A/N I would like to sincerely thank Mojo01, EroSlackerMicha, and Jacks in my head for their reviews. I really value your input. Wow, 100 reviews!
Archer awoke in the morning with the feeling that something had changed, that something was wrong. As he sat up, he saw Porthos's dog dish and it all came rushing back. He wanted to just stay there, to mourn, to give himself time; but there was no time for that now. He would need to mourn later. There were matters that required his attention and as much as Porthos's death meant to him, there were thousands of men and women who had also perished or been wounded and they needed to be his concern now.
He reluctantly got to his feet and put the dog dish and sleeping mat away in a cabinet. Then taking a shower and doing his morning absolutions, he donned a clean uniform and headed for the mess hall. Entering and heading for the Captain's Mess, he acknowledged the greetings from the crewman he passed.
Ordering just some coffee and toast from the steward, he was soon done and headed for the Bridge. Arriving at precisely 0800, he was not surprised to see T'Pol and the others at work. He accepted their condolences about Porthos and then sat down in his chair.
Turning to T'Pol, he said, "Status?"
"Rescue operations are proceeding. General Shran has asked for a War Council meeting at 1000 hours to report his progress and to discuss the next steps to take."
"That sounds good." Turning to Hoshi, "Contact him and the others and inform them we'll meet aboard the Charon." Then after a slight hesitation, "The last I heard, the escape pod with Captain Frag was taken aboard the Montier."
T'Pol interrupted, "Captain Frag has transferred to the Natar and designated it the new Tellarite flagship. Until he receives new instructions from Tellar, he has named Captain Corab his second on the Council."
Archer turned back to Hoshi, "Did you get that, Hoshi?"
"Yes, sir."
When the Council met, there was an awkward moment when Frag hesitated before seating himself in Gral's chair. Then Captain Corab sat next to him.
Archer had been a little apprehensive when he heard Corab was to now be on the board, but he could not see anything that suggested he was going to have their discussion affect him.
After everyone was seated, Archer started, "I know we all have many duties we need to perform, but I agree with General Shran that we need to determine where we are and how we plan to proceed." Then he turned to Frag, "I am sure I speak for all of us that we wish to express our sadness at the loss of Viscount Gral. He was more than a highly respected member of this Council, he was our friend." As the others nodded, he continued, "We also wish to recognize his courageous actions that contributed greatly to our success. At the same time I wish to welcome Captain Corab to the Council."
Frag answered, "Thank you, Admiral and also the rest of you. He had been my friend for a long time and will be missed."
Archer sat back, "Now, I think we should hear from General Shran."
"Shran leaned forward and referred occasionally to a PADD in front of him. "As you know, we began Rescue operations as soon as the battle ended with the mission of locating any survivors. We determined that there were seventy-two ships that had sufficient damage that they would have to have help in finding any survivors. We utilized the Medical shuttles from the Clara Barton, and interspersing them with Shuttles from other ships, we accumulated a fleet of eighty shuttles to search the ships."
His checked his PADD, "It has been slow going. We have completed searches on fifteen of the damaged ships and are conducting searches on the rest."
"We have also contacted all ships to take a head count of their crews. As of now, understanding we are still searching, we can identify 19,542 survivors. That leaves 4,208 personnel unaccounted for."
Archer grimaced as he heard those numbers. Over four thousand possible deaths. He could see by the other's faces, they were shocked as well.
Shran continued, "This of course is the worst scenario, I believe we will reduce that number as we continue our search. On the other hand, it also does not identify how many of the survivors have suffered injuries or their severity."
Archer took over, "Thank you, General. Now I think we should hear from Ambassador Soval, who is in charge of the next step Recover."
"I have been working closely with General Shran. As soon as they complete their searches, we are sending personnel to collect the dead. We currently are utilizing ten shuttles, but will gain more as Rescue finishes up."
"We also have five shuttles looking for bodies floating in space."
"Our goal is to be able to account for every single individual, living or dead. To that end we are also collecting blood and tissue samples as we search in able to check its DNA."
"We have utilized the cargo bay of the Vulcan ship K'Tar to receive what we find. We will match them to their DNA. They will be then injected with a preserving fluid and placed in bags, clearly identifying who they are with name, rank, ship they served on, and service number. We will also note if they have any special requests as to disposal. We will also try to observe any religious ceremonies that are associated with them, but frankly, with this number of causalities it will be difficult."
Archer spoke up again, "Thank you Ambassador. I would like to be sure we all understand the difficulties involved with this number of deaths. At the same time, I also want to emphasize we will do our utmost to honor them. As the Ambassador said, our goal is to provide closure for every individual. That may not be completely possible. One thing must be certain however. We must do everything possible to be sure that all remains are correctly identified."
"And now, I turn it over to Captain Frag for the status of the last step Restore."
We are ready to proceed with our charge, but of course we will only proceed when a ship has been completely checked out for both survivors and bodies. I am assembling a team of engineers to evaluate the status of all ships. They will be placed into one of four categories, ready for action, able to be repaired on site, repairable at an Alliance facility, or incapable of being repaired."
Archer thanked all of them for their efforts. He then continued, "I will prepare a report for Admiral Gardner and the War Committee based on what you have communicated. I will send it to you for approval when I have finished. From now on, by 0900 each morning, I want a report from each of you on your progress. It will contain no estimates but exact numbers of where we are. In other words, number of survivors, number of identified dead and status of ships. You can send it to Lieutenant Sato. I will work with the hospital ship and the doctors on each ship to identify the number of wounded. When everything is completed, we will send a final report."
"Does anyone have any questions?"
Receiving no answers, he went on, "I just want to say how proud I am of all of you and your crews. Without your outstanding efforts, we could be in a very different position today. I would ask you to convey that to all of your respective ships."
A little hesitantly, Carob spoke up, "I know I am new to this council and perhaps out of place, but I want to take this opportunity to thank you Admiral for helping me to see where my duty lie and enable me to see that Viscount Gral did not die in vain."
Shran broke in, "I think we all agree that if not for you Admiral, this victory would not have been possible."
Archer lowered, then raised his head, "I thank you for that, but the true thanks goes to those who gave their all."
After a few moments, Archer said, "If nothing else, we all have a lot to do."
The next two weeks were filled with activity as they moved through the needed steps. Archer made his initial report to Admiral Gardner and then followed up sending totals and lists of those confirmed dead to the War Committee.
Each planet had its own condolence letters, with a standard message and were signed by the respective member of the War Council with an accompanying note from their supervisor.
Archer also insisted on signing them all as Supreme Commander, adding a note if he had any contact or knowledge of the individual. Some of them, including Crewman Barry Stevens, he had encountered during the basketball games. As time went on, he was in danger of being overwhelmed by the numbers.
Trip was cleared from Sickbay and had four letters to write, including a difficult one for Kathy. Archer and the rest of the bridge crew spent time with him as he was having a tough time reconciling what had happened. He knew it was irrational but he felt there was something he could have done to avoid what had occurred.
Each day the process continued, crews and officers doing their jobs, fighting through the despair and the enormity of the dead and wounded.
For the wounded, the first decision was made as soon as they were discovered. Those with wounds that were not considered severe were shuttled to Sickbays of ships that were not damaged in the battle. The rest were taken to the Clara Barton.
When V'Las was overthrown and T'Pau took power, those individuals who had been punished for doing mind melds were returned to their rightful places. One of those was Doctor Yuris, who had destroyed his career to help T'Pol. When the hospital ship was ready, the War Committee determined to place him in charge, not only because he had proven to be a top-flight doctor, but because of his connection to Archer and T'Pol.
As patients arrived at the ship, he and three other doctors, one from each of the other planets performed the difficult task of Triage, setting priorities for surgery and even more difficult, deciding which individuals were beyond hope.
There were thirty operating rooms aboard the Clara Barton. If possible, patients were routed to doctors of their own species, but when it became apparent that Tellarite injuries outstripped the others, that was not possible.
When the Rescue crews had finished with a ship, the Recovery teams moved in. Although their task was less rewarding, they felt a deep incentive to account for every crewman. The work was not for the squeamish. They collected any tissue or blood samples they could find, placing them in bags.
Along with the bodies, the bags traveled to the Vulcan ship K'Tar where another group of doctors worked to determine their DNA. Once they were identified and preserved, they were placed in body bags and stored in a cargo bay. Representatives of religions from every planet were available if needed. It was also noted if the individual had chosen something other than being returned home.
Then finally, there was an assessment of the ships, to determine what was salvageable.
Fifteen days after the battle, Archer sat in his ready room, his head in his hands. He looked up when the door chime sounded. He called out, "Enter." Hoshi came through the door with a PADD in her hand. "Here is the final list. Everyone has signed off on it. You said you wanted it as soon as it was ready." She looked exhausted.
Archer took it and looking sympathetically at her, "Thanks Hoshi, I appreciate your staying awake to get this done. You better get some sleep."
"Thank you, Sir. I was able to catch a little sleep waiting for some of the totals. If I may, Sir, you should get some sleep yourself."
"Thanks, Hoshi, I'll try to do so soon. Will you tell Captain T'Pol I would like her to join me?"
As Hoshi left, Archer picked up the PADD. After reading it, he shook his head, put down the PADD, walked over to his window and looked out at the stars. The door chimed again and heading back to his desk he called out for the person to enter.
T'Pol entered and waited by his desk, Archer sat down and indicated for her to sit as well.
"You wanted to see me, Admiral." T'Pol looked at him, noting that it seemed he was still neglecting his sleep. She had taken it upon herself to be with him as much as possible, concerned that he was pushing himself, that he was trying to do too much. They had not even discussed Porthos since that night. She felt he thought it would be inappropriate of him to deal with that when so much was going on. Unfortunately, she knew that suppressing his feelings on that just put more stress on him.
Before Archer could speak, T'Pol continued, "Excuse me Admiral, but General Shran and Ambassador Soval contacted me to remind us that we have a War Council meeting at 1900 hours. They feel we should prepare a message for the Fleet to honor the dead and wounded and celebrate our victory.
Archer nodded, but then said bitterly, "Some victory," reaching down and holding up the PADD, "We lost sixty-two ships, 4,025 killed, twenty-five missing, and 4,300 wounded. Another 'victory' like this and we won't have anything to fight with."
"I understand, but we did defeat one of Romulus's greatest commanders and destroyed over two hundred Romulan ships. Although everyone is saddened by our losses, there is also great pride in what we have accomplished. There seems to be a new unity among the various species. The Tellarites especially seem to have grown in esteem and are extremely proud of their role in the battle."
"As well they should be." Meeting her eyes, "I know, T'Pol, you're right. And I have noticed the feeling of this actually becoming a real alliance. It is just discouraging to know that the Romulans still have over a thousand ships to send against us, while ours will be difficult, and in the case of the five Vulcan ships impossible to replace."
"They may have the theoretical possibility of sending that many ships, but we know they are actually ill-equipped to spare even the ships they have already lost."
"You're right of course," smilingly adding, "As you always are." T'Pol tipped her head as if acknowledging the truth of his statement. He smiled more broadly and reached out to touch her hand. Then, retrieving his hand, he turned serious again, "But, from what we know of this Praetor, I don't think he will give up."
He then sat up, "But, enough of that. I asked to see you because Doctor Yuris informed me they are no longer in emergency mode and that it would be possible for me to visit the wounded without being in their way. I was hoping you would accompany me."
T'Pol face softened and she reached out and touched his arm, "I am glad you wish me to join you and would be pleased to do so."
Archer put his hand on hers and said, "Thank you."
They stayed that way for a few moments before Archer removed his hand and started to rise, "Well, if we have a Council meeting at 1900, we better get going."
After docking with the Clara Barton, Archer and T'Pol were greeted by the Andorian Captain of the ship.
"Admiral, Captain, welcome aboard the Clara Barton."
Archer answered, "Thank you, Captain."
"I understand you are here to see Dr. Yuris and tour the wards."
"That's right, hope that will cause no problems"
"Of course not, Sir, Dr. Yuris is waiting for you in Sickbay One. If you'll follow me…"
They walked down halls reminiscent of a hospital. Several personnel passed in white uniforms, acknowledging them with a nod.
They arrived at glass doors similar to those on Enterprise.
"Here you are, Admiral. If you'll excuse me, I should get back to the bridge. If you need anything, let me know."
"Thank you, Captain, think we'll be all right, but will call you if we need to."
The Captain left, nodding to T'Pol. Archer and T'Pol entered a room that was a larger version of the Sickbay on Enterprise. There were bio beds next to various medical equipment. The room was not completely neat, towels and packages from bandages, etc. were strewn about. Yuris was sitting on one of the bio beds and rose to greet them, "Admiral, Captain, it is satisfactory to see you."
T'Pol spoke first, "It is agreeable to see you as well."
Archer added, "Yes, good to see you, Doctor." The looking around, "Where is everybody?"
"Sleeping, I hope. Although we tried to have everyone take some time off, we have all been on our feet for a great part of the last two weeks. When we finally got to the point where none of the cases were life-threatening, as least for those we could help, I told everyone to get some sleep and we would get back to work tomorrow. We just have follow-ups and some minor surgeries. We still have medical personnel in the Wards to let us know of any emergencies and take care of the patient's immediate needs. Although there are some cases that could go either way, I finally feel we have the situation under control."
T'Pol spoke up, "How many are still in danger?"
"I would say around fifty, but I am confident they will pull through. I must say, everyone did a remarkable job. Of those judged to have life-threatening injuries we saved more than 95% of them. Of course, many will need a long period of recovery and face further surgeries. Almost all of those cases will be sent home."
Archer, looking at T'Pol, "Well, we should probably get on with our tour, how is it set up?"
"Those that are still in danger are in intensive care, I must ask you not to go there. The ones that cannot be saved are in Ward 1. Those that are returning home are in Ward 2, and those that will eventually be returned to duty are in Ward 3. Basically, if their needs can be handled here or on their own ships we will keep them here. Anyone who needs prosthetics, however, are being sent home. We just do not have the personnel or time for the surgery and therapy that is involved." Looking at Archer, "Especially we cannot be sure what situations we will face in the future."
Archer, sadly, "I know." I just want you to know how much appreciate what you and the others have done. I was hoping to tell them personally, but if I miss a chance to do so, please convey my personal thanks and admiration and that of the War Council."
"Thank you, Admiral, I will be sure to do so."
"Guess we'll do the difficult one first. How do we get to Ward 1?"
"Just go out the door and down the hall to your right. Then for Ward 2, just come back out the door of Ward 1 and go to your right. For Ward 3 you will have to come back this way and continue down the hall to our left."
"Thanks," turning to T'Pol, "Ready to go?"
"Of course."
They went out the door and down the hall, passing through a door marked 'Ward 1 Authorized Personnel Only.' Inside there are one hundred beds but only twenty-two are occupied. Most of the patients are asleep, many covered in gauze while others have burn marks showing. One medical aide is moving around the room. She injected a hypo as a man writhed in pain. As they passed a bed, a man called out.
Talking with difficulty, "Who is it?" Raising his head slightly, he said in amazement, "Is that you, Admiral?"
"Yes, it's me. Looking closer, "Ensign Williams, isn't it?"
"Yes, Sir, didn't think you'd remember me. Who is that with you?"
T'Pol moved up and stood next to Archer, "It is Captain T'Pol."
"It's an honor to meet you both again." His face showed a burst of pain.
Archer, looking concerned, "The honor is ours. Would you like me to call someone?"
"No," his face contorted again. "I want to talk for a minute; they can give me a shot then. They don't tell us much here. What is the situation with the Marseilles? How about Captain Gerhart? The rest of the crew?"
Archer looked him sadly in the eye, "I am afraid the Marseilles was destroyed. Captain Gerhart is dead. There were only eleven survivors. I am sorry." Touching his arm, "Maybe you should rest."
Williams began to tear up, "No, I want to talk." Smiling bitterly, "I'll get plenty of rest soon. She was a fine ship and Captain Gerhart a fine officer. We had just heard how the Vulcans were tearing the Romulans a new one, when we were attacked by two Romulan ships. We destroyed one of them," gasped with pain, "But just as an Andorian ship come to help us, we took a direct hit."
He then paused and seemed to make a decision, "Admiral, would you do a favor for me? I know it is presumptuous of me."
"If it's within my power, I'd be glad to."
Williams held out his hand, putting a necklace into Archer's hand, "If I don't make it, would you see that my wife Beth gets this? It was the first thing she ever gave me. I was going to have the officer who tells her…" His face contorted badly as his arm jerked, but Archer held on. Archer then said, "It would be an honor, I will see to it personally, but you'll see her yourself."
"Thank you, now maybe you should call that nurse."
Archer signaled her over. She administered a hypo and Williams slowly relaxed. Archer pulled his hand away as he placed the Ensign's hand back on his chest. T'Pol reached out and squeezed Archer's arm and he looked gratefully at her. As they continued to move around the Ward, T'Pol whispered to Archer, "What did he mean when he said the Vulcans were tearing the Romulans a new one?"
Archer smiled and had to hold back a chuckle, "Let's just say they were inflicting heavy damage on them and leave it at that."
T'Pol, slightly confused, "Very well."
Suddenly, one of the patients reached out and grabbed T'Pol's arm. A lock of shock and pain crossed her face. As Archer moved toward her, she waved him away as her face became stoic again. She gently began to pull the hand away when the man's eyes opened and he looked up at her.
"You're beautiful."
T'Pol face showed surprise for a moment before she recovered, She finished pulling his hand from her arm but continued to hold gently onto it, "Thank you."
"My Mary is beautiful too. Do you know my Mary?"
"No, I am sorry I do not."
"You would like her. She's a wonderful person. She's beautiful too."
"I am sure she is. Perhaps someday I can meet her."
As his arm went limp, "I think I should sleep now."
As T'Pol released his hand, he turned his head over and closed his eyes. Archer checked his pulse and called the attendant over. She came and ran her scanner. She then looked at Archer and T'Pol and shook her head. She took the sheet and pulled it over his head.
Archer put his hands on T'Pol's shoulders and pulled her off to one side, turning her face to look at him.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes, Jonathan, I am fine. He caught me unaware and my shields were not prepared. I could sense his pain and despair." She turned slightly and leaned into him, "But I am recovered now." She looked back at the patient, "I would like to know his name."
They walked back over and T'Pol asked the nurse, "Could you tell us his name?"
She looked up at them surprised and then moved back the sheet. She pushed different buttons on her scanner to read the symbols on the tag around his neck. "His name is Darrell Simpson. He was a crewman on the Admiral Forrest."
T'Pol continued, "Is there a next of kin or his wife's name?"
"Yes, his mother Edna Simpson, it says he is single."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome Ma'am. Is that all." When T'Pol nodded, she put the sheet back and started to return to her duties, but Archer stopped her.
"What happens now?"
"Since there was nothing on his tag about any religious preferences or other wishes, I will notify whatever Doctor is on call. He will certify the death and his identity will be confirmed through his DNA. Then he will be taken to the K'Tar to be processed. His name will be added to the list and sent to Starfleet." With sadness and a touch of bitterness in her voice, "Then Edna Simpson will get a visit from a Starfleet officer."
"Thanks again." She nodded and left.
T'Pol, looking down at him, "I wonder what Mary was to him?"
"Girlfriend, fiancée, sister?"
"It would be satisfactory if she could know his last thoughts were of her."
"As you know, the Admiral Forrest was not destroyed, only one section was damaged. We could contact Captain Rogers and see if he knew if there was a Mary in Simpson's life. If he doesn't know, he could check with some of Simpson's friends."
"That seems logical."
"I'll contact him as soon as we get back to the ship. For now, let's move on to Ward 2."
Ward 2 was much different atmosphere than Ward 1. While many of them were in a similar state to those in Ward 1, largely sleeping and sedated, there were also those that were going home because of the loss of a limb. One of those was Captain Stewart of the Mercy McBride. Archer and T'Pol worked their way amongst the beds, occasionally stopping to talk to those who were awake. T'Pol was amazed at the reactions of these wounded, most severely. You would perhaps expect them to be bitter, to resent the Admiral, who had led them to their condition. But instead anyone who was aware, were thrilled to see him, eager to show their support, to want to join in celebrating their victory.
They finally worked their way to where those who had lost limbs were at. They came up to Captain Stewart who had lost his right arm. Archer spoke first, "Captain Stewart, I suppose I should thank you for saving Enterprise from being damaged further, but," pretending to be displeased. "That really wasn't very smart."
"You're right Admiral, but it seemed the right thing to do at the time. Guess we were lucky we just got damaged instead of actually ramming him."
"We'll, I am sure you know that the damage was not that bad and the Mercy McBride will continue to remain with the fleet."
"That was good news." Then he smiled, "Now, why can't I stay on as Captain? In the Civil War, men who lost limbs continued to fight. Missing one arm doesn't prevent me from doing my duty."
He smiled more broadly when the soldiers around him joined in, adding their voices and showing their support.
Archer smiled back, "From what I see and hear, I think you have a point. But I am afraid the Alliance policy is pretty cut and tried. You are just going to have to go home."
Then Archer noticed a small wooden plaque on the floor by Stewart's bed. "What is that?"
Stewart smiled and reached down with his good arm and showed it to Archer. It was emblazoned with the words The Mercy McBride. "It's from the ship. The crew decided I should have it as a souvenir." After a moment he said, "I was thinking though, Admiral, that perhaps Mrs. McBride would like to have it. Could you arrange to get it to her somehow?"
Archer smiled, "I have a better idea. Why don't you take it to her? You'll be home long before I will. Besides, I think she would like to hear about the Mercy McBride from its captain."
Stewart shook his head, "I didn't even think of that. I guess I was still hoping I could stay somehow. You're right, Admiral, I'll deliver it personally."
When they entered Ward 3, there was a large cheer. T'Pol was a little shocked to see that some Vulcans actually joined in greeting and talking to them, celebrating a great victory. It was apparent that war apparently had the ability to form bonds. She still struggled that something that created so much pain, so many deaths, could also bring out some of the best in people.
In the back of the room two Andorians were talking, with a crewman from Enterprise listening intently.
"That is one beautiful woman. Too bad she's a Vulcan. I hear they only mate every seven years. Although I guess they almost make it worthwhile waiting."
Crewman Janes spoke up, "You shouldn't talk about the Captain like that."
"Oh, relax human, we are just having a little fun. Don't tell us you haven't thought about how it would be to sample that."
"The crewman had to smile, "I guess your right, she is pretty hot." Then after he hesitated a moment, "But it seems that she is already taken. The scuttlebutt is that she and the Admiral are really close."
"The Admiral! A human!"
"That's what I've heard."
In the next few days, Archer finished up the immense task of signing the thousands of letters for the next of kin. He was then informed of another task that needed his attention. Twenty of the humans that had died had requested to have their remains sent into space. Although the Starfleet procedures allowed any officer to perform the brief ceremony, Archer decided he needed to do it himself. So as not to make is seem like an assembly line, he arranged to have four done a day. He also insisted that the command crew of Enterprise be present in dress uniforms and that Taps would be played at the end of each day.
Just as they were about to leave for the first ceremony, Hoshi informed him that Captain Rogers of the Admiral Forrest wished to speak to him. Assuming it was in reference to the question about Mary, Archer told Malcolm he had the Com and asked T'Pol to join him in his Ready Room.
Archer spoke first, "Dave, good to hear from you. Captain T'Pol is here with me, do you have some information for us?"
"No Admiral, I'm afraid I have nothing for you. I talked to all his friends, but none of them remembers him ever speaking of a Mary. I also looked through his personnel file. He's an only child." Then, after hesitating for a few moments, "There is something else, Admiral."
"What is it?"
"Crewman Simpson was gay. Are you sure you got the name right? Perhaps it was a man's name."
"No, he was struggling a little to speak, but he specifically said 'She'."
"Sorry I couldn't help. Anything else you need me to do?"
"No, not that I know of, thanks for your efforts. Archer out."
He turned toward T'Pol, "Well, that was disappointing, have any other ideas?"
"The only thing I can think of is to ask his mother, but I do not think it would be a correct time to do so."
"I agree, I did attach a personal note to the letter; but I don't think we should bother her with this now. Perhaps when we return to Earth, we can do a little more investigating."
"I must admit I see no other alternative for now."
For the next five days, Archer performed the ceremonies for the fallen soldiers. Malcom had rigged a projectile that used the torpedo tubes and exploded after being sent into space.
As he finished up the rites for the last crewman on the fifth day, Archer turned to signal that Taps be played for the final time. T'Pol stopped him by putting her hand on his shoulder, "It is not yet time for that, Admiral, there is one more to honor."
Confused, Archer looked at her as she handed him one of the Silver Plaques that were given to the next of kin.
He looked down at it and felt a large lump forming in his throat. On the plaque, embossed in the familiar gold script was CREWMAN PORTHOS ARCHER. Barely succeeding in holding back the tears, he looked up at his fellow officers.
Hoshi spoke up softly, "We figure he was as much a member of the crew as anyone and deserved the same respect." Trip joined in, "Yeah, after all he was the first crewman to ever step foot on an uninhabited planet."
Fighting the tears and the lump in his throat, Archer said hoarsely, "Thank you."
Then he noticed the Bay was filling up. He looked around and saw the crew of Enterprise and men and women from other Earth ships were arriving. He was also stunned to see Shran and Soval with them.
Managing to gather himself, he once more said the words he had spoken so many times in the past five days. But this time, he did not have to remind himself to be sure to give them his best.
"Today we are gathered to honor the life and death of one who gave his life in the line of duty. While it is proper that we do so, we must humbly admit that our words cannot possibly reflect the depth of his sacrifice. Yet they are all that we have to express our deepest admiration and gratitude. As long as the stars exist, he will travel among them. As long as beings strive for freedom, he will be remembered."
He then stood at attention, commanding "Tenhut!"
As everyone in the room came to attention, the 'coffin' moved down the chute and was sent into space. Archer, with a catch in his voice, "Good journey, Crewman Porthos," then in a whisper, "Goodbye, my friend."
The sound of Taps fills the Bay.
Twenty-two days after the attack, Archer sat in his chair on the Bridge. All three steps had been completed. The remains of those ships deemed unsalvageable had been destroyed. Repairs were underway on all damaged ships, including Enterprise. It turned out that only five ships were determined so badly damaged that they needed to return to their home planets for Repairs. Arrangements were being made for them to be towed.
His thoughts were interrupted by Hoshi, "Admiral, that was the K'Tar. Captain Sonak says the K'Tar and the Nimmock are ready to leave."
"Understood. Notify the rest of the Honor Guard to get in position. Travis, move us to our place."
Twelve ships of the Alliance, three from each planet, formed a tunnel with the four flagships at the far end.
As the K'Tar, bearing the dead, and the Andorian ship Nimmock, bearing the wounded, passed by, all personnel aboard the twelve ships stood at attention, dimming all lights except the ship running lights. They stayed that way until the two ships passed through and went to warp.
Trip lied in his bed, wide awake. Sleep had not come easily lately. He had not realized how much his friendship with Kathy had meant to him. He now knew that it had masked many other things that troubled him. Kathy had enabled him to deal with them. The fact that his son was growing up without him gnawed at him. Now Kathy's death had added to his distress. He knew he was fighting depression, that he needed do something. It was beginning to affect his work. He thought of going to Phlox but remembered what had happened the last time he had done that. It had brought about Neuropressure and his involvement with T'Pol. Before he could stop it, something struck him. Perhaps T'Pol could help with his depression. As hard he tried to dismiss it, it refused to leave.
T'Pol was about to go to bed when her door chimed. She was surprised when it was Jonathan dressed in the sweats he wore to bed.
"T'Pol, I know I said I shouldn't do this… But I need to be with you."
T'Pol quickly said, "I have felt the same."
She rose as he reached her and enveloped her in a hug. He then kissed her tenderly on the mouth. Both understood this was not about lust or sex, but the need to be together, to touch, to embrace, to be there for each other.
After a time, she led him to her bed and T'Pol waited while Archer removed his boots and sweatshirt. They then laid down with T'Pol resting her head on his chest. Archer gently ran his fingers through her hair.
Archer spoke up, "I don't know how I would have been able to get through this if I didn't know that you loved me. It has been my rock, my strength."
T'Pol looked up at him, her heart beating faster as she was overcome with joy that he felt that way, that she could do that for the man she loved.
"I am glad, Jonathan, but you are vital to me as well. You are a part of me. You complete me."
Jonathan was a little stunned at her words, but then realized it was true for him as well. He put his arms around her and held her tight to him.
T'Pol snuggled up to him, getting as close as possible knowing this is where she belonged.
They exchanged one last tender kiss and then fell asleep, both at peace.
