FLIGHT DECK, USS ENTERPRISE CV-07, STARDATE 20708.16

Paul fidgeted in his Dress Uniform as he paced the small office space behind Halo Squadron’s Dispersal Room. He doubted he had ever been so nervous in his life, not even on the day of his first wedding. Poking his head out through the doorway, he saw the assorted pilots and mechanics who were off duty and sober enough to attend – all looking equally unhappy at being in dress uniform, but a lot calmer – of course they were, they weren’t getting married…

Paul felt a hand on his shoulder and his shoulders sagged. He turned his head to see the youthful face of Gavin Ashcroft, Omega’s Squadron Leader and the one whose bright idea it had been to get horribly drunk the night before. Fortunately, one of Ashcroft’s pilots had brewed a family-recipe hangover cure which, while disgusting, actually worked and now none of the pilots who had all but drained the bar the previous night were feeling any ill effects from alcohol abuse.

“Relax…you’ll wear a hole in the floor…that and you’re making me dizzy…”

Paul smiled and took one last look at the decorations. The recycled ejector seats the pilots used as chairs had been repainted and polished, as had everything in the room. Balloons hung from the walls and ceiling, and someone had managed to gather old pictures of Paul and Mackenzie together over the fourteen years they had known each other. The podium that served as an altar was overlooked by a massive image of the pair’s homeworld from space, the sight of the purple oceans and light blue snowy peaks made Paul’s eyes want to mist up – he missed home, he didn’t know if he’d ever see it again. Turning back to Gavin, Paul smiled weakly.

“Sorry…I’m just nervous…what if she says no? What if there’s a scramble during the ceremony? What…”

Gavin put his free hand to Paul’s mouth to silence him.

“Just relax…she’ll say yes…”

Paul nodded and returned to one of the padded seats in front of the desk. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and waited for Admiral Thrawn to arrive and the ceremony to begin.

Matt was walking out of the turbolift and heading towards the flight deck when he was commed from the bridge, alerting him that they had arrived at the destination planet for the new colony. Confirming with the duty officer that a standard orbit was appropriate, he asked that the colonisation co-ordinator be contacted again and reminded that the shuttles and resources of the Enterprise were at his disposal once they were required … but not for at least the next hour due to a ceremony shortly to be performed.

Without being conscious of it he pulled straight his dress uniform jacket and entered the flight deck facility, acknowledging the salutes of marines on duty and the cheerful hello’s etc from the others present. Looking around he saw the room being used for the ceremony and headed for it, in the process passing a huge new section of decking. Stopping for a moment, he then looked up towards the overhead control room on the opposite side of the flight deck that had also been replaced and made functional again, and thought of the those that had been injured (including himself) when the Satarrian saboteur had exploded a fighter and heavily damaged the area. Matt had only escaped with his life by the quick reactions of one of the control room crew who put himself in the way of flying shrapnel.

Collecting his thoughts he turned and resumed his journey, entering the Halo Pilot Dispersal Room. Walking up towards the podium he passed the group of pilots and auxiliary staff all in their dress uniforms and seeming apparently very sober, surprising Matt because he had heard about their behaviour from the Master At Arms, and had had to clarify her standing orders to be extremely flexible in the execution of her duty. The party had in the event finished without too much disruption in the late hours of the morning, and yet they appeared all sober.

Hmm someone somewhere has invented an extremely useful cure for the hangover, though I dread to think what Mike would make on their body systems at the moment …. Which reminds me …..

Chuckling to himself he arrived at the podium to find an anxious head poking out from the doorway of an adjacent office.

“Everything ready Major?”

Paul poked his head back out slowly, the rest of his body followed with a gentle shove from Gavin. Stepping up to the podium, Paul scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“Yes sir…all set…just a few last minute nerves…nothing to worry about…”

I hope…

Paul took one last look at the image of his homeworld and took a deep breath.

I will return soon…you will be free once again…I promise…

Exhaling slowly, Paul turned to face the doorway at the opposite end of the Dispersal Room. Soon Mackenzie would step through the double doors and the ceremony would begin, afterwards…he had the rest of his life to look forward to.

Mackenzie had a huge dumb grin on her face and she didn’t care. She had waited for this day a long time, and now that it had finally come she felt as though she was walking on cloud nine. When she was younger, Mackenzie had never really thought about her future or what her wedding might be like, like the other little girls often did. Instead Mac always had her head in books and learning how to fly from her father.

It wasn’t until she was in the flight academy back on Dhar’hyyk that Mackenzie had thought about it. One of her good friends, Janet Lee, had brought it up. Looking back now, Mac found it funny that this was similar to what she had in mind.

There was a pang of sadness that her good friend couldn’t be here to see the wedding. Mackenzie missed Janet dearly, but it had been a long time since she’d heard from the woman.

Shrugging off this sadness in fear that it might dig up some of her fears, Mackenzie took one last glimpse of herself in the mirror that had been setup for her. Her white wedding dress was very simple, as it hung down from her small frame without any lace or trim to adorn it: Mackenzie never went for any of that froo froo stuff. Her red hair had been pulled back into one long braid that hung down her back.

“You look beautiful,” a voice said from behind Mackenzie.

Turning, Mac gave Alexandra LaHaye a soft smile as she replied “Thank you.” Not having been aboard the Enterprise too long, Mackenzie hadn’t really gotten the chance to make many friends yet. The only person Mac had gotten to know well was Alexandra LaHaye, one of Paul’s best friends. Mac knew that Alex had been harbouring feelings for Paul, so it had been difficult for her to ask the other woman to be her maid of honour. Alex had said that it would be an honour to be a part of Paul’s wedding party, and that there were no hard feelings.

“The Admiral’s arrived and Paul’s out there now. Are you ready?” Alex asked. She was wearing a crimson red bride’s maids dress that fell loosely to her knees.

“Just one more thing,” Mac replied with a mischievous smile. Sitting on the back of a chair nearby was a flight jacket. It wasn’t any flight jacket though; it was Mackenzie’s flight jacket back in the days when she and Paul were still in the Dhar’hyyk Air Force. Made of brown leather and light brown fleece, Mackenzie pulled the jacket on. On one of the sides it had a patch with the symbol of the DAF, the two headed dragon that both Mac and Paul had tattoos of. On the other side it had three squadron patches: Tornado, Wraith, and Phoenix. On one side of the collar was Mackenzie’s colonel ranking pin, the other having a pin that indicated her as a lead flight instructor. On the sleeves was a single stripe that indicated her as a squadron leader.

She had debated which to wear, her DAF flight jacket or her current Marine Fighter Wing one, but Mackenzie had decided that this one had more sentimental value for the both of them.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Mackenzie said as she turned. Alex could do nothing but chuckle at the bride. “Ready sweetie?” Mackenzie asked as she knelt infront of Jenny, who was wearing a smaller version of the dress that Alex was wearing.

Jenny nodded, and started tossing rose petals about. The two older women giggled, before Alex guided Jenny out of the door before exiting herself.

Mackenzie took a deep breath. This was it.

Mackenzie had never been happier in her life.

Exiting the small room they had been in, Mackenzie quickly crossed the flight deck towards the Dispersal Room. As she entered, Mac could see the smiling faces of the other pilots as they rose to their feet. She gave them a nod as she walked, but her attention quickly changed.

It wasn’t to the decoration in the room, or the funny way Jenny had scattered the petals, but to Paul standing in his dress uniform at the end of the walkway. He looked so handsome there, and if he was at all nervous she didn’t notice.

Mackenzie locked eyes with him and eventually found herself standing right next to him. She gave him a big smile as she felt her eyes start to mist up and a deep blush fill her cheeks.

Nothing else mattered at that moment but Paul.

The arrival of the bride was traditionally late … leaving the groom ever more nervous and doubtful, and the best man wondering as to the best course of action to settle the condemned man, and the murmurs of those present.

It was also not unknown for the bride to arrival in a very fashionable white dress, the traditional meaning being long forgotten in the late twentieth century earth. It was however not traditional for the bride to be wearing a white wedding dress ….. and a brown leather flight jacket …. Though of course all Matt had to go on were the Federation traditions; he was not aware of those carried out on this couples home world and so summised that maybe this attire was totally normal there.

That being said however, standing next to each other and clearly in love with not merely stars in their eyes but whole galaxies, there was something in the combination of Paul’s white dress uniform and Mackenzie’s brown/white ensemble that was appropriate. Matt thought that maybe the choice of venue was what made it seem right – the dispersal room of pilots normally awaiting their launch orders into a situation of an unknown ending, the room decorations and motifs around the bulkheads, and the extremely quirky behaviour and humour of fighter pilots generally. Whatever ‘it’ was the occasion was theirs and they made a good looking couple with love in their heart – what else could anyone truly think was required.

He murmured to them both that they looked very smart and asked if they were ready to start. He saw them both try to hide the nervousness in their nods and smiled. “You’re doing great”

He looked up at those present, and they all seated as one. He looked at them all quickly, one by one … all their eyes on the couple in front of him … no smirks or murmuring … just a sense of the togetherness and comradeship shared by a closely knit group who did everything together as a group .. all of them professionals in their own right.

“Friends.

As I am certain you all know, we have been gathered together to share in the pairing of these two fine and brave officers, who have requested the right of marriage aboard this vessel, and to which I am more than proud to adjudicate over. Their actions and professionalism shown in the course of their duties via their love of flying is on record for all to see, but there is another love in their lives, and it is that for which we have been invited here to share with them today. Without further delay let us start the formal proceedings.

Paul … Mackenzie

Would you like to recite your vows to each other?”

Half stumbling, half running through the doors about 100 meters from the ceremony, a Klingon dressed in a hastily donned, and still being straightened Starfleet DH Dress uniform in the color of Tactical entered. There was a slight smell of various alcohol on his breath, but he was fully composed, and did not appear to be disheveled or drunk. He was just fastening the top fastener and straightening his rank pips when he got up to the group and heard the words:

“Would you like to recite your vows to each other?”

He tapped his commbadge twice, a signal for Lieutenant Commander Thompson at the bridge weapons station to prepare the surprise that Torgh had programmed earlier. He smiled at the newlyweds as they stood there, giving a small wink to Paul.

He had thoroughly enjoyed their ‘bachelor party’ the night before, including the impromptu holodeck flight lesson in some sort of ancient Terran aircraft. Truth be told, he didn’t remember most of it, but he did remember something about being told off for shooting at his own team. Still–it had been enjoyable dogfighting, his hair blowing in the wind.

When they were done, he’d rushed from the holodeck, with slightly less than ten hours to prepare. Stopping at a replicator, he’d gotten himself a full mug of hot chocolate, and by the time he got to his quarters, he’d replicated two more–requiring a stop in the lavatory.

He’d pondered adding some whiskey to his third mug, but realised that wouldn’t help him to stay awake and stimulated like hot chocolate did.

As he stood here, with his shipmates, and friends? he wondered. Yes, friends. Torgh worried slightly. He’d had two more mugs of yuch tuj this morning, adding some of the Jack Daniels to the second, and had neglected to use the lavatory. So now he quite definitely felt a need–one that he couldn’t very well attend to.

Plus he was nervous. If what he’d programmed was off by even 1/2 of a percent, he’d not only ruin their wedding, he’d probably be demoted–or worse.

All will be fine, he decided. Trust your instincts.

It was good that he trusted them, because in his overtired and intoxicated condition, his instincts were all he’d had when he’d done the programming.

He also had a more traditional gift, one listed in the ship’s computer as customary at a human wedding, and he held it in a box in his hands. He had noticed a table for gifts, but it had been after he arrived in this very location–and he couldn’t very well excuse himself to place it there, so he held it. It was something humans called a ‘toaster’–it cooked bread evenly on both sides, and Torgh hoped no one else had gotten them the same thing.

Mackenzie looked beautiful, the sight of her made Paul’s heart race. The leather jacket casually draped over her shoulders forced Paul to suppress a laugh, he knew what it meant to her – to both of them. They were outcasts, people with no home to return to – but they were together, that was what was important. When Admiral Thrawn asked them to recite their vows, Paul smiled at Mackenzie as he took her hands in his. Giving them a reassuring squeeze he began. “Mackenzie Annan…I love you, you are my best friend and I give myself wholly and fully to you in marriage. You are my navigational computer in the sky of life, my ejector seat in times of crisis. I promise to love you and care for you in good times and bad, never once leaving your side in times of need. In sickness and in health, wealth and poverty, I take you as my wife and will love you as long as I live…”

Mackenzie could feel her eyes misting up as she looked up at Paul and could see nothing but his sincerity and love for her reflected in his own eyes. Taking a breath, it was Mac’s turn to recite her vow to him. “Paul Braggins, on this day I give myself to you in marriage with all my love. You have been my best friend since the day I literally stumbled into you. I promise, with all my heart, that no matter how many bumps and bruises the path of life gives us, that I will be with you to walk it hand in hand. I promise to encourage and inspire you, to laugh with you, and to comfort you in times of sorrow and struggle. In sickness and in health, wealth and poverty, I take you as my husband and will love you as long as I live…”

Paul released her left hand and from the altar took one of the two rings. “With this ring, a simple symbol of my love, I bind myself to you for eternity…this ring symbolises my love for you that will never end, lasting forever…” Paul hoped that this time it was true, rather than his last marriage.

Mac could feel her hands trembling as Paul slipped the ring onto her ring finger next to the engagement ring he had given her not long ago. Mackenzie’s smile grew larger as she carefully picked up the remaining wedding band and slipped it onto Paul’s finger, reciting the line “With this ring, a simple symbol of my love, I bind myself to you for eternity. This ring symbolises my love for you that will never end, lasting forever.”

Paul smiled as he felt the ring sliding up his finger, giving her hand a gentle squeeze he smiled and mouthed the words ‘I love you’. All that was to be done now was for the Admiral to finalise the ceremony.

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