- 15 -
It has been three months since Jill and I joined the crew of the USS Endurance, three months of discovering each other anew and falling in love all over again as the new people we are. Now, with our daughter standing before us, I knew there was nowhere else in this universe I'd rather be.
"One of the more pleasant duties of ship's captains since the age of sail," said Grace, "is presiding over shipboard weddings. It is a duty I happily discharge today for this young couple. Jill and Kate are new to the Endurance having both only recently transferred from the USS Spencer. Both have quickly become a part of our family and we gather here today, their friends and colleagues, to witness their union."
"Do you, Katelyn Athena Shaw take Jillian Morwenna Finn to be your spouse in accordance with the laws of the United Federation of Planets, to love and to cherish her for as long as you both are together?"
"I do," I said, and I would. With all my heart.
"And do you, Jillian Morwenna Finn take Katelyn Athena Shaw to be your spouse in accordance with the laws of the United Federation of Planets, to love and to cherish her for as long as you both are together?"
"I do."
"Then by the power vested in me by the aforementioned United Federation of Planets, I declare you wed. You may now both kiss your wife."
We did, and everyone in the room cheered.
Later, in the captain's quarters, we had a private little celebration, just Grace, Jill, Zoe Nyonga and me. Zoe had brought Saurian brandy.
"I always wanted to join in when the three of you got together and Aunt Uhura brought the brandy," said Grace as Zoe poured her a glass, "and now I get to."
"You were a little girl when we got married the first time," I said. "Now you not only married us but you're our commanding officer. It's a funny old universe, sometimes."
"To the brides!" said Zoe.
"The brides!" agreed Grace, and we drank our toast.
"It's a shame Grant couldn't be here to celebrate with us," I said, wistfully.
"Our son has no connection to Jill Finn and Kate Shaw so it would've been hard to explain his presence," said Jill. "We weren't even supposed to let him know we're still alive because that meant revealing the existence of the bodyswapping machine to him."
"I wasn't going to put him through all that grief when we buried the bodies of Janice Lester and Janice Rand," said Grace, firmly, "not my little brother. If Starfleet find out what I did and want to court-martial me, let them."
"Quite right, too, Gracie," I said, laying a hand on her arm before changing the subject. "What's the latest from the Leviathan?"
We had allowed the Empire fleet to return to their universe but had kept their flagship for ourselves as a prize of war.
"What we're learning from her is going to advance starship design by decades," said Grace.
"Good. That means at least we'll get something out of all this. I can't believe Starfleet slapped a security blanket over the whole affair, that as far as history will be concerned this never happened and we were never invaded."
"Can you blame them?" said Jill. "If they didn't they'd have to reveal that a significant number of senior Starfleet officers are actually agents of a foreign power brainwashed into being loyal to the Federation with a device whose use has been prosecuted as a war crime."
"I suppose," I said. "I still think Spock made the right call there, though."
"I agree," said Grace, "but I think it's weighing on him. Word is that he's resigning from Starfleet Intelligence and joining the UFP Diplomatic Corps."
"Good," said Zoe. "That was where he wanted to be all along, where he would've ended up if not for that whole Ares thing."
"Yes, and I haven't forgotten that you were planted on my ship to root out any of them here," said Grace, frowning at her. "If you weren't one of the women I love and trust most in all the world we would have had serious words over that."
"At least we don't have to worry about the Empire trying this again," I said. "Not only did Emperor Spock agree to have all their portal projectors destroyed, but I think the idea of facing someone with the power of a god again terrifies his starship captains."
"Power of a god," chuckled Grace. "That's me."
"I don't suppose you're ever going to tell us how you pulled that stuff off?" I said, not really expecting an answer.
"No," she said, "I don't think I am. Even if I was allowed to, it's far more fun keeping you guessing."
"Here's hoping we never have to deal with the mirror universe again!" said Jill, raising her glass.
"Hear, hear!" said Zoe. "Though I have to say it was intriguing seeing a version of my old body, and what I'd have looked like if I hadn't been infected with Regellian polymyositis and died."
"Yeah," said Grace, thoughtfully. "Their Uhura was fascinated to learn I'm the daughter of Arthur Coleman and Janice Lester for some reason and kept giving me the strangest looks I have no idea why."
Since their presence in the Empire fleet would have been difficult to explain, we had agreed to take Uhura and her son to Vulcan, where they retrieved the harnesses she and her Spock had used to get here, then returned to their universe.
"Which reminds me..." I said. "She mentioned that her Jim Kirk and Janice Lester had also once swapped bodies. I meant to ask her what happened to him but never got the chance. Oh well, I don't suppose it matters..."