<snip>
: : : On board the Athena, it was early in the morning, but not too early. Ghubari was up and getting ready for the day. Moving from the shower area on her crutches, she saw she had an incoming message from Earth. Thinking it might be word about her mother, she moved over to her bedroom and got dressed quickly, putting on her new artificial limb that fit so well. A few minutes later, she walked over to her desk, dressed in her duty uniform and sat down. She activated the call, anticipation etched into her features. When she saw it was Kovalev, she couldn't help but need a moment to switch gears. "Ensign… is everything alright?" she asked, not expecting to hear from him, but rather Dr. Sims.
: : :
: : : Captain Koraia, CO
: :
: : "Great," he thought to himself. "Starfleet hasn't even officially informed her yet." He shook his head and took a deep breath. "Nyet, Captain. I am afraid not." He began to relay the story as objectively as he could. "As you know, Dr. Sims and myself were called to help contain an outbreak on Andoria. We were successful. But toward the end of our mission, Dr. Sims was requested to check up on some Andorian separatists. The weather was very hazardous, and our transporter system was not functioning." He took a deep breath. "Dr. Sims insisted on taking a shuttlecraft to reach the ill. I am afraid it crashed. Dr. Sims was killed instantly."
: :
: : He took a sip of his water, waiting for the Captain's reaction.
: :
: : Kovalev
:
: Ghubari couldn't hide the look of shock on her face. No one knew her ties to the man and while she couldn't say Sims was very well known to her, he had played a huge part in her rehab. The look lasted only a moment though as she composed herself, shoving the shock and grief into the back reaches of her mind. She would deal with that later.

He saw the reaction on his captain's face, knowing she had felt the loss as well. He hadn't gotten to know Dr. Sims well beforehand, but they bonded during their time on Andoria. They traded stories over whisky. They argued about sports over vodka. They struggled to fight the disease plaguing the citizens. He was a good man and would be missed.

: But she went to go speak, and that composure slipped a little. "Um…" was all she said as she sat back in her seat, placing a dark hand over her mouth briefly. "I am so sorry to hear that. He was a very good man and this is very sad news indeed. Are you alright?" she asked with concern, her attention shifting to the ensign who had to deliver such news to his captain.
:
: Captain Koraia, CO

He nodded. "I had no illusions when I entered Starfleet. It is a dangerous galaxy. But I would be lying if I said that I'd expected it to happen so early in my career." She'd been in Starfleet for many years and had, undoubtedly lost numerous friends along the way. She knew what he was feeling. But he also knew she shared his sense of duty. "I believe the best way to honor our fallen comrades is to carry on our mission. One of my ancestors fought in the Great Patriotic War on Earth. The Nazis viewed Russians as 'sub-humans,' to be exploited and exterminated. My mother struggled similarly during the Cardassian occupation on Bajor." He wasn't sure if he was rambling or if the stress of the situation was finally catching up to him so he decided to wrap up his point. "They each lost comrades. Instead of mourning openly and ceasing in their duties, they continued their struggles until the goals they fought for were achieved. That is how I'd like to honor..." What was the term Sims used to describe himself? "...my Leprechaun friend." He smiled, remembering the first time he'd said it. Sims nearly fell over laughing hearing the word "leprechaun" spoken in a heavy Slavic accent.

Kovalev