Pete Cromwell stood staring out of the curved viewports of Starbase 86, looking over the sleek hull of his new ship, the USS Lafayette. His new ship… his last ship. He’d pulled more favors, cashed in more chips… hell, he probably owed a few favors at this point. But he wasn’t ready to be done with the center chair… not yet.

He wasn’t ready for the desk.

His hair wasn’t as black as it used to be, shocked through with streaks of silver. His beard belayed his time in the center chair the most, not a black streak in sight anymore these days. But he wasn’t ready. He needed this. He needed one more run. One last venture into the black.

“You could have had a desk.”

The voice from behind him was familiar. 30 years of familiar. His daughter Meghan slid into view beside him as a tight smile formed on his face. He knew she’d give him hell over this… hadn’t expected it in person, but was definitely ready for the lecture.

“You could have had a desk with a view of San Francisco. With a big comfy chair, and all of the snacks and drinks you could ask for,” She said. Her tone wasn’t accusing, but it was searching. He knew she wasn’t happy with his decision, but… he also knew she’d understand.

“I’ll have a desk, in my ready room,” He replied, jokingly. “And that center chair is extremely comfortable.”

“Except when there’s turbulence. Still no seatbelts in space,” Meghan quipped back. “You’d have Staff, dad. Staff.”

“I’ve got a crew,” Pete quipped back.

“That’s not the same,” Meghan replied without missing a beat. She turned toward him and grabbed his arm, turning him toward her, “Aren’t you done? Dad, aren’t you done? Phaser blasts and system malfunctions and full spreads of photon torpedos aimed at you by deranged warlords and mass murderers? Aren’t you ready to quit, dad? Why? Why did you take another command,” She asked, her tone pleading.

“Because I’m not ready to die,” Pete replied, the words coming from his mouth faster than he’d even had time to think about them. The raw truth to what he said was almost painful. That desk might as well be a grave stone.

“Dad…” Her voice softened as her brow furrowed.

“I’m not ready, Megs. I know you and your mom are worried, I know that it’s another five years of infrequent visits and calls over the net,” He said, placing his arms on her shoulders. “But I’m not ready. I need… one last run. This is it, I promise. But I…” He trailed of and shook his head, stepping over to the view port and looking out at the stars, “I need to see a few more stars, Meg. For every photon torpedo, for every phaser blast, for every system malfunction… There’s a first contact, a new star, a nebula full of magic. There’s a peace brokered where we thought there’d never be any. Hope brought to a suffering world,” He said, looking wistfully out into the bleak.

“I’m not ready to give that up,” He said.

Meghan considered his words for a moment, then walked up next to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, “Okay,” She said, quietly.

“I’ll come home, I promise,” Pete told her, returning the hug.

“You can’t promise that,” Meghan replied, her voice cracking.

“Okay… then I promise I’ll do my best to. I’ll be as safe as I can be, and when this mission is over, I’ll take my place behind a desk. Okay?” He asked, pulling her back a bit to look at her face.

Meghan looked over his features for a moment, eyes wet with tears but none escaping down her cheeks, before she nodded, “Okay. I’m gonna break your legs if you don’t though, okay?” She asked, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“I’ll buy you a crowbar so you can,” Pete replied, smiling broadly.

“Deal,” She said, sniffing a bit. “You got time for a drink?”

“With my favorite daughter?” He asked, turning them back toward a nearby bar. “Of course.”

“I’m you’re only daughter,” She replied, wryly.

“I didn’t say the competition was fierce, but the statement stands,” He replied with a grin.

“For that terrible joke, you’re buying,” Meghan replied with a groan.

Pete laughed out loud at that, “Deal!” He replied.

He wasn’t ready for the desk. Pete Cromwell needed more stars.