[WS/G] Capt. Aron Kells: The Last Hurrah (Away Teams, Saveron, Rahman)

[Tony]

(( William Schirra Interior ))

KELLS: Good. Prepare to do so.

SHRYKER: Yes Sir. 

:: As it all came to a close, Aron felt a definite sense of relief; for good or ill, he could see the end. It was interesting, he thought; he noted, dispassionately, that as he gave the final order to beam them over, and as they arrived, it was as though he saw it all through a veil. Oh, Harrison Ross is injured? That's too bad, isn't it? ::

KELLS: (lightly) Doctors, you should probably see to him, shouldn't you?

SAVERON / T'VAI: ?

:: He gave himself a mental shaking -- or, perhaps it was more accurate to say that his youngest self gave his oldest a mental shake. Right. They still had things to do. ::

KELLS: Can we get back into the air? 

SHRYKER / SAHRIV: ?

KELLS: Good. Let's do it.

:: But before they could, two things happened in quick succession: There was a bright light through the sky that lasted for a brief second and then, no more than two minutes later, he received a very odd report from the computer. ::

 SHRYKER / SAHRIV: ?

KELLS: Not the Mercury? A different ship?

SHRYKER / SAHRIV: ?

KELLS: Let's hear what they have to say. =/\= This is Kells.

EGAN MANNO: =/\= Kells, Captain Egan Manno, Garuda. We are prepared to beam you and your people up and your shuttle directly to our bay.

:: For a long moment, Aron said nothing. He couldn't have planned it any better; this was exactly what he wanted. And, yet, now that his path was relatively clear, he also knew that there was something that he had to do. ::

KELLS: =/\= Thank you, Captain. Beam up all officer except for me and the two signals closest to me. Also, if you would leave me the shuttle, I'd appreciate it. Stand by, then, to beam up the final two signals.

EGAN MANNO: =/\= Captain, I-- (beat) Five minutes, Captain. Garuda, out.

:: Quickly as he could, Aron stood and clapped his hands for attention. ::

KELLS: Please listen: You're about to be beamed to a Federation rescue vessel. Dr. T'Vai, please ensure that Commander Ross's medical needs are attended to -- and the rest of the team's, as well, along with Lieutenant Shryker's. Dr. Saveron, Commander Rahman, if you'd join me please.

:: The team, if they wondered at the oddness of these orders, didn't question them; certainly the Vulcan officers, at least, would've been able to hear his conversation with Captain Egan Manno, whoever she was. A moment after they'd moved, the rest of the team was captured by a transporter beam, leaving only Aron, Sav, and Roshanara Rahman. ::

KELLS: I have only the five minutes that the captain promised me, so I have to do this quickly.

:: He reached up to his collar, remembered he'd removed his pips already, and quickly reached for his comm badge. He peeled it off and tossed it over to Saveron. ::

KELLS: Keep it. I've resigned my commission, as of this moment. I've made this decision, but there are things I want to say to both of you before I leave. 

:: He smiled, but it was sickly and full of uncertainty. ::

KELLS: Before I abscond with Starfleet property, I suppose. (beat) Roshanara, first, to you. 

RAHMAN: ?

KELLS: I apologize for my invasions of your privacy. You deserved far more respect than I offered you, and my defense that I -- I, your all-knowing, time-traveling captain -- knew better than you how to conduct your life was, at absolute best, only disrespectful. (beat) However, I am friends with Niccolo del Vedova; we have that in common. And if there's one thing I believe is a certainty over the next decades, it's that your friendship will be true and deep. I take full responsibility for my actions, and I understand that you'll have to work through your friendship with him, but -- try. Please, do.

RAHMAN: ?

( OOC / If there's anything she wants to add here, I'll backsim! )

KELLS: Sav, what can I say? I owe so many people apologies for how I've behaved on this mission, including Ross and Reynolds and so many more, but they're not here and you, both of you, can carry on those apologies -- even if it seems like a cowardly act to have you do so. No, I want to say something more to you as well. 

:: Aron stood at last and moved toward the other. ::

KELLS: Don't blame yourself. I know you'll say you don't, that you won't show anyone even if you do, but I'm telling you now that the actions and choices at 83 Leonis were mine and this decision, too, is mine -- and while I can't deny that the extinction of that race, that the hearing had something to do with that, it goes much deeper than that. You have been my rock, you understand that.

SAVERON: ?

KELLS: Then you'll understand when I say that this isn't goodbye, and that I -- in some shape, in some time -- will see you again.

SAVERON / RAHMAN: ?

( OOC / As before, will backsim here! )

:: He half-raised his hand just as the transporter took both of them, though he hadn't formed any gesture; it was only a half-raised hand, in the end. 

He slid into the pilot's chair and, following on Jade's prep work, he had the shuttle active and rising in a minute. He kept it low as he headed up into the atmosphere, heading for the other side of the planet. He ignored the Garuda's call when it came and prepped the engines for warp. ::

COMPUTER: Destination?

:: For what may have truly been the first time, he smiled. ::

KELLS: Oh, who knows.

Tag! and TBC!

Aron Kells