Enterprise stared out into the ocean, somewhere,out there,her sisters lay. All three of them sank defending their country, and all three distinguished themselves in the beginning years. It only seemed fitting for the Navy to continue their tradition, giving their names to brand new ships. In this way, Yorktown, Hornet, and Wasp would always be remembered; not because of their heroics, but because of the lineage they produced. Now, Enterprise had another war to win. As the one of the first carriers to return, she was in high demand. Her experience now kept her in the classroom teaching escort carriers rather than on the front lines. It was ironic, however, that she taught onboard her successor. The latest Enterprise, CVN-80, sat tied up at the pier, cold and empty. She had no purpose in the war, carriers like her were too vulnerable to Abyssal attacks. What happened to the de Gaulle proved that. It was only a matter of time before she too would be sunk, just like Victory and Constitution, another great ship reduced to smoldering wreckage. Soon, she would fight again, Enterprise felt it. But would the Navy even allow their most decorated carrier a chance? That was a question that no one knew.

"Yo, E," a voice called.

Enterprise knew who it was.

"What do you want, Dragon?", she asked.

"Me and some of the Standards were having a poker game tonight. Wanted to see if you would join."

"Jersey, you know I would clean all of you out the minute I walked in. Go and ask Lex, heard she just put in from Corpus Christi. Seems like she would need something to get her mind off of her."

"You know as well as I do that Lexie can't play cards even if her life depended on it." Enterprise smiled at that.

"Well, looks like you're gonna be one short then," she said.

"Damn, Nevada was looking forward to a challenge this time," Jersey said.

Well, I'm sorry to disappoint her," Enterprise said, "But don't you have something to do?"

A small rustling came from behind the Yorktown, "Shit! Thanks for reminding me, E. I've got turret calibrations with Colorado in ten. See ya around E!"

And with that, Enterprise was alone once more.


Author's Note: Hey all, its been awhile. So I decided to take a fresh perspective at Tex Rising, some things weren't flowing quite well with the first iteration. So far, I've got the first chapter rewritten with a new second chapter being written to replace the original version. I plan to take a little longer to release chapters this time around to make sure that I've got content that flows better with the rest of the story. Anyways, I really do want y'all's feedback on the rewrite. Until next time, Crossroads Out