Post 525: Wrap Up With A Nice Little Bow

Stardate: 71028.1600
Title: Wrap Up with a Nice Little Bow
Author: Commander Salvek
Scene: USS Independence
Time: One Day After "Walking Away"

"First Officer's Log, Commander Salvek reporting. Round the clock repairs to the Alchemy have finally progressed to a point where we can extract the ship from Yensul V. I must thank Lair Kellyn, Xhian and Rada Dengar for leading each of the three shifts as I oversaw the operation.

Hull breaches have been sealed with temporary patches and the impulse engines repaired to a satisfactory level where the ship can now be piloted into orbit. From there the real work begins. I estimate it will be approximately 3 weeks before the ship is spaceworthy, and 1 month before all systems have been repaired to their fully functional state. I have filed my formal report with Captain Zanh regarding what occurred on the planet, which she will include in her final recommendations to Starfleet. End log."

Salvek closed his log, and made his way to the docking bay. The spacedoors were open with only a forcefield between the bay and outer space. Through the field he saw the battered Alchemy enveloped in a tractor beam as the empty ship was slowly guided into the bay. Salvek had insisted that a pre-programmed autopilot be used to lift Alchemy off the planet, as the danger to any crew on the ship was still too great.

As Alchemy passed through the forcefield, the main tractor beam was released and a second smaller beam inside the bay took the ship, and lowered it to the deck. Alchemy looked beaten and broken, but fortunately for Salvek, he and Lair Kellyn had practically made careers out of repairing auxiliary vessels that seemed beyond repair.

[Commander Salvek, report to the docking bay.] The page came from the Captain.

"Captain, I am already there. What do you need?"

[The Persephone has arrived. I need you to make sure all the parts you need are delivered to the landing bay before they go. Especially Mr. Reece's new sensor arrays.]

"Understood. Tell them to begin transport at any time."

Salvek retrieved a PADD and downloaded the manifest of parts he needed from the computer to the PADD. He took stock of each palette as it was transported aboard, and everything seemed to be in order. By the time transporting was complete, the spare parts took up almost as much room as Alchemy itself. It was indeed going to take a lot of work to repair this ship.

"Salvek to Captain, everything seems to be in order."

[We are transporting the Yensuli to Persephone now. If you want to say goodbye to any of them, now is the time.]

"I am on my way."

Salvek entered the transporter room, where Biggs, Xhian, Lair Kellyn and Maak lined up next to the transporter pad to say farewell to each group. February Grace and Dabin Reece had also torn themselves away from whatever it was they had been doing to say goodbye.

Each woman and child took the time to graciously thank each member of the team that had helped rescue them from the surface. As a father and a husband, Salvek appreciated what it meant to these people to know they were not alone in the Universe.

He indulged their need to thank him and the others, even though for Salvek rescuing these individuals from certain death was a matter of simple logic and duty. He felt no need to be thanked for simply doing his job.

Andara Maffe entered the room with the final group. She shared hugs with Xhian, Reece, Grace and Kellyn, before thumping her chest and bellowing a mighty Qapla! to Maak. Salvek was impressed with how quickly her knowledge of Klingon culture had progressed during this ordeal.

She then stepped to Salvek. Salvek spread his fingers in the Vulcan "V".

"Live long, and prosper Tybelle Maffe."

She returned his gesture "Live long and prosper, Commander Salvek."

Finally she moved to Ensign Biggs, and without hesitation took his face in her hands and kissed him. Salvek respectfully turned his head away from them, and raised an eyebrow towards his wife. He mouthed one word to her silently "Fascinating."

Maffe stepped up onto the transporter pad with the last of her group.

"Thank you all for everything, we owe you our lives."

"Energize, Ensign." Salvek said to the transporter chief, and in a swirl of energy and particles, the group was gone. "Dismissed."

****************************************************************************
Commander Salvek
Acting First Officer
USS Independence NCC-90791