Last Memories

Posted on 24 Jul 2012 @ 12:00am by Lieutenant Commander Chauncey Remington III (KIA)

1,367 words; about a 7 minute read

Earth: 3272

Will eyed Commander Sovek solemnly across the desk. The Vulcan was impassive as he read over the PADD in his hands and at last looked up at the young man sitting before him with nervous expectancy.

"Cadet Remington," the commander began, "your performance has been acceptable."

"Thank you... sir."

"However, you do not have the necessary command qualities to progress quickly in Starfleet. And you are lacking in several areas; allowing yourself to fall behind in your duties."

Will said nothing. His cheeks stung at the commander's words.

"It is likely that you will not be promoted beyond the rank of lieutenant." Sovek paused, "Even if you never become a commander, you can still serve Starfleet well. Every ship needs junior officers. You are to be reassigned to the operations division. Your skills are best suited for this department."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Space: 2374

Will brushed his fingers over the cool gold of his ensign's pip, a habit he had picked up since receiving his commission, whenever he was nervous or just thoughtful. At the moment, he just felt jittery, full of nervous energy. Their narrow escape and the conditions aboard the badly damaged runabout filled with terrified civilians made things uncomfortable.

He went to the very back of the runabout, to the small engineering compartment where the miniaturized warp core was. The master systems panel had warned of a possible containment failure, but he saw no signs of immediate danger on the panels. There was that strange hissing noise, however.

The young man allowed himself to become very still, breathing lightly to calm his nerves. He heard it again, turned towards the sound, and nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise. The noise was the sniffling of a huddled form, a girl, he guessed from the tangle of long brown hair, wedged between the warp chamber and a broken, flickering engineering console.

"Are you all right?"

His voice sounded so unsure, so nervous, he thought. The girl did not show any sign of even hearing him. He was the Starfleet officer though. These civilians were looking up to him to save them. They expected him to be brave and strong, like a Starfleet officer should be.

Will took a deep breath. Kneeling down beside her, he reached out his hand, steadying it as he placed it on her shoulder. "Hey, it's going to be all right," he said softly. But this time his voice sounded stronger.

She looked up. Not much, but just enough. A pair of beautiful black eyes, lustrous as two orbs of obsidian, met his soft grey ones. Her skin was as pale as the moon, lending her a ghostly beauty. He imagined how he must look to her in his uniform, a bit intimidating, even just an ensign, but a presence of strength. That was how he should look, at least, and just the thought of it made him feel more like the image he pictured. He wanted to be strong for her, this girl. He managed a tiny smile and she lifted her tear-stained face. She could not have been more than a few years younger than himself, he judged.

"No," she said in a tremulous voice, "it won't be all right... the Dominion is destroying my home. My family is dead." Her eyes glistened with new tears that threatened to spill.

What could he possibly say to that? He was no battlefield counselor. He had barely passed his basic counseling class at the Academy. Everything he tried to think of to comfort her sounded weak, so he did the only other thing he could think of. He hugged her.

He wrapped his arms around her small form and pulled her to him. She stiffened in surprise at first, but then she leaned against him, wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face into his chest, and began to sob. He remained quiet, holding her and rubbing her back comfortingly. He could feel her tears against his skin as they seeped through his uniform.

Betazed: 2380

Will kissed Jalraya's moon-pale cheek. She smiled at him, laughter dancing in her dark, lustrous eyes. He pushed himself up and sat on the edge of the bed, the sheets fluttering away from his chest. A moment later he felt her arms come around him from behind as she pressed herself against his back.

"I'm going to miss you, Will," she said in her soft, pretty voice. Her delicate chin dug into his shoulder, but it didn't hurt.

He smiled. She always said those same words on the last morning before his leave ended. And he always had his response. "I know, and I will miss you, Jalraya, but I'll come back to Betazed. I promise."

His uniform was laying over the bedpost, the collar in easy reach. He put his hand out and brushed it over the fabric and the smooth pips. The hollow in the second one felt like Jalraya's hand when he held it, the perfect match, an old friend. That hollow would be filled in when he got to his new assignment on the Starbase, he knew. He felt her hand slide down his arm and saw it come to rest atop his own hand. She was still looking at him.

"I thought you ended that habit?" she asked with a smile.

"Sometimes I indulge myself," he replied, smiling back.

"Sometimes I wish you were not in Starfleet. So we can be together all the time."

He felt something wet land on his shoulder. A tear. He turned to her in surprise. "Jalraya..." Before he could say anything else, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips to his. He relaxed against her and allowed himself to be lost in the comfort of her embrace.

At last, he pulled away from her, brushing her hair with one hand and gazing into her eyes. "I promise you, Jalraya," he declared, "If I become a Commodore, I'll retire and marry you."

The mixture of surprise and love sparkling through her tears made his heart skip a beat. "And we'll live together on Betazed?" she asked.

"I'll be important enough that if Starfleet wants me to help the Federation, they can come to me. Maybe I will teach cadets, or command Betazed's defenses."

"Commodore Remington... but I'll always love Will."

"I'll always love you too."

He kissed her again.

Betazed: 2387

Will felt Jalraya's arm tightening around his neck as they kissed. She held a small bundle in her other arm, a newborn child. She was crying tears of joy and relief. He felt his own eyes moisten. But his heart felt tight, and there was an odd feeling in his stomach. He had not recovered from the destruction of his ship and the loss of his crewmates. But just being back on Betazed drained away some of the tension.

"I heard about the Phoenix and I was terrified you'd died!" She told him, half scolding and half relieved.

Her concern made him feel almost guilty, as if he could somehow have prevented the Phoenix from being destroyed. "I wouldn't leave you without seeing my son."

She pulled away from him and smiled. "Matthias," she said, looking down at the boy she held. He followed her gaze and reached a hand out. The boy took his finger and squeezed it. Matthias Charles Esel gave a burbling laugh.

"See?" the Betazoid woman told Will triumphantly, "He knows his father." She offered him the baby and Will took him readily in his arms. Then she slipped her arm through his and guided him down the shaded path towards the house. "What will happen now?"

He knew what she was really asking. "I will get assigned to a new ship. Maybe I will still get that promotion. Then I only need to serve as a first officer for a year or two, if I perform well it will only be a matter of time before I receive my own command."

"Captain Remington?"

Will smiled at his son. "I'll be sure to pay Sovek a visit on Vulcan."

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