The Big Goodbye

It has been a day now since space had been on the verge of being consumed by the very flames of Hell. It has been merely an hour now since space had been streaked with the fires of wrath. And it was barely a minute now since Captain Kheren stood on the bridge of his own ship; the only thing that was left of her.

Before the battered USS Spectre had docked inside the huge interior of Starbase 10, the Aegis, the detachable bridge module of the USS Artemis, had been launched from the large shuttle bay pod atop the disc-shaped cruiser where it had taken refuge, freeing it of it's considerable bulk to allow her surviving fighters to return to their berths. Then, the ovoid auxilliary craft had entered on it's own power to dock at a lower inner pylon, there to disembark her remaining crew. The three dozen or so officers and crewmembers rejoined with the rest of the Artemis personnel that the flagship Lotus had returned safe and sound with the three remaining shuttles from the Ambassador class starship lost in the Azimuth Horizon anomaly.

One hundred and seven tired but proud people of the USS Artemis where then greeted by seven times that number; the rest of their crewmates that had elected to stay behind on orders of their captain to better help Lotus Fleet headquarters in facing their cosmic-scales challenge... and avoid uneccessary loss of life. Now that the dramatic events of the last days were known, already told all around the starbase and beyond, even the hundred or so former crewmates who had asked for a transfer out of frustration or wounded pride when they had been ordered to stay behind recognized the wisdom and foresight of their former captain, aknowledging his sole desire to avoid exposing lives needlessly to danger. They all realised that, not only their expertise and experience had benefited the Starbase in it's numerous difficulties with sabotage and then with facing the challenge posed by the anomaly, but also that, had they been granted their futile show of misplaced bravery, they would in all probability have suffered... or died... or caused that of colleagues and friends.

In the end, the whole episode reminded everyone now what it meant to be a Starfleet officer; to serve and protect, to uphold and promote life... and peace. Their sacrifice had ensured that.

And none understood it more now than the one that was at this very moment standing alone on what was left of the once Stalwart Guardian of the Federation; their captain.

Around Kheren, all the stations had been powered down­ and the entire vessel was under condition blue; her power coming from the base itself just enough to keep her functional, albeit asleep. The lighting was low, a soft blue -tinted light that deepened the already dark blue complexion of his face, etched with fatigue, bittersweet relief... and most of all, sadness.

It was a documented fact that Andorian faces had few muscles to express even their powerful emotions. And it was well known that the captain of the starship Artemis was as closed as the proverbial Aldebaran shellmouth. Yet, it was plainly visible on Kheren's face what he felt at the moment.

In silence, he had toured the entire deck, from the secondary turbolift  and into the conference room in front of it with it's large transparencies, it's two-man transporter pad and it's oddly old-fashioned triangular table, then going to his ready room now empty of any personal belonging, and finally at the other end of the short corridor onto the bridge proper. Slowly, he had walked to each and every station and sat in each chair to look a tthe overlarge one, as old-fashioned as the meeting room table; his chair, just like the one legendary James Kirk use dto have, installed right after the death of Captain Kevin Froud, the Artemis first designated commnding officer. He had been crushed in his own command chair  by a falling wall brace from an antiquated Cardassian booby trap left by a war long gone... And now, Kheren felt as if that very crushing weight pressed on his heart.

The ship had followed it's former captain into oblivion.

The Andorian now stood before the wall near the main turbolift, silent, unmoving. His four eyes were focused on the bronze plaque that adorned it. Slowly, reverently, he unfastened it from the panel and craddled it in his powerful arms, looking at it, reading the inscription etched on it:

U.S.S ARTEMIS

Ambassador Class - Starfleet registry NCC-64121

Launched Stardate 17605.8 - Nesrun Fleetyards

Andor Sector - United Federation of Planets

"The Sun never Saw Her Like Outside Olympus"

Nor will it ever again, Kheren thought with only a deep sigh to betray the thought, like a single tear of mourning.

Having beamed directly to Starbase 10 following the completion of their long and difficult mission, Syntron walked deliberately toward his temporary quarters as he clutched in his grasp the only remaining possessions he garnered from his quarters of the residual bridge section of the Artemis: the cases which ensconced a crafted Vulcan Lyre in one hand along with a hand-crafted Terran violin in the other.

As he stepped in stride toward his destination, his mind began to re-evaluate the rather illogical choice he made to travel hastily through the treacherous conditions of the damaged Aegis to retrieve these items before barely leaving the unstable bridge section. These were merely musical instruments, yet somehow the loss of these crafted items had motivated his rather impulsive actions. Was it that they were not replicated items but carved and assembled from trees of their native worlds? Was it the affect that performing on these specific instruments had on him that allowed him to meditate more comprehensively?  He did not reach a conclusive answer as he entered the temporary quarters on Starbase 10 and set both instrument cases down besides a standard clothes bureau.

The Vulcan officer pondered these thoughts for a few more moments before he activated the nearby computer system.

“Working” was the only audio acknowledgement the synthesized voice provided.

“What is the current location of Captain Kheren?”

After a brief lag, the response from the computer resonated within the quarters.

“Captain Kheren is on the remaining bridge module of the Artemis docked above the shuttle bay hangars of deck 95.”

Syntron closed down the computer link and headed toward the nearest transporter.

Moments later, the Vulcan was beamed into the center of the Aegis and observed the Captain staring intently at the bronze plaque now positioned firmly between his hands.

“A memento, Captain?” Syntron inquired respectfully; standing merely a few feet behind the Andorian officer.    

The Andorian barely heard the voice of his executive officer, not just because of the limitations of his auditory senses in his rigid antennae, but also because he had been deeply lost in thought. Only because of the echo of the Vulcan's voice on the wall, inches in front of him, did he caught the words. And so, it took a moment before he turned slightly and pointed to his brow, displaying scars from past duels he could have easily erased with modern surgery but still kept, just like the large phaser scar on his chest, under his uniform, collectedduring his first away mission as chief of security of the Lotus.

"I'm rather fond of them."     

There was silence between them, as they both turned to face the silent, deserted bridge of what once had been the most venerable and majestic starship of Lotus Fleet. A vessel that had been born in a time of war, forged into a legend and now gone in a blaze of glory. She had been nicknamed "the Stawart Guardian of the Federation" in her first life as capital ship during the Caradassian-Federation war. In her brief new life, she had served with distinction in remarkable missions. In the end, she had sacrificed herself in stopping a direct threat to Starbase 10 and then as a major instrument in saving the universe itself from the Azimuth Horizon she had herself first discovered. 

The USS Artemis now would be mentionned in one breath with ships like Enterprise, Voyager and Defiant. A fitting tribute to her. Any ship captain would feel elated to have been part of her legend.

And yet, Kheren felt cold, empty.

He was staring blankly a the wall were the viewer would have been activated, had the ship been operational. His voice sounded strangely hollow.

"By the stars, Syntron... what have I done..."

The Vulcan officer could hear the despair that accompanied the solemn expression of the captain.

 Syntron again addressed the captain, even though Andorian’s stern gaze was focused on a blank wall before him.

“Sir… you have done what had been required throughout these missions… and as a result you were able to exchange imminent death into a fighting chance to live. You have been repeatedly instrumental in the success of this mission alone while saving the lives of countless beings within and outside of the Federation. We could not have accomplished our objectives in this mission with the Anomaly and the adversaries we faced without the swift and effective decisions you commanded… while also putting yourself in harm’s way to ensure their only chance of success.”

The Vulcan looked straight at him.

“You did what was necessary Captain and there is nothing to regret in your decisions… Sir.”  

Kheren looked up at the taller officer with an amused glint in his eye.

"Nice quote... Hope it will be deemed appropriate by the Board of Inquiry. Despite everything good that could be said of what we have done, I still lost my command. Starfleet had never been fond of captains losing ships... and with the current attrition we have suffered since the Borg invasion..."

They just stood there for a long moment, in silence, side by side, like two brothers mourning their deceased mother or sister.

Then, suddenly, the Andorian took a deep breath and squared off his wide shoulders, lifting his head with his antennae pointing forward; all the signs of one of his kind getting ready to fight.

"Mister Syntron, your services to the Federation, to Starfleet and to this ship has been nothing short of exemplary, a credit to her command and crew and to her name and legacy. You have earned commendation and I would say at least a promotion... if not your own command. Whatever the outcome of the inquiry, I will make damn sure this does not reflect badly in any way on your Starfleet record.  I will ensure that all credit due is shared by you and each and everyone who served aboard her from the day she was re-launched. And if there is any blame to bear, I will... as I must... as her captain."

Again, he raised his stare at the bearded Vulcan.

"The Old Lady deserves nothing less."

Even as a Vulcan Syntron could appreciate the captain’s concern and focus on the future of his crew. Yet there were far more pressing issues in the mind of the Vulcan than Starfleet promotions and accolades: the consequences that this dedicated Andorian captain could be facing for effectively fulfilling his duties despite the direst circumstances imaginable.

Nevertheless, he stated firmly yet still in control:

“Indeed Sir… However my record is of little consequence in this situation. It was not as if the commander on that Romulan dreadnought left you a viable alternative to death with his indiscriminate and cataclysmic actions. Even Romulan Admiral Tomalak had to beam off of the ship and request immediate asylum. His testimony will corroborate with that of our own when the appropriate time arrives Captain.” 

"With what just happened out there, I would guess his testimony will be a little hard to get," Kheren said with as much bitterness as dry humor in his voice. "Given the recent circumstances, the Romulan Empire might just close itself once more for the next fifty years like the last time they had been so soundly defeated."

The Battle of Tomed had indeed sent the Romulans in hiding during the entire first half of the twenty-fourth century. And on this day, History had somewhat repeated itself... Although knowing the USS Horizon had their Empress as a guest might make things go easier eventually. But you never knew with Romulans.

"I'll settle fine with yours, Number One," the Andorian added after a moment. "At least that way, they will get the facts straight."

With a somewhat serious hint of a smirk veiled across his face, the Vulcan responded in kind.

“Of that you can be certain Sir. I have already been mentally composing my testimony since before our arrival back to the Starbase. With what records I have stored in my PADD and what data I can download from the remaining computer banks here on the Aegis, I will be fluently prepared to address any concerns or criticisms that any board of inquiry could present.”

Amazingly enough, the same shadow of a smirk seemed to appear of the rigid face of the Andorian.

"I knew there was a reason why I named you First Officer."

His silvery gaze went slowly over the entire bridge one last time before he finally spoke with a calm, firm voice.

"Well, we've had good practice in facing open fire with that anomaly out there. Let's go then."

Together, they stood at attention one moment before the empty bridge, in a final, silent salute, before turning together and taking the turbolift out.

Captain's Log

Stardate : 87174.9

This is my last entry as captain of this vessel.

The USS Artemis has served the United Federation of Planets with distinction, the last of the great Ambassador class starships, carrying until the very end the legacy of it's predecessors, matching the nobility of its contemporaries and setting a shining example to her successors. No ship ever deserved better her dedication words: the sun never saw her like outside Olympus. But her last wish is certainly that every ship will hereafter follow in her wake as they open new frontiers, face new challenges and perpetuate all that we stand for.

She truly was the Stalwart Guardian of the Federation. She sacrificed herself after eighty years of service for an ideal: that of a safe, peaceful and beautiful universe, full of life , wonders and challenges. May she never be forgotten and remain a beacon for all of us, as we continue to go where no one has gone before.