Making A Better Memory

[DrDMatthews 0]

Debbie couldn't believe their luck. The retrieval team was able to locate the remains of Lt. Commander Fiona Nashawryn within minutes. They had Brian to thank for that. He had painstakingly recorded the exact location of every body left on the Cairo. That, along with the information gleaned from those on Commander Ridire's away team, allowed them to transport Fiona Nashawryn's body to the Reaent just fifteen minutes after the first retrieval team boarded the Cairo.

 

      It was a relatively simple task to confirm her identity. Preparing her for "viewing" was another matter. Debbie knew they had very little time. To complicate matters, there were no morticians on the Reaent. Nor did the ship carry the necessary supplies for preparing a body for public presentation.

 

      Once again, luck was on their side. Dr. Russell Eckert had taken a couple of courses in mortuary science. Another member of the staff, Helen Manus, belonged to the Reaent Players, a small but dedicated troupe of amateur thespians. She donated a variety of stage makeup which would cover some of the most obvious blemishes on Commander Nashawryn's face.

 

      At the moment, both Rus and Helen were in a far corner of the cavernous cargo bay, feverishly working on Fiona. Time was of the essence. Commander Ridire would be down sooner or later, probably sooner. Also, Rus and Helen were needed elsewhere. The cargo bay was quickly filling with other bodies requiring identification.

 

      Debbie glanced around the room at the nondescript body bags. Each one carried a tag indicating exactly where on the Cairo the corpse had been found. Once in the cargo bay, the remains were quickly scanned. Most were identified within minutes. They were placed in stasis units and organized by species and gender.

 

      There were many who could not be identified so easily. In some instances, there were barely any remains left to identify. The "worst cases" were moved to another area of the cargo bay. They would be taken care of last.

 

      "Doc, would you mind taking a look?"

      Debbie turned to find Rus Eckert standing beside her. "We've done our best but we just don't have the proper equipment."

      The CMO smiled sadly and followed Rus to the stasis unit housing Fiona Nashawryn. The unit was open and the first thing Debbie noticed was the clean uniform. She didn't ask where they'd gotten it but it looked like a perfect fit. Fiona's  freshly polished pips shone brightly on her collar. There was still some evidence of trauma on her face but the makeup had done an adequate job.

     

      Debbie reached up and closed the lid activating the stasis unit. She looked through the window at the young woman inside and couldn't help smiling. Fiona Nashawryn appeared almost angelic, her face softly highlighted by the unit's pale blue light.  

 

      The CMO swallowed hard and turned her attention to Rus and Helen.

      "Nice job, thank you. It will be difficult for him no matter how she looks. But this will make for a better memory."

 

      The three of them moved a portable screen around the stasis unit and quietly walked away. There were many others to be identified and prepared for transport home. Debbie's only regret was they couldn't give all of the deceased the extra attention they'd shown to a certain medical officer whose assignment on the Cairo ended so disastrously.

 

      And for one of their own, the worst was yet to come.