Star Trek Hunter
Episode 28: The Covenant
Scene 3: The Dolphins of Hawaii
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28.3
The Dolphins of Hawaii
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"Couldn't you just… find some nice guy and get yourself knocked up?" Kenny Dolphin tried to put on a brave face, but he was fresh out of brave faces and the best he could manage at the moment was an overly protective, worried-father face. Still, that was far better than letting his true feelings show. Especially with his new grandson in his arms. Holding that baby had made him completely re-think all his worries about his daughters getting pregnant.

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A freshly painted gazebo protected him and baby George from the sweltering mid-day Hawaiian sun. George's parents, only recently wed – Vuk Smith and River Dolphin – were also sheltering in this gazebo, along with other family members. Grandpa Kenny was unconsciously bouncing baby George ever so slightly, which, along with the distant rumble of the surf and the even more distant cry of seagulls, had the baby in a happy, almost mesmerized, relaxed state. The baby had very dark skin like his Hawaiian grandfather, slightly pointed ears like his half-vulcan father, but somehow he had inherited his mother's bright crystal-blue eyes.

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Starlight Dolphin laughed lightly. "It will be all right, Dad. I spent this last year really traveling. You remember our sailing trip on Bajor?"

Dolphin almost unconsciously handed George to the baby's other grandfather and namesake, Dr. George Smith, who was sitting next to him.

"Of course I remember," Dolphin said. "It's the most time I've spent with you since you were seven years old."

"Well, on our way back to Earth, we stopped for a few nights in the 110 Piscium system," said Starlight. "While I was on Pillo, the Great Mushroom gave me a dream. I knew this day would come and I knew I had to find the answer for you."

"What answer?" asked Kenny. "The answer to what question?"

"Is it worth it?" said Starlight. "Dad, I have crawled through the antique library at the Sanctuary of the Waterbirds on Cophus II. I listened to the waterbirds singing – and the vulcans singing with them. I swam with the tetrasquids of Zephria IV and learned four dimensional wave painting from them. I spent a week inside the wormhole to the Gamma Quadrant with the nuns from the Bajoran temple on Deep Space 9, praying to the prophets. And the prophets spoke to me and showed me visions of what it will be like for the borg working on the Hulk – and they gave me messages to bring to the borg. Messages of hope. I sailed to the dark red spot on Ocean and I've sailed around the Earth. Twice. And I went with an expedition to observe the innocents on Dalsid V. And then to map the cloud layers of Dalsid III, where they have found life very similar to the Venusian life that was destroyed in the Venus Incident. And that is just the beginning of the wonders I've seen. So the answer is yes… Yes, it is very much worth it."

"But… Twenty years… I'll be 75 when you come back…" said Kenny. He was unable to keep the sound of hurtling loss from his voice.

"King Prometheus has offered a lot of incentives for those who volunteer in the first year of the lottery," said Starlight. "I get to choose two people to exempt from the lottery. Vuk's brother exempted Vuk and baby George. I have chosen River and T'Lon. And you can come visit me. I will get 30 days vacation every year. I will be a drone, but it will still be me."

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Starlight Dolphin took a long breath and looked around at the stunning blood-orange sand, the ruby and emerald mountains of Kauai Island, the deep blue Pacific. "I love this place," she said softly. "And I love all of you. But to save my family, I have to leave my family..."

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The group fell silent. Except for baby George Dolphin, who was now making gurgling noises in the arms of his father, Vuk Smith. Kenny Dolphin felt T'Lon's hand on his shoulder. Old Dr. George Smith was handing out cold bottles of Mexican beer – Corona.

Kenny Dolphin took a long, deep breath, then took a long drink of cold Mexican beer. It was delicious – sweet – almost citrus – highly carbonated – the champagne of beers.

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"Think of it this way, Kenny," said old Dr. George, "You're not losing a daughter. You're gaining 137 billion borg…"

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And about a half-pint of cold, highly carbonated Mexican beer came spewing out of Kenny's mouth and nose...

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