Grateful

Posted on Sun Sep 7th, 2025 @ 4:49pm by Lieutenant JG Kate Kono & Lieutenant JG Benjamin "Ben" Dalton

1,451 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Holding Pattern Hijinks
Location: Ben and Kate's Quarters
Timeline: After A Conversation with The Counselor

Ben felt better after his conversation with Counselor Raven- Grayson. She had gently reminded him of all he had and what was truly important. To him what was truly important was Kate and her megawatt positive attitude. She was the best thing to ever happen to him and he was going to hold on to her.

Entering their cabin, he called out "Kate!" No answer, he called again, "Kate!" Silence was his reply. "She may be in the Intel office." He mused quietly to himself. "Well, I best do some exercises until she comes home as I don't want to be in this wheelchair any longer than I need to be." With that, he grabbed his cane and stood up and then very slowly, taking baby steps he began to walk across the floor.

Kate entered their quarters a moment later covered in what looked like, blood, and she was wearing armor that looked so out of place that it had to have been fiction. She checked the time on her PADD knowing that this was the time that Ben was supposed to be home. She threw her helmet off and started unbuckling her armor.

"Hey Ben!" Kate said as he walked into the living room. "I was in the holodeck with Phoenix. We took a pause in the action for now. We're reenacting the movie, 'Aliens' as a holonovel. We're only part way through but it's been a good time." She lookedat Ben and smiled from ear to ear. "No longer half-the-man-you-used-to-be!" She wanted to hug him but was afraid she'd topple him over. "You look awesome!"

Ben smiled as Kate breezed into their quarters. "Hi darling!" He replied as he slowly turned to face her. "Glad you and Phoenix are having a good time. Continue to enjoy yourself." He shook his head, "No, but not where I want to be. But better than I was. Thanks for the compliment."


"Want to do anything fun? Watch a movie? Go back to the holodeck? Maybe I can get Shran to get us permission to fly a shuttle around the ship or something?" Kate asked as she rummaged through all the possabilities in her mind of interesting activities they could do on their miniature-leave.

"Sure, doing something fun sounds like fun." Ben bantered back. "The holodeck is a good idea. I'm sure we can find a holoprogram to our liking."


For the holodeck, I can take you for a flight in an F-16D, or a shuttlecraft, or we could recreate Quarks bar on that space station... Deep Space.. Something... It's not really a well known space station. But Quarks is renound throughout the galaxy its just that everyone always forgets the meager place it's based on..." Kate sighed and looked up to the ceiling. "... what was the name of that place... Oh well, doesn't matter. Okay! So those are options, or we can play a huge game of Cards against Humanity.." Kate giggled at that thought. "... I would love to see Shran react to that game."

"All good options to be sure." Ben admitted. "It's Deep Space Nine as if you didn't know and I don't want to deal with Quark." He grinned. "Alright my choice is this, take me for a flight in a F-16D. I want to see what you keep going on and on about with that plane and then when we're finished, I'll take you to dinner. What do you think about that?"

"Okay!" Kate said. "Replicate a flight suit! We're going flying! Where do you want ot fly? Nevada? California? Or do you want to load up a mission and actually use the weapons? We can hit up the ancient battles of Afghanastan, Iraq, or drop some Mark 82's on Justin Beiber, the possibilities are endless!"

"One flight suit coming up." Ben replied. "As for where we fly or what we do, ladies choice." He now grinned broadly at her as he said his next. "I think you have a crush on Justin Beiber. As much as you go on about him." He teased her.

Kate's eyes widened at the accusation that she had any feelings for that monsterous historical nightmare.

"He sounds bad, he acts, bad, he was bad. He was everything that was wrong with the 20th Century," Kate said.

Ben laughed at seeing Kate's reaction to his statement. "Kate darling, I was only teasing you, don't blow a gasket. I won't mention it again."

Kate slipped out of the Colonial Marines costume and jumped back into her non-regulation two-piece flight suit that allowed women to go to the bathroom easier rather than taking the whole thing off in the cockpit. Once she had her boots on, she was already jumping up and down waiting for Ben to get ready so that she could take him on his first archaic supersonic flight in an obsolete Viper.

It took Ben a little longer to get his flight suit on but he was finally ready. He saw Kate's excitement at the prospect of the adventure ahead of them. "Sorry for taking ao long sweetie, But I'm ready now for you to take me into the wild blue yonder."

They entered the holodeck together and after about fifteen minutes of proporation, they found themselves rolling down the runway at Nellis Air Force Base. The aircraft took off into the blue, over the race track, and toward the training area a little before she broke right toward Echo Bay and over the Hoover Dam. She stood on the rudder an kept it in a bank so they could look over to their right, straight down, and see the gaping valley beyond the immense dam that kept the water at bay.

"Ohhhhh wow." Ben exclaimed as Kate flew them high above Echo Bay and then over Hoover Dam. "Sweetheart, this is amazing! Now I see and understand what you love about flying. What a view! I could stay up here forever! Thank you so much for this, you are the best! What else can we see?" Ben asked as the pair continued to fly high above the desert enjoying the view below.

Kate's giggle emitted over the headsets intercom as the jet lowered into the valley's beyond the Hoover Dam, the solid rock walls closed in around them as they blasted past them at over 400 knots. Kate banked and turned to weave the mighty Viper through the turns. The river underneath them sparkled like a fast moving ribbon as the air over the cockpit glass rushed just beyond their faces to create a low-level roar as if the very jet they were a part of for this brief moment, was alive as a result of the way it's flown.

The F-16 popped up and turned back over the desert, passing the power planet and the shimmering lights of the Las Vegas Strip slowly came into view as they flew high over Henderson Field.

"Yeah it's great isn't it?!" Kate said.

Ben was an accomplished shuttle/runabout pilot but this was amazing. He was speechless and filled with awe as Kate flew them over the desert and various 20th century landmarks. Words failed him at the sights and thrills he was experiencing. Finally after a few seconds he found his voice. "Oh my Gosh Kate! This is the most exciting and thrilling thing I've ever done. Thank you darling for indulging me in this. I love you."

"I love you too Ben! I'm surprised you haven't discovered the Holodeck sooner!" Kate had to add the joke to the end of it as she giggled. The North end of "The Strip" came up. She banked it into a light 2G turn, passing by the Pyramid on the left, the MGM Grand hotel on the right, over the pond, and the sky restaraunt came so close that they could see people in the windows eating. Up ahead, Nellis Air Force Base came into view and she lined herself up to land.

After touchdown, she helped Ben out of the back seat and jumped around once he made it to the ground.

"Who needs a roller coaster when you got a jet!" She giggled and hugged him.

Ben hugged Kate tightly. "That was fantastic! You are fantastic! When can we go again?" He asked. He was like a kid with a new toy and he couldn't get enough. He forgot about the trouble with his legs. This was much more fun and he got to do it with Kate. What could be better than that?

"Sex! Of course, silly..." Kate said with a chuckle as they walked out of the holodeck together.

Ben nodded and chuckled as the pair walked slowly together.

 

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