Final Departures

[Capt Ayers 0]

Nick breathes a sigh of relief when the Captain of the USS Valdemar, Captain Dixon, finally acquiesces to letting the El Aurian ship depart. The Task Force, led by the Valdemar, had moved to encircle the El Aurian ship when it, with the Pandora as escort, had reentered the Lambda Aurigae system. When Andrew at Tactical reported that the weapons of the ships that comprised the Task Force were activated, Nick had feared the worst was about to happen. That the Task Force intended to try and capture the El Aurian ship again and that they would trigger a fight.

 

Commander Hawke had tried to get the Task Force to back down when they first arrived, explaining that it was Admiral Meve's orders that the El Aurian ship be allowed to leave once the safety of the Task Force had been confirmed. For a while Dixon didn't seem to listen or care, he just continued maneuvering his ships around the El Aurian ship which also put the Pandora in the middle.

 

For it's part, the El Aurian ship simply hovered there as if it was unconcerned with any possible danger to itself. The only thing it did do was sidle closer to the Pandora, as if a mother protecting it's child.

 

Things seemed to be at a stand off and remainded that way for twenty or so minutes as Hawke and Dixon debated. It went so far as Dixon trying to order Hawke to tell the El Aurian ship to turn itself over.

 

And then the Captain of one of the Defiant class ships in the Task Force got impatient and overreacted. The Defiant banked towards the much larger El Aurian ship and fired a full spread of quantum torpedoes.

 

Dixon started yelling at someone that was beyond the viewscreen on the Pandora, half the Bridge officers on the Pandora started reporting but Andrew reporting that the sensors had detected a massive buildup in the El Aurian ship's shields followed by an activation of it's weapons had caused Nick to envision his worst nightmare about to happen. When the El Aurian ship spun on it's axis and moved swiftly towards the onrushing torpedos it confirmed Nick's fear.

 

The Defiant, also detecting the weapons activation and thinking it was the target, had veered away from the El Aurian ship as fast as it could. Before anyone else can react, the El Aurian ship fires some sort of energy weapon and obliterates the incoming torpedoes. As Andrew reports that the power of the weapons discharge was off the scales, the El Aurian ship slows and returns to the side of the Pandora. Andrew then reports that the El Aurian ship had decativated it's weapons.

 

Luckily the display seemed to convince Dixon that cooler heads should prevail. After further discussion he ordered the Task Force to leave the star system. Then it was just a matter of returning the El Aurian boady to the ship.

 

After Nick listens to the report that the body was successfully beamed over he steps down to the center part of the Pandora's bridge. He glances at Andrew "Open a channel to the ship, please." Andrew seems to hesitate and looks at Ethan who nods.

 

Nick waits until the channel is open before saying "My apologies for what happened here..both times. I hope that you can forgive them."

 

The El Aurian ship's computer responds "No one got hurt and as for forgiveness..do not worry. I will consider the incident that happened having taken place due to their inexperience. May I have your answer to my invitation?"

 

Nick closes his eyes briefly and sighs. "I appreciate your offer and I can understand your wish for companionship. However, if I left with you I would be abandoning Starfleet and the Federation and betraying the oaths I took to both. Because of our finding you there is a situation back at the Station that I must be held to account for and if I left they would consider me a fugitive and I wouldn't be able to return. Plus there is the rebuilding of the El Aurian people that I must help with, along with...certain things that our people need to attend to. Moreover, my family is back on Earth and I cannot just abandon them. Nor can I leave the other people, those on the Station and those elsewhere, that I care about and love. I simply cannot leave them so I'm afraid I have to decline..at least at this time. My apologies."

 

"Do not apologize, it is not needed. I can understand your reasons for staying. And as you say..there are certain things you and the others need to attend to. Because of which I am sure we will meet again....someday. I will be returning my crew home now and then I will leave to await the day when the time is right. E'sra detamini, Nicholas Ayers."

 

The El Aurian ship accelerates and banks away from the Pandora. Within a few seconds, it engages it's main engines and disappears in a flash of light.

 

Nick stares at the viewscreen for a few seconds as he briefly wonders if he made the right decision. Finally he turns towards Ethan and says "I think it's about time we get home. I'll...I'll be in my quarters." With that he turns and steps towards the turbolift. Before he enters it he glances one last time back at the viewscreen.