Chapter 25
Vaughn tapped his fork against his glass, attracting everyone's attention. "Everybody, I'd just like to say, on behalf of my wife and I..."
There were cheers from the guests. Almost a hundred people were seated around various round tables out on the old MACO training ground under a large white tent. Floodlights and portable heaters held back the early winter evening's cold gloom. They had just finished a hearty meal, which still clung warmly to their insides, and now Vaughn stood up at the long top table speaking into a handheld microphone.
When the crowd settled again, Vaughn continued, beaming away as ever. "On behalf of my wife and I, I'd like to say thank you to you all for coming. I think there was some other big event on today or something." Laughter at his feigned ignorance tinkled like bells across the tent.
"I know there may be some difficult days ahead," Vaughn said with a playful grin at Angie, "but that's the gamble you take with such a union." North wondered if he was talking about the Federation or marriage. "Nothing worth doing comes without work, and just because that work might be hard doesn't mean you give up. Something worth doing is worth doing well. Especially love.
"Love is a virtue, and like all virtues - courage, honesty, tolerance - it is meaningless unless tested. If it's true, it just gets stronger.
"And I look forward to being tested every single day. To my wife."
He raised a glass, and everyone joined him, then applauded. North was humbled by the younger man's wisdom. Words they could all learn from. And a tough act to follow, he thought as he stood for his Best Man speech.
He cleared his throat and began. "You all know that I'm not one for the spotlight, so I'll keep this brief. This whole assignment has been quite a change for me - for all of us. We've faced challenges unlike any other. But we've come through them intact and together. Now, I don't pretend to know much about marriage, but I understand that it is also a big change, and a big challenge." Laughter. "One thing I have learned though is that change is not to be feared but to be embraced, and that, with people you care about by your side, you can face any challenge." He raised his glass. "To Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn!"
Everyone joined the toast, applauding again, but North did not sit down and held up his hand.
"Now, Rhys, before I release you on leave for your honeymoon, my last order is to enjoy yourselves. Both of you, forever."
Vaughn and his new wife stared up at him, smiling, and both thanked him.
"Start immediately with this little show I prepared." North beckoned, and the couple, confused, got up to follow him out from under the tent. Many others followed.
He pointed upwards. "Should be starting soon."
As if on cue, a great blue firework flashed, lighting up the darkening sky and erupting in a loud boom. More went off in quick succession, and the heavens were ablaze with colour and sound, while the stunned onlookers on the ground gasped in awe.
North smiled as he watched the happiness all around him. Truthfully, the fireworks show was part of the Federation Day celebrations, but they suited the wedding too. The Victory, Loknar, Kir-alep and Shallash were all detonating torpedoes safely in low orbit to create the spectacle. The symbolism was not lost on North - using weapons of war to celebrate peace - and he greatly approved.
The happy couple had their first dance under the fireworks, and everyone else had soon followed suit. The DJ played an eclectic mix of songs from all four UFP races, but they went down well, and the dance floor was never empty.
McQueen watched on from the side-lines, her heart still heavy from dumping Artie. She knew it needed to be done - this new future was no place for such close-mindedness, no matter how friendly it was dressed up - but she still felt terrible attending the wedding alone. She had no resentment for Angie and Rhys though, and felt genuinely happy for them as they danced away, the very picture of martial bliss.
"Like her dress?" Patel asked, landing in a chair beside her.
McQueen choked down the tears constantly threatening her and nodded. "It's lovely."
Patel smirked. "Angie designed it herself. I helped her make it in the matter resequencer. Best not to think about where it came from, but it was last-minute."
McQueen smiled thinly. "Getting into the wedding mood?"
"Me?" Patel scoffed. "I'm married to my work. To the base." She caught McQueen's melancholy expression. "Listen, Jess, you know that for someone who grew up elbow-to-elbow with fifty other people on a freighter, I'm not very... social... so bear with me here... You're gonna be okay." She tapped the other woman's arm awkwardly.
"Thanks, Mahira. And I know... It's just gonna hurt for a while. But like the Commodore said, gotta embrace change."
"That's the spirit! Plenty more stars in the sky, anyway."
"Actually, I think I wanna be on my own for a while."
"Really? That's a shame, 'cause one of my engineers over there has been eyeing you up all night."
That made McQueen's smile grow. Then she frowned and looked into the crowd. "Where?"
"Congratulations, you two!" Thorpe said to the newlyweds when they departed the dance floor.
"I wish you both the best," Sylor said, alongside him. Even the young Vulcan seemed to be having a good time, as if a great weight was lifted from him.
"Thank you, sirs," said Vaughn. "And congratulations to you both on your medals!" Both of them still had the awards pinned to their dress uniforms.
Thorpe waved modestly. "It was nothing."
"I hope that our commendation did not illicitly appropriate your atmospheric shockwave," said Sylor.
Everyone turned to him, their faces creased up.
"Do you... do you mean 'steal our thunder'?" Angie asked. She chuckled. "Don't worry about that - if not for you two and Threv, we wouldn't have got our wedding today!"
Thorpe was still staring at Sylor. "Lieutenant... did you just make a joke? With the thunder thing?"
Sylor simply looked into the distance. "I'm not sure what you mean, sir."
Thorpe turned to the others. "Things really are changing."
The three Humans laughed, and even Sylor had an almost imperceptible smile on his face.
"Just when we thought we couldn't get more proud of you," said Sherene, rubbing at Threv's medal while he continuously grinned like the grayth who'd eaten the hybor. The bondgroup sat around one of the tables, having danced themselves into exhaustion.
"Human weddings are so small," Chalmos said, looking around. "But fun!"
"Bet you're glad we stayed here now," Threv said to Sherene teasingly as he dabbed at the sweat on his forehead, also checking his bandaged antenna was okay. At least the climate was becoming more comfortable; they weren't as warm.
Sherene smirked at him. "Yeah. Yeah, I am. I know I've been a bit of a pain this past year..." She took them all in with a look.
"Just a bit?" Chalmos quipped. Threv gave him a playful swat.
Sherene grinned but ignored him. "I see now though that it's better we stick together, as a family. So long as we have each other, it doesn't matter where we are."
They were all touched by her words, especially Threv. For the first time in a long while, he loved his life. Everything was perfect exactly how it was.
Then Azhri, who had said very little all afternoon, burst out with, "I can't keep quiet anymore! I went to see Dr. T'Ling again at lunchtime..."
The group grew concerned. Threv was worried something would spoil his perfection.
But then Azhri lit up. "I'm pregnant!"
There was something about a wedding at night that North had always loved, ever since he was a boy. The air always seemed chilly, even in summer, but endurable, as if maintaining a respectable distance, like a silent spectator, the sky turning black like nothing else existed, and all time stood still. It was always the same, no matter where or what kind of wedding. It felt like a world between worlds.
And this was the dawn of a new one.
North watched his crew from his seat, smiling as they all enjoyed themselves. Part of him thought about the words of Skaal and other dissenters. Just where would the Federation lead them all? Deep down though, he knew that whatever the future held, they would face it together, as one. Even in the darkest of times, that would make them stronger. And the same applied to Starbase 1.
A hand appeared in front of him. He looked up to see that it belonged to Ambassador Mamao'lani.
"Care to dance, Commodore? I know it's not exactly traditional for the Best Man and the officiant to dance together..."
North took his hand, interrupting. "Today is a day for starting something new, Ambassador." He stood, looking into the other man's eyes.
Mamao'lani nodded slowly. "Daniel," he offered.
"Zachary," North responded in kind.
With the barrier of formality down, they both made their way onto the dance floor, together, and joined the others.
The future was only just beginning.
Afterword
Thank you to everyone who's been reading along. Whether you've been here from the start or jumped on later, I appreciate your time, especially those of you who have reviewed or commented along the way.
This may not be the end for the Starbase 1 crew, however. I have a second season of ideas in my head, which I may get around to in time. We'll see life in the Federation's first year, and explore the new situations our characters find themselves in, as well as more of Berengaria VII too, and dive further into backstories. There may also be a few familiar faces returning, and the usual fun canon shout-outs.
For now, I'll be taking a little break. Just from SB1 though. I will probably write one or two unrelated fics in the interim. Watch this space!
As always, please leave a review and check out my behind-the-scenes annotations (linked on my profile) for more!
Live long and prosper.
