"Ian?"
"Yes, Lili?"
"I haven't seen you in a while. Why is that?"
"Partly it's because you've mostly been better. But it's also, can I tell you something?"
"Sure."
"It's that I get a great deal of pleasure out of being with you. And I suppose it's more than is permitted."
"Permitted? Huh, what's the Head Honcho like?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"You know … God."
"I have no idea. Or if there even is one, or two, or any, for that matter."
"You're in the afterlife and you don't know?" she laughed a little at that.
"This plane is somewhat independent, it seems. We call it the afterworld. I suppose that's why we have houses and the like. We all, we take care of one another."
"Even the wicked?"
There was silence for a while. "Yes. Even me."
She groped in the darkness and put a hand on his chin. She remembered – he didn't want her to touch the upper part of his face at all. "You're redeemable."
"Yes. And if I am, then I suppose almost everyone is."
"That's very comforting. You're doing a very good job with all this comforting business, yanno."
"All I want to do is to, to take care of you a bit. I have never wanted to take care of anyone before. I never wanted to see anyone comforted or happy. This is a very new experience for me. You will let me know if I'm doing it wrong, yes?"
"Yes. Oh, and Ian?"
"Hmm?
She put her arms around his neck and they awkwardly embraced again. "This is good."
"I'm relieved," he whispered softly, touching her hair with his lips very, very slightly, terrified that she would feel it or that it would, again, be going too far, and he would be temporarily kept from her again.
=/\=
"T'Pol! T'Pol!" Tripp called. The Vulcan turned. "Wait up a sec, please." He rushed to her side. The eyebrow was raised. "I wanted to know, see, uh, whaddaya say 'bout giving this another chance." She stopped. "You 'n me, that is."
"Commander," she stated, "This is neither the time, nor is it the place."
It was early, and they were walking on B deck, which was otherwise deserted. There were three empty single cabins – Jay's, Malcolm's and Will's. Aidan was a Lieutenant Commander, and could have had a cabin on that deck, but he was married and so he and Jennifer were on E deck, even though she was not yet pregnant.
As for Lili, she, too, could have claimed a cabin in prime real estate, but she had said that she felt funny about the whole thing, so she stayed on C deck, and Patti Socorro was still her roommate. Another reason for Lili's staying put was the fact that her moving in would have meant commandeering Malcolm's or Jay's cabin, and she wasn't ready to do that just yet.
As for the other denizens of B deck, they just weren't there.
"It is never the time," Tripp complained, a little sharply, "'cause you never let me see ya! As for the place," they were standing just outside of Jay's old quarters, "I don't think the ghosts are talkin'."
She looked away. "To take up our relationship again would be," she cast about for the right word, "not preferable."
"You 'n me, we're good together! We raised two beautiful kids! We loved each other. What's not preferred about that?"
"Please understand, and try to comprehend the length of my widowhood."
He carefully took her hand. "I know," he ventured, "it was a good ninety years. I get that it was a really long time. And I get – even if you won't quite share that detail – that it was painful. But if we get together earlier, we can be together more, right? I mean, can't you see the logic in that?" Lips trembling, she just stood there. "I know you don't wanna be hurt," Tripp said, "and believe me, if I could spare you that, I would. But life doesn't exist without hurt. Let's not compound that with regrets, too."
She had nothing to say to that and, instead, kissed him passionately.
=/\=
Jonathan Archer went into his Ready Room for a moment before the regular shift was to start. He glanced over notes and reports. "Reports seem a little silly right now," he told Porthos, "but we write them anyway. I guess it's part of what keeps discipline from breaking down, eh?"
The dog did not whine or even lift or tilt his head, as he normally did. That was odd. The captain came closer, and petted Porthos, who seemed to be warmer than usual, and his fur seemed to be a tad dirty. "Hmm, maybe you need a bath."
That would have normally gotten the dog's attention, but Porthos just lay there. "Cheese? Do you want to talk about cheese?" Even that failed to get the beagle to even raise his head.
"Oh God," Jonathan cried out, flipping open his communicator. "Sick Bay, medical emergency! I think Porthos is really sick."
"Bring him over. Phlox out."
Jonathan picked up the dog, who whined a little bit, as if the act were painful. "Please be okay, please be okay," he whispered. He got the door to the Bridge to slide open. T'Pol was just arriving. "T'Pol, take command. We're going to Sick Bay." He dashed out, Porthos in his arms, before the Vulcan could respond.
Every means of locomotion seemed to be far too slow. They were flying around at God knows how many kilometers per hour, yet the lift seemed to be taking forever.
They were finally on E deck. The Sick Bay doors slid open. Phlox was present. Crewman Chang was seated on one of the bio beds. Andy Miller was close by.
"Here, let's see what the trouble is," Doctor Phlox murmured. Jonathan gently laid the dog onto the scanner bed. "I'm sorry for the delay, Crewman."
"That's okay," Chang glanced over, "the little guy doesn't look so good."
Andy turned to Dan. "Here, lemme practice." He ran a small scanner over Chang's left temple. "The headache isolated here?"
"Yeah. But shouldn't you be helping Porthos? I swear I can wait."
"We need to wait for the scan," Andrew explained, "Here, looks like you've got, uh, pulsing. I'm guessing this is from a little eye strain. Do you get that?"
"Yeah, I do, sometimes. What's happening with the little fellow?" his patient asked.
Phlox reversed the bed out of the scanner. "It appears that Porthos's body is rejecting the pituitary gland transplant I gave him in 2152."
"Can't you give him another transplant?" asked Captain Archer, an edge of desperation in his voice.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have another Calrissian chameleon," Phlox replied.
"Isn't there anything you can do?" This time, it was Chang asking. Jonathan gave him a bit of a look, so Dan added, "I'm an animal lover. Hell, I get on with 'em better than I do most people. I know I haven't been the greatest of crew members but I don't," his voice broke a little; "I don't wanna see the little guy suffer."
"Is there anything?" asked the captain.
"I'll need to think about this," Phlox replied.
The doors slid open. It was two of the Ikaaran women – Esilia and Izquilla. "Oh!" Izquilla exclaimed once she saw them in there, "We could return later."
"Wait, is there maybe something I can help you with?" Andy asked.
"A visit," she replied. "But we will wait. It is not urgent. Can we, oh, I wish we were more similar. But there is no way that we could possibly empathically heal him, I think."
There was a communications chime. Andrew hit the wall panel. "Sick Bay, Miller here."
"I must speak with the captain," It was T'Pol.
Jonathan gave the dog a scratch behind the ears and came over. "Go ahead."
"Someone is attempting to open the external doors in the shuttle bay."
"Lock them out!" commanded the captain.
"It's this deck," Chang realized, "I'll go." Before anyone could stop him, he had run out.
=/\=
In the Observation Lounge, Kerna and Dakiza sat with Timinka. Lemnestra was pacing a little. "It's gone!" she yelled, panicking.
"What's gone? Where?" Timinka asked.
"The quatromenaline! Our stocks are down to nothing!"
"We can get more from Doctor Phlox," Dakiza pointed out calmly.
"It does not matter as much as the fact that there is a thief. But who would do such a thing to us?" Kerna asked, "We need that medicine to slow down the decline."
"Our fellow Ikaarans have motive enough," Timinka stated.
"True, but we would find them out," Dakiza noted, "They cannot hide on the ship for very long."
Lemnestra looked up in horror. "We must get to the launch bay. Verinold means to leave the ship!"
=/\=
In the launch bay, Chang saw Verinold attempt to maneuver the Ikaaran shuttle. Not being an experienced pilot, he was not very good at bringing the small craft around. Dan got close, knocking hard on the hatch. "Cut it out!" he yelled.
Verinold ignored him. Finally, there was an opening, and the area depressurized. Dan pounded on the hatch, now in desperation. "What are ya doin'!" he yelled, "Ya gonna become a killer?"
There was a rush as the shuttle took off, and his body was dragged along with it, to the vacuum of deep space. Death for Daniel Chang was very nearly instantaneous.
=/\=
A moment elapsed and a new vista opened up to him, in clear focus. Dan looked around, unsure of how to proceed, until he heard voices calling for him.
=/\=
Jonathan hollered into his communicator. "Julie! Bring a team to the launch bay! Someone's trying to launch a shuttle!"
"Right away!" she replied from the MACO training facility. Gary Hodgkins, Neil Kemper and Brad Moreno grabbed phase rifles and followed her out.
=/\=
On the Bridge, T'Pol commanded, "There is the Ikaaran shuttle. Lieutenant, deploy the grappler. Ensign Sato, hail them."
Hoshi tried as Aidan brought the grappler on line. "No response," she announced.
"Can you get us any closer, Travis?" Aidan asked.
"Sure thing." Travis brought the Enterprise closer to the little shuttle.
"Deploying now," Aidan announced. He was able to score a direct grab, and began to reel in the Ikaaran shuttle.
=/\=
In Sick Bay, Jonathan looked over at Porthos. "Aw, buddy, how are ya doing?" He bent over, close to the dog, who was very nearly still. "Is he in any pain?"
"I don't believe so," Phlox stated, "Here, I can give him a derivative of quatromenaline. That should ease the symptoms a bit." He rummaged around. "That's odd, but my stocks are very nearly depleted."
"Oh no," the captain moaned, "That tells me who our shuttle thief is. Or, at least, I've got a good idea." He glanced over at Izquilla and Esilia. "Did you know anything about this?" They shook their heads. "Right now, I just have to say, that had better be the truth."
=/\=
The MACOs arrived in the launch bay as the Ikaaran shuttle was being tucked back in. They surrounded the craft as soon as the area repressurized.
"All right," Julie McKenzie called out, "whoever you are, that was mightily stupid of you."
=/\=
On the Bridge, Aidan saw it first. "Hoshi?" he asked, "I'm seeing some debris out there."
"Wait, I'll magnify." Once the scene on the viewer had been magnified, she gasped, "My God! That's Dan Chang's body!"
=/\=
The hatch finally opened. Neil and Brad grabbed Verinold by his arms. "We got no place to put you but the Brig. Come on," Julie commanded sharply. They marched him out of there as the depressurization alarms tripped again, and Aidan used the grappler to retrieve Dan's corpse.
=/\=
In Sick Bay, Captain Archer was kept informed via communicator. "So he's in the Brig?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," Julie reported, "And Moreno and Kemper are now guarding the Ikaaran shuttle."
"Thank you. Archer out."
Gary Hodgkins came in, carrying a large bag. "Where do I put this?"
"That rather depends on what it is," Phlox replied.
"It's a bunch of shots and containers of something. I guess it's medicine. Verinold had it in the Ikaaran shuttle with him."
"Ah, my quatromenaline," Phlox said, "Put it there." He indicated a counter and began to prepare an injection for Porthos.
The doors swished open. It was Lemnestra, with Kerna, Dakiza and Timinka right behind her. "Captain," Lemnestra stated, "I must tell you something."
"Yes?" Jonathan asked as Phlox administered a small dose of quatromenaline to Porthos.
"I am sorry about what happened. Verinold mentioned to me that he wanted to depart. And he certainly wanted all of the quatromenaline you had. My impression was that he wished to take all of us with him. I did not realize he was so ruthless that he meant to abandon us."
"That doesn't make me feel too much better," replied the captain wearily.
"I, I know. And I should have mentioned something when he first began talking to me about it. That was my error. I have been taught, all my life, to be loyal. But to be loyal to one so cruel, it is wrong."
The doors opened again. This time it was Frank Todd and Amanda Cole, carrying Chang's lifeless body. "A crewman is dead because of this," Captain Archer had a reproach in his tone.
"Punish me, then," Lemnestra declared, "and I will go gladly, and with neither struggle nor protest. Punish me as well, for I have compounded this wrong, and I feel horribly responsible."
=/\=
After a few more hours in Sick Bay, Phlox looked at the captain. "There is nothing else I can do. His vital systems are all shutting down."
It was just Jonathan in Sick Bay, except for Phlox and Andrew. The Ikaarans had departed long before, with Lemnestra voluntarily confining herself to their makeshift quarters. "Can I hold him, one last time?" asked Jonathan.
"Of course," Phlox turned away slightly.
Jonathan approached the bio bed and gently picked up Porthos. "Just rest, buddy. Where you're going, there will be walks and belly rubs and cheese every day. I love you. I hope I've done right by you."
"No one could have done better, Captain," assured Andy, "nobody."
The dog gazed up at his master one last time, looking lovingly. He thumped his tail once, and that was it.
=/\=
And in another place, he heard a whistle, and wagged his tail, running in the direction of the whistle, where every smell was a good smell.
=/\=
The news traveled quickly throughout the ship. At dinner, Lili quietly served with Craig and Brian, and there wasn't the usual chatter. The meal was a quiet tribute of mock crab cakes to remember Chang and macaroni and cheese in honor of Porthos.
"Christmas won't be Christmas without Porthos," Lili's tone was somber as José Torres stood in front of her with his plate.
"I wish we could somehow get another dog," Craig sighed, "or lots of them. I know it's not the same. I don't mean to just up and replace Porthos or anything like that. I just mean the place is suddenly so empty without him. And Chang! I guess he finally had a chance to be a real hero."
"We are very sorry for your losses," Esilia was sympathetic, "And it is to our undying shame as to how Crewman Chang met his end. Even a difficult person did not deserve an ending such as that."
"No," José replied, "this isn't turning out well at all."
=/\=
Esilia's Personal Log, December first, 2037
With Verinold disgraced, and Lemnestra distraught, I suppose I am our leader now. We have done much that is wrong. We must make it up to them somehow.
=/\=
Jonathan Archer's Personal Log, December first, 2037
There's almost nothing I can say. How can I write about Porthos, my best buddy? I looked at the records. Last time, he lived into the 2040s. It all fells so sudden. It hurts so much.
=/\=
José Torres's Personal Log, December first, 2037
Craig is right. What's a star ship without a dog? I'm gonna work on this problem. I hate seeing everyone so sad all the time. We need some good news around here, for once.
=/\=
Doctor Phlox's Personal Log, December first, 2037
Learning that the Ikaarans have some empathic healing abilities is certainly helpful. They have informed me that it only works if they are similar to the patient. For a beagle, for example, the differences are generally far too great.
I have investigated records from the previous iteration and I have confirmed this. Good for humans, in some ways – particularly for our musculo-skeletal systems. But their abilities are no good for quadrupeds, unfortunately. And that is a shame.
When I first joined the Enterprise as the CMO, I saw Porthos as being little more than a laboratory specimen. But he grew on me, and I am finding that I am reacting with extremely deep emotions upon the occasion of his passing.
Is it possible for a non-sentient being to truly be a friend? I suspect, no, I know, that it is.