With labored breaths and a wobbly gait, Admiral Reyes stepped out of the shuttle. She had to use a cane to steady her step, but she was just relieved to be out of sickbay after a week of surgeries and physical therapy.

“Admiral on deck!”

She looked up with surprise as a hundred pairs of Starfleet-issued boots clinked together and the assembled officers and crew of the USS Serenity raised their hands in salute. Standing at the front was Commander Lewis, his hair unusually tidy and his uniform uncharacteristically pressed.

The admiral straightened up as best she could and returned the salute. 

Commander Lewis stepped forward and extended his hand. “Welcome home Admiral.” As they shook, the pair locked eyes. They’d been through so much together, and yet again, she owed him her life. He’d come back for her as Sol Station burned and she lay there dying.

All around them, the crew broke into applause.

“What is this Commander?” Admiral Reyes asked under her breath. “I’ve never known you one for pomp and circumstance.”

“I thought… well, we thought…” Commander Lewis explained, glancing over his shoulder at Dr. Hall. “That after what everyone has been through, they could all benefit from a happy moment.” Admiral Reyes chuckled. Who was this officer, and what had he done with Commander Lewis? 

As Commander Lewis stepped back, Admiral Reyes smiled at the officers assembled in the shuttlebay. On one hand, she appreciated her cold-blooded shooter and psychologist had found it in themselves to actually worry about crew morale, but on the other, she’d seen the casualty reports and knew the hell they’d just lived through. She wasn’t sure she was ready to address the crew as they deserved to be addressed.

“A week ago, we gathered to celebrate a proud moment in our history when our forefathers took a giant leap forward with the first warp five flight,” Admiral Reyes began. “But what should have been a joyous celebration turned into an inconceivable nightmare.”

Around the room, she could see the shadows in their eyes. The young were haunted by the control that had been stripped from them as they were turned into drones, and the rest were haunted by the powerlessness they’d felt in the face of the Borg onslaught.

“Whether you found yourself affected by the Borg signal, or in a fight for your life against those who were,” Admiral Reyes continued. “Remember that it was the Borg that turned us against each other. It was not a matter of strength or courage whether you were affected – only age and genetics – and now that the signal is gone, don’t let it divide us further.”

She was very worried about the guilt that would saddle those who were turned, and the feelings of betrayal that would afflict those who found themselves fighting their fellow sailors.

“It will take time to grieve, to process, and to heal,” Admiral Reyes cautioned, although she knew that, no matter how many times she said it, they’d still underestimate the long road ahead. It was just the reality of trauma. “And I will not pretend it’ll be easy. But what makes us great is our ability to come together, not under the control of one voice, but in unity as one community. Take care of each other, watch out for each other, and come to us if you need. We, each of us on the Command Staff, and every officer and crewman across this ship, are here for you. We will get through this together.”

The crew looked amongst themselves. It was hardly the speech they’d expected from a warrior whose tales of triumph had preceded her, but it was exactly the speech they needed.

Admiral Reyes took a deep breath. “It has been, and continues to be, my honor to serve with each and every one of you.” And once more, Admiral Reyes raised her hand in salute. 

The officers returned it in kind.

“Dismissed!”

As the officers and crew peeled back to their duties, her eyes settled on a pair of older civilians standing in the back of the room. Long ago, she had served together with both of them in the Admiralty, and while neither still wore the uniform, they’d both suffered through this latest crisis to ensure the Federation survived it.

“Aria,” Admiral Reyes said as she extended her arms and approached the elder Trill woman, a mess of emotions racing through her veins. She felt equal parts joy and regret.

“In the flesh,” the retired rear admiral assured her with a meek smile as they embraced. “I hear you tore Earth apart looking for me, and for that, I am forever grateful.”

“I am so sorry…”

“Don’t be,” Edir shook her head. “If I’d known the danger, I might have brought a phaser, but still I would have gone. And since they knew you were digging, their intent, from the beginning, was to replace me. No matter how prepared I was, the outcome would have been the same.” After the battle, it had become clear just how deep the Changeling infiltration went.

“And how’s Mark?”

“He’s recovering,” Edir nodded as guilt flashed across her face. “The one regret I have in all this is how he got caught up in it. He’s my rock, my place of peace, and he didn’t deserve to suffer as he did.” She bowed her head in sadness. “I wanted to come up and see you off, but after this, Mark and I are going to spend the summer sailing the Med.” There was something calming about skirting across the whitecaps with the wind at your back.

“And Michael,” Admiral Reyes said as she turned to the Ambassador. “What about you?”

“I’m going to hang around and help Starfleet deconstruct what happened here,” Ambassador Drake replied. “Let’s just say, I’ve received more than a few apologies in recent days for how everyone so thoroughly rebuffed me when I went digging, and there’s a hunger to get to the bottom of how this all happened and what we can do to prevent it from happening again.”

“Just promise me the outcome won’t be a repeat of the nineties.”

“Not if I have anything to do with it.”

For a moment, the three former members of Fourth Fleet Command stood there, each in their own thoughts. The last time an enemy had struck the Federation like this, Starfleet had pulled back and hidden within its borders for over a decade. Although it had a different impact on each of them, none of the three could fathom Starfleet doing that again.

“I’m afraid we’re going to have to get going,” Ambassador Drake said as he and Edir turned to head for a shuttle that would take them back to the surface. “But can I ask you to do me a favor?”

“Sure, what’s that?”

“Give Robert a hug from me,” Ambassador Drake answered in a tone rich with fatherly love. “It’s been far too long since I’ve seen either of my kids. I miss them.”

“I’ve never taken him the hugging type,” Admiral Reyes chuckled. “But I’ll give it a shot.”

As she watched the two depart, she sighed. It had been so long since she’d commandeered the USS Serenity over Nasera that she’d almost forgotten Commander Robert Drake was in the process of investigating Commander Lewis and his team for their actions on Nasera. Maybe he’d forgotten about it while they were gone? Or maybe he’d look the other way after everything that had happened? Nope, not a chance in hell.