by S. D. Perry
They locked up the storage room and started for the transporters, both walking slowly.
“So then,” said Carol, “what’s next for you, do you think?”
“Travel.” Leila told Carol a little about Professor Bonner’s trip, the doctor listening approvingly.
“What about you?” Leila asked, as they reached the transporter room.
“I think I’ll stay close to home, work on my research,” Carol said. “I might try to find a teaching position, put down roots. For a few years, at least.”
She smiled suddenly, widely. For just a beat, she almost seemed to glow. “I might buy a little house somewhere. Plant some flowers.”
Leila smiled with her. “That sounds nice.”
They paused another moment, Leila not sure how to say good-bye. The closeness she’d felt with Carol, since that early morning conversation back on Mars, seemed stronger than ever.
“This is it, I suppose,” Carol said finally.
“Yes,” Leila said. “I ? it’s been wonderful working with you.”
“You too, Leila. I hope I get the opportunity to have you on one of my teams again. Or maybe I’ll end up on one of yours.”
“Either way, it would be an honor,” Leila said.
The two women embraced, promising to keep in touch, and with a final wave, Leila stepped into the transporter. She would go home, put a call in to Professor Bonner, and run herself a long, hot bath, she decided. She wanted to start putting the events of the past few weeks behind her—at least the parts of it that she would have the luxury of forgetting. She would never forget the slight flicker of emotion she had been so sure she had found in the dark eyes of her Vulcan science officer. She realized, as the air began to tingle all around her, that she would always think of him as hers. Perhaps he could never truly belong to her, but he would never belong to anyone else, either.
She watched Carol fade from view, the doctor—her friend—still smiling.
Acknowledgments
This book would not have been possible without the creative input of Britta Dennison, Marco Palmieri, Dr. Joelle Murray, and Paula Block. My few Martian facts came courtesy of the brilliant Robert Zubrin; if they don’t read true, it’s my fault for messing up the information he shared with me.
As usual, I also thank my friends and family for their ongoing patience and support. And the other ST writers for keeping things interesting.
Britta Burdett Dennison would like to thank her family and friends, most of all S. D. Perry for her incredible patience and continued support. Also, thanks to Marco Palmieri and Margaret Clark.
About the Authors
S. D. Perry writes multimedia novelizations in the fantasy/science-fiction/horror realms, for love and money. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her excellent family, and continues work on an original thriller in her spare time, of which she has very little.
Britta Dennison is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. Previous writing credits include co-authorship of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Terok Nor—Night of the Wolves and Dawn of the Eagles with her writing partner, S. D. Perry. She also partnered with Perry on the novelization of Wonder Woman. She recently penned a short story for the upcoming anthology Star Trek: Seven Deadly Sins.
