Chekov Pavel Andrevich
And just like that they went from seven to six.
"God rest his soul"
The priest finished his sermon and slowly the coffin with Pavel's body was lowered down into the earth. Dirt was thrown on it as were coins and handkerchiefs, according to their custom.
The six (incomplete) started going back to the house, where they had been asked to stay by Chekov's family, who kept thanking them, for bringing him back to them.
None of them could say anything other than reply with a nod.
They didn't say that the Captain was still going through his decisions, still combing through every single command searching for what he could've done differently, searching for the little mistake which resulted in today.
They didn't say that the Vulcan First Officer was still processing the feeling of not again and that the universe had it against him and that he was too young and that every feeling he was getting was not completely logical.
They didn't say that the Doctor who kept everyone together, who thought it was his job to put everyone together when they went through with their stupid decisions, was beating himself up, because he could've (should've) saved him.
That the Chief Engineer had his mind still in the transporter room, reliving the scenario where he failed one of the most important things in life when he failed to repair the transporter, failed to prevent today.
They didn't say that Communications Officer was still going over every language known to her and how could she, supposedly the best 'ear' in Starfleet, not decipher one sentence of a new language in time.
That the Helmsman was fully broken inside, unable to think of anything but the moment when his best friend's voice cut off through the communicator.
They didn't say anything because each knew what the other was feeling, that they had lost one of their own today and that may be in the next week or the next month a new person will sit on his chair, perform his jobs.
And that life will go on.
With this in mind, the six continued on their way, their formation of sevendeformed because one was missing.
And the formation will be repaired someday, and they would go on but there will always be a small gap where a seventeen year old boy will curse in Russian, frustrated that even after five years the computer refused to recognize Nine-Five-Wictor-Wictor-Two.