929: Thrust Upon

By Commander Salvek
90731.2300
After Time To Go

-=USS Serendipity=-

[Commander Salvek, can you come to Sickbay please?] Lance Hartcort’s voice once again caught Salvek by surprise, but this time Salvek had at least had the chance to finish a meal.

“Is this about the Domox?”

[No sir, Admiral’s orders.]

“I am on my way.”

-=Sickbay=-

Salvek made eye contact with Hartcort as he entered the bay. Lance nodded, and then made himself scarce from the vicinity of Admiral Lassiter’s bed. For the normally social man it was a curious bit of behavior. Salvek hypothesized that perhaps the Doctor was still upset with him over the Domox incident. More likely however, was the Admiral had something grave to report to Salvek, and she had asked for privacy once the First Officer arrived.

He stepped through the curtain to find the Admiral sitting up, with her rank insignia attached to her hospital gown. It was as naturally a part of her appearance and the woman she was, as the intensity of her stare and pride of her squared jaw.

“You wished to see me, Admiral?” Salvek began.

“Commander Salvek,” Lassiter extended her hand and unfolded her fingers, exposing a freshly replicated solid pip to his view. “I hereby promote you to the rank of Captain, and order you to take immediate command of this ship.”

Lassiter dropped the pip into Salvek’s hand with all the pomp and circumstance of an engineer recalibrating a piece of equipment.

“Forgive me Admiral, perhaps recent events have compromised your memory. This vessel already has a Captain.” Salvek reached out towards Lassiter, with the pip pressed between his thumb and forefinger, offering it back to her. The Admiral ignored the motion, and kept her eyes locked on his.

“The former Captain of this vessel has been relieved of duty. You are in Command now.” Upon completing her statement, Lassiter turned away and looked at her PADD. Salvek was left to his thoughts for a moment as he examined the pip in his still outstretched hand. As he put the pieces together in his head, he delivered his conclusion to the Admiral with the cutting bite of cold Vulcan logic.

“This will not bring back your son.”

Lassiter’s jaw shifted, and Salvek immediately regretted his choice of words, no matter how accurate they may be.

“Will you lead this crew, or must I call Commander Blane and have you put off the ship as well?”

“Captain Zanh will lead this crew. If you cannot accept that, and the error of your judgment, then you should call Commander Blane. But I warn you, his reaction will be the same as mine, and considerably less diplomatic.”

“Its like a damn infection. The rebellious nature she instills in all of you.” Lassiter stabbed at her PADD, making no real entries into it, but rather just trying to look busy as she prepared her next ultimatum. “Much to my surprise Salvek, Zanh Liis was going to offer her resignation to me anyway. So if it brings you any comfort, know that she was leaving either way. Now, will you take her place, or won’t you?”

As much as he wished to believe she was lying, he knew there was no logic in it. If Zanh Liis did not go willingly, as the Admiral said, a simple call to her would confirm it. Lassiter and Salvek both knew that, so he had no choice but to believe she was telling the truth. If that were the truth of it all, then Salvek would step into the Command chair. He had no doubt it was what Zanh Liis would have wanted for her crew.

“I will succeed her.” Salvek said, as he affixed the pip to his collar himself. He was careful not to use the words ‘take her place’ as the Admiral had.

“Computer, make a note in the ships log and with Starfleet Command. Commander Salvek is hereby promoted to the rank of Captain. Transfer all Command codes to Captain Salvek, effective as zero hundred hours tomorrow morning. Authorization Lassiter epsilon 6743 gamma.”

[Command transfer complete. USS Serendipity will be placed under command of Captain Salvek as of zero hundred hours tomorrow morning.]

“Why the delay?” Salvek inquired.

“Zanh requested time to complete one more task as Captain of this vessel, so I granted it to her. Congratulations Captain. I’ll have new orders for your next mission soon. You are dismissed.”

Lassiter turned away, and typed into her PADD, effectively ending the conversation. Salvek exited the curtained area, and upon seeing him leave, Hartcort emerged from his office.

“Captain,” He said, inclining his head.

-=A short time later=-

“Sonofabitch!”

How could they do this to him? There was still so much to do, so much to learn. He was only just starting, now it was over.

“Sonofabitch!”

The dog… where the hell was the dog?

Dane broke into a sprint through the corridors of the ship. His only prayer was that perhaps Lair Kellyn had some idea where the Captain’s puppy had ended up, during all the chaos surrounding the Alchemy during the last mission. As he arrived at the Salvek family quarters, he tapped the chime.

“Who is it?” The somber voice of Lair Kellyn called from inside.

“Dane Cristiane. Can I speak with you?” He called out, loudly but politely through the door. There was silence for a moment, and then the door slid open. Lair was standing there with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Yes?”

“Commander Lair. When we dropped the civilians off with the Vulcans, do you perhaps have any idea where the Zanh Liis’s puppy ended up?”

“You lost the Captain’s dog?” Lair asked, an expression of anger forming in her eyes. “And now you need to find it.”

“Well, yeah. I’m sure you’ve heard. When she asks for her puppy I can’t tell her I don’t know where it is.”

“You really blew it, didn’t you Dane?” Kellyn said, shaking her head.

“So, you have no idea?” Dane asked, wringing his hands together.

“Arie!” Kellyn yelled.

The doors to Arie’s bedroom slid open, and out walked the young lady, carrying a small puppy with a wagging tail. Dane’s shoulders slumped down so far he nearly fell over with relief.

“How?”

“I had her put in stasis. As long as I was breaking every one of Zanh Liis’ orders, the least I could do was to make sure her dog wasn’t let out of my sight.”

Arie, rather reluctantly, handed the puppy over to Dane. “Are you sure you won’t come in for a bit?” Arie asked, hopefully.

”I think Mister Cristiane needs to be going right away,” Lair said.

“How can I ever repay you?” Dane asked Lair, adding with all seriousness, “You just saved my life.”

“Save mine, when you have the chance.” Lair replied just as seriously as Dane already began to back away, before turning and heading down the corridor.

“Thank you!” He called out, just before vanishing around the corner.

When he arrived at the O’Sullivan residence aboard ship, he tapped the chime and waited for the door to open. He looked up at the tall frame of Keiran O’Sullivan, and stretched out his arms, offering the puppy to the man. Before he could even think about what to say, he blurted out.

“Take me with you.”

“Dane, I…”

“What do you need? Chauffer? Pool boy? Butler?”

Keiran sighed heavily. “Yer so much more than an’a of those things. Listen to Salvek, he’s a wise man. Mind Thomas Blane too. Learn ever’a’thin’ ya can, Dane.”

“What about TI?”

“It ain’t goin’ an’a’where,” Keiran said, as he took the puppy into his arms.

Dane was about to ask if he could speak with the Zanh Liis, when Salvek arrived at the doorway.

“Am I interrupting?”

“Not at all.” Keiran said. “Thank ya Dane, we’ll be in touch.” His words were a subtle suggestion that it was time for Dane to move on and let Salvek speak.

Cristiane took one step away, then quickly a second step towards Keiran, throwing his arms around the man. O’Sullivan lifted the puppy lest it be crushed between them.

“Good on ya lad,” Keiran said, tucking the puppy under one arm so he could pat Dane with the other.

“Sorry sir. Captain,” Dane said, apologizing to both men as he stepped back made his exit.

Salvek waited for him to be clear, as Keiran set the puppy down and let it roam into their quarters.

“Is the Captain in?”

“Aye, come on with ya then.”

Salvek stepped into the room, and looked up towards the balcony above, where he saw Zanh Liis bustling back and forth; throwing what things she had into a duffle. He waited for Keiran to announce his presence.

“Captain Salvek to see ya.” He called out. Liis looked down, and saw Salvek waiting for her.

“Just a minute, Captain.” She said, as she stored the last of the items she had in her hands.

As she made her way down the stairs to the lower level, Salvek noted a certain grace in her step. A sadness, certainly, but it was coupled with what he could only have called relief.

There was always a sense of tension in her, as one would expect when one was responsible for so many souls aboard a ship. That seemed to not be present now. Her wedding day was the only other time Salvek could recall seeing her look as she did now.

“It suits you well.” She said. Liis dusted off invisible lint from his shoulders, as she took in the fourth pip on his collar. “I’m proud of you. You’ve earned this.” Zanh moved from his side over to a chair, and sat down as they spoke.

“The Admiral told me you did not argue about this change. Why not?”

“Straight to the point as always Salvek?” Keiran made a terrible effort of trying to look busy, as he listened to their every word.

“Because it is time, that’s why. I need time to just be. Just exist, and make my peace with history and the lives I’ve lived. Does that make any sense at all?”

“Of course.” He answered.

A far cry from the “No,” that she expected.

“I’ve known nothing but Starfleet, in one form or another, all my life. I need to sort out if this is really me.”

“Do you think you’ll return?”

Zanh smiled, “If I could answer that question, then I would have already sorted myself out, wouldn’t I?”

Salvek answered her with a change in his facial expression.

“I may sit on my porch back in Cork drinking coffee from now until I the day I die, Salvek, I don’t know yet. But you are a lucky man. You are getting the finest crew that’s ever served the fleet.”

“A crew you molded Captain. I am well aware of just how exemplarily they are in their performance.”

“Yeah.” Liis said softly. For the first time, Salvek thought that he saw the glimmer of tears forming in her eyes. “A crazier bunch I’ve never known.” Zanh joked, trying to lighten the moment before her expression again changed to one at both blank and distant. “They do grow on you, don’t they?”

Salvek inhaled slowly, he had another question to ask. “The Admiral left you as Captain until the end of the day. May I ask why? She said you had a task to complete.”

“Rada,” She said.

Salvek needed no further explanation. “What should I tell the crew?”

“Tell them it was time for you to assume the post that was always truly meant for you from the start.” Zanh said softly. “The Alchemy Project was never meant to be mine, Salvek. It’s always been yours, all along.”

Salvek opened his mouth to speak, but Liis cut him off. “If it suits you can tell them the Admiral and I came to a mutual agreement. It will keep them from resenting her, and it is basically the truth.”

Salvek knew already that there were those that answer would not satisfy, but he would reason with those people one at a time as the need arose. “What are your immediate plans?”

“For starters, Keiran is going to make sure everything makes it to the house. I have to beam down as well to be sure all is prepared at Temporal before I take Dengar. They’ve assured me over subspace but there are some things I have to see to myself before I turn him over to their…treatments.”

One of those things was to make damned sure that William Lindsay locked Tucker Brody up for the day if that was what it took to keep him the hell away from Dengar during his procedure.

“Oh! Keiran! Do you have the item? For Reece?”

Keiran raised his finger as if to say ‘just a second’. He rummaged through a few items from the ready room that were lying on the floor awaiting packing, and pulled out a wrapped box with a card attached. “This is for the Reece family. Ya know what fer.”

Salvek nodded slowly as he tucked the gift under his arm. “Any assistance you need moving any items is yours, or course.” Salvek offered. He stepped closer to Zanh, as she stood up from her seat.

“Can I help you?” She asked with a small smirk that she managed, despite all she had been through in this day.

“I believe an embrace is appropriate.” Salvek said. He somewhat awkwardly lifted his arms in a welcoming manner. Zanh stepped in, and rested her head on his shoulder, as his arms closed around her.

“Thank you. For everything,” He whispered. She stepped back, somehow maintaining her composure. “One other thing.”

Salvek extracted an isolinear rod from his clothing and handed it to Zanh Liis.

“What’s this?”

“Replicator patterns. The launchers installed for your wedding are still on the property. Just download these into your replicator and you can recreate all manner of pyrotechnics. Just please be careful while moving them.” Salvek requested.

Zanh tucked the rod away with a thank you, and Salvek turned to Keiran, giving his hand a firm shake. “Watch after her,” Was all he asked.

“’Tis my sole purpose in life, that, Captain.” O’Sullivan replied earnestly.

-=A few hours later=-

Keiran gathered up the last of their things to be moved to the house in Ireland.

Cristiane, Blane and Tubman had already moved and reassembled the bed like magic, without even so much as being asked. They simply showed up, and did the work.

“Ready then?” He asked Liis, as she looked around to make sure she had not missed anything. She nodded, at a loss for words at the moment.

He took her by the hand, and led her to the turbolift. They rode in silence down to the transporter room.

When the doors opened, Zanh Liis froze, as she saw red, blue and gold uniforms lining each side of the corridor from the lift to the transporter room. At the end, stood Salvek, who bellowed a single order to all those assembled.

“ATTENTION, CAPTAIN ON THE DECK!”

Each officer snapped to attention, against the wall where they stood. Zanh lowered her head, partly out of embarrassment, mostly out of pride. With Keiran at her side, she made her way down the corridor, past all the familiar faces.

Barlow and Halladay from engineering, Samson and Ryn from Science, T’Dara, McKay and Hartcort from Sickbay, Briggs, Tubman, Cristiane, Steele, and Gira Lassiter, who held back the tears with every ounce of her strength, as much for Keiran as she did for Zanh.

“Don’t let Reece drive you mad.” She said, with a warning wave of her finger to Ryn. “Heaven knows he tried on me.”

Jariel was there, and even Le Marc, whose gaze now held respect for Zanh, and not the contempt that had been the hallmark of their relationship for years.

She passed Lair, Arie, and Grace, who was holding the newest addition to the Reece family. No one seemed to hold it against her that she was not standing at full attention like the rest.

Liis and Keiran each greeted February and the child, and Bru promised them pictures, so they wouldn’t miss a moment of seeing Sophie grow up on the ship.

She then looked to Reece, whose chin was quivering. Liis shook her head slowly, as if to say, ‘Don’t do this to me, I can’t take it.’

He nodded, and squared his jaw, as best as Dabin Reece could. His expression was brave, but she knew him better than that.

At the entrance to the transporter room, Vol, Salvek and Blane each waited.

“Salvek, you know me well enough to know that…” Zanh started, but Salvek cut her off.

“I tried Captain, but the crew refused. They insisted. I have been Captain less than a day, and already it is mutiny. I knew it would not be appropriate when you return for Commander Dengar, so they wished to give you a proper farewell now.”

She nodded, and turned to Vol. “You’ve come so far in so short a time. I am so proud of you.”

Tryst nodded and smiled. He would have spun her around in his arms if it were appropriate at the time, but he restrained himself.

Zanh took Blane’s hand in hers. “Keep him out of trouble, Thomas.” She requested.

“I will do that, Captain. I’ll be down for a pint sometime.”

“Aye, ya better or I’ll be forced to come up and fetch ya.” Keiran replied softly on Liis’ behalf as she was now quite incapable of speaking.

Keiran and Liis stepped up onto the pad. The operator signaled that he was ready.

“Energize.” Salvek ordered. He watched the couple vanish in the transporter beam. Once the cycle completed, he turned back to the assemblage in the corridor.

“DISMISSED!”

***************
Captain Salvek
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012