Chapter 9
September 10th 2158
The day of the funeral has come all too soon. Jonathan's body lay in the coffin for all to see. Phlox had done a good job in making the Captain look respectable for one last time.
It was surprising to see Vicky crying so much, no one knew of the relationship that had been going on between her and Jonathan, they'd kept it very secret, but now because of me, that relationship is over.
Trip, being the acting Captain, was first to speak to the crew gathered in the Armoury, and to those listening over the open COMM link. He spoke of all the good things that Captain Archer had done on the ship and back at Earth before he was given command of the first warp five vessel. He soon finished his speech and turned to me. "Jesse, I believe you have a few words to say." I looked at him and nodded my head. I took a deep breath and stepped forward. What I had planned to say suddenly left my mind, it was completely blank. I was facing the whole crew and I didn't have anything to say.
I had to think fast, to find something to say in the moment of awkwardness. "Captain Archer put a lot of trust in me the day Lieutenant Reed was taken. Why they wanted him, we don't know, but it happened. Jonathan put me on Tactical and then covering for him when we were on the Nausicaan ship. But something went wrong, something happened to me scanner and it didn't pick up the soldiers that were waiting for us…" I was finding it extremely difficult to concentrate and think of things to say. A lump was forming in my throat and tears were beginning to well in my eyes. My mind just kept racing back to the moment that Jonathan had been stabbed, the flash of sharp metal under the lights glinting in my eyes.
"Err… Captain Archer had saved my life about ten times." And that was it, I couldn't say anymore, a heavy feel of tension was hanging in the air. Apart from five more words, I had nothing else to say. "We shall miss him dearly." At that moment, Trip stepped forward and put his hand on my shoulders and I knew at that point I didn't have to say anymore. I was slightly relieved to feel the hand there knowing I could step back. I retook my place next to Lieutenant Reed.
Next to say words were Malcolm and then T'Pol. For one who had purged their emotions it was very evident to see that T'Pol was feeling very emotional. She and Jonathan had been good friends. Once they had finished there was silence for several seconds so that everyone could say a few silent words to themselves, to say their own last good byes.
It felt like hours but was really only around two minutes before Trip and Malcolm lifted the lid of the coffin into place. I knew I had one last task to perform for Jonathan, and that was to help carry it onto the torpedo launcher with Trip, Malcolm, Travis, Hoshi and T'Pol. We placed it carefully and returned to our places, all except Malcolm who stood by the controls, his hand hovering over the little red button. Trip gave the man a slow nod and the button was pressed. The coffin slowly slid into the tube and was then jettisoned out. It was at that moment I remembered what it was I had wanted to say, the simple few words I had thought of two days ago, but now He was gone and it was too late.
"Good bye, Jonathan." I thought to myself as the coffin slowly glided through space, its resting place.
I keep thinking, if I hadn't attacked the Nausicaans, Captain Archer would still be alive. I don't know what it was that made me attack them, it may very well have been adrenaline fro, being on a rescue mission and I wanted some action to happen, to test out my combat skills that Malcolm had recently been teaching me. I should have fired, I should have fired. Maybe it was the glint of the metal in the lights that made me freeze, like a rabbit or a deer in a car's headlights from a century or two ago.