May 2377

Headquarters, Starfleet Medical

David Gold stood in one corner of the reception area, watching the internal broadcast of the ceremonies with far more interest than he’d ever shown on Drema IV, a fact he found himself regretting more by the day since he found out she was graduating. Eight years is a long damned time. He absently flexed his mechanical left hand. A lot of things can change.

Thanks to what she’d already studied on her home planet when she decided to go to the Academy, she’d been able to test out of a few courses, allowing her to shave almost a year off of her overall stay. Having a recommendation for bravery in the face of credible threat couldn’t have hurt, either.

Gold made a mental note to send Liankataka a note thanking him for that memo. Lense needed help. There were no two ways around it. She’d get used to the idea of having an organic assistant CMO eventually.

Sonya Gomez walked up beside him, a small, content smile on her face. He hadn’t seen that look on her face for far, far too long. “Bringing back memories, Gomez?”

His first officer nodded. “And none of them good.”

“Then why are you smiling?”

She let out a small, nervous laugh. “I think this is the first time we’ve brought new crew on board, and it wasn’t to fill some kind of void. It’s about time we brought someone on for a positive reason.”

“Huh,” Gold said. “I think you’re right.”

“We don’t have much extra space, so we shouldn’t make a habit out of it,” Gomez quickly added. “We’d end up with people sleeping in the hallways. And you know how well Domenica would take that.”

Gold tried his best not to laugh. Instead, he said, “We haven’t brought her on board yet, Gomez. The choice is still hers. We’re just here to make the offer.”

“May I ask you a question, sir?”

“Of course.”

He could see Gomez scanning the rest of that year’s graduating class. Gold had stopped counting after a while, adjusting his estimate of their numbers to somewhere between “enormous” and “ridiculous.”

“Why did you back her application to the Academy?”

“He didn’t.” Rachel Gilman walked up, a glass of champagne in hand. Her short, graying brown curls still seemed a bit more matronly than the sleeveless, very fitted black dress she’d chosen for the reception. He still knew better than to try to change his wife’s mind about anything, however, and hadn’t even brought up the subject.

In the corner of his eye, Gold saw Gomez do a double-take. “Her record lists a letter of recommendation from you.”

“Oh, I sent a letter of recommendation,” he said, “but I wasn’t the one who ended up backing her application.”

Before Gomez could get another word out, a very familiar face approached. Her already gray curls had become a little lighter in the intervening years, and a couple more lines had etched themselves into her features, but Katherine Pulaski still looked much the same as when he’d left her on Drema Station years before.

No, she looks happier. Working in that institute must be doing her good.

“Captain Gold. Rabbi Gilman. Good to see you again. Commander Gomez, it’s been a long time.”

Gomez shook off the look of surprise. “Dr. Pulaski? What brings you in from the Phlox Institute?”

An enigmatic look spread across the doctor’s features. “They asked me to give one of the commencement addresses. What brings the two of you to graduation ceremonies for Starfleet Medical?”

Raising one gray eyebrow, Gold gave Pulaski a sideways glance. Her name had been nowhere to be found on the commencement program. “We’re here to discuss a staffing issue with someone.”

Folding her hands behind the small of her back, Pulaski said, “I heard about your CMO, Captain. Good news travels fast. Elizabeth Lense is one of the best we have. Please give her my congratulations on the baby.”

Gomez gave a curt nod. “Of course, Doctor.”

On the monitors, student after student in vivid royal blue commencement robes passed across the dais and received his or her diploma.

“Cccaptain Gold?”

Gold nodded, looking down to find a tiny Belandrid in a formal operations-yellow uniform standing just to Rachel’s right. “Lolo? Is that you? How have you been?”

“Nnno problems,” it said, puffing with pride. “Assigned to the Hhhood now. Dddeputy Chief Engineer.”

Gold introduced his wife and Commander Gomez to the little creature, and both women seemed intrigued with the Belandrid.

When the graduate finally walked over to them, her blue-and-black dress uniform was immaculate. Her commencement robe was slung over her left arm, and a small etched crystal cylinder was in her right hand. He’d heard they were redesigning the diplomas for both Starfleet Academy and the Medical Academy, but he hadn’t yet seen one.

“Blue is your color,” Gold said.

Sarjenka blinked quickly, then snapped to attention, but Gold quickly shushed her with a hand. “This is your graduation,” he said. Quickly checking her uniform collar, he was pleased to see that she’d already attained a junior-grade lieutenant ranking. “Lieutenant,” he added, “how does it feel?”

“Good, sir.”

“Requested assignment to Drema Station, I see? Dr. Klesaris needs help already?” Gold raised an eyebrow and then shot Pulaski a glance. The look he got in return just said, “very funny, now get on with it.”

Sarjenka looked down at the diploma in her hand. “I wanted to take this knowledge back to help my people, Captain. However, I understand that until Starfleet sees fit to allow me to leave, I’m obligated to serve.”

Gold looked over at Gomez and Rachel, who had torn themselves away from asking Lolo questions. Rachel gave him that soft look that she always did when trying to encourage him to go through with something.

“I’m here to offer you an opportunity to go where you’re needed, Lieutenant.”

“Excuse me, sir?”

Raising his eyes back to Sarjenka, he said, “What would you say if I told you we need your help?”

“We, sir? What kind of help do you require?”

Gomez took a step forward. “The da Vinci’s CMO is expecting a child. She has come up with bad idea after bad idea to try to distract me from the fact that she desperately needs an assistant. We need someone who can stand up to her if necessary, who’ll do what it takes to treat the patient, and who’ll stand up to Captain Gold if he won’t come in for his checkups.”

Gold rolled his eyes at that. “I’ve been in for every one of my checkups, Gomez,” he said, playing along.

“Of course you have, sir.”

Rachel cocked one eyebrow. “And the messages they’ve sent me were nothing but social calls.” Leaning over to Sarjenka, her voice took a more conspiratorial tone. “He may look like a teddy bear, but he hates being poked and prodded. He won’t tell you that, but he does.”

Sarjenka let out a giggle. Pulling herself back together, she said, “Are you asking me to join your crew, sir?”

“That’s what I’m asking, Lieutenant.”

She made a grand show of thinking it over, then smiled as broadly as she had that day he’d agreed to bring her to Earth, and said, “I’d be honored, sir.”