Family Reunion

Posted on Fri Oct 9th, 2009 @ 7:03pm by Lieutenant Commander Mark Anderson

Mission: They Arrive on Tuesday...
Location: San Fransisco, Earth
Timeline: MD04, 1720

ON: [[San Fransisco, Earth, MD04, 1720]]

"Well, will you look what the cat dragged in," Simon Anderson (NPC) said as he stood in the open doorway of his apartment overlooking San Fransisco Bay. He was positively beaming as he admired his brother and nephew standing in the hall. "Don't just stand there," he said, motioning for them to come inside.

"It's certainly been awhile, hasn't it," Mark said, stepping over the threshold of his brother's apartment.

"I'll say," Simon replied, looking his nephew over, "The last time I saw you, you were only this high." He held up his hand to show the large difference in height that he was talking about.

"Well, I was just a kid then," James insisted, "A little squirt."

While Mark stood just inside the door, James (NPC) entered the living room and started for the couch.

"Not there," Simon told the boy, "we're out on the patio." Sure enough, the table on the patio had been set for three. As the trio stepped out of the apartment, Mark could feel the telltale hint of a sea breeze coming off the bay.

They took a seat around the table while Simon poured each of them a glass of iced tea. James took his, saying, "Thank you." Once each of them had been served, Simon poured his own glass and took a seat.

"Imagine my surprise when I heard you two were coming to visit," Simon said, still smiling, "I had heard that you might be in the neighborhood, but..."

"You didn't expect us to drop by," Mark finished, taking a sip of his iced tea, "The Endeavour isn't quite ready for launch so we had some extra time. Where better to spend it than amongst family?"

"Cheers," Simon said, tilting his glass toward his brother, "The Endeavour you say. I thought you were on the Houston. Did they finally give you your own command?"

"No, not yet," Mark replied, slightly disappointed. He knew his time would come eventually, but there was always the part of him that got his hopes up every time a reassignment was on the horizon. "No," he continued, "I'm still first officer. Commander Byrne is the captain."

"I see," Simon said, leveling a gaze at his brother, "Well, next time you stop by, I expect to see another shiny pip on that collar. You hear?"

"Yes mum," Mark joked. The two brothers were still very close and after having been away for so long, Mark was happy to be able to see Simon in person, instead of via subspace.

Simon took a long drink of his tea, then rounded on James. "So what have you been up to, mister," he asked, "staying out of trouble?"

"Yeah," James replied, "working hard, studying."

"Boring," Simon said, "what's life without a little fun? I happen to know your father wasn't half as bookish as you are. He and I got into our fair share of trouble over the years" He gave James a mischievous wink.

"I did nothing of the sort," Mark contradicted, hiding his smile with another swallow of iced tea. Perhaps it was time to shift the discussion. "What about you," he asked, "How's the cetacean institute going?"

Simon nodded as he finished chewing on a few pretzels he had just grabbed. "Things are looking good," he replied, "We're up to eight captive specimens and we've just added another twelve to our open sea tracking program. In fact, just yesterday, we had a young couple of humpbacks come into the bay here."

"Sounds like things are really going well," Mark commented, looking over at James. Maybe the boy would like to visit the institute while they were still in drydock. It was a sure bet he hadn't seen a live whale before.

"Not bad for nearly a hundred years of working to replenish the different species," Simon explained, "Ever since Dr. Taylor helped bring us up to speed and having George and Gracie, we've been able to get a much better understanding of the species. If you want, I could set up a little tour for you."

"What do you think, James," Mark asked, "Want to see some whales?"

"That sounds cool," James replied, smiling, "I've heard all of Uncle Simon's stories a hundred times already." He grinned while Simon put on a show of feeling offended.

"I should be able to have something for you tomorrow, if you want," he said.

"Tomorrow sounds good," Mark replied, "Give us a call and let us know the details." Simon nodded and the three of them looked out toward the bay. Mark thought it might have been neat to have those two humpbacks Simon had been talking about show up, but they didn't seem to be around today.

With a cool sea breeze, iced tea, and some snacks to munch on, the three Andersons sat on the patio overlooking the bay. It was good to be in the company of family, Mark thought, just like the company of shipmates. His thoughts drifted to the new possibilities that awaited him and James on the Endeavour.

OFF

Simon Anderson (NPC)
Civilian
Played by Lt. Cmdr. Anderson

James Anderson (NPC)
XO's Son
USS Endeavour - Played by Lt. Cmdr. Anderson