Epilogue
Captain’s Personal Log, Stardate 551289;
It’s been several days since we attacked the Borg Sphere and rescued Lieutenant Kandro. The price that we paid weighs heavily on the crew. None more so than me. We have rendezvoused with the USS Lirpa and retrieved the crew members who had stayed behind. We also beamed over the five Borg drones that we had successfully subdued. Hopefully the Lirpa’s medical staff can reverse the assimilation process. We have also transferred Lieutenant Reeves into their medical care. Having him aboard provides too much of a temptation for someone to do something stupid.
Which leads me to the thanks that I owe Commander Huntington, although I cannot go into the reasons why. I believe that he has saved my career. To be frank, I didn’t imagine my career to be worth much after ignoring the orders of my superiors but it seems that Starfleet is in a forgiving mood. Maybe Admiral Gavin is watching out for me or maybe Starfleet just doesn’t want to court-martial a war hero. For whatever reason, all I have is a reprimand on my file and no one among my crew has been chastised anyway. I would consider myself fortunate if it wasn’t for Liz.
Isabel Cardonez stood, watching the rise and fall of Liz Tennyson’s chest while the young woman slept. “How is she?,” she asked quietly.
Hollem moved up next to the Captain and when he replied, his voice was equally low. “Better. Physically, at least. The skull fracture has been knotted together nicely. We replaced her broken tooth and healed all of the bumps and bruises. The only other… damage was the vaginal tearing.” Cardonez winced when he said those words. “That had taken a while longer because of the tenderness of the area but it’s healing too.”
“You said physically that she was getting better?”
“Yes. Mentally, it’s trickier. She’s woken up on several occasions and most of the time, she doesn’t seem to know where she is. She sleeps for long periods. She’s very agitated and suffers from regular nightmares. We think that she’ll need a lot of counseling. Lieutenant Dayle and I believe that she would be best served receiving such care away from the Testudo.”
“But her friends are here.”
“True but this is also the place where she was attacked. In her own home as it were. I took the liberty of contacting her mother in New York. She’s obviously worried about her and she would like to take care of her. There are some excellent counselors and support groups in the New York area. I’ve done extensive checks.” Hollen looked nervously into Isabel’s eyes. “There’s no reason that she won’t get past this and lead a normal life again.”
Cardonez hardly heard him. She was still looking at her Chief Engineer, her friend, and remembering the words uttered by a version of Liz Tennyson from fourteen years into the future. Words that made no sense until now.
‘It wasn’t your fault, Captain.’
Cardonez turned away from the bed. “What about Kandro?”
“Through here.” Hollem led her out of the screened-off section where Tennyson was sleeping. Kandro was asleep as well and Beverly Crusher stood, monitoring his vital signs.
“Still here, Doctor?,” asked Isabel.
Crusher smiled. “I’m afraid so. I still have some holiday left.”
“Hell of a vacation. How is he?”
“Getting there. We’ve had to grow new eyes for him,” the Enterprise doctor said, gesturing to the white bandages that were wrapped around his eyes. “And we should be ready to implant them within the next twenty-four hours. Additionally we’re growing a new left arm. We hope to graft that into place soon after the eyes.”
Cardonez involuntarily reached over and felt her own left arm. It had been severed years before by a Klingon bat’leth. “And the Borg nanoprobes is his system?”
“Ninety-five percent of them are purged from his system with no ill-effects. He should make a full recovery.”
“Keep me informed,” Cardonez said. “I’ll be on the Bridge.”
After the Captain had gone, Crusher turned towards her young colleague. “Azahn, you’ve been working for twelve hours straight. It’s time for you to take a break.”
“I’m fine,” said the Bajoran.
“Did I mention that it was an order?,” she asked with a smile. As he began to protest, she shushed him. “Go!,” she ordered. “I should be okay to watch Sickbay for a few hours. I have had some small experience with it, you know.” Then she laughed.
Hollem reached over and hugged her. “I’m glad that you’re here.”
Beverly hugged him back. “I only wish that I could stay longer, but I’m only ever a subspace message away.”
****
Ramblin was hard at work and she found that it helped deal with the anger that she felt. Her uniform jacket was tossed across the back of a chair and the sleeves of her gold undershirt were rolled up past her elbows. She had loosened her collar and it was still too warm. She was proud of the way that the Engineering team had worked together under different circumstances. They were two experienced engineers down but Liz Tennyson had taught her people well.
Then the thought suddenly hit her. For the moment, at least, these were her people now. For what seemed to be like the hundredth time in the last few days, Louise Ramblin fought back her tears and threw herself back into her work.
****
While Doctor Crusher re-read information on a PADD, Valian Kandro took her by surprise by suddenly talking. “Is anyone there?,” he asked, his voice dry.
“I’m here, Lieutenant,” she replied, setting the PADD down and moving over to his bedside.
“I don’t recognize you. Where am I?”
“You’re aboard the Testudo. I’m Doctor Beverly Crusher.”
“I’m pleased to meet you,” he said. “I see that Captain Cardonez couldn’t resist charging in to rescue me,” he quipped. “Please, tell me, was anyone hurt?”
“Just a few bumps and scratches, Lieutenant. Nothing serious.”
“Good. I didn’t want anyone to suffer because of me.’
Crusher was glad that he couldn’t see at the moment because, without thinking, she glanced over at the door to Tennyson’s room. There would be a time to tell Kandro what had happened to his friend but this wasn’t it.
After a long silence, Kandro spoke again. “Still there, Doc?”
“I’m still here.”
“It wasn’t like I thought it would be,” he said. “I wanted to be surrounded by the thoughts of others again but in the Collective, there are no others. It’s just one giant mind and it’s the loneliest thing that I’ve ever experienced.”
“Well, it’s over now. You’re home again.”
“I know. Listen, Doc, two things.”
“Yes.”
“First off, can I have a shot of Pylium? I feel a headache coming on.”
“Okay,” Crusher said, grabbing a hypo. “And the other thing?”
“Are you single?,” Kandro asked with a rakish smile lighting up his pasty face.”
****
When Captain Cardonez swept onto the Bridge, she noticed for the first time that it was nighttime. Ship time, at least, and the lights were dimmed. Strolling down the ramp, she saw Commander Masafumi and Lieutenant Commander Huntington sitting in two of the three seats in the command area.
“Aren’t you supposed to be resting?,” asked Masafumi.
“I can rest in my Ready Room,” she replied and carried on walking.
As the doors closed behind her, Masafumi sighed. “I’m worried about her.”
“So am I,” said Huntington. “I thought that she would be happy about Starfleet letting her off the hook but she isn’t.”
“It’s almost like she’s sorry that they did. Have you tried to talk to her?”
“Several times. With no success. You?”
“The same. I suppose all that we can do is be here for her if she needs us.”
Huntington nodded. “Listen, didn’t you say that you had somewhere to go?”
“Yes, I did,” Masafumi said, standing. “There’s no point in putting it off any longer.”
“Need any help?”
“No. This is something that I must do alone but thank you anyway.”
****
Once he was inside his quarters, Hollem replicated a bottle of Bolian spring water and bounced down hard on his couch, swinging his legs up while he lay down. After a minute of inactivity, he said,” Computer, reopen audio letter Wolf-Fifteen-Alpha and began recording from where I left off.”
“Ready,” replied the computer.
Hollem took a deep breath. “Hi, Robert, it’s me again. There’s a surprise, right? It’s been a difficult week. I’ve had to deal with things that I hoped I would never have to see again and sadly, you’re the person that I want to tell all about it. I understand if it gets a bit depressing but I have to tell someone, even if you choose not to listen.” He took a long swallow of water.
“Liz Tennyson is one of the strongest people that I know…,” he began. It would be an hour before he stopped talking.
****
Zia Kehen stumbled through to the living room of her cabin, pulling on her dressing gown while she walked, as the door chimes rang again, she shouted,” I’m coming already!”
She had been asleep and she wasn’t overly happy with being awakened. When she open the door, she stepped back in surprise. “Commander? What’s up?”
Masafumi looked nervously at his feet. “Lieutenant.” He winced and shook his head before he looked up to meet her gaze. “Zia,” he began again,” I’m sorry to disturb you but this won’t take very long.”
“Do you want to come in?”
“No. Please, just let me say this so I can leave you in peace.”
“Okay.”
“I have been thinking, these past few days,” he began,” about how sometimes you think that you have all of the time in the world to achieve things or to say things. However, we never want to accept the truth that at any moment that time can be taken away from us. So I’m here tonight to say something to you that I should have said a long time ago.”
“Which is?,” she asked, tired and irritated.
“I am, quite possibly, in love with you.”
A long pause carried on and he was about to make an embarrassed apology and leave when the last thing that he expected, although it was the one thing that he hoped for, happened. Kehen reached out, grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him inside her quarters. Close to her body and smothering his mouth with hers, she kissed him hard, letting her tongue slip between his lips, eliciting a similar response from him.
Breaking apart, she was breathing heavily when she stared into his eyes, running a hand gently through his hair, she smiled.
“Well, it damned well took you long enough.”
****
Isabel Cardonez sat in her chair, examining the four tiny objects on the desk in front of her. After a moment, she placed them delicately in a star pattern on top of the box that held her Pacifica Cross. She stared at the tiny arrangement for several minutes before she finally pulled off her combadge and set it down on top of the box as well so it was surrounded by all four of her rank pips.
She pressed a control on her desk. “Commander, please try and get me Admiral Gavin on subspace,” she said. “I have something that I need to discuss with him.”
The End
‘Battle not with Monsters lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.’
- Friedrich Nietzsche
Captain’s Personal Log, Stardate 551289;
It’s been several days since we attacked the Borg Sphere and rescued Lieutenant Kandro. The price that we paid weighs heavily on the crew. None more so than me. We have rendezvoused with the USS Lirpa and retrieved the crew members who had stayed behind. We also beamed over the five Borg drones that we had successfully subdued. Hopefully the Lirpa’s medical staff can reverse the assimilation process. We have also transferred Lieutenant Reeves into their medical care. Having him aboard provides too much of a temptation for someone to do something stupid.
Which leads me to the thanks that I owe Commander Huntington, although I cannot go into the reasons why. I believe that he has saved my career. To be frank, I didn’t imagine my career to be worth much after ignoring the orders of my superiors but it seems that Starfleet is in a forgiving mood. Maybe Admiral Gavin is watching out for me or maybe Starfleet just doesn’t want to court-martial a war hero. For whatever reason, all I have is a reprimand on my file and no one among my crew has been chastised anyway. I would consider myself fortunate if it wasn’t for Liz.
Isabel Cardonez stood, watching the rise and fall of Liz Tennyson’s chest while the young woman slept. “How is she?,” she asked quietly.
Hollem moved up next to the Captain and when he replied, his voice was equally low. “Better. Physically, at least. The skull fracture has been knotted together nicely. We replaced her broken tooth and healed all of the bumps and bruises. The only other… damage was the vaginal tearing.” Cardonez winced when he said those words. “That had taken a while longer because of the tenderness of the area but it’s healing too.”
“You said physically that she was getting better?”
“Yes. Mentally, it’s trickier. She’s woken up on several occasions and most of the time, she doesn’t seem to know where she is. She sleeps for long periods. She’s very agitated and suffers from regular nightmares. We think that she’ll need a lot of counseling. Lieutenant Dayle and I believe that she would be best served receiving such care away from the Testudo.”
“But her friends are here.”
“True but this is also the place where she was attacked. In her own home as it were. I took the liberty of contacting her mother in New York. She’s obviously worried about her and she would like to take care of her. There are some excellent counselors and support groups in the New York area. I’ve done extensive checks.” Hollen looked nervously into Isabel’s eyes. “There’s no reason that she won’t get past this and lead a normal life again.”
Cardonez hardly heard him. She was still looking at her Chief Engineer, her friend, and remembering the words uttered by a version of Liz Tennyson from fourteen years into the future. Words that made no sense until now.
‘It wasn’t your fault, Captain.’
Cardonez turned away from the bed. “What about Kandro?”
“Through here.” Hollem led her out of the screened-off section where Tennyson was sleeping. Kandro was asleep as well and Beverly Crusher stood, monitoring his vital signs.
“Still here, Doctor?,” asked Isabel.
Crusher smiled. “I’m afraid so. I still have some holiday left.”
“Hell of a vacation. How is he?”
“Getting there. We’ve had to grow new eyes for him,” the Enterprise doctor said, gesturing to the white bandages that were wrapped around his eyes. “And we should be ready to implant them within the next twenty-four hours. Additionally we’re growing a new left arm. We hope to graft that into place soon after the eyes.”
Cardonez involuntarily reached over and felt her own left arm. It had been severed years before by a Klingon bat’leth. “And the Borg nanoprobes is his system?”
“Ninety-five percent of them are purged from his system with no ill-effects. He should make a full recovery.”
“Keep me informed,” Cardonez said. “I’ll be on the Bridge.”
After the Captain had gone, Crusher turned towards her young colleague. “Azahn, you’ve been working for twelve hours straight. It’s time for you to take a break.”
“I’m fine,” said the Bajoran.
“Did I mention that it was an order?,” she asked with a smile. As he began to protest, she shushed him. “Go!,” she ordered. “I should be okay to watch Sickbay for a few hours. I have had some small experience with it, you know.” Then she laughed.
Hollem reached over and hugged her. “I’m glad that you’re here.”
Beverly hugged him back. “I only wish that I could stay longer, but I’m only ever a subspace message away.”
****
Ramblin was hard at work and she found that it helped deal with the anger that she felt. Her uniform jacket was tossed across the back of a chair and the sleeves of her gold undershirt were rolled up past her elbows. She had loosened her collar and it was still too warm. She was proud of the way that the Engineering team had worked together under different circumstances. They were two experienced engineers down but Liz Tennyson had taught her people well.
Then the thought suddenly hit her. For the moment, at least, these were her people now. For what seemed to be like the hundredth time in the last few days, Louise Ramblin fought back her tears and threw herself back into her work.
****
While Doctor Crusher re-read information on a PADD, Valian Kandro took her by surprise by suddenly talking. “Is anyone there?,” he asked, his voice dry.
“I’m here, Lieutenant,” she replied, setting the PADD down and moving over to his bedside.
“I don’t recognize you. Where am I?”
“You’re aboard the Testudo. I’m Doctor Beverly Crusher.”
“I’m pleased to meet you,” he said. “I see that Captain Cardonez couldn’t resist charging in to rescue me,” he quipped. “Please, tell me, was anyone hurt?”
“Just a few bumps and scratches, Lieutenant. Nothing serious.”
“Good. I didn’t want anyone to suffer because of me.’
Crusher was glad that he couldn’t see at the moment because, without thinking, she glanced over at the door to Tennyson’s room. There would be a time to tell Kandro what had happened to his friend but this wasn’t it.
After a long silence, Kandro spoke again. “Still there, Doc?”
“I’m still here.”
“It wasn’t like I thought it would be,” he said. “I wanted to be surrounded by the thoughts of others again but in the Collective, there are no others. It’s just one giant mind and it’s the loneliest thing that I’ve ever experienced.”
“Well, it’s over now. You’re home again.”
“I know. Listen, Doc, two things.”
“Yes.”
“First off, can I have a shot of Pylium? I feel a headache coming on.”
“Okay,” Crusher said, grabbing a hypo. “And the other thing?”
“Are you single?,” Kandro asked with a rakish smile lighting up his pasty face.”
****
When Captain Cardonez swept onto the Bridge, she noticed for the first time that it was nighttime. Ship time, at least, and the lights were dimmed. Strolling down the ramp, she saw Commander Masafumi and Lieutenant Commander Huntington sitting in two of the three seats in the command area.
“Aren’t you supposed to be resting?,” asked Masafumi.
“I can rest in my Ready Room,” she replied and carried on walking.
As the doors closed behind her, Masafumi sighed. “I’m worried about her.”
“So am I,” said Huntington. “I thought that she would be happy about Starfleet letting her off the hook but she isn’t.”
“It’s almost like she’s sorry that they did. Have you tried to talk to her?”
“Several times. With no success. You?”
“The same. I suppose all that we can do is be here for her if she needs us.”
Huntington nodded. “Listen, didn’t you say that you had somewhere to go?”
“Yes, I did,” Masafumi said, standing. “There’s no point in putting it off any longer.”
“Need any help?”
“No. This is something that I must do alone but thank you anyway.”
****
Once he was inside his quarters, Hollem replicated a bottle of Bolian spring water and bounced down hard on his couch, swinging his legs up while he lay down. After a minute of inactivity, he said,” Computer, reopen audio letter Wolf-Fifteen-Alpha and began recording from where I left off.”
“Ready,” replied the computer.
Hollem took a deep breath. “Hi, Robert, it’s me again. There’s a surprise, right? It’s been a difficult week. I’ve had to deal with things that I hoped I would never have to see again and sadly, you’re the person that I want to tell all about it. I understand if it gets a bit depressing but I have to tell someone, even if you choose not to listen.” He took a long swallow of water.
“Liz Tennyson is one of the strongest people that I know…,” he began. It would be an hour before he stopped talking.
****
Zia Kehen stumbled through to the living room of her cabin, pulling on her dressing gown while she walked, as the door chimes rang again, she shouted,” I’m coming already!”
She had been asleep and she wasn’t overly happy with being awakened. When she open the door, she stepped back in surprise. “Commander? What’s up?”
Masafumi looked nervously at his feet. “Lieutenant.” He winced and shook his head before he looked up to meet her gaze. “Zia,” he began again,” I’m sorry to disturb you but this won’t take very long.”
“Do you want to come in?”
“No. Please, just let me say this so I can leave you in peace.”
“Okay.”
“I have been thinking, these past few days,” he began,” about how sometimes you think that you have all of the time in the world to achieve things or to say things. However, we never want to accept the truth that at any moment that time can be taken away from us. So I’m here tonight to say something to you that I should have said a long time ago.”
“Which is?,” she asked, tired and irritated.
“I am, quite possibly, in love with you.”
A long pause carried on and he was about to make an embarrassed apology and leave when the last thing that he expected, although it was the one thing that he hoped for, happened. Kehen reached out, grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him inside her quarters. Close to her body and smothering his mouth with hers, she kissed him hard, letting her tongue slip between his lips, eliciting a similar response from him.
Breaking apart, she was breathing heavily when she stared into his eyes, running a hand gently through his hair, she smiled.
“Well, it damned well took you long enough.”
****
Isabel Cardonez sat in her chair, examining the four tiny objects on the desk in front of her. After a moment, she placed them delicately in a star pattern on top of the box that held her Pacifica Cross. She stared at the tiny arrangement for several minutes before she finally pulled off her combadge and set it down on top of the box as well so it was surrounded by all four of her rank pips.
She pressed a control on her desk. “Commander, please try and get me Admiral Gavin on subspace,” she said. “I have something that I need to discuss with him.”
The End
‘Battle not with Monsters lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.’
- Friedrich Nietzsche
