Star Trek Enterprise Bk. 03 - The War Ch. 03

On the Enterprise, T'Pol sat before her candles meditating, centering herself and bringing calm to her mind and suppressing her emotions. She breathed in and imagined being filled with light and the wisdom of logic. When she exhaled she pushed away all darkness, negative thoughts and the influence of emotions. Whatever the dawn brought, the sub-commander was determined to find strength and solace in the teachings of Surak and her Vulcan heritage. Down the hall, Hoshi Sato was lying in her bed replaying recordings of what they had of the Romulan language. She had spent all day finishing the last calibrations on the Intrepid so there would be no issues with communication between them and Earth, or any other species they might encounter including the Romulans. The language of this latest aggressor was similar to Vulcan but had very distinct nuances that changed whole meanings of words and fascinated her. Understanding the language would be vital in the coming months or years and Hoshi wanted to be ready. A ship's translator can't always be depended upon and the last thing she wanted was to make things worse. Travis Mayweather was doing push-ups in his quarters. In the morning he would take the helm of the Enterprise and lead Earth's patchwork armada into space to meet the enemy. He needed to have his wits and reflexes at the ready.

Next door Lt. D'Arcy was lying on her bed just as wide awake as the others. For her the Earth-Romulan War had always been a few paragraphs in a history book. She knew how long it would last and the approximate number of casualties, she even knew the Earth would be victorious but that was all. There was a lot of hope in knowing all of that, but she wished she knew exactly who among her ship mates would live or die, or if she would survive. Danaë had every confidence Captain Archer would be there to accept the Romulans surrender and even help write the terms and create the infamous 'neutral zone'. There was nothing to indicate she would make it. Taking out her father's Ressikan flute, she softly began to play "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again".

Captain Archer did not see victory or survival in his future as he slowly walked corridors of the Enterprise, but he would do his duty, nonetheless. He had a fleet that was hastily put together and was no match for the Romulans. There were so many lives in his care, so many souls that he knew would be lost. He had written letters of condolences regarding the loss and heroism of crewmembers before, but it was never an easy task and the one he hated the most. There had been a time when achieving the rank of captain had been the greatest dream of his life. Now he fully understood the weight of such a position and he often wondered if he could bear it. Going back into his quarters he stood before his window and looked out at the stars twinkling so peacefully in the distance. Perhaps in the end this would all lead to a greater good, and build a brighter, stronger future for Earth and every planet. He couldn't recall where he had read it, but the words of an ancient American Civil War general named Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain came to his mind:

"In great deeds something abides. On great fields, something stays. Forms change and pass,

bodies disappear but spirits linger to consecrate ground for the vision place of the soul. And reverent men and women from afar and generations that know us not and that we know not of,

shall come here to ponder and to dream and the power of the vision shall pass into their souls."