With enough repairs to the damaged vessel made, the crew had gotten back to a much needed 'normal' shift rotation with the exception of the bridge crew, who had to pull double shifts. Commander Kirk was at the navigation console, giving Ensign Bristol a break. He actually preferred sitting at this seat for now. It reminded him of days that seemed so long ago when he didn't have to make life or death decisions, he just followed orders. His mind drifted back to the sick bay and the four bodies that laid under shrouds. Eight people had actually lost their lives during their battle with the Rapier, but four were irretrievably lost to space when the starboard cannon exploded. As difficult as it was, he had already contacted each of the families to inform them of their loss. The memories of those conversations were still fresh in his head.
He looked over at the tactical console, where T'Nia would normally sit. The burned out frame was covered in a white sheet with a note that read "Room service requested" pinned to it. Kirk smiled at the notion of a Vulcan with a sense of humor. It had taken Kirk awhile to realize how close T'Nia had come to dying during that fight. The notion of a life without her friendship made him wince. All around the desceptively small bridge he could see scorch marks in the walls and ceiling tiles where power relays had overloaded and blown. One of the ceiling tiles had completely come loose and was hanging only by light wires. A few marks of blood littered the floor tiles. He noted a particularly good sized spot near the front of the bridge was his own. Stephen instinctively felt his forehead to ensure the wound had, in fact, healed.
The only other people currently on the bridge were Lieutenant Davies, who had buried herself in various transmissions from Earth and Mars, Ensign P'rr's, who spent hours asking all manner of questions as soon as she walked in the door, and Doctor Rass, who had been intently reading something on a PADD. Stephen was concerned for Elaine Davies. He didn't know her well, but the events of the past week had really shaken her up. Before the fight, she had been light hearted and talkative. Since, she had been quite reclusive, and what little conversation she did have was with Tony. That was okay, Stephen thought. Tony has always been a free spirit. The battle hadn't affected him much at all, IF at all. Perhaps their friendship can help pull her out. Until yesterday, Stephen didn't even know a Catian was on board... not that he minded. He had served previously with a mated pair of Catians aboard the Vigilant. P'rr's seemed to have come through the battle well enough. Her speed and agility had kept her from being harmed in any way. Doctor Rass had finally seen the last of his patients return to duty, which is what gave him the time to take his seat on the bridge for the first time since he had come aboard. His performance during the battle should garner him yet another award. He was certainly deserving of it... everyone was.
With a few button taps on his console, the small navigation screen switched views to their escort ship, the USS Enterprise E. As badly as Warlord had fared in its battle, Enterprise fared far worse. The front half of the main saucer section had been completely destroyed, exposing most of the decks to space. All over the vessels structure were signs of damage, whether it be simple burn marks of near misses, dents or full aperture. The port engine was useless and dark. Even the deflector dish had been destroyed, which was why Warlord had taken the lead. Over two hundred people had died on Enterprise during their battle. Even after this, the Romulan government was still in complete chaos and the Remans were still a viable threat to the Empire. Stephen hoped these sacrifices were worth it.
The navigation console beeped at him, informing him that Warlord had reached the outer marker of the Sol system and home. That warning told him to drop out of warp and proceed at impulse power. It also told him that, because of the time of year and direction they were coming from, they were about four and a half hours from the mammoth structure known as Spacedock... and home.
