Stardate 44976.2/December 23rd, 2367 - USS Ra Cailum

"Captain's Log, USS Ra Cailum, Stardate 44976.2: the Ra Cailum has finished upgrading defensive upgrades to colonies on the Talarian border. We are en route back to Earth. No issues, no complaints. …Yet."

"I don't see why you humans want to celebrate a holiday about snow." Corpsa Z'kellion said as she ran yet another sensor sweep. "Andorians stay underground, where it's warm."

"Christmas isn't about snow." Riza Pinkerton countered. "IT's about family, joy and occasionally the giving of gifts and glad tidings."

The conversation was sparked when Sonja mentioned returning to Earth for Christmas, which was mostly the same in the other universe.

It became a running rant on how Winter holidays were a dumb idea from the Andorian.

"I'm just happy I get to celebrate Christmas with my crew for the first time!" came the chipper declaration of their shipgirl, Jade…who was wearing a Santa-themed outfit.

And we use the term 'outfit' loosely.

It certainly had the colors and theme… but she was effectively wearing a Santa-themed form-fitting onesie that left fairly little to the imagination - plus high heel boots making her look like she came straight out of an old Mariah Carey music video.

"Don't get your hopes up." Riza deadpanned before their captain, her brother, entered the bridge.

"I have bad news for all of you." Ron declared. "I have been invited to the Admiral's Christmas Banquet at Starfleet Command."

"My condolences." William Buck deadpanned.

"What's wrong with that?" Jade asked, still sounding cheery. "This sounds like fun for the whole crew!"

"The Banquet is not some casual meeting." Ron dralled. "Imagine the most boring conversations imaginable, the most uninteresting and bland food and being forced to smile, hours on end, entertaining politicians."

"O-oh…" Jade said, sad.

"And as you are well aware, I am NOT exactly the most liked man in Federation political circles." Ron added.

An understatement: he forced half of the Admiralty to resign and half of the remaining ones retired, leaving unscrupulous members of the Council without someone to help them make their worlds look more important and prestigious.

And the whole Cardassian War thing.

"So, what are you gonna do?" asked Sonja. "Carve a bloody path through the banquet?"

"No. I'm going to refuse the invitation and focus on something more important: logi." said the captain. "While all of you are enjoying your shore leave, I will be busy here engaging in resupply operations and making sure no one explodes my boat."

"W-wait," Jade asked, "Aren't you going to like, take part of all this stuff? The celebrations! The cheer and jolliness! Mistletoes! Sweet food!"

"If you want to hold a party here on board, that's your business, Jade." Ron said simply. "But the crew's been on this ship for 18 months, including the time jump. They deserve time on the ground. As for me, I don't trust the SCE as far as I can throw them to not accidentally blow up my ship."

"I… I…" Jade tried to say, before her shoulders sagged. "O…okay… I guess that makes sense… Its only fair… hope you all… enjoy yourselves…" and with that she turned around and went into the turbolift.

"And I just made a massive mistake." Ron deadpanned. "I'll be in the AI core if you need me."

"Make her feel good in more ways then one!" Riza called out.

Jade however was not in the A.I core - rather she was currently in the expansive ten-forward of the Ra Cailum, significantly larger than the ones found on the Galaxy-class. However the whole room was vastly overhauled thematically with a massive christmas tree in the middle of the whole room - ornaments and tinsel strewn upon it with a giant star on top that emitted a bright glow in the center. The room itself was vastly decorated to maximum christmas cheer with little elves on shelves, tables with red and white cloths over them, and she made maximum use of the ship-wide holodeck plates to simulate snowfall. The room just chilly enough to feel christmassy but not cold enough to be uncomfortable.

In the middle of the whole room was a colossal table that was filled to the brim with food - Turkey, Ham, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and countless deserts all with a christmas theme.

Sitting by what looked like an honest-to-god fireplace over by the end of the room - refurbished to look like it came straight from the 19th century - was Jade, sitting in a rocking chair by the fire with a cup of eggnog in hand as she spun a candy cane inside, taking a sip.

"I don't want a lot for christmas…" She muttered to herself, "There's is just one thing I need… I don't care about the presents… underneath the christmas tree… I just want you for my own… more than you could ever know… make my wish come trueeee…. All I want for christmas… is… you…"

She let out a tired sigh. "Should've known…" she muttered, "They all have families and friends… been cooped up on this ship for so long… nothing I could do would make it nicer…"

"You know, you could be an idol with that voice." came the voice of Commander Rutia Yulanra, the Ra Cailum's CMO. "Holy Christmas room."

"Don't rub it in." she muttered.

"Well, if I know the crew, they'll be enjoying the party." said the doctor. "You might need more food."

"I cooked up a bunch in reserves, ready for immediate transport…" Jade muttered. "Cold food kept chilly, fresh meat kept cooked… not that it matters…"

"..." Rutia rose an eyebrow as she checked the food again, taking a whiff. "...fuck me, this is real food?" She asked, "And you made all this… yourself?"

"Well, stuck on a ship for all your life gives you time to learn things…" Jade shrugged, "Cooking was a hobby I took on… I made all the preparations a whole month in advance to make sure everyone would get a bit of everything if they wanted it… "

She gestured around the empty room "Lot of good that prep work did…" she sighed, taking another sip from her mug. "No one's gonna be here…. I'll… start taking this down tonight, send the food to charities on earth I guess so it doesn't get wasted…"

"Yeah, the captain's coping mechanism hit you in the face." the Trill said. "He's OBSESSED with giving everyone as many choices as you want. Former Borg, so he knows what it's like to NOT have choices. If I know the crew, they'll be here."

"Cap said they'd be busy…" Jade shook her head, before letting out a short cute little hiccup. "Stuck with me for months… they wanna see fresh air for real, real snow… hell, some of them probably hate snow and wanna go to Hawaii or something to get away from all this… stupid cold… "

"…you're really torn about this, aren't you?" Rutia asked.

"It's my first christmas with an actual crew," She bemoaned, "I… I wanted to go all out! Show them how much I love all of them for accepting me! I… I know me and my Gynoid sisters can be a bit much, but we love and appreciate everyone here! I just… didn't want to spend this Christmas alone again…"

CHOMP.

Jade blinked before she smiled as she pet a familiar Santa hat-wearing Gible nomming on her head. "Well… at least I have you around, Gible…" She said softly as she pet the festive landshark - having sensed the sadness and refused to allow it to persist.

They may not be psychic-types, but it's just something Gibles KNEW.

"You won't. Trust me." said the doc. "Besides, he's looking for you to apologize."

"Captain Pinkerton to the bridge. You have a hail from Command." call the call over the PA. "And no, you can't take it over infraspace."

"I'd go to the bridge if I were you." hinted the doctor before she yoinked a gingerbread man. "LOVE human culture. It's INFECTIOUS."

Ron was not happy.

Mostly because he had to take the call in his ready room.

"Commodore Matalas, I think I've made it clear. I'm not attending the Banquet." he said to the new head of Starfleet Logistics, who was a decent man who dragged Starfleet out of the post-war hole.

"But… no one's ever refused an invite." Matalas said on the monitor.

"Then it pleases me to be the first." Ron said, making the Commodore wince.

"…WHY must you sound menacing when you say things like that?" he asked.

"I don't mean to." the captain said. "But I'm still not going."

"Captain, you of all people must realize how important attending this-"

"Correction, Important to political shenanigans." Ron deadpanned. "I can literally think of several hundred things I'd rather be doing than going to a banquet where a bunch of senior officers pat each other on the bat for doing jack all before I showed up and pulled your heads out of your own asses with VERY few exceptions - most of whom are aboard the Enterprise."

"…Captain, I don't think you understand how delicate this situation is." the Commodore said after recovering from the brutal honesty. "Half the Council will be there and this will be an excellent chance to look good infront of the public for you."

"For them to look good because they're posing for the cameras with me shaking their hands, you mean." Ron retorted dryly. "Public opinion's against them and with me and they know it. If it sinks any lower, they'll be forced into snap elections."

"And we both know how messy those can be." Terry said, looking a tad bit nervous at the idea. While the Federation was very, VERY stable politically and economically speaking, no one liked the chaos of a snap election.

"Too bad, sir, that I do not CARE about their political careers. As far as I'm concerned, they're all guilty of high treason." the captain said bluntly. "And it would be a welcome Christmas present to… you know what, I WILL attend. Simply to destroy them."

"Uh, NO! No, no need!" Matales said hastily, "It-its quite alright, Captain- we can't attend every party! I am certain you do indeed have far more productive things to do!" And as quickly as he called, Matales hung up the call.

Not exactly elegant, but it got the job done.

The ready room door opened, Jade poking her head in. "…Hi?" she said.

"Come on in, Jade." he said. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"It's ok! The doc told me about your… coping mechanism." she said, waving it off. "You didn't mean to hurt my feelings."

"Well, it's a good thing that my RSVP with the party's been shredded." Ron said, amused. "All it took was threatening the careers of over a hundred politicians."

"Oh! That's… good," Jade smiled a bit, "So… what are you planning on doing… now then?"

"For now? Resupply. After that? I don't exactly plan on leaving the ship." Ron said before looking to a large collection of boxes. "…well, I have deliveries to make, but other then that, my schedule's free."

"So…will you be attending my party?" she asked hopefully.

"Well, I do have a morale crisis to deal with. That being you being depressed. Of course I'll attend." Ron said. "…And just so you know, I DID notice your little cooking fest. I've still got access to the internal sensors."

WHAM!

Ron nearly fell out of his chair as Jade glomped him - wrapping her arms and legs around him before giving him a big kiss. "Yey."

Earth - Kirk Farm

Undergoing a minor maintenance overhaul in orbit was the Enterprise-D, getting her systems worked on.

And she was planning on a more private party with her crew.

Her favorite crew. Don't get her wrong, she loved her 1701-D crew… but to her, there was only one or two sets of people she could call 'her crew' and one was long since passed.

While it was nowhere near as… elaborate as Jade's plans that she shared with the other shipgirls, the room was still fairly festive with all the necessities - Enty smiling as she heard the chatter of all so very familiar voices.

"Damned winter's hell on my old bones!" exclaimed Admiral Leonard H McCoy, brought out of retirement to head Starfleet Medical. "That fancy doctor from the Minerva better be right about those treatments!"

"Making sure you live as long as a Vulcan, you mean?" asked Admiral Nyota Uhura, acting head of Starfleet Intelligence. "God, what a nightmare."

"You don't see me complaining, lass!" declared Captain Motumery Scott, legendary engineer and consultant for the Starfleet Corps of Engineers. "Gettin' ta spend more time with my friends is never a bad thing!"

"Says the man who spent 70 years in a transporter buffer." groused former Federation President Hikaru Sulu.

"Sulu, don't be so hard on the man." said Admiral Pavel Chekov, new acting head of Starfleet Security. "He thought he'd be out in a week!"

"An illogical thought, but hope is never logical, is it?" asked Ambassador Spock. "Yet it has reunited us."

McCoy scowled sadly. "Not ALL of us." the old man said, referring to the last missing member of their crew.

"He'll be back," Uhura stated, glancing at the one empty chair in the room. "We know now… there is a chance we can bring him home, then by next christmas we'll have the whole damn family back together…"

"Together at last…" Enty nodded, smiling as she stood next to the chair, brushing her hands alongside it for a moment.

"Indeed…" Spock stated, as Enterprise could see a slight quiver to his lips - a subtle expression of emotions that didn't need to be said, but was felt all the same.

Whenever possible, the 1701 crew under Kirk spent a holiday with Enty.

Sometimes it wasn't. The whole Borg emergency as an example.

But they were going to be reunited soon. Just needed to find where the goddamn NExus was.

A knock at the door got their attention, Chekov withdrawing an old type-1 from his belt. Everyone gave him a look, but they HAD all made enemies.

Fortunately, it was just a couple of boxes with legs.

"You mind a delivery?" asked the man who revealed Jim's survival, hidden behind presents.

"Oh! Captain Pinkerton!" Enty smiled, he may not of served on the Enterprise, but after everything he has done, as far as she was concerned he was an honorary member of the crew. "Well, I think we have enough room to fit you in here,"

"I'm not staying. Just came to drop these off." he said, awkwardly coming inside with all his gifts, all marked 'Enty'. "Jade's got a big party planned and I'm attending."

"And how IS the most perverted shipgirl in the fleet?" Uhura asked before Ron noticed WHO was in the Iowa farm building.

"...enjoy the presents." said the captain before he RAN out of the building. Enty was confused for a moment before she heard a very fanboy-ish scream over Infraspace.

…Well, she supposed he couldn't blame him. They WERE living legends.

"That's a lot of gifts for ye, lassie." Scotty noted. "I hope he doesn't mind our curiosity, because I'm tempted ta open them."

"You and me both." said the shipgirl before she focused on the first large, flat box. What would someone so…odd give her?

She gently opened it and revealed what it was. And her past stared at her.

Flying forth on canvas and oil…were her first three hulls, soaring into the unknown.

Honoring the crews of those ships.

"THey're beautiful." Scotty declared, Uhura giving him a playful glare.

"Of course you think they're beautiful." she said, but her smile betrayed her own thoughts.

"My…" Uhura mused, "Do you think he painted these himself?"

Enty looked at them. She could see the details in the hull panels. It would take someone with machine-like skill to do that.

Sulu and Chekov lifted the cover off another. "Good God!" said the ex-tactical officer as he saw what was inside.

Another snapshot of history. The Enterprise-B, soaring past the Nexus, the Enterprise-C, near a nebula of some kind…and the Enterprise-D, over Earth.

"It's like seeing a timelapse of your life." McCoy said as Enty looked at the B in particular.

"Soon, Jim." she said, Scotty putting a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll get him, lassie." he reassured. "Even if I have to steal the Enterprise again to do it."

Spock noticed something on the frames. "To boldly go." he read aloud, the title of the first three Enterprises. "And 'Continuing Mission'. Fitting."

Uhura took the cover off the third. "Oh, my." she said, revealing three ships in oil and canvas.

The sleek Sovereign-Class Enterprise-E, flying out of a vortex. The massive, dominating Odyssey-Class Enterprise-F seemingly shielding her…and the Constitution III-Class Enterprise-G among the stars.

"To boldly go where no one has gone before." Sulu read aloud before turning to Enty. "Your legacy."

Ron wanted to honor her. Her crews. Past. Present. Future.

All of them gathered around the fourth and final painting box. Scotty opened it…and they saw something that had more love and care then all the others combined.

Exiting what looked like Hangar 12 on ESD was the Enterprise-D, her saucer covered in dirt and burns, connected to a clean stardrive with mismatched names - Syracuse on the torpedo launcher nameplate and NCC-71744 visible on the nacelle instead of NCC-1701-D - with what looked like…it didn't LOOK like, it WAS the NX-01, sitting still in a display, but seemingly flying with her.

Frontier Day.

"Legends never die." McCoy said aloud, reading the title before they saw a note.

'Twofer. Flip it over.'

Spock gently lifted it out and rotated it, revealing the Enterprise-D flying away from an exploding Borg cube, burns and mismatched hull like on the reverse.

Enty started tearing up. "Bringer of hope." she said, reading the title.

That was how he saw her. No matter how bleak. No matter how dark.

If the Enterprise was there…there would be hope.

The fifth and largest box laid before them. Enty lifted off the lid, revealing over a dozen hand-carved starships.

Every hull she occupied. Both her NX configurations. Every Connie. THREE Galaxy-Classes, including her new Devron configuration and two Fs, one in the regular Oddy, the other the Yorktown-Class refit.

And below every name and registry was the list of senior staff for every single ship. From Archer to Pike. From Jim to Garrett.

Spock looked at the second 1701, Pike's, taking it into his hands. "A fitting tribute to you." he said.

"To us." uhura said. "To all of us."

"Now, let's hope this is the last time we're NOT all together." Chekov said, putting a hand on Soctty's shoulder, then Sulu's. "I hope no one minds the 'baby' leading a toast?"

Scotty and Enty grinned as he retrieved a glass for all of them, though Spock would abstain from drinking. "To Captain Pinkerton!" she said as Scotty poured a bottle of good scotch for them all. "For giving us all something to look forward to!"

"Here-here!" Sulu cheered, making the place feel more like home.

USS Ra Cailum

Jade did whatever she could to make herself look as presentable as possible, all while emitting as much christmas cheer without coming off as 'a bit much'. Plus she had to make sure she looked as pretty as she could be for her beloved Captain. She wore a form-fitting red and white dress that practically sparkled, sparkling ews high-heeled shoes, and diamond earings. (AN: If you've seen the Mariah Carey 'All I want for Christmas' music video, it's basically the red dress she wears near the end)

She stood outside the door that led back to ten-forward, she couldn't hear anything from the other side, so no idea if anyone bothered to show up… Ron said they would show up, but… Jade wouldn't blame them if they missed. If nothing else, Jade can't say she didn't try to put her best foot forward tonight.

The door opened, revealing the Andorian tactical officer. "By all that's holy, WHY is this place filled with fake snow?" she demanded.

"...Christmas party?" Jade weakly said before one of the VERY busty lower deckers came in, all smirks.

"Hey, turkey!" she said before MORE people started coming in.

Jade was dumbfounded. She was sure they'd all be off the ship! Instead, there were dozens, hundreds, pouring into the massive space.

She was slowly becoming concerned she may not have cooked enough food for everyone with how many showed up.

Then the doors opened and in came her captain…wearing the classic late 23rd Century uniform with a Santa hat and fake beard.

"Ho-ho-ho." said the ex-drone.

"...Well, it's not the classic Santa suit…" Jade pouted.

"It's red, I've got the hat on, I even have the beard. As of now, I am Santa." said her captain, even putting on a pair of glasses to sell the look. "Still surprised by the turnout. Almost a full tenth of the crew's in here and there's a backflow into the corridors. I think everyone stayed."

Jade blinked for a moment, before her hand slowly raised up to her commbadge. "...girls, fire up the oven…" she said blankly with a stunned expression. "We… we need to cook more of… everything…"

Why'd they all stay?

Don't get her wrong, she was happy, but…surely they wanted off the ship! To feel real soil under their feet, breathe real air!

Did they just feel like they had nowhere to go? Obligation to a captain with the work ethic from hell?

…or did they enjoy being on this ship? Being with each other?

The shipgirl smiled at the last one, even as she saw the lower deckers have a brief fight over a candy cane.

The last one. It was the last one.

Jade wouldn't be alone for Christmas anymore.

Enterprise would have all her family back soon.

Joy to the galaxy. The future was looking bright.

(117Jorn and Ron remain encased in Ice)

Pac-Gible: Gib? (Uses Flamethrower to melt the ice)

Ron the True Fan: FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, I HAVE LAID DORMANT-(CHOMP!)

117Jorn: …Snow Gible needs to tone it down a- *sneezes* - a notch…

Pac-Gible: Gib-Gib!

Ron the True Fan: The shark was just excited. Can't blame him for his debut.

Snow Gible: Gib!

Ron the True Fan: Uh-oh. Excited snow shark.

(CHOMP!)

Jorn: *Frozen solid again*

Gible: Gib!

Ron: NOT AGA-(ice cubed)

(Gibles engage in a 'chomp fight')