Author's Note is at the bottom of the story, placed there to avoid spoiling the ending of this story.

Edited to fix a big mistake, sorry!

Chapter 7

Goodbyes are Forever

I stared at the list on my screen. Names...a hundred and fifty names. I had decided to go slightly over Captain Archer's minimum but under his maximum- a hundred and fifty Aegians to represent millions. What had these individuals done that singled them out for life? Some were critical, such as doctors and teachers. Most had a specific trade knowledge that would be imperative.

People that I could trust were handling the notification and transportation. A few more were securing the supplies. I had called that emergency meeting and left having forever altered five good friends. We had decided to not notify the general public. It would do no good and we were afraid that our normally mild mannered people would erupt in despair and chaos. There were some who could handle the information, but you couldn't pick and choose who would find out.

I had chosen to not put my family on the list. It had been the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. None of them knew a trade, or had a skill that would help the colony. If they went, they would be forever branded as having no right. The bitterness would have been a cancer in a new world needing to stick together. So many would be giving up loved ones and friends.

We would work on a solution. Some weapon that could repel the asteroid but we weren't in possession of any that were near the strength needed, let alone figuring out how to deploy it in time. Intuitively, I knew that would not be a solution, but I had told Commander Tucker we wouldn't give up and we wouldn't.

"You got a minute?"

I looked up from the list. Sam was standing in that similar, half-in, half- out my door, hunched over. I smiled. Some things would never change. "Always for you Sam."

He walked in and threw himself in one of my chairs. The extras from the Enterprise visit were still here. I hadn't had enough energy to ask Sara to rearrange my furniture back to its normal state.

Sam saw the names on my screen, "Is that the list?"

"Yes." This was going to be the tough part, "Sam...you're on it."

He stared at me critically, "I need to be here Tam. I need to help work on a solution."

"There isn't going to be a solution."

"You don't know that."

This hurt. "Sam, please. I don't want you to go anymore than you do."

"Then don't make me."

I felt all my arguments for why he should go...why he needed to go, evaporating. "I don't want you to die."

He sat closer to my desk, "I don't want to die. I don't want you to die. Would you have me abandon my family and friends to save my own life? There are better engineers that could go."

I could argue that but I wouldn't. It wasn't his point and I understood that. I looked at him one last time, "I won't make you."

"Take me off the list." He didn't hesitate.

I scrolled to the place where his name was, SAM TRENT, and deleted it. I hated myself for it.

"Are they arriving soon?"

"A couple hours. Everything's ready. The last few people are arriving within the hour." I glanced at the latest report on my desk. "Your brother is on the list."

He nodded, "I know."

"You'll be there then?"

"Yeah. I can't let Adam go without a goodbye from someone in his family. Mom and Dad don't know. They'll be getting the 'died in an accident' excuse." Sam rolled his eyes when he said that. I couldn't blame him. We had to come up with a group of scenarios. We hoped the disappearances would be few enough and far between that questions wouldn't be raised; another reason why it was important to spread out choices amongst the five main cities.

He stood up, "I'll see you there."

"See you." I went back to studying the names, one hundred and fourty-nine names.
I was standing on the pad, watching the shuttle land. There had been many trips, many tears, while our people had left in group after group. Supplies had been beamed aboard. That had been an interesting sight. I'm glad they hadn't offered to beam my people aboard.

Now Captain Archer was returning one final time, to say goodbye. I loved watching their shuttle. It was such a tiny thing compared to their spaceship, but it had this personality. Maybe it was because of its boxy shape. It reminded me more of our ships.

I saw Archer exit the hatch, stooping down in that same way I was getting used to. I watched him walk across the pad, coming to a stop in front of me.

"Are they getting settled?" I asked.

"Yes, Doctor Phlox and Lieutenant Reed are helping."

I was surprised. "Lieutenant Reed didn't mind?"

Archer smiled, "Lieutenant Reed volunteered."

That lump was back. The young man had touched me with such a simple act, "Tell him thank you."

"I will."

Neither one of us said anything, the silence growing.

"This is awkward." I finally said.

"Goodbyes usually are."

"I wanted to thank you. For giving me a chance to see wonders I never would have seen before. For letting me know there are people out there...like you." I swallowed. This was harder than I had imagined it being.

"Don't thank me." Archer was stoic, holding close the feelings running through him. I realized I wasn't the only one who could be read like a book. I could see how angry he was, how sad and upset. He blamed himself...he blamed the universe.

"I always will." I had so much more to say but couldn't find the words.

"Tam...I won't forget you. Your world."

"Nor I you."

I held out my hand, a shake, like we had done before. It seemed appropriate. He grasped my hand, and nodded. He turned and walked silently back to the shuttle, getting in and not looking back.

The shuttle lifted, and left. I felt the pain of the final goodbye fully, as they left for the last time. I turned to Sam, who had been standing beside me, waiting and offering his support long after he had seen his brother off.

"Let's get back to work Sam. We've got a lot to do." Somehow we managed to smile instead of cry.
Seven Months Later, Enterprise

Captain's Ready Room

"Captain?"

Archer was standing at his viewscreen, one arm leaning against the bulkhead, the other dropped by his side.

"What do you need T'Pol?" He asked, not turning from his position.

T'Pol knew Archer was upset, and he wanted to be left alone, but she didn't think that was what he needed.

"I'm sorry...about the Aegians." She offered.

He was quiet and she wondered if she had overstepped their relationship. He turned away from the vista of stars, "It isn't fair."

T'Pol inclined her head, "There is a saying on your planet, life seldom is."

"They were a good people T'Pol. One of the best we've seen. Why them and not...those...klingons?"

"Why anyone Captain. It just is." T'Pol answered. "Do you wish to hold...a memorial service?"

He looked up, "I hadn't thought about it. Most of the people from Enterprise didn't get a chance to know them."

"No...but you did." T'Pol shifted awkwardly, "I did."

Archer studied his first officer. If he didn't know better, he'd say she was fighting for control as much as he was. "Yes, you did." It wouldn't be a bad idea-a small one, for those who had gotten a chance to know them. He knew those that had gone to the planet were having a hard time dealing with the news they had received a short while ago.
Enterprise Observation Deck
Lieutenant Reed tugged at his collar. It was almost time. He looked at his friends sitting...waiting. He couldn't believe he had agreed to this. He couldn't believe he had volunteered for this. Tam's face flashed in his mind; a gentle soul, and an alien who had touched him briefly inside in a way that he hadn't been in a while. An alien who cared enough to ask him if he enjoyed his job and cared that he did.

Sighing, he straightened his shoulders, and stepped to the front of the room, "We are gathered here today...."

THE END

Author's Note: I'm sure many of you are thinking what Luna has asked. There are a few reasons why that wasn't viable. The first being that they are in a somewhat isolated system, hinted at in the beginning by their statements of exploring their system and not finding anyone else. Kind of like how we are here right now. We know of no sentient life anywhere near Earth. Anyway, then you have to remember that this takes place towards the latter end of season one for Enterprise. They are months out from Earth. The Federation doesn't exist yet and their only allies are the Vulcan's. Even if the Vulcan's would be willing to help, there is no feasible way to relocate an entire world in months. You could get mass people transported off with a concerted effort (if the ships could get there in time which most couldn't), but then they wouldn't have the production on the planet to sustain mass amounts of people. I couldn't represent most of this in the story because it's being told from Tam's POV, who doesn't really know anything about the Vulcan's or Earth's capabilities. I thought of many different angles for this, and one of the options was enlisting the Vulcan's to help evacuate, but there wasn't any feasible situation for evacuating millions of citizens (and it wasn't what I intended with the plot anyway-but I did want to consider all options). It wouldn't be possible, not in the time frame given, and then what would happen on the planet? There would be total chaos as those left behind fought to be in the transports off-world. Anyway, I hope I answered your question. Ultimately it does boil down to what I wished for the story. Sure there are reasons why it couldn't work, but in fiction (especially sci-fi) you can pretty much create anything to solve a problem, but I didn't want to do that here. I wanted to write a story where they have to face the fact that they couldn't do anything to change what was going to happen.