The Red-Eye
Posted on May 4th, 2011 by Ian Blackthorne

Ian Blackthorne sat at the helm of Atlantis’s Captain’s Yacht, the Plato. The cockpit was lit only by the console in front him, illuminating his face with an ethereal dancing glow. T’Kirr had fallen asleep an hour ago, but sleep had eluded him. While he could easily let the autopilot guide them to their next destination, Ian thought that manually flying the yacht might help calm his mind a bit.

It wasn’t worry that kept him awake; Blackthorne was confident that Atlantis was in good hands, and the Plato’s course was through mostly safe parts of Federation space. Ian supposed it might be the excitement of the trip, but quickly discarded that notion with a smile as he realized the true source of his anxiety – his happiness. For the last several years of his previous marriage, he had been everything but satisfied. The feeling of being happily married and content was somewhat new to him again after so many years, and it would apparently take some time for his mind to settle down.

With a smirk of amusement directed inward, Ian engaged the autopilot and turned off the console lights, leaving only the stars streaking by outside to guide him as he made his way to the bedroom to join his wife in sleep.