The Watch

Posted on Sat Jun 7th, 2014 @ 12:59pm by Commander Dewitt Cayne

Mission: Begin with a Bang
Location:
Timeline: MD01

Newly minted Commander Dewitt Cayne checked his father's watch and tried to remember the last time he had heard from the old man. He couldn't.

The watch itself, a simple black face set in a brass housing with a tattered black leather strap had been with him through thick and thin. He chuckled to himself. The watch had been more supportive than his Dad.

With the sleeves of his duty uniform rolled up, the watch was obviously different to most officer of the United Earth Starfleet who relied more on the chronometers of their computer displays or their personal communicators than on antiquated rotary clocks.

Although the transport's engines droned in his ears, he could still hear the gentle ticking of the watch. It was the same ticking that he had heard when he was trapped in the hold of Cargo Fleet transport that was being used to smuggle stims to outlying Boomer colonies. His focus was kept by the constant ticking, allowing him to be prepared when the time came to make the arrests.

All in a day's work, he had said.

Today's work was reporting into his new assignment. He had gone from a Lieutenant without an assignment, working security gigs to make ends meet on a crappy apartment in Seattle, to the First Officer of an NX project starship.

He couldn't help but question his luck. He was sure that there were one or two of his former colleagues who couldn't help but question his luck.

Ever since he had left the Intrepid his confidence was shot. He was a young officer going places in the fleet and there were higher-ups taking a keen interest in his development. It had been perfect. Just what he'd always wanted but all that changed when the Xindi Probe attacked.

He fired the shots which all-but saved Enterprise from the Klingon Bird-of-Prey but was attached to a pending roster of personnel for an NX Project assignment. Despite his protestations, he slipped through the cracks and another assignment began to seem incredibly unlikely.

He cracked a wry smile as he remembered the sound of his watch in the hold of that ship. The things he'd had to do to keep his head above water, all the while other officers were being assigned to ships like Columbia and Challenger. Every launch date came and went without him receiving the call.

Now everything seemed rosy again. He had been brought back into the fold and promoted. He had no idea why but he expected that he would find out upon his arrival at his new post.

The starship Discovery lay in drydock, its name suggestive of the hopes Starfleet had. Whether it was for them or for the benefit of Starfleet's allies who were undoubtedly suspicious of Earth's intentions was unclear but it spoke to Dewitt Cayne.

He was going to be out in the inky black, discovering new civilisations and anomalies and lightyears away from any niggling concerns he had. All he had to do was focus on the gentle ticking of his Father's watch.