The torpedo bay of the Splendid had never seen such a crowd. The crew of the ship packed the bay in it's entirety, gathered around the torpedo casing turned coffin draped with the federation's flag. The eight members of the bridge crew stood around it in a half-circle, Elisa with her hand resting on the smooth surface.
"Goodbye." She whispered, his last words still echoing in her head.
"Captaining the Splendid was and is my greatest privilege."
A hologram of the Captain himself spoke, flickering to life at the head of torpedo tube. Most Captains recorded a last will and goodbye, should the worst ever happen, and Killian was no exception. The hologram's familiar voice filled the chamber and simultaneously the hearts of the crew, all else utterly silent.
"You are, in my eyes, the finest crew in all of starfleet; and I feel very fortunate to have served beside each and every one of you. I am honored to call you my family."
"I assume if you're hearing this, that I've been killed in the line of my duty. I ask you not to despair on my behalf; I died doing what I love and fighting for what I believe in, and I would not have it any other way."
"My one regret in life would be not finding my biological father; and I have one small favor to ask of all of you. Take up my search as you traverse the stars; if he is ever found, there is a message here for him as well."
The hologram flickered briefly, switching files.
"Elisa." It addressed individuals now, "My friend - I never would have made it through the academy if not for you. Thank you - you were there for me when no one else was, and our friendship means more than I can ever explain. I wouldn't have chosen anyone else to be my first officer, my right hand. I know you'll make an excellent Captain - may the Splendid serve you well on your journey."
Elisa took a deep breath to keep from crying - determined to keep her composure while the hologram spoke.
"T'Vrell - humor the emotional human for a moment. Thank you, for always being not only my science officer but my personal guide. You are the calm in the middle of a storm, and there are many things I couldn't have done without you. As a friend and a shipmate, you are irreplaceable. Peace, and long life, Arjia T'Vrell."
T'Vrell silently held up a Vulcan salute, the usual utterance that went along ill-fitting even if she had wished to speak at all.
"Ward - you've come so far in such a short time. Don't let my absence drag you down - you have such a bright, promising future... don't think for a second that you needed me to accomplish what you have. I'm so happy I could have known you, even for such a short time; and though I never thought to voice it, I wanted you to know - you are like a son to me."
Ward was silent, but relied on T'vrell next to him to support him.
"Darren - We may not have always seen eye-to-eye, but our relationship is the one I cherished most. I wish we could have become friends sooner - we would have had so much more time, and there would be so much more for me to say."
Darren's muffled sob broke the silence, and despite him being about the last one the crew would suspect to break down, no one said a single word. The hologram continued on with messages for Emesit and Thys, but Elisa was only half-listening, reaching over to put an arm around Darren's shoulders.
"Goodbye, everyone - thank you for sailing the stars with me."
The hologram finally flickered out, seeming to leave the room hollow once more. As the torpedo's modified firing system activated to send the vessel off, everyone stood at attention - the audible shuffle of a thousand officers saluting the sound that sent their Captain to his final resting place.
[Act II]
Long after the ship and it's crew had gone on, the casket still made its way through the emptiness of space; momentum carrying it on a new journey... the end of which had it destined to be pulled into a nearby star and incinerated. One last voyage.
It was not to be, however; as a powerful force intervened. The dragonlike creature materialized near it out of the blackness of space; appearing from nowhere as if stepping out of a shadow and into the light.
Ikon, he was called by his peers, and he was nobility to those that recognized him; one of the most revered and powerful Phasma. They were ancient creates, that had sailed the seas of the universe before even the preservers.
He circled the oblong coffin, his own mass and strength of power halting its movement in front of him. His claws hovered just over the surface of it, feeling, looking without using his eyes.
His sons did not usually move on this quickly, and he had been surprised. Phasma children did not often die before their time - they were resilient, powerful, and only became more powerful as they grew. Eventually, their power would outgrow their mortal forms entirely.
Gem-like structures on his body glowed as he called on his own power, infusing the vessel with it.
And with that he pulled apart and separated immortal soul from fragile, mortal body – letting the latter float away in its casket, caught in the gravity of the nearby star and soon to be nothing more than ashes.
