Captain Brooks.

Wake up, Captain.

He felt a voice, but did not hear it. Somewhere in his mind, he knew that the stimulus was important, that he should react. But his mind did not want to; he wanted to rest, to simply float in the soft feeling that surrounded him.

Sleep, his mind realized. It was sleep, and he was aware of it, aware of his own state of resting.

But his own thinking on this was stirring him to wakefulness. Or maybe it was the voice? It was still calling his name, trying to bring him out of his own mind.

"Captain Brooks, are you all right?"

His eyes opened, and the pain flooded in. His eyes hurt, his head pounded like a grand drum, and nausea rose in him like a tidal wave.

With all his strength he fought it down, and when he felt he could control himself, he opened his eyes.

Iago Caraval was looking at him, scanning over him carefully.

"Captain Brooks, how are you feeling?"

"Not the best I've ever felt," he admitted. "But I'm fine."

"All right, sir. All the same, we're going to take you to the medbay."

Caraval clearly wouldn't accept no for an answer, but Brooks decided he would go on his own terms.

"I'll walk," he said. Despite Caraval's protests, he heaved himself to his feet. His knees were weak, but he focused on them, trying to force them to remain steady.

After some moments he succeeded. Taking a tremulous step, he felt his strength returning.

Around them, he saw Medical and Response teams rushing about. Half the bridge was filled with them, and many of his officers were sitting, confused, while officers he did not know were filling their seats.

"Who are these people?" Brooks asked.

"Your message to Earth was answered, Captain. Admiral Vandoss brought fifteen ships to aid us. He sends his regards, sir."

"And the Leviathan?"

Caraval shrugged. "As soon as you destroyed the section of the Hev ship it had altered, it disappeared."

So he had fired. He had done his duty - with Kell's help.

"We're not sure if the Leviathan fled following the explosion in zerospace or if it was destroyed," Caraval continued.

Brooks could not imagine that their single shot had destroyed the thing. It seemed impossible.

"How are the crew?" he asked.

"The crew seem fine. I'd say you're the most affected, Captain - but there's plenty of time to talk about these things, we have to get you checked out."

Brooks dodged Caraval's hand going for his arm, but began to move - slowly - towards the medbay near the bridge.

"And the ship? All of the escape craft?"

"Ship seems fine - no sign of alteration. All escape craft recovered - actually, Captain, we have one more person aboard than before." He smiled, though even with the boundless energy Brooks knew the Lieutenant Commander had, it looked forced and tired.

"I'll have to find out what that means later," Brooks said. "You need rest, too."

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He took another look around the bridge, and located the entire Response team they had sent over to the Hev vessel. They all looked tired.

Two Hev were even here; a large one in an ornate uniform, and a smaller one, half Brooks own height, who looked calmer and chubbier than most Hev he had met.

"Have your team stand down and get some rest after this. You included."

"Of course, Captain," Caraval replied, unconvincingly.

But Brooks felt like he was plodding; as much as he had pushed himself to maintain the dignity of his station, he did not know if he could keep it up much longer.

With Caraval hovering nearby to steady him if need be, Brooks left the bridge, making his way to the medbay.

Others were filing in and out, but they gave him a wide berth, eyeing him with looks that ranged from fright to a deep respect. They could see what it took for him to walk, and yet he did it anyway.

Entering the medbay, he sat down heavily on the nearest table, and a medical officer started towards them.

Picking up a mirror next to the bed, Brooks saw what a mess he was. Drying blood streaked down his face from his eyes, from his nose - even from his ears. No one else he had seen had had that.

"One last question, Caraval."

"Of course, sir." The man was studying him carefully, judging his reaction to his own reflection.

Brooks kept his face stoic. "Where is Ambassador Kell?" he asked.

The question was clearly not what the man had expected. "Ah, I'm not sure, sir. He was the only one conscious when we came aboard. But since then I don't know where he's gone."

"Thank you, Commander. Please take care of your team - and once again, good work."

The man saluted him and left, while the doctor came over to Brooks.

"Sir, we're going to do a full medical scan. Do you have any particular concerns?"

Brooks slowly lay back on the bed. His eyes drifted closed, and though he did not pass out, he felt drained of all strength. Barely able to lift his head.

He still felt watched. When he closed his eyes, he could still see an after-image of the eye of the Leviathan.

He doubted that it would ever truly leave his vision.

"No," he lied to the Doctor. "Aside from tired, I feel fine."

*******

Extensive surveys by ships from Sol Command failed to turn up any further sign of the Leviathan. While probes and scouts with carefully-attuned sensors have been distributed, there seems to be little reason to believe it has remained in this sector of space.

Those members of the Craton's crew who were exposed to its Reality Break Shadow have been temporarily relieved of duty, following psychological evaluation.

Unfortunately, this includes me.

Sol Command is considering this a victory. They largely credit the actions of the Craton and myself with averting a potential disaster of massive scale. I cannot help but feel like I have only delayed our problems.

*******

A knock on the door snapped Brooks out of his reverie. Looking towards the door, his system informed him that it was Kell.

He had been unable to reach the Ambassador since he had awoken.

Another knock came.

"Enter," Brooks said. The door opened, and Kell stepped in.

The Shoggoth's face was impassive as he looked at Brooks. For a moment Brooks met his gaze.

Kell's eyes perfectly mimicked a human's, and yet when he looked into them, they did not feel human.

"Have a seat," Brooks finally said.

Kell came forward and sat down in his own stiff way.

"Drink?" Brooks asked him, pouring whiskey into a snifter and offering it to the being.

Kell took it, inspecting it carefully before knocking it all back without a change in expression.

"I wasn't sure if you'd drink it," Brooks said.

"It is poison, but I have consumed far worse," Kell replied.

Brooks stared at him for several moments, wondering what was going on in his head. "Why are you here, Ambassador?"

Kell regarded him evenly. "From the moment I first began to speak to the Chairman on Earth, I have wondered if I was making a mistake. Your kind are inherently unlike mine. You live such a short time and are so blind. I do not know how mature you can really be. How well you will be able to live with this universe."

Brooks listened to the insulting tirade in silence. "Have today's events helped you decide if it was a mistake or not?"

"No," Kell admitted. He rose from the seat, and put the snifter back on Brooks's desk.

He moved towards the door, but stopped just before it, looking back at the Captain.

"But I find that I do not regret my choice."

*******

FINIS