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     Cdr. J. Darek Smith |
The commander lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling of his quarters. His right arm draped across his forehead, and his left dangling over the side of the bunk, the big man lay there and wondered how it was that he gotten himself into this situation. Dinner had been a relatively quiet affair. In fact, it had been quiet to the point of almost being awkward. He had tried to prepare some proper Centauri dishes, but even the good food had not helped overcome the fact that they really had nothing much to talk about. Could it be that the attraction was purely physical? Could it be that he had no rational reason whatsoever for being drawn to her other than the fact that she was young and beautiful? Once upon a time, a man in his position would have sought therapy for months - maybe even years - to help him get through this sort of thing. But he knew in his heart what had to be done. No, now he would simply place a few discreet calls to the right people. It might take a bit of time for her father to trust him that nothing more than a few brief kisses had passed between them. And the Captain would certainly be disappointed in the commander's blatant disregard for protocol. The brief flirtation would be considered inappropriate, but there were no charges that could be filed. A note might be made on his record, but his career was hardly flawless. No, despite the fact that he knew the relationship could not continue, the one call he was most concerned about was the one he would make to her. He had always tried to be fair and considerate in his dealings with others - especially women with whom he had been involved - and the idea that he might have to let her down if she had seen things differently than he had certainly rankled him. No. No, he had to place that call first. It might very well take up the most time, and with the way he seemed to be giving in to his own weaknesses as of late, he could use all the time that the universe would allow him. While he thought about what he was going to say, he called up the survey specs and price-listings for several rural farm properties on Reor'sa that were up for sale. Maybe it was time to retire and move on to other things. But he'd be damned before he said he was having a "midlife crisis".... === Christian D. Clem '01, aka "Aggie" Cdr. J. Darek Smith, Executive Officer U.S.S. Coronado NCC-97901 |