Chapter 1
Lieutenant Jesse Reller, Personal Log, September 8th 2158
Nothing is the same on the Starship Enterprise any more. It doesn't feel the same ship. Everyone goes around silent. There's no laughter. No one smiles much. No love. Friendship is hardly shown. No movie night on Tuesdays down in the Mess Hall. Hardly anyone eats and not many people get much sleep. Insomnia is a constant, very much like how it was in the Delphic Expanse. The bridge is an especially creepy place to be because He isn't there anymore. He's gone and everyone has been affected.
Lieutenant Vicky Herley, my best friend and roommate, was the most upset by the tragedy. She loved him, she really did love him. None of us had seen it until that day. That dreadful day that the ship lost one of its most important crew members, and Vicky lost the love of her life.
It all began when Enterprise picked up a distress call. Ensign Hoshi Sato was off duty, so I was on the COMM, though I wish I hadn't been there, not that it would have made much difference. If I had known anything like this would've happened, I would have done my best to make sure that it was me that was gone instead of Him. If I had the chance to go back in time, I would have done everything in my power to protect Him on the away mission. I don't know what it was that let me down…. That let Him down, but I froze. I froze and it cost Him his life.
I know that if Commander Tucker were here now he'd agree with me on that. Everyone on the ship knows that I would put my life in front of other's and so it was one reason why Captain Archer had persuaded me to take up Security as well as COMM when I was in the Academy, so that when I'm not needed on the Bridge I have something else to do to help around the ship.
The terrible day happened just four days ago. I'll never get it out of my head now, and it'll haunt me for the rest of my life, wherever I go, whatever I do, it'll be at the back of my mind. September the 4th will be a day that no one forgets, although I bet, like me, they hope and wish that they do.
Porthos, Captain Archer's faithful companion, and friend to my own Labrador, had died from old age, and he hadn't really passed from that shock. He really did love his beagle. Everyone did. Porthos was certainly always full of life.
Lieutenant Reed had just had his thirty-fifth birthday. Fun and games had been had by all, but now the fun and laughter has disappeared, like ice melting in the sun. It's gone, just a pool of a memory. There's nothing to celebrate any more, and probably won't be for a long time.
No one is quite sure who will take His place. It appears to be that most of the crew feels that filling His place right now is wrong. If that happened straight away He would be forgotten too quickly, and no one wants that, especially Vicky.
I know that if He were here right now He would want us to remember all the good times, but that's always easier said than done.
