A Bizarre Ending

[DrDMatthews 0]

Debbie Matthews stepped into the cargo bay. The sound of her footsteps echoed through the cavernous room. For the first time in over two weeks, it was completely empty except for the small walk-in freezer unit in the far corner. Soon, that would be gone as well.

 

      The memorial service concluded about thirty minutes earlier. Debbie had breathed a sigh of relief for more than one reason. The memorial for the Cairo's deceased crew was scheduled to begin just one hour after the New Rigel refugees left the ship. That left precious little time to set up the cargo bay. To say they'd rushed the preparations would be an understatement.

 

      Debbie had trusted that assignment to her staff. They'd managed to transfer the stasis units to the cargo bay, drape them all with the familiar Starfleet flag and attach the name plates before any of the guests arrived. They'd also remembered the podium and the artificial greenery that was strategically positioned to soften the stark atmosphere of the huge room. They'd done a fabulous job. The CMO rewarded them by telling them all to take the rest of the day off. She and a couple of volunteers would hold down the fort.

 

      While her staff ran crazy preparing the cargo bay, Debbie was with the forty-four survivors of the Cairo. She never anticipated having them aboard for more than a day or two. After the doomed ship was evacuated, she assumed the Reaent would immediately return to the Starbase where their unexpected guests would disembark.

 

      But Starfleet had other plans. The Reaent was ordered to New Rigel and there was no time to drop off passengers at the Starbase. Both the living and the dead from the Cairo were forced to go along for the ride. There had been few problems with the deceased members of that doomed crew. However, the survivors were another story altogether.

 

      It hadn't taken long for the shock to wear off. The survivors were hurt and angry and grief stricken. Their emotions ran the gamut from withdrawn to openly hostile. They needed closure so they could move on with their lives. The ceremony would be an essential first step toward their recovery.

 

      Until the memorial, the Cairo's survivors had not been permitted anywhere near the cargo bay. They would be escorted in shortly before the ceremony. That's when the ugly reality of their loss would hit them squarely between the eyes. They would look at the flag draped coffins lined up in four neat rows and know that it wasn't just a bad dream. They were all that was left of the Cairo. Everyone else was gone.

 

      The service had gone according to plan. The Captain's eloquent remarks were just long enough. The survivors couldn't have handled much more and neither could Debbie. As a physician, she had been taught to keep a close rein on her emotions...never get too involved with patients...don't take a patient's death personally...that sort of thing. But this was different. This had become very personal to Debbie.

 

      It was even more personal for Aidan Ridire. He'd been standing by one of the stasis units when Debbie arrived with the survivors. She assumed it was Fiona's. She later learned Ridire personally escorted Fiona from the holodeck to the cargo bay. The CMO watched him closely throughout the ceremony. He never flinched which was exactly what she expected from him. The Commander would do his grieving privately.

 

      The service concluded with the stasis units beaming off the Reaent. Debbie wasn't sure where they'd been taken but it didn't really matter. They were finally heading toward home. The CMO then led the survivors to the gangway where they were transferred into the custody and care of Dr. Ernest Siler, the base CMO. She wanted to meet Dr. Siler and thank him for his assistance. But Debbie wasn't allowed to leave the ship and Dr. Siler was prohibited from even stepping foot on the gangway. She would have to contact him at a later date.

 

      And now there was only one distasteful task left to handle. Not all of those killed on the Cairo were beamed off the Reaent. One remained in a body bag on the floor of the makeshift freezer tucked away in a corner of the cargo bay. And although his identity was a mystery, he was certainly a wanted man. Starfleet was sending an intelligence team to retrieve his remains. Debbie had been ordered to hand him over to them.

 

      She had just crossed the cargo bay and unlocked the freezer when the security team entered. The must have known exactly where they were going because they didn't hesitate a moment. They immediately walked toward the freezer and the CMO. They were all stern faced and armed to the teeth. Nor did they seem inclined to say much. Debbie was grateful. She was in no mood to talk either.

 

      "Dr. Matthews?" asked one of the men.

      Debbie nodded. He then handed her a padd containing his orders. She glanced at it quickly already knowing what it said. She opened the freezer door and stood back.

      "He's on the floor."

     

      Without another word, the second of the three men stepped inside the freezer and picked up the body bag. Another pulled out a receipt and handed it to Debbie. She stood looking at it incredulously as the security team left with the body bag tossed over one of the officer's shoulders.

 

      And then they were gone and Debbie was truly alone in the huge cargo bay. She looked around the room and then back to the paper receipt the intel officer had given her. She thought it rather bizarre they would bother with such a thing. Then again, why not? Everything else that had happened during the past couple of weeks had been just as bizarre if not more so. A bizarre ending to a bizarre mission.

 

      As she left the cargo bay, Debbie left a message for Lt. McLean advising him the freezer unit was no longer needed. Then, still clad in her dress uniform, she retreated to her office and closed the door, hoping no one would figure out where she was.

[Tovan 0]

wow very strange   :D