Among the Ruins

Posted on Wed 28th Mar, 2018 @ 9:23am by

869 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Brushfires
Location: USS Samurai, Docked inside SB 109
Timeline: MD 3, 0900

Sarah had brought Hikari to one of the outer-hull overlooks first, to let her see the damage to Samurai without other eyes to witness her reaction. Hikari, still walking with a cane and a brace on her left knee, had sat and stared silently for half an hour. Sarah laid her head on her wife's shoulder, and the two cried together for Samurai -- for the friends, the frenemies, the crew lost forever.

Something that those who had never served aboard a ship in deep space often did not understand was that you don't have to like the people aboard the ship. Very often, one doesn't. But they're still your shipmates. You trust them to be there, to do their job, to do it well. To handle their part of the million and one tasks that keep a ship a viable place to live in the middle of the toxic environment of space, and the worse environment of warped space. To be there at your back in the thousand ports that weren't your homeport. To be there.

Hikari felt she had failed them. A third of her crew would never see their homes again. Half of the Winter sisters, those happy, eager, dedicated girls she'd watched grow from brand-new Ensigns to seasoned junior Lieutenants, were gone. And Hikari was sure that those who had survived would never be the same. How could they possibly?

When they felt strong enough, they dried their eyes and took a turbolift to the core spindle, to deck 205, where the docking arm spanned from station to ship. Hikari held Sarah's hand in hers, and the two walked aboard. Hikari smiled at the first face she saw. "Henry. I'm so glad you're alive."

With reflief and a huge smile on his face, Henry walked over to his Captain and gave her a tremendous hug. Henry didn't care about protocol or demeanor at this point. He was just glad to see that his friend was upright and alive.

"Hikari!" The Chief Engineer yelled, not able to contain his excitement. Henry then moved to Sarah and gave her a hug also. "I'm so glad to see the two of you. How have both of you been holding up?"

Sarah returned Henry's hug with interest, then stepped back, taking Hikari's hand again. "Better for seeing a friend."

Hikari nodded agreement. "How's the old girl, ChEng?"

"Well, that's gonna take some time ma'am." Henry pulled a PADD from his cargo pocket and handed it over to the Captain. "We barely made in here at all. We still have to replace the nacelle, run tests on it, rewire the entire electrical system in engineering and other sub-systems on the ship. An that's only the tip of the iceberg. Long story short, it's gonna be a full year or more before she is going to be at her fighting weight. Speaking of which, this might be a good time to see if we could get an early refit with the extent of damage we took."

Hikari accepted the PADD, glancing over the data displayed on the front screen. She was certain Perry either already had or soon would send her a comprehensive report. She sighed, handing back the device. "I'll recommend the refit, though I don't know how much weight my recommendation will pull. BuShips may decide to simply decommission her."

"Decommission her?" Henry said as his heart sank to the bottom of his stomach. "Captain, I promise we can save her. With some time and some tender loving care, it won't be long before she is sailing for the first star on the left."

"It's not up to me, ChEng," Hikari said gently. "I'll make my recommendation, of course, but since I'm expecting BuPers to request my resignation, I don't know how much weight that recommendation will carry."

Sarah squeezed her wife's hand tightly, but said nothing. She had resigned her own commission when they had decided to go ahead with having a child, and she'd been a full-time mother since. Being a Starfleet officer wasn't central to her sense of herself; she knew that it was the most important thing, outside her family, for Hikari.

The Chief Engineer took the PADD back from the Captain and began looking at Samurai through the windows. "Have the Doctors said how long your recovery will be?"

"Six or eight weeks, they say," Suzuki responded, accepting the change of subject. "Until then, I'll be sporting these lovely fashion accessories." She gestured at the cane and brace.

"Could be a lot worse than that ma'am." He said as he nodded to her cane. "A few of our brothers and sisters didn't make it this time. You and I have been through some hairy situations over the years, and we always managed to make it through. Maybe not always in one piece........." Henry paused and looked at Samurai through the window. He took a moment to observe how for the first time ever he didn't recognize his ship. "But never liked this." He said as he put his said down and wiped a tear from his face. "So, what's next for you Hikari?"

"I don't know," the Captain admitted. "I just... don't know."

 

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