Chapter 18! At long last! Thanks for the reviews, all of you wonderful people! And thank you 0afan0, for taking time out of your busy schedule to proofread for me!
"This is the supply freighter Chula. We request permission to beam down the cargo...Ah yes," the woman practically groaned, "We're supposed to offer you assistance. Make it quick, I'm on a tight schedule. As it is, I'm going to be late at every port from here to the homeworld."
The ship had arrived weeks earlier in response to Tokath's distress signal, and in it's captain's mind, that was far beyond the call of her duty.
Tokath wanted to shove the second-rate supplies in her face. If only the people under his care didn't need them so desperately! The freighter may have been named after a picturesque valley on Romulus, but from what he recalled when he had last boarded her years ago, it was an outdated rust bucket. And the captain was a low-class harpie with a grating, raspy voice.
But that was the sort of thing that happened to those who survived political disfavor on Romulus. Tokath knew that fate all too well. For him, the sacrifice was worth it. Others, however, considered the fallen to be the fortunate ones, for they did not have to endure the bitter shame of defeat.
"The usual co-ordinates have changed," he answered instead, "No assistance is necessary." He transmitted the information. The co-ordinates had indeed changed, and the old spot was now under several feet of water. After a few moments, the supplies materialized. Since no one else was around, he sighed with relief. The colony was safe, and they had the necessary supplies.
He had known for a long time that the ants were only the first proverbial hurdle they would have to jump over. Ever since he learned that the freighter was going to be delayed, the danger that he and his people could die the slow death of disease and starvation had been lurking in the back of his mind. Thankfully, that was now one less thing he had to worry about.
He still couldn't believe they had all survived. Well, not all of them had survived. The memories of his friend's sacrifice filled his heart to the brim.
Let me go instead, Tokath, H'dean had pleaded, I have no family. There is no one who will mourn my loss.
"Ah, H'dean, you old fool. That is where you were wrong, on both accounts..."
"Now I know how Noah felt," Anne remarked. She stood at the top of the wall and scanned the horizon. The water went on as far as the eye could see. Off in the distance, she could just make out the tops of the bare mountains. Before the recent catastrophe, the mountains weren't visible for all of the foliage.
Dhaval protectively held his arms around her waist. He wasn't taking any chances that she might fall over the side. "You wanted to go to sea, didn't you? You have your wish." Then he blinked. "Noah?"
"It's a very old story," she explained. "Humankind had grown so wicked that God decided to destroy the earth. But there was one worthy man and his family who were left. So they built a giant ark and filled it with food and animals. The earth was drowned in a worldwide deluge, but Noah and his family survived in the ark until the waters receded."
Dhaval lifted a brow. "Is that so? Well, I doubt this is flood has encompassed the entire planet, my Anne. Remember, we are in a valley."
"You think it's silly, don't you?" she pouted.
"Not at all." He smirked at her reaction. "Actually, we have a similar story on my world, believe it or not. Though our protagonist was a woman."
Anne smiled back, but then she looked down. "It's sad that our hero didn't survive." She buried her face into his shirt. "Oh, Dhaval, this isn't right! It's not supposed to be this way."
Dhaval stroked her soft auburn hair. "I know. I know." He searched for words to comfort her, but could find none—to say nothing of comforting himself for having played his wicked trick on Eviess. "This is simply how life is, my love. You and I have both been through enough to know that."
And so has Eviess, he thought, with a glance in her direction. The woman also stood at the top of the wall, but was farther down, and away from everyone else. She mournfully looked out over vast sea around them, as though she were searching for H'dean. But of course, he was nowhere to be found.
Everyone knew she was grieving, but they weren't quite sure how to handle it. She cared a great deal about H'dean, but even now would not admit to it. Only Ba'el was brave enough to approach her.
"Are you alright, Eviess?"
She held her head high. "Yes, I'm alright. I'm...processing all that has happened."
"I still can't believe it myself," Ba'el agreed. "But we will all adjust in time-"
Eviess closed her eyes. "I don't wish to be rude, Ba'el, but please leave me alone."
"Of course," the girl said. "There's one more thing. Father wanted me to let everyone know that there will be a memorial for H'dean in the morning."
Eviess nodded. "You may inform your father that I will be there."
The next morning, the community gathered in the center courtyard. By then, the water outside of the walls had drained considerably. What was left in its place was one giant mud puddle. In the tropical humidity, the landscape would take weeks to dry up again.
"Have you seen outside?" Toq mumbled quietly to Dhaval. "And you thought it looked like hell before it flooded."
Dhaval agreed with a nod, but said nothing.
Tokath signaled for everyone's attention. "My friends, as you all know, we have come together this morning to remember the courage of H'dean, the one who saved all of our lives by giving his."
The Klingons, led by L'Kor, responded with thunderous approval. "To the glorious dead!" they cheered.
"We all know in our hearts that he is in Sto-Vo-Kor!" announced Gi'ral.
On Carraya IV, the normal "No Romulans Need Apply" restriction to the Klingon afterlife wasn't a factor. The Klingons simply agreed with Tokath's wife without hesitation. Tokath and the Romulans were more reserved, but they seemed to appreciate the compliment.
Dhaval couldn't resist making a remark on the subject. Like many men from all parts of the galaxy, he used humor to mask his own grief, as well as to appear in control of himself during an unpleasant time. "Assuming he would even choose to go there," he whispered to his wife with a smirk.
She shot a look back at him, which warned him to keep his antics in check and behave with more reverence. "This is a funeral!" she reminded him in a whisper. No one else took notice, as they were too occupied with cheering, or watching the others cheer.
"Wait! Wait!" Ba'el shouted over the roaring Klingons. "Quiet! I think I hear something!"
After a few more attempts, and the aid of Tokath and Gi'ral, the crowd finally piped down. There was a dead silence, the kind where a dropping pin could have been heard.
All of a sudden, there was a loud knock at the front gate, the sound of which startled everyone.
The crowd exchanged inquiring glances. "Now who do you suppose?" they asked each other.
Another knock.
"Well, open the gate already, somebody!" Tokath barked impatiently.
Dhaval and Valdus rushed over and pulled the heavy doors ajar. In staggered H'dean, half-crawling, half-dead. He was heaving with exhaustion, and covered in mud. All eyes turned from him to Eviess.
At first she was nervous, but then she held her chin high again. "It's about time to got here," she said haughtily. "But being the pig that you are, I take it you enjoyed your wallow in the mud?"
H'dean laughed, though it sounded more like he was coughing. He stumbled over to her, and pulled her into his arms. "Shut up and accept me, you wench!"
Eviess tried to resist his amorous embrace, but ended up falling down into the mud herself, to everyone else's mirth. She was furious. But the longer she looked into H'dean's eyes, the more she realized what a fool she was acting like. They had been given a second chance, and it would be ungrateful and unfeeling to waste it.
"You're a dirty old man," she said to him finally, throwing her arms around his neck, "but I love you anyway!"
H'dean tenderly caressed her cheek. "And you're a old hag, Eviess. But I love you anyway."
As Toq watched the romantic scene unfold before his eyes, he noticed that Dhaval and Anne were also engaged in exchanging affection themselves. Feeling left out, he moved to go to Ba'el, but then stopped. Instead, he turned to his would be father-in-law.
"Now, can I marry your daughter, Tokath?" he demanded.
"Alright, Toq!" He threw his hands up into the air. "Now you can marry my daughter!"
The next chapter will be the long-awaited wedding! Thanks for patiently sticking with me, everyone!