Saying Goodbye
Posted on Tue Jan 22nd, 2019 @ 5:06am by Lieutenant Jaqobus "Jack" Gaius
640 words; about a 3 minute read
Mission:
Demons in the Dark
Location: Nuovo Montegerno, Sardinia, Earth
Timeline: Before "Launching the Search"
ON
Rain fell on the headstones as Jack made his way through the ancient cemetery. It had been ages since he'd been here...to long, in fact. More than a year. But he was here now, and that's what he cared about. He came to a stop next to an old tree standing at the top of a small hill. Just beyond its bark, he spied an aging woman standing before a headstone, alone and in the rain.
He could feel the water soaking through his jacket, weighing him down like sand like the years behind him, but he pushed that all behind him as he stepped in front of the tree. "Hello, my old friend," he said to the woman. She turned to address him; her eyes aged far older than her face.
"Salute, Jaqobus," she replied as she adjusted her shawl. "You're late. The services ended nearly a half hour ago." Jack sighed as he stepped closer.
"I'm sorry, Katarina. My ship was caught in an ion-storm. There was no way around it." It felt like he was making excuses, and maybe he was...but at the very least, she deserved to know the truth. Katarina simply nodded.
"And yet, you did not warn us," she said as she turned back to the freshly-covered grave. Jack stepped forward until he could see the whole thing properly.
"You know me, Katarina...I'm not all that big on saying good-bye." He tried to read the name printed on the headstone, but every time he tried, he always found himself looking at something else. Anything really, except for the granite memorial.
"Neither was he," she turned back to the headstone. "Tulio got that from you, you know. After all, you were his God-father." Jack looked down at the freshly-topped soil, until he noticed the flowers planted at the center. Carefully, he moved around the grave until he was close to the closed buds. He leaned down, and with the touch of his fingers upon their petals, they began to grow. The growth was small at first, but then another stem popped from the soil. And then another, and another until a small bouquet had erupted from the ground. Jack gasped as he collapsed from the heaviness of his rain-soaked clothes into the muddy soil. The world spun around him as he tried desperately to regain his breath, all the while, Katarina simply stared down him from her place at the foot of the grave.
"You should be careful, vecchio uomo... that was the very last of your father's gift, was it not?" Katarina said with a stern calmness. Jack ignored her as the grey fog which had nearly caused him to pass-out began to clear. It was true, he didn't think he could do that little trick again. But when it came to his family, he would pay any price.
As he regained his composure, the ancient Megas-Tu crossed his legs as he stared down at the grave. "How have you been, Tuli?" He asked the Earth. "Your new place was looking a little barren, so I grew you some flowers to help breath some life into it." Finally, Jack looked at the headstone, and for the first time, he was able to look upon its surface. He saw the words etched into its stonework, and the hologram of his Godson floating in the concave alcove towards the top. His heart ached as he remembered everything that they had ever done, seen and spoke of together.
"It's been too long since we spoke, my boy. I have much to tell you of my journeys. But don't worry, we have all the time we need. At the very least, we have until the rain stops..."
END
Lieutenant Jaqobus "Jack" Gaius,
Chief Security/Tactical Officer,
USS Tokyo NCC-91101
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