highly telepathic ThYgetiam was rousing some dormant esper powers within
her. He shook off his unease and, rising, moved -to her side.
6-1 had wondered," he said quietly, leaning in on her. "But wouldn't it
perhaps be better to put this behind you, and try to forget?"
"Grief and loss aren't necessarily bad things, Captain," she replied in a
low tone. "Oftentimes we grow as the result of such experiences." She
lifted the gem and, allowing the chain to slide through her slender
fingers, watched the tear flicker
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The Tears Of the Singers
and sparkle in the air between them* "Besides, this is a crystal tear, one
of the tears of the Singers. . . . " She lifted her head, and looked into
his eyes. "I consider that somehow appropriate. "
He gripped her hand and gave it a hard squeeze before returning to his
position in the command chair. He took one last look around the bridge,
then nodded in satisfaction. '
"Mr. Sulu, set a course for Starbase 23. Warp factor three. "
"Aye, aye, sit."
The muted roar of the engines rose in intensity, and Thygeta, cloud-wrapped
and mysterious, dwindled and fell away behind them. For one brief instant
he heard a chorus of farewell echoing in the corridors of his mind, then it
was gone as the Enterprise leaped beyond range of the Singers. He would
probably never hear their music again, but someday, with the help of the
three Thygetians who traveled with them, a multitude of worlds would ring
with their particular brand of music that sang to the spheres.
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