The Sweetest Christmas, Conclusion

Posted on Mon Dec 30th, 2024 @ 3:34pm by Lieutenant JG Jane Sinclair

1,034 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Christmas Vacation
Location: The town of Clearlake, Proxima Centauri II
Timeline: Christmas time

A call from emergency services had woken them at half past seven in the morning. Transporter services had returned to normal and they could beam back at their convenience. A tender kiss reminded them of the night before. They got themselves dressed and beamed back into town, first to their homes to get clean and dressed and then back to downtown for the festival.

For in between the lovemaking there had been plenty of time to talk. And to plan.

Emmy got to Sweet Haven Bakery to find that her exhausted team had indeed stayed up in shifts to keep the baking going into the night. Quantity was ideal. Quality was perfect. They had product. Now it was time to get it out to the people.

“Okay team,” Emmy announced. “We’re at Booth Five. Lucy and Brady are going there now to get it decorated. The rest of us bring the goods out slowly. No dropping our cases, no getting hurt, We’re doin’ this right. And when we start sellin’, ah think you’ll like the strategy Jane and Ah cooked up.”

**

Over at Booth One (for he could never stomach any number lower than that), Trent Harris smirked as he saw the length of the line of people coming to buy cookies baked by Lily at Sugar and Nice. His special trick really helped. Advertising for his booth were Edward and Zara Carver, stars of the long-running Proximan daytime soap opera Love and Truth. Recognizable famous people that locals really wanted to meet, and while there pick up a handful of delicious ginger spice cookies.

The judges had said pleasing things about Lily’s cookies. She’d earn good marks for those. But the contest was really about how many they would sell and how much they would raise for the charity. That meant people buying them, and that’s where he was presently thriving.

He strutted along the line, gloating to himself about how long it was, taking the opportunity to smoke a cigarette away from Lily and the actors.

He then found a spot that he could climb up a few steps to see how pathetic all the other lines were.

The cigarette fell from his lips.

**

The line at Booth Five was triple the length of any other at the festival, snaking among the other booths and vendors, who while annoyed that their own spaces were being hampered were at least glad that the orphan charity would get lots of money.

For Jane Sinclair had made a few calls during their brief downtime.

The first had been to Starfleet, who let her record a short advertisement for the festival and let her put it out to the Maintenance Yards crew in their daily broadcast. Come to Clearlake for the charity fundraiser, all proceeds go to the orphan fund, and a note that she’d be at Booth Five. That would at minimum drive numbers to the festival, and ideally direct many of them to Sweet Haven.

The second call had been the harder sell but would have the bigger impact. A call to Proxima-Renault, directly to T’Ren, her former team manager. Hey, there’s this charity thing tomorrow and I’m wondering if I can borrow some things…. Of course a large corporation and a professional sports team both welcome the positive exposure from charity events, especially when they barely have to do anything.

Sitting next to Booth Five was the Number 81 shuttle that Jane raced in her 2385 season. Its aft hatch was open, and a stream of guests walked around and inside, gooey white chocolate macadamia nut cookies in hand and mouth. Next to it stood Jane Sinclair in her blue, white, and purple Proxima-Renault flight suit. Shaking hands. Giving hugs. Posing for photographs. Every cookie sold gave the buyer a close up look of the shuttle and a moment with Proxima’s Native Daughter herself.

Jane looked over to see Emmy, grinning widely as she accepted more and more credits for the charity, her massive cookie stock dwindling as the day went on.

And Jane grinned as well, having had way more fun at the Generosity Festival than she would have ever expected.

**

“I’d like to thank everyone for their contributions today,” the mayor said over the sound system. “Due to your generosity, we raised three-hundred-thousand-one-hundred-and-seventy-five credits for the Proxima Orphan Fund!” Massive, well earned applause blanketed the festival square. “And the winner of the Generosity Festival Baking Contest, narrowly winning the flavour category but dominating the selling volume category, it’s Sweet Haven Bakery!”

Another thunderous applause filled the air as Emmy Doyle and her team went up onto the stage. Emmy shook the mayor’s hand and accepted the trophy before hugging her teammates, who together were jumping for joy.

As she hugged her last teammate, Emmy reached down off the stage and held her hand out to one last team member who needed recognition. She pulled Jane on stage and instinctively kissed her, prompting cheers and whistles from the applauding crowd.

And in the back, a pouting and moaning Trent got a slap from his now ex girlfriend and then stormed away, while Lily, happy to have come in a close second taste wise, gave Emmy a thumbs-up.

**

“So where to next?” Emmy asked as she and Bailey walked Jane back to her shuttle.

“Gamma Zednor,” Jane answered. “Some political shenanigans happening out there. Not too sure the details yet. But Myogi is needed.”

”And so are you,” Emmy added.

”And so am I,” Jane repeated.

“But—“

”But,” Jane interrupted as they reached the landing pad, “I know I have people here who need me too.” She held both of Emmy’s hands in hers. “So every so often I’m going to take the leave that I’m owed. I’m going to come back. I’m going to slow down and enjoy what life has to offer. With you, if you’ll have me.”

They shared another kiss, a slow one which lingers as the camera pans away and over the slow, quiet little town of Clearlake, Proxima Centauri.

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