Star Trek: The Original Series: The More Things Change (10 page)

“Thank you, Christine.”

As footsteps approached, they turned to see who was joining them. Chapel leaped to her feet when she saw Commissioner Dax enter the lounge. Spock also stood, although in a more dignified fashion.

“I was told I’d find you two here.” Dax looked strong, her normal color having returned to her face. “Captain Penon told me the
Enterprise
will arrive soon. I had to see you before you left.”

Chapel embraced Dax. “I’m so glad to see you on your feet already.”

“Thanks to you. Both of you. You saved my life, and I will always remember that.”

Spock nodded, clearly uncomfortable with Dax’s gratitude. Chapel hid a smile.
What would he think if he knew exactly what Audrid means by
always
?

Dax let him off the hook. “If you wouldn’t mind, Commander, could I have a moment alone with my doctor?”

“Certainly, Commissioner. I hope your swift recovery continues.” Discomfort aside, Spock swept out of the room in a rather stately manner.

“He has very piercing eyes,” Dax said as she turned to face Chapel. “Yet there’s a warmth to them somehow.”

Chapel kept a straight face. “I hadn’t noticed.”

Dax looked as though she were considering asking Chapel more about Spock but then thought better of it. “I just wanted to emphasize my thanks to you. Dax will live to touch many more lives after me, and you will be remembered by every one of them.”

Put that way, Chapel found herself a little overwhelmed, and tears gathered in her eyes. After she pulled herself together enough to respond, she said, “I’m honored to be a part of those memories.”

“I hope that Captain Penon wasn’t too hard on you?”

“He . . .” Chapel considered how best to answer. “He did what he had to do. I hold no grudges. But I have to say that my not knowing about the symbiont could have meant death for both of you. I think the Trill should trust their Federation allies and end the secrecy.”

Dax shrugged. “Maybe some day . . . but not today. In the meantime, we just have to hope for doctors like you.”

They chatted a little while longer before being interrupted by Spock on Chapel’s wrist communicator. The
Enterprise
had arrived and, honoring the Trill’s transporter taboo, had sent the
Galileo
over to pick them up. The Starfleet officers were to head down to the shuttlebay. Chapel said goodbye to Dax and joined Spock on a leisurely stroll through the corridors of the
Troyval
, knowing they would soon be back aboard their own ship.

“I’m almost disappointed our adventure is over,” Chapel said.

“Indeed. I cannot emphasize enough how fortunate I was that Doctor McCoy chose not to come along.”

“I feel the same way.”

“That is . . . satisfying.”

They continued in companionable silence for a while, then rounded a final turn and faced the entrance to the shuttlebay. Chapel said, “This mission will be the perfect way to remember the
Enterprise
. And my service with you.”

“Then you have made the decision to request a transfer?”

Chapel took a deep breath and then let it out. “I believe I have. I don’t want to leave right away tomorrow or anything, but sooner rather than later.”

They stood silently looking at each other, both saddened that Chapel would depart the
Enterprise
.

Spock broke the silence. “I am sure you will succeed at whatever you do.” He held up his hand in the traditional Vulcan gesture. “Live long, and prosper.”

With a mischievous laugh, Chapel said, “Oh, what the hell!” and leaned forward to plant a big kiss on Spock’s lips, which, to her surprise, he returned. They stepped back from the kiss—comfortable with the slightly more than friendly expression of affection between old friends who’ve been through a lot together—to find Kirk and McCoy coming out of the shuttlebay.

The new arrivals froze on the threshold, the automatic doors vacillating, starting to close, then opening back up again. Unlike the movement of the doors, the eyes of both Kirk and McCoy were frozen wide open.

Finally, McCoy blurted out, “What the hell’s going on with you two?”

Chapel, after a sidelong glance at Spock, said, “Captain, Doctor, I’m going to put in for a transfer. Spock begged to come with me, but I insisted he had to stay on the
Enterprise
.”

Spock stood with his arms behind his back, head tilted to one side. “Regrettably, I have resigned myself to the necessity of remaining behind to keep Doctor McCoy out of trouble.”

McCoy was speechless. Kirk, laughing deeply, leaned against a bulkhead for support. Chapel and Spock looked at each other. Spock gestured for her to go first, and the two of them entered the shuttlebay and went aboard the
Galileo
together.

Acknowledgments

Writing
Star Trek
is a special kind of collaboration with scores of people whose work has gone before, and there’s no way to thank them all by name. So, a big group thanks to all the actors, writers, composers, and other crew members who created the filmed adventures that informed my work on the printed page. A particular thanks to those people behind the episodes and movies that are referenced in this work, especially those episodes that developed the character of Christine Chapel. Obviously, a very special acknowledgment to Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, who played the character for decades and looms large in the history of
Star Trek
for many reasons.

On the text-based side of the
Star Trek
universe, thanks to my editors, Margaret Clark and Ed Schlesinger, for inviting me to pitch for these new-fangled eBooks that all the kids are talking about, and for coming up with the idea of giving Chapel an adventure in which she could kick some ass. A tip of the hat to Michael Jan Friedman and S. D. Perry, whose stories in
The Lives of Dax
helped flesh out Dax’s back story; and to Christopher L. Bennett, who has chronicled the
Enterprise
crew in the time shortly after
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
.

Thanks to the indefatigable fans who maintain the websites Memory Alpha, Memory Beta, and Chrissie’s Transcripts Site, always great helps when writing in the
Trek
universe. A shout-out to Jeff Ayers (author of
Star Trek: Voyages of Imagination: The Star Trek Fiction Companion
) and Jeff Ford (friend for more decades than we want to admit) for providing insightful feedback on the manuscript, and to Gerri Leen (grand prize
Strange New Worlds
writer) for being an enthusiastic Chapel fan.

I also have to mention some of my fellow
Trek
writers just because they’re such great people to have become friends with over the years: Kirsten Beyer, Greg Cox, Kevin Dilmore, David R. George III, Robert Greenberger, William Leisner (whom I occasionally allow to be a terrible person), David Mack, Marco Palmieri, and Dayton Ward.

Thanks also to anyone whom I’ve forgotten to mention—my only excuse is the
tranya
(it sneaks up on you). Last, I have to mention my personal next generation of
Star Trek
: my daughter, Ella, because if I didn’t have her name in one of my books, I’d be in big trouble.

About the Author

Scott Pearson
contributed stories to
Strange New Worlds VII
and
Strange New Worlds 9
as well as to the
Star Trek: The Next Generation
twentieth-anniversary anthology,
The Sky’s the Limit
. His novella
Honor in the Night
is in
Star Trek Myriad Universes: Shattered Light
. Most recently he has had stories in three
ReDeus
shared-world anthologies alongside many other
Star Trek
writers. He lives with his wife, Sandra, and daughter, Ella, in personable St. Paul, Minnesota, near the banks of the mighty Mississippi River, fabled in story and song, where he endeavors to make a living as a freelance writer/editor. Visit him on the Web at
www.yeahsure.net
and
www.generationsgeek.com
. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter. You can listen to
Generations Geek
, the podcast he does with his daughter, at
www.chronicrift.com
and on the iTunes he’s heard people mention over the water cooler.

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ISBN 978-1-4767-6375-0