" Alex said.

"Well that explains why your thoughts kept making me appear over the years!" the voice said.

"Now you are just a voice out there or are you in my head?" Alex asked.

"Depends on the situation, but currently I am not in your head" Annie's voice said.

"Why have you not made yourself visible to me, like you have done in the past?"

"You have not needed it since the last time, but at some point, I will stop even this, you have addressed some of your issues with my loss, but you still have some hold-outs. I have been keeping an eye on you, Alex, you have two beautiful children, they have the Somers genes, I was sad to witness the sabotage of the Tomcat's warp core and surrounding systems and how Paul and the other officer were badly injured" Annie said.

"Lieutenant Hawksley, I put in a good word on his sacrifice, he saved Paul at the cost of severe injuries, he has a youngling on the way too, he is getting better, but I fear he has PTSD and does not yet know it. You know it is just as well we talk when we are alone, can you imagine the strange looks I would get if it seemed that I was talking to myself!" Alex suggested.

"I can picture the headlines now Respected and veteran Lieutenant Colonel talks to herself as she walks down the corridors, said officer is later committed to an asylum" Annie said with mirth.

"You are so lucky you are already dead Annie hehehe, still knowing my luck that would be what would likely happen to me it would be my luck!" Alex said with mirth also.

"I have to be going now Alex, same time next year!" the voice said.

"If I am still in this life, yes" Alex rejoindered.

"Alex, please do not even joke!" Annie's voice said "Nothing is forgotten, bye Alex" the voice added.

"No, nothing is ever forgotten, bye Annie you shall be remembered... Always" Alex responded but there was nothing.

Alex shrugged "Arch," she said and the arch appeared with the doors, she walked towards it, and as the doors opened "Computer save and end program," Alex said as the familiar grid appeared, as the doors closed Alex did not see a ghostly figure.

"Correct old friend, nothing is forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten and the dead should always be remembered," it said as she wiped a ghostly tear from her eye and vanished.

[OFF]

 

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