"Lieutenant," said Gabriel; he was addressing Avallios, though his eyes remained fixed on Connie's body. "Did she have any.. last words?"
"I don't know, sir. You'd have to ask one of them." Avallios indicated the commandos.
"She did, sir," said one of the Klingons, his voice tinged with reverence. He was the one who knew something of Celvani customs and had commented on Gabriel's actions. "She said, 'Holodeck Two'."
In spite of everything, Gabriel couldn't help but laugh. Of course.. it started there, after all. Why wouldn't it end there?
"Thank you, Sgt. Makto." Gabriel stood, turning to face the Klingon commandos. "You three stay here, guard the body. See that nothing disturbs her. Lt. Avallios, get Ms. Priest to Sickbay, and then I'll need you on the Battle Bridge. We've still got a ship to fix and a fight to finish."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"If you're watching this, it means I'm dead..." The holographic Connie interrupted herself, laughing. "That sounds so cliched, but unfortunately it's true." The fluctuating power levels on the ship caused the holo-recording to fritz and sputter, though not enough to make the holo unwatchable.
"Either that, Captain, or you've been spending far too much time on the holodeck again and stumbled across this recording. If that's the case, then you're going to be dead, 'cause if I find out, I'm going to kill you." She laughed again, a sound Gabriel hadn't heard much in the time they'd known each other. His chest tightened at the thought that he'd never hear it again.
Connie gestured around her, at the scene she'd chosen for this last message: on the saucer of the reborn Challenger, near the bridge, with the vastness of space surrounding them. Not long after Gabriel and Connie had 'buried the hatchet', he'd shown her this design. Of course, the ship had been a work in progress, and much of the design had changed.
"When you first showed me this, I had an odd feeling, something I couldn't place and quickly forgot. But when I saw the finished ship," and Gabriel noticed that as Connie talked the holographic Challenger they stood on had subtly shifted to her current, predatory hullform, "it came back to me. I knew, as surely as I knew that I loved you, that I was going to die on this ship.
"I.. I hope that when the time came, I made a good accounting of myself..."
"You did," whispered Gabriel. "Gods above and gods below, you did."
"...and I hope it didn't hurt much." She laughed at that, but it was a sad laugh. "Can I ask for that? Oh, and I hope whatever killed me didn't kill you too. I wouldn't want anything to derail that destiny of yours." The hologram stood silent for a moment, and Gabriel guessed that Connie had paused the recording in order to compose herself.
"I'll be waiting for you, Captain.. Gabriel, my heart.. in whatever afterlife may be out there for us. I'm sure you'll be late; just remember to turn off the holodeck on your way out." She smiled, offered a crisp salute, then winked and blew him a kiss. "Transmission ends."
The scene vanished, the ship and starscape replaced by the cool blue grid of the holodeck walls. Gabriel stood still for a long moment, then headed out to join Avallios on the Battle Bridge. Time for grieving later, he thought coldly. As much as his heart was trying to get him to succumb to the pain, he had a ship and crew to save. She will not have died in vain, he promised. Focused on the task at hand, he failed to notice the highly unusual flurry of activity displayed on the computer panel just outside of the holodeck exit...
"I don't know, sir. You'd have to ask one of them." Avallios indicated the commandos.
"She did, sir," said one of the Klingons, his voice tinged with reverence. He was the one who knew something of Celvani customs and had commented on Gabriel's actions. "She said, 'Holodeck Two'."
In spite of everything, Gabriel couldn't help but laugh. Of course.. it started there, after all. Why wouldn't it end there?
"Thank you, Sgt. Makto." Gabriel stood, turning to face the Klingon commandos. "You three stay here, guard the body. See that nothing disturbs her. Lt. Avallios, get Ms. Priest to Sickbay, and then I'll need you on the Battle Bridge. We've still got a ship to fix and a fight to finish."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"If you're watching this, it means I'm dead..." The holographic Connie interrupted herself, laughing. "That sounds so cliched, but unfortunately it's true." The fluctuating power levels on the ship caused the holo-recording to fritz and sputter, though not enough to make the holo unwatchable.
"Either that, Captain, or you've been spending far too much time on the holodeck again and stumbled across this recording. If that's the case, then you're going to be dead, 'cause if I find out, I'm going to kill you." She laughed again, a sound Gabriel hadn't heard much in the time they'd known each other. His chest tightened at the thought that he'd never hear it again.
Connie gestured around her, at the scene she'd chosen for this last message: on the saucer of the reborn Challenger, near the bridge, with the vastness of space surrounding them. Not long after Gabriel and Connie had 'buried the hatchet', he'd shown her this design. Of course, the ship had been a work in progress, and much of the design had changed.
"When you first showed me this, I had an odd feeling, something I couldn't place and quickly forgot. But when I saw the finished ship," and Gabriel noticed that as Connie talked the holographic Challenger they stood on had subtly shifted to her current, predatory hullform, "it came back to me. I knew, as surely as I knew that I loved you, that I was going to die on this ship.
"I.. I hope that when the time came, I made a good accounting of myself..."
"You did," whispered Gabriel. "Gods above and gods below, you did."
"...and I hope it didn't hurt much." She laughed at that, but it was a sad laugh. "Can I ask for that? Oh, and I hope whatever killed me didn't kill you too. I wouldn't want anything to derail that destiny of yours." The hologram stood silent for a moment, and Gabriel guessed that Connie had paused the recording in order to compose herself.
"I'll be waiting for you, Captain.. Gabriel, my heart.. in whatever afterlife may be out there for us. I'm sure you'll be late; just remember to turn off the holodeck on your way out." She smiled, offered a crisp salute, then winked and blew him a kiss. "Transmission ends."
The scene vanished, the ship and starscape replaced by the cool blue grid of the holodeck walls. Gabriel stood still for a long moment, then headed out to join Avallios on the Battle Bridge. Time for grieving later, he thought coldly. As much as his heart was trying to get him to succumb to the pain, he had a ship and crew to save. She will not have died in vain, he promised. Focused on the task at hand, he failed to notice the highly unusual flurry of activity displayed on the computer panel just outside of the holodeck exit...
