The Sky's the Limit - Marco Palmieri [187]
They might be scattering across the galaxy, but they were still his family.
And there are certain obligations one has to family. Jean-Luc closed the window containing the service record of Thomas Halloway, bringing that impossible letter back on the screen. He cleared what was there and readied himself to start over.
Yet first there was one other thing he could do to honor the memory of his fellow captain. Halloway had not assumed captaincy of the Enterprise because he believed himself unsuited to exploring the universe. But unfortunately, the starship had done precious little of that over the past fifteen years. It was high time that he rectified that.
“Computer, begin recording a message.” The computer chirped its acknowledgment. “Admiral Janeway, this is Captain Picard. I’d like to set up an appointment to discuss the Enterprise’s next assignment with you sometime soon. Personally, I believe it’s time for the Enterprise to get back to the purpose for which she was designed—exploration. You told me I’d had too many of the ‘easy’ assignments recently; well, I’d like to get back to the hard ones.”
Maybe that would serve to get the Enterprise back “out there.” He could only hope. But that was a matter for another time. He ordered the computer to transmit the message to Starfleet Command, and then turned back to his letter.
Dear Will,
It is an old tradition in Starfleet that captains whose executive officers are promoted to captaincies of their own pass on some of their own collected wisdom, usually in the form of a letter. I’m not sure, however, how much “wisdom” I am qualified to pass on, but I can do my best. No one ever wrote me such a letter, but that does not mean that I can’t perform the service for you. I must honestly admit that there were days I thought this time would never come, and I am glad that you now feel ready to move on to the next step in your career.
As pleased as I am that you have finally accepted captaincy—especially of such a fine ship as the Titan—I’m even more pleased on the occasion of your recent marriage. One of my greatest regrets is that I have spent much of my life alone. We all need someone to share our lives with—in the time I spent living the life of Kamin, one of his greatest joys was that everything that happened to him, from the birth of his children to the end of the world, there was someone to share with. In Deanna, you definitely have such a person.
But we all have family in other places as well, myself included. Something I’ve come to realize is that you, Will, are my family. And so is Deanna, and Worf, and Geordi, and Beverly…and Data. No matter what may happen to us, as we now spread out to walk our own paths, we will always have one another. I consider you one of my best friends—we’ve certainly come a long way from that first awkward encounter in my ready room where I spent most of the time complaining about children! Even as you and Deanna depart on the Titan for the distant reaches of the Gum Nebula, I hope you remember that. Whatever you need, I will be here for you. And I am sure you feel the same way in return.
Another thing to remember, Will: follow the path that is yours. Do not let the doubts of others—or yourself—get in the way of that. Like myself, you’ve always been an explorer at heart, and you’re embracing that by assuming command of the Titan, a ship designed for long-term missions of exploration, much like our old Enterprise was. It’s a path we’ve strayed from over the years, and I am glad that you’ll be returning to it—it’s my hope to return to it soon myself.
It’s an easy thing to say, of course, not always an easy thing to do. Remember Data and