"The Funeral" By: John Clark

“The funeral”

*Torpedo Room*

The crew stood gathered around a solitary coffin as it sat on the launch belt. All in attendance were down cast. At the head of the group stud their defeated captain. Next to Phage, were Jack would normally have been, stood Tenel. Her presence stirred up more emotions than he was prepared to deal with. He felt the loss he felt years ago when they had last parted. He felt the pain of the new wound left gaping by Jack's death. Most startling of all the feelings was the entice hatred he felt towards Tenel for being here, in Jack's place, when his friend was right in front of them.

Phage snapped out of his thought to find that his crew was staring at him. "We are gathered here to day to pay or respects to our fallen comrade. He gave his life to save the life of a fellow crew member. He may not have the best or the brightest, but he was a damn good officer, and the best friend this captain could ever have asked for."

Phage stepped forward and placed a hand on his friend's casket. "It worked. You saved all of us. You also go Tenel and me to talk again” Phage said to his friend's still form.

Phage turned back to the crew. "Those of you who knew Jack would not have placed him in the command chair. He was drunk allot. He had a past with more dark spots than a dark matter nebula. But I say to you that these exact points are why I wanted him at my side. There are times when his dark past saved me from certain death. And his willingness to play bartender helped me through many inner troubles. It was these qualities that earned him the respect and friendship of this captain."

Phage stepped away from the casket that contained his friend. "Crew, Attention!" The as the crew snaps to attention the wail of a lone bagpipe launched into a mournful version of Amazing Grace. As he crew watches the flag of The United Federation Planets is removed from the casing. In the final moments Phage reaches behind him and pushes the button that loads Jack into the lunch tube. The crowd departs to the bar for the finally while the senior staff heads to the bridge.

*bridge*
Phage walks over to the tactical station. He looks down at the counsel to make sure the target is the sun. Once he saw that it is and the view screen is set to track the casing, he pushed the button that lunched his friend into the void...forever.