SECURE QUARTERS REQUIRED

Vox 4 was the prison they’d rescued Brodesser from. The prison where they’d expected to find the remainder of Daedalus’s crew, but instead had come upon only empty cells.

Now, Trip suspected, I know why.

“Vox Four pick-up complete?” Kairn said. “You think they brought them back to Kota? The Daedalus crew?”

He nodded. “Look at the dates. Right before we tried to break them out…”

“They were ferried aboard Jaquandra. To fly your ship?”

“I think so,” Trip said. And not just to fly it, of course. To run every critical system aboard the vessel. He should have seen it before. Who better to work a Starfleet vessel than a Starfleet crew? Especially a crew that you’d already beaten the resistance out of.

“DEF,” Kairn said. “That’s Makandros. He’s got Enterprise.”

“Not necessarily.” Royce spoke for the first time, making his presence known. “Special transport-that could be any of the generals, requesting those prisoners.”

“But whoever has them-my shipmates-they’re all at Kota,” Brodesser said quietly.

“Without a doubt,” Trip said.

Brodesser turned to face him.

“You have to take me with you.”

Trip shook his head.

“Can’t do it, sir,” he said. “This is a combat mission. You’re not trained.”

“Those are my people, Trip,” Brodesser replied. “I have an obligation to rescue them-the same way you have an obligation to rescue your crew.”

“I understand you feel that way, and believe me, I’ll do everything in my power-“

“Tell me you couldn’t use an extra hand piloting the ship,” Brodesser went on. “Tell me that if you go into a combat situation, Hoshi could do a better job on sensors-on your cloak-than I could.”

His gaze bore into Trip’s.

“I know those systems now, Trip. Almost as well as you, I warrant. I know Kota too, in case you’ve forgotten. I can help you.”

Trip sighed. The man was right, in everything he was saying. And yet…

“I don’t know. Three in that cell-ship-it’s going to be kind of tight, sir.”

Brodesser managed a smile.

“You forget where I spent the last seven years, Trip. The cell-ship is actually somewhat…palatial, by comparison.”

“Palatial.”

Brodesser nodded.

“Besides, it’ll give me a chance to see the ship’s ion drive in action.”

He smiled then, as Trip’s mouth dropped open in surprise.

“Or did you think I’d missed that as well?”

Trip’s silence was the only answer the man needed.

“I’ll collect a few things,” Brodesser said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Give me twenty minutes.”

The professor was as good as his word. His gear-and sufficient supplies to last him for a week-was stacked in a pile next to the cell-ship less than half an hour later. In another pile were three EVA suits Kairn had pressed on them, suits Trip had gratefully accepted after learning that the main weapons fabrication facility at Kota was located on an orbital platform above the base itself.

All the above items, however, weren’t going anywhere just yet. Certainly not aboard the cell-ship-not until they were checked over thoroughly, not until it was certain that they contained no trace of the proteins that Hoshi and he were so allergic to. A check that only Doctor Trant-with the scanner Trip had given her from one of Enterprise’s medkits-could perform.

Trip and the professor had been standing next to the new gear, making small talk, for perhaps five minutes when the door to the launch bay opened and the doctor stepped through.

A second later, Ferik followed.

As always, seeing Neesa’s husband-especially in her presence-made Trip uncomfortable. He managed a smile, which Ferik returned. Then Trip turned to the doctor.

She, however, was all business.

“Commander. Professor.” Trant took out her scanner and motioned Brodesser to stand apart from Trip. “This will only take a minute.”

She calibrated the scanner and studied its read-out, stepping around Brodesser slowly and carefully.

Ferik clamped a hand on Trip’s shoulder.

“You didn’t come to say good-bye,” he said. “I wanted to say good-bye.”

“Sorry.” Trip managed a smile. “It’s been hectic.”

“You come back here, Tucker?”

“No.” Trip shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

Neesa’s back was to him, but he thought he saw her flinch ever so slightly.

“Okay.” Ferik stepped between him and the doctor, and held out his hand. “Good-bye, Tucker. Yes?”

“Yes,” Trip said, taking the man’s hand and shaking it. “Good-bye, Ferik.”

The man nodded and let go. He stood there a moment, a blank expression on his face, temporarily at a loss.

“Say good-bye to Hoshi, Ferik,” Trant said without looking up from her scanner.

“Hoshi.” Ferik nodded, and turned to face the cell-ship. He waved to Hoshi through the viewscreen. She waved back.

“You’re all clear, Professor,” Neesa said, looking up from her scanner. “You can board.”

“Thank you.” Brodesser nodded to her and then Ferik. “Good-bye. Trip, I’ll see you aboard.”

“Just as soon as we get these other things checked out.”

“Won’t take a minute,” Trant said, and began to scan the new gear. She pushed one of the EVA suits to the side, and then spoke again.

“Ferik,” she said quietly. “I wonder if you could go down to the ward now, just in case anyone shows up.”

“Be on duty?”

“Yes. Be on duty.”

“Okay.” He nodded, then turned back to Trip again. “Good-bye again, Tucker.”

Trip said good-bye again as well, and watched the man leave through the door he’d entered.

And then he and Neesa were all alone, standing in the shadow of the cell-ship, the command center behind them blocked from view.

“This is all clear,” she said, stepping back from the gear.

“Thanks,” Trip said, taking a step forward. “Neesa-“

“And I have something else for you,” she said hurriedly, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a metal box the size and shape of a communicator. After a few seconds of fiddling with it, Trip found the release and opened the lid.

There were pills inside-big pills, looked almost like horse tranquilizers. A couple dozen in all.

He looked up questioningly.

“Painkillers. I made them up this morning for you and Hoshi. Derived from the same compounds as the pisarko, so you shouldn’t have any reactions.”

“Thanks.”

“They’re strong, Trip. One a day-only.”

“I understand.”

“I was going to send Ferik up with them, but then Kairn called and said Brodesser was going with you, and all his gear needed to be checked out, so-“

“Neesa.”

He moved forward, as if to kiss her.

“Don’t.” She blinked away tears. “This is why I didn’t want to come. I didn’t want to go through this all over again.”

“I understand. Last night was good-bye.”

“Yes,” she said. “Last night was good-bye.”

Trip cleared his throat, intending to say something poetic. He’d thought about it for the last half hour, ever since realizing that he would see her one more time-something about there being another Trip out there in this universe, another Enterprise, and that maybe one day, that ship would come to Denari, and she and that Trip would meet, and…

The words wouldn’t come, though. They suddenly seemed infinitely false to him-false comfort, false dreams, false hopes.

They were never going to see each other again. That was the hard truth.

“Good-bye, Trip.” She touched a finger to her lips, and then his.

Before he could respond, she turned and walked away.

Trip watched her go.

Then he loaded up the cell-ship, climbed inside, and sealed the hatch.

Brodesser, he saw, had taken the station directly behind his and was even now hard at work analyzing the ship’s code.

By the time we reach Kota, he’ll know the systems better than I do. The thought made Trip smile.

But for some reason, his eyes were moist.

“Sir?” Hoshi asked. “Everything all right?”

“Not yet,” Trip said, turning away from her. “But it will be-once we find Enterprise.”

The bay doors opened then, and they were away.