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Memorial

USS Nautilus, Senior Science Officer Carlin Drel's Log, Stardate 81705.9:

We've arrived on station in the Gault System, continuing our patrols. While there can be no doubt that the Klingon forces have rallied after their victory at Ganalda, their advance hasn't brought them this far and likely never will. It's given us a chance to rest and reflect for the first time in nearly a month.

It's also given us a chance for some closure. Although their bodies were never recovered from the planet where they died, we're holding a memorial service this evening for the three crewmates we lost on Yamatai. I said my goodbyes to Antori there, but his death and my joining have left so many questions unresolved.

I'm looking through Antori's things in his cabin, which has remained undisturbed since the fateful day we left on the mission to Yamatai. Perhaps I'll find some answers there.

Carlin surveyed the abandoned cabin aboard the Nautilus. A fine layer of dust, not filtered out by the ship's atmospheric scrubbers, had settled on everything. Everything else about the cabin was neat and in order, though. Even the bed was made up. Antori had always been tidy like that. Carlin tried to take the order of her professional life home with her, but it always eluded her and even Sam had complained about the messiness of her room at times. Post-joining, things had definitely improved, but she had not attained the level of neatness Antori had. None of her hosts had been quite so tidy.

She paused at the nightstand. There was a holoframe there, cycling between pictures of her and Antori's climbs. She noticed that the one it was displaying now was from a rockwall in the holodeck—not even a simulation of a real climb, but a simple tutorial meant to teach new climbers the basics. She remembered the climb, but she had forgotten that he'd taken a picture of it, and she'd never expected him to save it. "I certainly had my sentimental side," Drel said to herself. Already on the bed lay a grav harness that had once belonged to Carlin, before she broke it on one of her climbs. Antori had held onto it all this time.

The door chimed. Carlin turned around, brushing her short hair behind her ear. "Come in," she said.

The door slid open to admit Captain Sokar. The Vulcan stepped into the room and acknowledged her with a nod. "I anticipated I would find you here. With the memorial service this evening and the need to return this cabin to active use, you are the logical choice for packing his effects."

"In all honesty, sir, that isn't why I came down here," said Carlin. She motioned to the grav harness. "I came for this...and closure."

Sokar cocked an eyebrow. He reached for the harness, but hesitated. "May I?" She nodded. He examined it. "This device is non-operational. It has been jury-rigged, but the repair shunts have decayed."

"It was my harness when Antori and I climbed the Tenaran Ice Cliffs a year ago. It broke down during our climb and he caught me. He offered to let me stop and go back down, but I was stubborn and I made some improvised repairs. We finished the climb together and spent the night at the top. The aurora was simply amazing..." A slow smile spread across her face, then she shook her head. "It was a good memory."

"And you kept the harness as a memento of the occasion?"

"He did, actually—Antori," said Drel. She shrugged. "Carlin Agran always thought it was a piece of junk that nearly got her killed. Antori thought it was a treasure. As for the new me...I guess I'm somewhere in between."

"Fascinating," the Vulcan said flatly. "What do you intend to do with it?"

"Since we don't have a body, I thought I'd put it in Antori's casket," she answered.

"And this will bring you...closure?"

She gave a small shrug. "I guess it's silly from a logical point of view, but yes. His last words were to tell me he'd always love me. By sending him this memento, I'm saying I'll always love him back."

"A symbolic gesture then," Sokar interpreted. "Curious, but not completely illogical."

"Thanks," said Drel. "So, what brings you here? I assume you were looking for me?"

"That is correct," said Sokar. He straightened. "Over the course of your three lifetimes, I have come to respect your expertise and rely on your advice, Drel. You have been an esteemed teacher, an excellent first officer, and a very capable senior science officer. I have even come to regard you as a...personal friend."

Drel smiled. "Well, thank you, Sokar. I'd consider you a friend as well...though I'm still not so sure about the esteemed teacher thing. You didn't seem to have much respect for me when I guest-taught that structural engineering course at the Academy." Recalling how a much-younger Sokar had openly questioned Perciv's competence.

Sokar shifted and looked down momentarily. "That was...a long time ago. Much has changed, including you. I have gone over the reports from Yamatai. Your actions there prove that you remain a capable leader, perhaps even more so than before."

Carlin folded her arms behind her back. "Thank you, sir, but if you don't mind me asking...What are you getting at?"

"Only this," said Sokar. "Given our vessel's low priority in wartime personnel replacements and transfers, it will be some time before we recover our losses, the position of First Officer among them. Acting Lieutenant-Commander T'Paie has expressed concerns with her continuing to fulfill that role, as it logically requires her to divert her attentions from her position as Chief Engineer. I have taken it upon myself to find a suitable replacement."

"And?"

"And," said Sokar, "I have decided that you would be the logical choice."

"Me?"

"You," he repeated. "There are very few non-Vulcan officers who could match your years of service in Starfleet, and none who could match your diverse experiences and skills. You have a demonstrated capability for leadership and I...trust your judgment."

Carlin considered it for a moment. She could already think of a problem. "Have you talked with Starfleet Command about this?"

"I have not discussed my specific choice, but they are aware that I am seeking candidates. I expect they will approve of my selection," he said.

"Even Quinn?" she asked. Sokar was one of the few people who knew about her relationship with the admiral: the father who'd disowned her before she was even born. Sokar also knew that Drel and Quinn hadn't seen eye-to-eye on much of anything in over a century.

"Admiral Quinn is not aware," said Sokar. "He expressed...surprise when I mentioned that you had been joined in my report to him. He was significantly quieter for the remainder of that conversation." Sokar waved the topic away with a small motion of his hand. "It is of no consequence, however. This ship is now under the jurisdiction of Task Force Hippocrates, under the command of Fleet Admiral Yanishev. Only his approval is necessary to effect the promotion, and I have no reason to anticipate his rejection."

Carlin nodded. She looked down, considering it. Her position as Senior Science Officer did not preclude the possibility of being the ship's XO, especially on a ship this small. Antori had been chief of security and first officer for a couple of years before Rejes transferred aboard.

"It would be good for the crew," Sokar said, interrupting her thoughts. "A sense of continuity is important to many species. I believe there are those who would take comfort in having a Commander Drel in the first-officer's position once again."

Carlin smirked and looked up again. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?"

"Precisely," said Sokar.

"I take it you really want me then," she said. She was surprised to find that she wanted the position as well. It would be something familiar, something useful to keep her occupied, and in a very real way it might help her merge the identities of host and symbiont within her. "Tell Starfleet Command I accept, then," she said.

"Excellent," said Sokar. "I shall have appropriate uniforms replicated for your use." He raised his hand in a Vulcan salute. "Live long and prosper," he said, then exited the room. A moment later, Carlin picked up the harness and exited herself.

USS Nautilus, Lieutenant Sam Hayashi's Log, Stardate 81706.9:

For the past month we've been running around space like chickens with our heads cut off, trying to pick up the pieces of a broken strategy after the disaster at Ganalda. I still can't believe it...everyone I knew aboard the Endurance is gone now. I...miss them. That sounds trite, but really I don't know how else to say it. Ramsey, Josh, Bratxal, Pozel...hell, even old Lenaris Bekni! I miss them all.

We're all grieving now. I lost my old ship. Carlin's lost Antori. The crew's lost some good officers. Worst of it is we have nothing to show for it. The mystery of Yamatai is solved, but now sealed off behind the subspacial damage of the polaric ion explosion that ripped through the nebula. It'll be unsafe to even get close to the place for the better part of a decade. I even lost all of the koh's memories within a few hours of leaving the nebula when my synaptic pathways stabilized or whatnot.

But I have more important things to consider. We made some friends on Yamatai, and I still owe them for helping to save me. It's time to find them and settle my debts...

When the memorial service was over and three empty torpedo casings had been launched toward the system's sun, Sam slipped out of the proceedings and made her way to the turbolift. Everyone would be going to the reception in the messhall after this. That gave Sam the opportunity she needed to pay back a favor she owed. "Deck Seven, Brig," she ordered as she stepped into the turbolift.

The turbolift descended from Nautilus' weapon's pod into her boxy engineering section, then into the saucer section. Sam got out when it stopped and walked down the hall and entered the ship's small brig. As expected, there was only one security crewman on duty. "Crewman Donners!" she said, giving him a smile. "So, you're the unlucky dog who drew prisoner detail?"

"'fraid so, ma'am," said Donners.

"Go upstairs and unwind a bit," she said. "They're having a reception in the messhall. Pay your respects and have a drink on me. I need some time alone with the prisoners."

Donners looked from the two Orions in the cell to Sam and back again. "Ma'am, I'm not supposed to..."

Sam rolled her eyes. "I think I can handle them, Donners. They're behind a forcefield. If it makes you feel any better, leave me your phaser." She accepted the phaser from him. "Now go relax, mister...or do I have to make it an order?"

Donners chuckled and shook his head. "No, ma'am!" He stepped out of the room and the door closed behind him.

Sam waited a few minutes before setting the phaser on the security console and turning to the cell. Ursan looked back at her hopefully, Atria, disdainfully. "Come to gloat?" the Orion woman asked. "And here I thought you were supposed to be better than us."

"Well, in all fairness we did know we'd have to come out of the nebula on somebody's side," said Sam. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't have convinced them to just let you go. With the Empire back on the offensive, we need every intelligence source we can get."

"Oh spare me," said Atria. "Your Vulcan captain's already got all he's going to get from us."

"I know," said Sam, looking down. "I'm sorry. You deserve better than this. On Yamatai, you helped Carlin save me from a fate much worse than death."

Atria crossed her arms. "In most cultures, that would mean you owe us."

Sam nodded. "That's why I'm here," she said. "Captain Daniel Brosnan—Crusoe, as we knew him - is taking a shuttle to join up with a medical convoy in the Xarantine System, about 12 lightyears away. The Xarantine government is friendly to the Federation, but still officially neutral...and there's been Gorn activity reported in the area."

"Why are you telling us all this, Starfleet? To taunt us?"

Sam shook her head. "Brosnan will be departing from Shuttle Bay 1 any minute now and he's declared a willingness to take on...undeclared passengers, for old-times sake. I'm here to help you get to him, if you want to take him up on the offer, that is."

Atria and Ursan looked at each other. For once, Atria was speechless. Ursan made up for it. "What did you have in mind?"

"Starfleet knows you're both with the Syndicate and they're aware that you have some fancy tricks up your sleeve," Sam explained. She moved back to the security console and began adjusting the controls. "The Nautilus is an old ship and the security feed's been down in here for at least the past few days, so all anyone has to go on is my account of how things happened, and yours...supposing you get caught." She disengaged the cell's forcefield. "You used some sort of device you had hidden God-knows-where on your person to disable the forcefield. I tried to stop you, but you took my phaser and escaped." She adjusted the controls on the phaser, then tossed it to Atria. The Orion woman caught it deftly. Sam jerked her head toward the door. "Turbolift's down the hall to your right. You can't miss it. Go now, and you should have a clear path."

Atria's face softened. "I owe you my life twice over, human...thank you."

"You saved me too," said Sam. "Now we're even. I'd love to be friends and all but...well, there's a war on."

Atria checked the controls on the phaser. "The setting's locked on light stun."

"You are my sworn enemy," Sam reminded her.

Atria grinned. "Quite so. It's been good being your friend while circumstances lasted. And if we meet again...who knows? All bets are off!" She headed for the door.

"Keep cluros, my friend," said Ursan following her out.

"Same to you!" she called after him. Then the door closed behind him and she waited, wondering what to do next. This hadn't exactly been a carefully planned move—more like something she'd knew she needed to do for a long time and seized an opportunity to do on the spur of the moment. She checked the security network for any alerts, but there were none. A few minutes later, she saw that a shuttle had been granted permission to launch from Shuttle Bay 1. She decided to go up to the Observation Lounge to see them off. After all, she could always dramatically report their escape later, when they had no chance of being caught.

She headed back to the turbolift and rode it up to Deck Two. She stepped out onto the balcony overlooking the messhall. It was empty. She moved toward the railing and watched the shuttle slowly pull away from the Nautilus, heading out of orbit.

Suddenly, the doors to the turbolift hissed open. "Sam! There you are!" Carlin stepped out of the turbolift and approached her. Her hair had been cut into a long bob cut, rather than the ragged mess it had been on Yamatai. There were more recent changes too, that Sokar had announced to the crew at the memorial service. While her white dress uniform was still slashed with science blues, the golden rank pips above her breast showed a rank of Lieutenant-Commander. "When Crewman Donners told me he'd seen you, I assumed you'd be down in the brig, visiting our old friends." She cocked her head and gave Sam a questioning look. "Who is watching the brig now, anyway?"

Sam cast a guilty glance at her friend, then at the shuttle as it flashed away into warp.

"Is there something going on here I should know about?" asked Carlin. Then she paused and closed her eyes. "That was them, wasn't it, on the shuttle?"

Sam nodded. "They...uh, managed to disable the forcefield somehow and took my phaser. They stunned me and got away."

"Or that's the story anyway," said Carlin.

"Something like that," Sam admitted.

Carlin sighed and leaned up against the railing. "You know, you could have just told me," she said. "I agree with you, for the record. So does Sokar. Atria and Ursan have more than earned their freedom. There won't be an investigation."

"Sorry," Sam said, shrugging. "You're all responsible now. Asking the First Officer for permission to stage a prisoner escape wasn't exactly covered in my training at the Academy."

Carlin turned to her. "We're still friends, though, aren't we?"

"Definitely," said Sam, and smiled, relieved to have her comrade-in-mischief back—at least in some capacity. "Speaking of which, I have a gift for you...or for us, really."

"I have a gift, too," said Carlin. "You want to go first?"

Sam grinned. "You know me. I could never resist a present. What is it?"

Carlin reached behind her back and produced a small cloth-wrapped bundle. She handed it to Sam, who quickly unwrapped it, revealing a short, slim, curved blade. The tanto from the planet Yamatai. Sam gasped. "It's beautiful, Carlin! You have no idea how much this means to me! It's a piece of my heritage, a piece of the legends I grew up with, and the only piece of the greatest archaeological wonder of human history not to be obliterated in the polaric ion explosion or hidden behind a nebula full of impassible subspace ruptures!" she said, somehow managing to get it all out in one breath. "I thought it would have disintegrated by now like the kimono. How did you manage to save it?"

"I put it through a depolarizing stasis field," Carlin explained. "It's not protected from the wear and tear of time by polaric radiation any more, but it will last as long as a normal blade - no more, no less."

"Thank you!" said Sam, giving her friend a quick hug.

Carlin smiled and hugged her back. "Now, what about your gift?"

"Coming right up," said Sam. She tucked her tanto into her dress uniform's sash and walked over to the replicator by the wall. "Two glasses, tall," she ordered. A pair of crystal-stemmed glasses materialized in the replicator and she took one in each hand, returning to the balcony. She gave one to Carlin and took the other herself, then removed a slim bottle of blue liquid she'd stashed in her boot. "Romulan ale," she announced. "I've been saving it for a special occasion, and while I was hoping for something a little more cheery, this is special enough. You're joined and promoted. I've been given a first-person tour of one of the most mysterious periods of Japanese history and lived to tell about it. Doctor Howard is back in sickbay, Crusoe and our Orion friends are on their way, and Alex has agreed to take me dancing Friday night—even if I'm not serious enough to be his girlfriend. We're alive, and we've made it."

"I can't stop thinking about the ones who didn't make it," Carlin said, staring out at the stars. Her fingers brushed the fringes of her hair absently.

"Neither can I," Sam admitted. She was thinking not only of the people they'd lost on Yamatai—whom she didn't know very well—but also of all the friends she'd lost on the Endurance. "I guess forgetting about them isn't the point, though. Instead, let's honor them and live our lives to prove their sacrifice was worth it." She felt tears clouding her eyes and decided to get things started before she went all emotional. She poured a glass from the bottle for each of them, then raised her glass. "To absent friends, and to those of us who carry on without them," she said. "To the survivors of Yamatai!"

Author's Note: This is set roughly one month after the previous chapter mostly for the sake of travel times. Getting places in the Star Trek universe takes forever when you're limited to warp 5!

The Gault system was the site of a small Federation farming colony, where Worf's human parents raised him (TNG: "Heart of Glory").

Just to be clear, Sokar is offering Carlin a promotion to Lieutenant-Commander, not all the way to full Commander. She could still be addressed as Commander Drel, since that is an acceptable way of shortening the rank's title.

The names Sam lists in her log are names of supporting characters appearing in "Airborne." Since a month has passed, these can all be considered officially KIA. ...Sorry! :(

Crusoe's name is a shout out to two figures connected with Robinson Crusoe lore. The first is Daniel Defoe, the author of the original book. The second is Pierce Brosnan, one of several actors to have stared as Crusoe over the years (no, I have not seen the movie he's in, I just pulled the name off Wikipedia).

The Xarantine System is a neutral, Federation-friendly star system located near the Klingon-Federation border. It's the site of the STO mission "Task Force Hippocrates," where the player defeats a number of Gorn raiders attacking Federation medical ships.

This is a return to the balcony first seen in chapter 2, bringing the story 'round full circle. I have no idea what a depolarizing stasis field is supposed to be, but apparently it cures polaric ions? Sam's bottle of Romulan ale is first referenced in chapter 2 of "Airborne."

Well, this is it folks! One little Epilogue and then we're done! I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. Please review the story and let me know what you think! :)