Star Trek Hunter
Episode 15: A Stitch in Spacetime
Scene 8: Out With the Old
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15.8
Out With the Old
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The loss of Dr. Carrera was nowhere near as disheartening to the crew of the U.S.S. Hunter as the other losses had been, largely because of the amazing future Justice Irons assured everyone was in store for him. Only the executive and senior staff knew what that future would actually entail – and one more person – Investigator Buttans Ngumbo. The loss of the entire tactical squad was softened as well by their reassignment to Ocean and the evident relief this new assignment provided to the Hunter's youngest crew members.
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2nd Lt. Moon Sun Salek met with Justice Minerva Irons in the captain's office.
"You should not be surprised that Sarekson recommended you not only very highly, but exclusively to serve as our next Director of Engineering," said Irons. She placed a small box in front of Dr. Moon. Opened it. It contained a single solid rank pip. "My only question is, what, aside from a promotion to lieutenant, do you need to do the job?"
Moon reached up and removed the hollow pip from her collar. Replaced it with the solid pip. She put the hollow pip in the small box and picked the box up. "I need to give this to Ensign Sun – make that 2nd Lieutenant Sun. He is the assistant director I need…"
"I am glad to hear you say that, Lieutenant," said Irons. "And not surprised. Hui has done well and his dissertation has been receiving praise at the Daystrom Institute, along with his more recent publications."
"What I am missing is a serious mathematician," said Moon. "I have a great candidate who joined Star Fleet almost a year ago and is currently serving on Earth. If I send Sun and Guth in the tactical unit, they could have him at Star Base Eleven in time for you to interview him before our shore leave there is up."
Irons smiled. "Talk to Kenneth about assigning Guth. He may have other ideas. But you're approved to send Dr. Sun. Must be a great candidate if you're in such a hurry to get him to SB11."
"I have an additional reason for wanting to move quickly," Moon said.
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A***A
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Irons ordered the U.S.S. Hunter to be landed on Ocean. As they had been more than a year previously, the wagon and the two interceptors were landed separately. But the tactical unit was away on mission.
With the loss of T'Lok Smith and Sarekson Carrera, the only expert surfer remaining on the crew was T'Lon. In the morning of their first day on Ocean, Kenny Dolphin and Buttans Ngumbo went out to surf with T'Lon. And by midmorning, T'Lon was on the waves by herself.
Much as they had been less than a month previously on the beach at Numinor, Dolphin and Buttans, after a few hours surfing, were reclining on beach towels, sheltering under a large beach umbrella.
"Everything has changed so much. And so fast," Dolphin said.
"Lynhart was my business partner for five years," Buttans said. "The Investigation Agency of Buttans and Shran… In some ways I was closer to him than I've ever been to anyone else. I knew his heart was weak and that he might go at any time. But he just ticked on and on and on and he never let it slow him down. He just seemed so… unstoppable. Immortal. Invincible. You know in more than 30 years on the battlefield for the Andorian Imperial Guard – and 6 years on the New York City Police Department – another 9 years in private practice – he was never once wounded? Not even a scratch. It seemed like he could walk through fire. Seeing him dead was just… It still doesn't feel real to me."
"I thought you would be more… that you would miss Sarekson more."
"We weren't soul mates, Kenny," said Buttans. "In a way, I think he deliberately kept some distance from me. And from everyone else. I think he had some instinct that he wouldn't be staying with us. I'm not sad about him leaving – at least not for myself. I feel a little sorry for him, though – he's off on some magnificent adventure. But I doubt he'll ever find anyone to share it with him."
"What about our tactical squad?" Dolphin asked.
Buttans Ngumbo looked back. Further up the beach, Jarrong and her cousins were being more or less mobbed by the Hunter's crew members. Dolphin and Buttans both grinned a little as Jarrong suffered awkwardly through one hug after another. Her cousins seemed more comfortable with all the attention and the bulk of it was focused on Belo Cantys even though her pregnancy was not yet showing.
"With everything those kids have been through in their lives," said Buttans, "well, having them here and as safe as they can be anywhere in this universe… If anyone deserves a happy ending, it's those kids. They've served their time in hell…"
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A***A
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It was Justice Minerva Irons' oldest daughter, Ocean's Planetary Administrator Tamar Irons, who realized the crew of the U.S.S. Hunter needed some sort of commemoration and closure to help them accept the loss of so many crew members. She had recruited Dr. Napoleon Boles for this project even before the Hunter had arrived in orbit. In only two days, working in a large workroom in the resort lodge and assisted by several members of the Irons family, Boles produced a large mural in a romantic bolian painting style known as "heroic heart painting" that portrayed, three times larger than lifesize, Lt. T'Lok Smith, Flight Specialist Joey Chin, Investigator Lynhart Shran, Lt. Cmdr. Sarekson Carrera (in his expeditionary clothing) as well as Tactical Specialists Jarrong, Belo Rys, Belo Garr and Belo Cantys – not as lifelike portraits – but as recognizable heroic caricatures in a group pose that was at once flattering and humorous.
A set of holo-emitters was erected near this mural so that Lt. Tauk (projected from a pressurized section of the resort lodge where he was staying), Dr. Kim, Dr. Raj and the ship's interactive holographic avatar, Hunter, could pose next to this mural along with the remainder of the Hunter's crew, including their departing tactical squad members, for a group photogram. Holographic images of Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth and 2nd Lt. Sun Ho Hui (currently on away on assignment) were also projected to complete the ensemble.
It was only several hours later as the sun was setting and dinner was being served on the beach that various crew members began to notice that in the large amount of space above the characters in the mural, in extremely subtle hues, an even larger likeness of Justice Irons' face was watching over the departed crew members. At nightfall, the mural was beamed up to Star Base Eleven and mounted in one of the crew lounges near the large docking bays.
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15.8
