Editing Epic of the Hugo & the Templar (section)

==Part 5 (Finale)==

Stardate 2407.07.09

(USS Templar – Bridge – CO Captain Henri Li – 15.15)

Henri looked hard at Eva. They had served together off and on almost their entire careers. 
They had been to hell and back. It shouldn’t have been like this.

~Come on,~ he thought, but he knew she wouldn’t give in.

Their ships stared at each other, like an old western standoff.  Who would blink first?

~Just have to take the chance.~ he thought, as he looked down at his damage reports.

“Eva, I am so sorry,” he said softly. “Fire”

“Sir, we’ve got a ….” warned Planchet.

(USS Hugo – Bridge – CO Captain Eva Kollantai – 15.20)

Eva watched the screen. Her ex-lover's final whisper tugged at a chord that she had spent months trying to cut. She knew what was happening on the ship across from them, they were losing containment and there was a core breech. She knew it, she'd known it from before he tried to fire their phasers as -- she was sure -- had he.

Acting quickly, she turned to the conn/ops officer who had once served under Li. "Get him out of there NOW" She said quickly. Lieutenant Markovich seemed to already have the coordinates locked in, and was waiting for the word.

The ship before them exploded in a cloud of light which started at an epicentre and spread outwards enveloping and engulfing the ring of fighters that had survived the earlier encounters.

"Get us to a safe distance" Eva ordered.

The Hugo moved out. Eva looked at Markovich, he nodded.

"Mr. Drave, you have the bridge" Eva stated succinctly as she left the bridge.

(USS Hugo – Brig – CO Captain Eva Kollantai and Prisoner Captain Henri Li – 15.30)

~What the..~ wondered Henri, as he found himself no longer on the bridge, but inside a brig.

He had expected to be blown into particles. The Templar was losing containment, but he had to take the shot.  In the end, she was safe.  That’s all that mattered now. He had done his utmost for the Admiral, his debt fulfilled.

He sat dejected on the bench, as he realized most of his crew couldn’t have survived the explosion.

~What have I done?~ he pondered his head in his hands.

Eva walked into the brig, she gave a single, solid, stern look to the guard. He retired immediately.

Walking up to the forcefield, Eva stared at the figure contained within the cell. She said nothing, letting her presence indicate to the captive that she was there. Waiting.

Henri felt a presence, as though he was being watched. He looked up to see her. As if in a trance, he stood up and walked in front of her. 
The hum of the forcefield began as his outstretched hand reached for her face.

The scene before her was playing its toll on Eva in ways that she could not possibly have imagined. She did not move, instead, concentrated her focus on Henri's eyes. His deep, textured, black, eyes.

They had seen the world in such different fashions. Ways that were incompatible with one another. Instantly, Eva was reminded of the time on Risa, those black eyes laughing and –

Her journey was cut short as the commsystem sparked to life. =^= Captain, the destruction of the Templar has caused a shock wave, it appears that it has caused a disruption in the warp core containment field. If it isn't addressed, we too shall be facing a core breech =^=

Henri simply looked away. “Go, your ship needs you.”

Eva closed her eyes, taking a mental snapshot of the situation at hand.  Then, turning she began to run already barking orders to the engineering department.

"Yes, it WILL hold, IT WILL -- are you new? -- I'm on my way down!" she practically barked at whoever was in control in engineering now. It seemed the CEO had been a casualty yet to be reported.

Henri watched her go, his fists clenched. ~That’s my girl~ he thought with a rueful smile, sitting back down.

He thought back to their last fight, it had actually been preceded by a far different fight. 
He had asked her to marry him. And this time she hadn’t hit him, she just said no.

The happy thought floated through his mind eye, as he was glad that the Admiral had saved her all those years ago. Perhaps he had been on the wrong side, but he would do it all again to repay the man who had saved his love.

It was the last thought that entered his mind, a smile on his face.

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(Posted by Kat and Kaweo)