"Even in Death, Love Conquers All

The heavily-damaged Leviathan was now securely in a Nuan space dock for repairs. However, even before that, Rashad found out about the death of her newly-found friend, Commander Harris. Now, after an exhausting shift, during which she had to prepare numerous top secret reports to Officer 003 and the Captain, the Romulan-Bajoran decided to spend some time, her way, to say "farewell" to her fallen comrade.

"Sickbay," she ordered as she entered the turbolift on the bridge with the Intelligence PADD still in her hand.

"Is there anything I can help you with, young lady?" Dr. Birchfield lifted his head from a patient. Rashad immediately noticed that the Sickbay was terribly overcrowded, and that even with the EMH running around, Dr. Birchfield still had a lot on his Human hands.

"Sir, I've come to pay my respects to Commander Harris prior to the ceremony..." She gave the old Doctor a polite nod with slightly risen eyebrows while desperately trying to constrain the deep feeling of loss inside her.

See the obvious. profound pain in her eyes, Dr. Birchfield merely grumbled a little. "Okay, Lieutenant, he is in a stasis chamber over there," he showed her the door leading to a separate room, in the corner. The room had been converted to a morgue after the battle. "Don't be too long: we have a lot to do here for the living before I can allow everybody to take care of the dead."

"Aye, sir !" Nodded the Intelligence Officer as she headed towards the door.

Upon entry, she saw a lot of notices on the stasis chambers. The casualties in this mission had been indeed very heavy... Slowly, she went past rows of the name tags, until she finally saw it: "Commander Grant Harris". Reaching for the controls, T`Kul pulled the shelf out. On it lay the pale, lifeless body of the Human officer...

"Grant," she said, doing away with the rank. Tears now were beginning to roll down her cheeks, "We've won... Officer 001 has been discovered and the Captain and the Counsellor are safe..."

In response he just lay there, cold and silent - a mere shell of the Officer 229 that Rashad had known. She could no longer hold it in, sobs escaped her body: She was now almost weeping like any Romulan would weep for the loss of a relative or a close friend. Her only friend aboard this vessel was gone, and there was nothing she could do about that......Or could she? Suddenly it hit her: she was a cryptographer and a hacker - she COULD revive her friend. "Just a couple of hours, my friend," she mumbled to the lifeless corpse of Officer 229, "and you will be alive again. And then we can talk and have a few Romulan Ales together - something we didn't have time to do while you were still here..."

Wiping off the tears with a sleeve of her uniform, T`Kul gathered her composure and pushed a button closing the stasis chamber that contained Harris' body.

"Thank you, Doctor," she said with a sombre voice as she exited the morgue through the main Sickbay.

She saw Dr. Birchfield nod as she exited into the corridor.

Immediately, she got back into the turbolift. "Holodeck 2!

Holodeck Two

Upon entering the Holodeck, she immediately initiated a secondary communication lockdown and then ordered: "Computer, download all databases with the information on Commander Grant Harris to a new holomatrix."

<Authorisation required.>

"T`Kul beta 4-6-2."

<Processing... Download complete.>

Now it was the time for her Intelligence PADD. She tapped on it, selecting the secure Intelligence database.

<Database classified. Authorisation required.>

"T`Kul beta 4-6-2"

<Complying... Proceed.>

"Access all available information on Officer 229."

<Officer ID number required.>

"Officer 25007."

<Complying... Access complete.>

"Download all personality and past mission information to the holomatrix."

<Past mission information classified. Recommend security locks with a Section 31 password.>

"Lock the past mission information with the latest Section 31 encryption. Set unlocking code: 25007 omega 229."

<Processing... Security measures complete. Download complete.>

Rashad logged out of the Starfleet Intelligence database and started to enter the information about Harris' personality that she knew from her own experience with him rather than from any database. When that was completed, she turned to the ship's computer again. "Computer, combine all the information downloaded to the holomatrix and create an interactive character. T`Kul beta 4-6-2."

<Processing,,, This will take 4 minutes and 38 seconds.>

"Okay, computer... Replicate me a bottle of Romulan Ale. Synthehol override T`Kul beta 4-6-2." Rashad sighed. In less than 5 minutes her only friend, Commander Harris, would be "alive" again.

<Complying... Romulan Ale patterns not found in the main database.>

"Access Starfleet Intelligence database. T`Kul beta 4-6-1."

<Processing. Matter pattern download complete.>

A large bottle of blue liquid materialised in front of her. Only then she realised that it might not be enough for both her and Harris. "Computer, another bottle and two tall Romulan goblets."

Another big blue bottle and two Romulan goblets appeared in front of the Intelligence Officer. This time she was certain that they would have enough to drink. She opened one of the bottles, poured some liquid into one of the goblets and took a sip.

*Mmmm... This is EXCELLENT ! Tastes almost like the real ale.*

<Interactive character complete.> The computer voice returned her to the reality.

"Computer, rename the character holomatrix file to "Commander Grant Harris" and insert it into the program 'Rashad Ch` Rihan 194' . "

<Holomatrix file renamed and inserted.>

"Run program 'Rashad Ch` Rihan 194', setting: Praetorian quarters. All safeties off, T`Kul beta 4-6-2."

Immediately, the bare hologrid changed into wonderful spacious quarters full of Romulan artefacts and the latest computer and other equipment. Rashad ended up sitting in a very comfortable armchair at the head of a beautifully carved table. In front of her a figure of Commander Grant Harris "unfrozen" into life.

Lieutenant ?" The hologram was perplexed. "What the Hell am I doing here ? The last thing I can remember is that the Leviathan was under attack. Get me back to the Leviathan Bridge immediately !"

"Commander...." Rashad almost started to weep for her loss again.".....that battle has been over for days. You were killed, and now I have recreated you on Holodeck two. You are a hologram now, sir. I cannot get you anywhere where there are no holoemitters..."

"This is preposterous Lieutenant ! I am not a hologram: I am alive ! Computer, identify exit !"

An exit door appeared in one of the walls of the quarters. Harris moved towards the door. It opened, but, as he stepped into the corridor, he began to disintegrate.

Panicking, he turned back and his image became fully formed again. "Oh boy, Rashad, I need a drink..."

"Please, feel welcome to join me for some Romulan Ale, sir." Nodded the Romulan-Bajoran with a smile.

"Thanks T`Kul. And now that I am a hologram, you can address me by my first name."

"Okay, Grant," Rashad smiled. "Now let's celebrate: we have won. Officer 001 has been discovered and has defected to the Bariens. Captain Devore and the Counsellor are now safely with us," she took a large sip from her now almost empty goblet. "Captain Devore now knows my true identity, but all the relevant records regarding me have been restored, and I have been pardoned...."

"That is great news, T`Kul !" 'Harris'smiled and rose a full goblet as Rashad refilled hers right to the top. "So, where will you go now ?"

"Actually, Grant, I am still with section 31 and am still a Starfleet Intelligence Officer on this ship. They let me do that... The only condition was that I stopped spying on the Devore's and did not try to kill anyone..."

"I am very happy for you, T`Kul." The hologram now refilled his goblet and sat down right next to her. "I never had the opportunity to tell you this while I was alive, so I guess here it comes... T`Kul, ever since we started working together, you have been like a member of my family..."

"Oh, Grant." Interrupted the Romulan-Bajoran, already quite drunk. Tears were streaming from her eyes. "I have been secretly in love with you for weeks... I could not bear to lose you..."

"T`Kul... I love you too..." The hologram finished his second goblet of Ale, just as Rashad was finishing her third or fourth. Just as she managed it, he got up, staggered even closer to the woman and embraced her.

What followed was a long, romantic kiss. Then, all of a sudden, Rashad started to lose footing, as her head started "spinning" out of control.

"Oh my, T`Kul, you are drunk ..." A slight concern appeared in Harris' eyes. "You need to lie down. Where is the bedroom ?"

The woman's head was spinning incessantly, but she still somehow managed to point him in the right direction.

"I will carry you." Grant, himself not too steady on his two feet, quickly picked up the drunk Romulan-Bajoran, just as the officer was about to collapse.

After a rather heavy "trip" from the "dining room" to the "bedroom", the hologram carefully placed the still fully dressed Intelligence Officer to one end of a King-size bed. Harris then lay down next to her, putting his arms around the now all
but passed out female hacker. As she slipped out of consciousness, Rashad T`Kul felt deep personal happiness she had not experienced since she had lost her parents almost 15 years previously...

The massive comet sped helplessly through Nuan space. Over 1 billion light years away, the comet ripped through various planetary systems stripping them of atmosphere. Fortunately none of the planets were habitatable. But the ablative armour that was borrowed from the USS Hornet to replicate the space station buckled slightly with the changes in the gravimetric pull. All loose items within and outside of the station were forced towards the speeding comet. In seconds it was gone heading evermore deeper in the Beta Quadrant.

She must have been asleep for an hour or more, when suddenly the doors of the Holodeck open. Standing in the middle of the Praetorian quarters were... the Devore's They were both dressed in their dress uniforms. They were passing by heading for cargo bay two for the burial services and hadn't expected finding anyone on Holodeck two. To their shock, they discovered two empty Romulan goblets next to two bottles of what appeared to be Romulan Ale - an substance still not fully legalised by the Federation. One of the bottles was empty, while the other still had a little Ale left in it.

"Aren't we drunk tonight ?" Noted the Captain as he realised the strength of the alcohol upon sniffing the latter bottle. "Hmm...I wonder what happened here..."

"Oh my ...!" The startled remark of Counsellor Devore brought Captain Devore running into the next "room". There,
still passed out from the drinking binge, lay Lieutenant Rashad with a happy smile on her unconscious face. Next to her on the bed, still holding the fully dressed woman, lay a perfect "copy" of the late Commander Grant Harris...

The hologram was "awoken" by the scream and, realising that the ship's Captain was in the room, immediately stood to attention. The female Romulan-Bajoran, however, was too drunk to even lift her eyelids. "What is... happening, my... friend ?" She barely mumbled. "Come back ... to bed... I am lonely without... you..."

"Commander ? I think that we need to talk," Counsellor Devore said.

"The Ceremony ?" Captain said helping her up. Suddenly a slight light-headedness was felt in his head that he quickly dismissed.