Post 482: Without Fanfare

Stardate: 71008.2030
Title: Without Fanfare
Author: Lt. February Grace
Scene: The Surface of Yensul V
Time: The morning after "Somehow it feels like Christmas," and concurrent with "Yensul Awaits" (Pretty much bringing the Indy timeline and Alchemy timeline into synch)
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The sun was just rising over the mountainous snow drifts that had formed overnight, where the landscape had been merely flat plains of endless snow before.

The surface glittered in the pink, purple, yellow and orange light of the dawning day, and the small group of travelers finally ventured out from the edge of the tunnels as the wind seemed to begin to die a little, and the last darkness of night was chased away by the sun.

Stars were still visible as February turned and looked over her shoulder, and as cold as it was here, she was still struck by the scene around her. Everything seemed carved from glass, or chiseled from diamonds.

As unforgiving as she knew this environment was, at this moment it was also unspeakably beautiful.

She walked arm in arm with Reece as they journeyed a short distance from the caverns, and once they were out of sight of the others they'd left behind there, Salvek nodded to Reece.

Reece reached up and removed the scarf which obscured most of his face, and February began to lower the hood of her parka. He stopped her, pulling it tighter around her instead and fastening the strings into a bow beneath her chin so she'd stay warm. As he did so, he noticed something about her coat that he hadn't the night before in their hurry to leave the Alchemy. It was in actuality, not white as he'd previously thought. It was pale pink. He smiled.

*Pink?* he thought to her, clearly amused.

*I had to replicate it anyway,* she thought back. *So I thought, it didn't take any more time to pick a color so why not pink? Of course if I had realized I was going to be married in it, I'd have chosen differently.*

*No,* Dabin reassured her, smiling. *It's perfect.*

Wanting to keep moving so they could get started on repairs to the ship as soon as possible, Salvek gestured to the pair that he was ready to begin.

Kellyn stood beside Dabin, acting as his 'best man', and Simon took his place next to February as she'd requested.

Xhian stood a little ways back with Maffe, who had asked if she could observe the event. Xhian kept an eye on the horizon for any potential dangers as the rest of the party focused on the matter at hand.

He explained softly to Maffe that while it was acceptable for Salvek to perform a marriage as the commanding officer of the Alchemy, especially considering the fact that they were stranded here at the moment, that likely later on the couple would need to have another more officially sanctioned ceremony; performed by either the ship's Chaplain or the Captain herself.

Maffe had never seen a wedding in her life, let alone a male and female who appeared to have as much genuine affection for each other as Reece and Grace did. She was quite awestruck and simply nodded in response to Xhian's words.

Salvek wasted no time in getting to the point, which suited Grace and Reece just fine. His eyes settled on Dabin.

"Do you, Dabin Reece, take February Grace to be your wife in accordance with Federation law?"

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As Salvek was speaking he had no idea that not very far in the distance, in fact just over the next set of hilltops, a small , quiet craft was initiating its landing cycle.

Aboard were stone-faced men and a small number of very distraught women and children. Some of whom were weeping; all panicked knowing that they were about to be left on their own here as was the custom of their people.

Abandoned without help in this place they called "Lansin il en Satila"; "The grave of the living."

Left to fight for their survival, or finally begin the journey to meet their Exulted Ruler.

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"I do." Dabin declared without hesitation, holding February's gloved hands in his.

Salvek nodded, and turned his attention to Grace.

"Do you, February Grace, take Dabin Reece to be your husband in accordance with Federation law?"

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Across the snow, the cast-off women and their daughters were gathered up and herded down the gang plank of the small ship. Their tears instantly turned to solid ice against their skin as the wind whipped their faces and stung their eyes.

Each was given a small pack to carry, containing a day's food, a canteen of water and an extra sweater. Their shoes, which did not rise above their ankles, provided little protection against the ice and snow as it bit into their skin of their bare legs upon contact.

The women tried to carry the smaller children, who clung to them with all the strength their small arms could muster.

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"I do," February answered Salvek, and Reece's expression was one that she could never have deciphered if not for his thoughts.

Thoughts that revealed his breath had been stolen away by the sound of her saying those words aloud. He was happy, truly happy about this, she could feel it as clearly as she could feel her own happiness.

*I love you,* She thought to him, and his voice echoed in her head, repeating the words back to her instantly.

"Then, as both February Grace and Dabin Reece have freely consented to this union, I declare by the power entrusted to me as current Commanding Officer of the USS Alchemy that the Federation recognizes that they are now married."

He blinked several times in quick succession, and then added in his usual monotone, "Congratulations."

Dabin took February's face into his hands and kissed her softly. She beamed, and they turned to their friends to thank them for acting as their witnesses to the event.

Simon and Kellyn offered their congratulations and exchanged hugs and handshakes, respectively, with Grace and Reece. However, knowing that they had no time to waste, the group prepared to move on again without any further delay.

"Thank you, Commander," Reece extended his hand to Salvek, and Salvek accepted it. "This means more to us than," he stopped, choking back his emotions, and Salvek nodded.

"It was an honor to officiate. It is something I have never done before. Thank you for the opportunity." He'd known Reece a very long time, but he had never seen him quite this way before. *The effect that meeting February has had on him is quite profound.* Thought the Vulcan. He had a soft spot for February, himself, since their mind meld prior to her zhian'tara ritual. "Take good care of her, Mr. Reece."

February quickly kissed Salvek on the cheek, and then the couple moved back and allowed him to continue on leading them toward the Alchemy.

Salvek and Kellyn walked silently together, both absorbed by memories of their own wedding day more than a decade ago, and thoughts of wanting nothing more than to go home. Back to the child who awaited them in innocence, not knowing the peril they were facing. Kellyn reached out for Salvek's hand, expecting him to resist the gesture, but he did not. He clasped his fingers around hers, and held fast.

Reece and Grace continued on in silence as well, each still struggling with disbelief that the event they had just participated in had actually taken place.

*He didn't say your full name,* Reece thought to her at last, smiling beneath the scarf which once more covered his lips. "February Valentine Guinevere Grace."

*If he had tried to get that all in, Dabin Tristran Linas Reece,* She smiled back, *We'd have frozen to death before he could pronounce us man and wife.*

*How the hell did you find out both of my middle names?* Dabin laughed internally. *Do you know how hard I've worked to hide those?*

*I'm in your head, Reece. You can't hide anything, remember?*

*It's not just that you're in my head, February,* she heard him think to himself. "You're everywhere."

Simon fell back to talk with Maffe, whose steps had slowed considerably it seemed, since witnessing the marriage ceremony, brief as it was. He nodded to Xhian, who then sped up so that he could discuss their plans for undertaking the repairs with Salvek and Kellyn.

"What are you thinking?" Simon asked Maffe gently, as he took the heavy backpack she was struggling with and slung it over the opposite shoulder from the one he already carried. He continued on through the snow beneath the weight of both, without being asked, without hesitation. Maffe shook her head once more at his kindness, and thought a moment before continuing.

"Thank you. I was trying to remember," she began slowly. "I was so small when we came here. I barely remember my life before that. But I was trying to remember anyway,"

"What were you trying to remember, Tybelle?"

"If I'd ever seen my father look at my mother that way. The way that Reece just looked at Grace."

"Did you remember?" he pressed softly, "Seeing it, I mean?"

"No," she admitted sadly. "I don't believe he ever did."

Simon suddenly noticed a blur out of the corner of his eye, as something metallic disappeared rapidly up into the atmosphere. "What was that?"

"Oh, no," Tybelle's eyes reflected her sorrow. "It means that there are more."

"More?"

"New arrivals." she explained. "Come on, Simon. We have to hurry. The cold." She rushed away and within seconds she and Biggs had overtaken Salvek and Kellyn as they headed over the next tall snow drift.

"What's the matter?" Kellyn was as alarmed by the expression on Simon's face as she was by his change in speed.

"Didn't you see the ship?" Simon called as he tried to run, which was nearly impossible in snow this deep.

"Ship? No, the sun, it's so bright with the snow," Kellyn began.

Warning klaxons went off in Salvek's mind. "Explain." He demanded.

"There are more of them," Simon called back as he and Maffe hurried ahead. "We have to get to them before they freeze."
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Lt. February Grace
Helm/Flight Controller
USS Independence/USS Alchemy

NRPG: So no one on Indy will know about this for some time to come. It'll be our little secret. And no we are not registered at Crate and Phaser so don't worry about sending on any gifts. ~Grace and Reece