Lt Commander Samantha Palmer CONN Officer USS Chimera NCC 96899-A = Mess Hall Samantha sat in the mess hall at a small table by herself. She looked rather bored, chasing a baby tomato around her salad bowl with a fork. The mess hall was relatively empty, save for a few other officers coming and going. She was beginning to feel more comfortable on the Chimera, even though she had not made any friends yet and her quarters were still bare. The stigma she had earned for herself as an SSF Agent still lingered for most of the crew, and she was certain that it would take a long time to regain their trust. The couple sitting at the table next to her seemed to be having a rather serious conversation, and Samantha couldn’t help but overhear. They both wore teal collars and she recalled having seen them in Sickbay before. “I’m worried about Hawk,” she overheard the young woman say. “Scott… it’s scary. I’ve never seen him like this. He can have a temper, but he’s not a violent person. The CEO said he was behaving like a Klingon in the Brig! He could have latent brain damage.” “Don’t worry, Mercedes,” her partner said, placing his hand over her own. “When we go back the tests should be done and we can find out what’s wrong. I’m sure it’s nothing too serious; it’s probably just temporary.” Samantha felt some sympathy towards them. It couldn’t be easy being a medical officer, and the mission to recover the Gott was still taking its toll on them. In the SSF, casualties were usually an expected part of every mission. She remembered how furious Commander Summers had been at her over the tragic effects the temporal anomalies had on several of the crew… many of them aging decades within seconds, their lives over in the blink of an eye. Feeling disheartened by her thoughts, Samantha’s appetite had dissipated and she decided to leave her salad. Standing up and straightening out her uniform, she headed out of the mess hall and towards the turbolift. Samantha spent the remainder of her evening reading a Betazoid romance novel with a box of paper tissues by her feeling rather sorry for herself. After finishing the novel, she put the padd down on her nightstand and lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She almost drifted off to sleep when faint beeping brought her back to reality. Shifting herself up on one elbow, she looked at her desk as the computer top slowly rose out of the desk, announcing she had received a message. Samantha slipped off the bed and walked towards her desk where she sat down and accessed her messages. A smile lit up her face when she saw the message was from her brother, Jarod. Opening the text message, she began to read. Hi Sam! Haven’t spoken to you in a while, hope I find you well. Has Starfleet got you away on some secret mission again, saving the universe? Can you believe it, it’s almost Christmas time! Here on Betazed there’s obviously little fuss made of, but Carol and I have decorated the house with a million little lights, much to the unexpected delight of the neighbours. The Risean jasmine tree we all planted when you visited last year is almost three meters tall now, and blossomed for the first time a few days to ago; it looks absolutely beautiful. I have to run, otherwise I’ll be late for work. Hope to hear from you soon. All my love! Big Brother Jarod Samantha felt very nostalgic after reading the letter. She remembered visiting Betazed with her mother and her younger brother Jeffrey last year over Christmas. They spent time with Jarod and his wife Carol and all participated in planting the jasmine tree her mother had bought for the couple as a gift. “Only a few days left till Christmas,” Samantha said to herself, looking at the calendar on her terminal. It was easy to lose track of time and date on a starship. More than once she’d even forgotten about her own birthday, but somehow she’d always managed to remember Christmas. She’d always had many things to remind her of home… little trinkets that had been gifts; holographs of old friends, family, of Danny; but they were all lost along with the Chimera, 10,000 years in the past. Perhaps it was a sign from some higher being that it was time to let go of the past and start over. But first, she’d have to learn how to make new friends. = -- ___________________________________________________ Play 100s of games for FREE! http://games.mail.com/