Star Trek: The voyages of the USS Apollo

Chapter Twenty Four: Letters from Home

September 10th 2411

"Captain's Log: Star Date 388307.310. It's been three days since we re-established contact with Starfleet and it has been the morale boost the Crew had needed. Ada and Chef Jules held a celebration party in the mess hall in which Jules served his famous "Red Alert Chilli" that has become quite popular with the Crew since we ended up here in the Gamma Quadrant. Laren and T'Vrell have also managed to confirm that the communications equipment we scavenged from the Great Ark will allow us to send messages to Starfleet that will take approximately twelve hours to reach Starbase Kira Nerys. In fact, as I am making this log the reply to our update to Starfleet from yesterday should be arriving any minute now. I wonder what it will hold?"

Ethan then finished the Captain's Log and stood up to head to the turbolift. It had been an exciting few days since re-establishing contact with Starfleet and morale was high aboard the ship. As Ethan walked through the Bridge he saw Voq talking to two Klingon Crew members about the recent bat'leth tournament they had held in the holodeck. Voq smiled excitedly as he said "Just you wait until the tournament next week! For I shall win champion standing!" The female Klingon science officer laughed and said "Do you wish to bet on it Voq?" Voq made a small chuckle and said "I very well do. Whoever among the three of us wins will receive a new bat'leth made by the other two!" Voq then did a Klingon salute and said "Qapla'!" and got back to work on his console. Ethan then walked over to the turbolift and opened it to see T'Vrell inside. Ethan walked in and asked "Going somewhere?" T'Vrell pressed the button that would take them to the Science Lab and said "I was looking for you actually. The messages have just arrived and I believe that they should be fully received by now." As the turbolift doors closed and the turbolift began headed down to the Science Lab, Ethan looked at T'Vrell and asked "The last batch of messages told us how Starfleet is building a communications array on Starbase Kira Nerys. When do you think it will be finished?" T'Vrell thought back to the schematics of the array they had been sent, contemplating whether or not the array would be complete by the intended date and said "I am a scientist, not a construction worker. But I believe that at best it will be finished up to three months before the intended date, or up to three months after the intended date." Ethan agreed and said "Well it does sound logical to assume so."

The two stared lovingly into each other's eyes as the turbolift arrived at the deck the Science Lab was on and they exited to head into the Lab. As they entered the Lab they found Ensign Tal looking through the long lines that had come through on the daily message. They walked over and Jodem said while scratching the skin around his right eye implant "Captain, Lieutenant, I think you might want to see this." Curiously, Ethan asked "See what?" Jodem pointed at the long lines of words on the Console and Ethan read "We think of you often." Ethan smirked and said "Seems a bit personal for Starfleet." Jodem then said "Keep reading." Ethan looked again and read further with slight shock in his voice "Our boys have grown so much since you last saw them. You wouldn't recognise them..." In that moment Ethan realised what they were and said "These are letters. These are letters from home."

"Captain's Log: Supplemental. The daily message has arrived and to my shock and delight it consists of letters from our family members. Turns our Starfleet decided to let them send us letters so that we could hear from them and they could be at peace knowing we are alive. There are a few letters for each member of the Crew from multiple different family members and the ones that have arrived are all going to be read aloud at the mess hall."

Gathered in the mess hall was around a third of the Crew who had all learnt of the letters that had been sent specifically for them. The rest of the letters would be fully received by the end of the day and then the rest of the Crew could get news from their families. Standing at one end of the mess hall was Captain Ethan Rivers and the rest of the Bridge Crew. Hoping that this "mail call" as he called it, would increase morale, Ethan stepped forward and said "Thank you all for coming. As you know we are here today to read from the letters that we have received from our families. I'll start with the one my mother wrote on behalf of the entire family." Ethan looked at his Padd and read from it "Ethan san. I don't know if this message got to you, but if it did know that I am glad that you are alive and well. I have missed you ever since that fateful day when Starfleet told me that the Apollo had gone missing in the Badlands and I was in tears when they told me that you had died. Know that me and the rest of the family are more than relieved to know that you are alive. Your Grandfather was especially relieved, as he feared that all of those stories he told you about his time in Starfleet were what lead to this. Your Auntie Miko also included her recipe for akami sushi so that a little bit of home will be with you while you try and return." As Ethan read the part about her Auntie Miko, Alisha said "That's nice of her." Chef Jules walked forward from the small crowd and said "Then I don't suppose that Miss Miko would be willing to have a little cook off when we get home?" Some laughter was heard before Ethan continued to read "Your cousins are also relieved that you are alive and have begun a campaign to get Starfleet to send more ships to find you. But the news I think you will like best is that..."