Based on Star Trek™ created by Gene Roddenberry
PROLOUGE
It was a
bustling day at the
The story begins
Cadet Derek
Kestner awoke and through sleepy eyes looked at the clock hanging on the wall.
After realizing what time it was, he jumped out of bed, landing on the floor
with ease. He then walked over to his roommates bunk, Cadet Brad Foreman, and
started to shake him awake.
“Wh- what happened. Leave me alone,” he said pushing him away.
“Don’t you
remember what today is? It’s graduation day,” Derek said. At this, Brad jumped
out of his bunk. They both raced around gathering up their clothes. They began
to pull them on. Then they raced out of the room.
Down the
halls they raced toward the auditorium. They walked through the open doors. The
other students were rushing around to their places. One of their friends, Cadet
Alex Robinson, saw them come in and walked over to them.
“You guys are so lucky. You’re never
late, you get there a few minutes before hand,” he said smiling.
“It’s a
gift,” Brad said.
Derek and
Brad quickly found seats beside each other. A man walked onto the stage and
stepped in front of the seniors. It was Admiral Joseph Thomson the head of
He walked over to the podium, nodded
at a person to the left side of the stage who opened the curtains. Admiral
Thomson cleared his throat then said, “Welcome friends to the Starfleet Academy
Graduation. This is how we’re going to do this: I will call out the student’s
name. They will come up here, I will give them their certificate and their new
assignment, and then they will retake their seat. Are we ready to begin?” After
a quick pause the admiral began to call out names.
Down the
list he went, calling out names and giving out their first assignments. There
were jobs all over the galaxy. Derek really didn’t care what he got as long as
he could work somewhere with Brad. Then Admiral Thomson said, “Brad Foreman.”
Brad stood
and walked over to the podium. Admiral Thomson gave him his certificate and
then said, “Mr. Foreman, here, is a great student. His best subject is
engineering, and so, Starfleet feels the same way we do.” The admiral turned to
Brad and said, “Your new assignment is Engineers Mate on the Starship Bozeman.”
Brads face
lit up. The engineer on the
Admiral
Thomson again started down the list. Name after name. It seemed like an hour to
Derek. Finally Admiral Thomson said, “Derek Kestner.”
Derek stood.
He slowly started to make his way up to the front of the stage. Once he was up
there, he stood beside Admiral Thomson. Admiral Thomson said, “Mr. Kestner,
here, also studied engineering, and let me tell you, if we were stranded in Romulan
territory in a shuttle, I wouldn’t want him to go near the door of the engine
room.”
At this the
whole crowd laughed. Derek felt his cheeks go red with embarrassment. Admiral Thomson put up his hands to silence
the crowd. “But Mr. Kestner has shown some skill in the science department.
That is why Starfleet has put him at Opps on the Starship Bozeman.”
Derek was
relieved that he was on the same ship as Brad. He did not even hear the crowd’s
applause as he sat back down. “I’m glad you got on the same ship I did,” Brad
said.
“Me too,”
Derek said. The rest of the ceremony went by quickly. Alex’s assignment was in
sickbay on the
Once it was
over and everyone was standing to leave, Admiral Thomson came back to the
podium and said, “I almost forgot, the crew of the
Once the
announcement was finished everyone started toward the doors and to the
cafeteria. Brad and Derek stayed on the stage for a moment then slowly walked
to the cafeteria. “Do you realize this will be the last time we walk off the
stage?” Derek asked.
“Yeah. It’s a weird feeling,” Brad said looking around at
the walls. They arrived at the cafeteria. One look around told them that it
would be awhile before they ate. They finally got around the line and ate
quickly.
“Hey, Brad,
I’m going to say good-bye to a friend,” Derek said. He stood and walked over to
a table in the corner. A girl was sitting alone at the table. “Hello, Whitney,”
Derek said to her.
“Hey,
Derek,” she said to him. The girl was Cadet Whitney Gallimore, a girl at the
end of her first year. “Sorry you didn’t get the engineering job you wanted.”
“That’s alright, at least I’m in Starfleet. I didn’t really want to
be an engineer anyway. My father wanted me to be one,” Derek said. As he said
this his face fell. “My father was an engineer, he died en route to Seti Alpha
Six, it was a warp core breech.”
Whitney’s face also fell. “I’m
sorry,” she said sadly. She’s a
true friend, Derek thought.
To change
the subject Derek asked, “What job are you going after?”
“Tactical,”
she replied. She was not looking at Derek; something behind him had caught her
eye. Derek turned around to see what it was. He turned back around with a smile
on his face. Whitney snapped back to reality and, looking at the smile on his
face, asked, “What?”
“You like
Brad don’t you?” he asked. Whitney nodded. “Well I’ll go tell him now,” Derek
said standing.
Whitney
grabbed his arm and said, “Please don’t tell him.”
Derek
laughed. “Alright, I won’t tell him.” He paused then said, “I’d better get
going. See ya.” He walked over to where Brad was standing talking to a girl
Derek had never seen before.
“Oh Derek, I
would like for you to meet a friend of mine,” Brad said. He motioned to the
girl and said, “This is Cadet Ashley Rickman. She’s at the end of her second
year.” He turned to the girl and said, “This is my friend Derek.”
Derek
reached out his hand, shook hers, and said, “Nice to meet you.” He then turned
to Brad. “Brad I think we’d better leave. We’ve got a lot of packing to do.”
Brad and
Derek turned and walked toward the door. Before they walked, out Admiral
Thomson walked over to them and said, “Boys, I just wanted to say good bye and
also say that your record for coming into my office the most will be safe for a
long time.”
“Thank you
sir,” Derek and Brad said with a smile. They turned and walked out the door and
down the corridor.
“I didn’t
know you knew Whitney,” Brad said.
“We met one
time during summer vacation when I was thirteen,” Derek said. They continued to
walked down the corridor and into their room.
They spent
the next few hours packing and getting ready for the flight to Spacedock. They
had studied about it many times, but they had never been there.
It was
almost
Derek sat
down at the table first. He told the phone the number. Within seconds Derek’s
moms face was on the screen. “Hi mom,” Derek said.
“Hello honey
how was the graduation? Sorry I couldn’t come,” she said smiling. “I had to
clean the house. Your grandparents are coming down, they want to see they’re
little engineer.”
“I didn’t
get an engineering job. I got Opps on the U.S.S. Bozeman,” Derek told her.
“Oh. Ah well
at least you’re in Starfleet,” she said. “Listen honey I’ll be out there to
pick you up at
“I won’t be
there,” Derek said.
“What are
you talking about?”
“Tomorrow at
six I’m going up to the
“That’s ok,
as long as you come back here for shore leave.”
“I will
mom,” he promised. “Listen mom I’ve gotta go, Brad wants to call his mom. Bye,
I love you.” The phone hung up. Brad sat down at the table and called his mom.
His call
went about the same as Derek’s. With his call finished, he stood and walked
over to his bed. “What time is it?” Derek asked from the top bunk.
Brad turned
around, looked at the clock, and said, “It’s almost time for dinner.”
“Well we
better get to the cafeteria and eat,” Derek said. He jumped down out of his
bunk and walked toward the door. The doors slid open with a small hiss. Both
Derek and Brad walked out toward the cafeteria.
They did not
spend a lot of time eating. They came back to their room as soon as they had
finished to rest. Tomorrow was going to be a long day so they needed sleep. At
about
* * *
The next
morning came early. The alarm clock woke them up. Brad threatened to break this
one as well but Derek would not let him do it since it was not theirs. They
slowly got their cloths on then grabbed up their bags and headed toward the
shuttlecraft landing.
The shuttle
was setting on the landing ready to leave. The pilot was standing beside the
steps that lead up into the craft. “Good morning. Are you two headed to
Spacedock?” he asked.
“What’s so
good about it,” Derek heard Brad whisper.
“Yes sir,”
Derek said. They walked up the steps and into the passenger section of the
shuttle. They found that Alex and three other people from the academy were
already there. They sat down beside Alex and waited for the pilot to climb into
the shuttle.
The pilot
climbed up the steps and pressed a button beside the
opening that lifted the steps. He next walked into the front of the shuttle
where all the navigational equipment was located.
The speakers
crackled into life and his voice said, “Strap yourselves
in for the liftoff.” Derek put on the seatbelt. Soon the engines roared into
life, the shuttle rose into the air.
Higher and
higher the shuttle flew. They were soon out of the Earth’s atmosphere. Within
fifteen minutes after they left the landing they were docking in Space Dock.
They walked through the door that had been pressurized.
A man
standing outside the door asked, “Are you the new crew members for the
“Yes sir,”
Brad said seeing that he was a commander.
“Good, please follow me,” he said.
The commander turned and led them down two corridors to a set of doors that
said “Transporter Room”. The doors hissed open. “Go over there and stand on the
pads.”
They obeyed. Soon the blue world of
the transporter surrounded them. They found themselves standing in a similar
room with four men facing them. One of the men stepped forward “Good morning.
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Captain Morgan Bateson.” He then motioned to
the other two men. “This is my First Officer Commander Gabriel Bush and the
Chief Engineer Captain Montgomery Scott.”
Brad
suddenly walked forward with his hand outstretched. He said, “Sir may I shake
your hand.”
“Aye
laddie,” he said shaking Brads hand. Bateson stood
back and smiled as he watched the young ensign shake hands with a true legend.
He turned to
a man they had not noticed before. “Ensign will you
please take them to their quarters.”
The ensign
nodded and said, “Follow me.” He led them out the doors and started to walk
down the corridor. They soon came to a set of doors. The ensign stopped and
said, “Ensign Kestner?”
Derek walked
forward. “That’s me.”
The ensign
handed him an info-padd. “This is your access code. You enter it once, then the
computer will recognize your bio-signature and you won’t have to use it here
anymore. You will also use it up on the bridge to gain access to your panel.”
“Thank you,”
Derek said. The others walked on as Derek entered his access code into the
panel provided. The doors slide open. The room was dark and quiet. “Computer:
Full lights.” The computer beeped and the lights came on. Derek started to
unpack excited that he was finally on a starship.
“All
officers to the bridge,” a voice said sometime later. Derek walked out of the
doors and found himself in the corridor. He saw a man walking toward him. He
asked, “Where is the turbolift?”
The man
pointed to a door across the hall from Derek’s cabin. Derek nodded to the man
and walked toward the doors. The doors slid open. Derek walked in.
“Destination?” the computer asked.
“Bridge,”
Derek told the computer. The turbolift moved with no sign of motion. The doors
opened again but they were not on the bridge. A man walked in. “Good morning
sir,” Derek told the man who was a lieutenant.
“Good
morning,” he said. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Lieutenant Andy Welch.” He
reached out his hand to shake Derek’s.
Derek shook
hands with him and said, “I am Cade- Ensign Derek Kestner. Sorry, old habit.”
“I
understand. I’m the helmsman. What position do you fill?”
“I’m at
opps,” Derek said.
“Well I
believe this is our floor,” Andy said as the lift doors opened to reveal the
bridge. Derek followed Andy down to his station since opps is beside the helm.
Captain
Bateson was sitting in the center chair reading a report. Derek sat down and
entered his access code into the computer. The control panel switched on. Derek
started his work just as Andy was.
After about
an hour Derek sat back and looked at the screen. He had finished. He turned to look
at the bridge. It looked like the bridge of a Galaxy class starship, only
smaller.
The bridge
was bustling with activity. Captain Bateson looked up from a new report he was
looking at and smiled. “First time on a bridge Mr. Kestner?”
“No sir. My
dad was the chief engineer on the U.S.S. Nebula. He showed me their bridge,”
Derek told him.
Captain
Bateson pushed a button on his chair and opened a comm link and said, “Bridge
to Engineering, Mr. Scott?”
“Scott here
captain,” Scotty’s voice said.
“Mr. Scott
is engineering ready to go?” Bateson asked.
“Yes sir. We
will leave at your command,” Scotty said.
“Very good
Mr. Scott I guess we’ll be leaving a little earlier than planned. Bridge out,”
Bateson said closing the comm link.
Welch leaned
over to Derek. “I guess we’ll be leaving now,” he whispered.
Bateson
pressed another button on his chair and said, “Spacedock this is the
“
“Thank you
Spacedock.
Derek
pressed some keys on his control panel and the picture came up on the screen.
The space doors were slowly opening and the
“Andy, set
course for the Romulan border, warp five,” Bateson
ordered. “I will give all of you your mission briefing in a few hours.” The
The hour
pasted quickly. Bateson stood and said, “Will all officers please meet me in
the briefing room?”
The officers
stood. Derek followed Andy back to a set of doors just off the bridge. Each
member took a seat. Bateson then said, “Bateson to Scotty.”
“Scott here
captain,” Scotty said over the comm.
“Will you
and Ensign Foreman please come to the briefing room?”
“We’ll be
ri’ there, Captain. Scott out.” The link was
disconnected. A few moments passed. Then Scotty came with Brad at his heels.
Bateson
stood and said, “Before we begin I just want to announce my decision to add Mr.
Foreman to the command crew. His friend Derek as you know is already apart of
the command crew.”
“Thank you
sir,” Brad said.
Bateson
smiled. “Now to the real reason we’re here. As you know, we’re en route to the
Romulan border. A few months, ago a renegade Klingon Commander started to
attack our border patrols as well as the Romulan border patrols. This has
finally forced Starfleet to recall their patrols from the boarder.
“This
Klingon can not be caught, Starfleet has tried. Without the border, patrols the
Romulans can come into Federation Space at any time. Our orders are to find
this Klingon and, if they don’t comply to reason, we
will destroy them.”
“Captain,
might that re-open tensions with the Klingons again?” Wizz Dayton, the Comm
officer asked.
“The
Klingons are sending a ship of their own to stop this renegade, but we are
closer,” Bateson said. “These are our orders. Dismissed”
The bridge
crew walked back to their stations as Brad and Scotty went back to the engine
room. “Mr. Kestner, ETA to Romulan border?” Bateson asked when they were all
seated.
“ETA: One
point three hours,” Derek replied. The next hour went by quickly. The
Then Andy said, “Romulan border.”
“Very good Andy.
Put us on a parallel course with the border. Mr. Kestner, start your sensor
sweep,” Bateson ordered.
“Captain,
what if they are cloaked?” Derek asked.
“That’s a good question,” Bateson
said. He turned to
The tactical officer Josh Wright
said, “Yes sir. Shields are raising.”
“Good man,
Josh,” Bateson said turning back around.
For the next
few hours nothing happened. Soon Derek’s shift was up. He closed down the Opps
station then left the bridge. He did not go to his quarters, but instead went
to the lounge. He sat and waited for Brad to come.
After a few
moments, Brad walked through the door. “Hello Derek. Long day,” he said. He sat
down and ordered a drink.
“So are you
happy that you are under Captain Scott?” Derek asked.
“Yeah. He’s the best engineer there has ever been,” Brad
said. “He really knows what he’s talking about.”
“My father
always admired him. ‘The best in the business,’ my father would say. ‘Never
will be another like him.’ My father said they called him the miracle worker,”
Derek said taking a sip of his drink.
The lounge
was not supposed to serve anything strong, in case they had to report for duty
so they were not drinking Romulan ale. Derek and Brad started talking about the
day they had. Suddenly the lights started to flash red and a voice said, “Red
alert. Red alert, all hands to battle stations.”
“Guess I’ll
talk to you later,” Brad said jumping up from the table. They both ran out of
the doors each running in a different direction. Derek got into the turbolift
and rode up to the bridge.
He walked
down to his station and sat down. “What’s goin’ on?” Derek asked Andy.
“A Klingon
Bird-of-prey has been detected. She just clocked,” Andy said. Derek sat and
looked at his computer screen. There was no sign of the Klingon vessel on his
scanners. Then he saw something, it was behind the
“Captain,
Bird-of-prey just de-clocked behind us. Their weapons are powering up!” Derek
shouted.
“On screen,”
Bateson ordered. Derek made the adjustments and a Klingon Bird-of-prey replaced
the dark screen. “Prepare to fire aft torpedo’s.”
Suddenly a
ball of red light came escaping from the front of the Bird-of-prey. It came
closer and closer to the ship and then it exploded. This sent the ship rocking
forward.
“Andy turn us around!” Bateson shouted. The
“Aye
captain,” Wright said.
“Fire!”
A ball of
red light was sent flying toward the vessel. With impact it exploded. The
vessel fired back. The torpedo hit the shields sending the
“Fire!” Bateson shouted.
Another ball
of red light flew towards the vessel and exploded. This made the ship shudder.
“Captain if I can remember correctly the weakest point on a Bird-of-prey is it’s belly, even when shields are up,” Michel Dennis, the
science officer said.
“Your right. Josh, target it’s
belly,” Bateson ordered.
“Aye, sir,”
Wright said. A few minutes later another red ball came
flying out of the front of the
“Captain you
did it,” Derek said.
“Yes well,
they won’t be gone for long, they will come back. We must be ready for them,”
Bateson told his crew. They knew he was right. “I want everyone to stay alert.”
*
* *
For the next
two hours everyone stayed on the bridge. All of them were expecting another
attack form the Klingon vessel. It did not come. Finally Bateson let them all
leave. Derek went to his quarters and went straight to bed.
* * *
The
next morning Derek awoke with a start. He grabbed on his cloths and raced to
breakfast. He ate then went to the bridge. Bateson, Andy and Wizz were already
there. He sat down calmly and went straight to work.
Yesterday was the first day that he had ever
seen combat, it filled him with excitement. He wondered if they would see
combat today. “Wizz what are the Romulans doing about this renegade?” Bateson
asked breaking the silence.
“Nothing sir. The Klingon is clearing the border of our
patrols. They don’t have us breathing down their neck,” Wizz said.
Derek staired at his computer screen for a moment. Then like
yesterday something came up on one of the sensors. It was right beside the
The
“I
can try, sir,” Derek said. He ran up to the tactical which was located behind
the captain’s chair. The ship rocked again.
“Prepare to fire photon torpedoes,”
Bateson ordered. Derek made the adjustments needed then looked up at the
captain.
“Torpedoes
ready captain,” Derek reported.
“Andy
turn us around,” Bateson ordered. Once again the
All
the while Andy was trying to turn the ship. “Captain our shields are falling,”
Derek reported.
Bateson
tapped a button on his chair. “Bridge to Engineering,
Scotty?”
“Scott
here captain,” Scotty’s voice said.
“What’s
going on down there?”
“Captain
we’re taking it awful hard. The warp engines are weakening. The energizers are
also taking a beating,” Scotty said giving his report. The ship buckled as
another torpedo hit.
“Captain
shields are at forty percent,” Derek said.
“Thank you
Scotty, bridge out,” Bateson said. The ship buckled again. “Andy can’t you get
us around to where we can hit him?”
“Sorry sir,
they’re in a blind spot and when we get around they turn with us,” Andy said.
The ship was tossed with another hit from a torpedo. Derek pulled himself up
off the floor and stood behind the consol again.
“I’ll take
over this station,” Wright said.
“Aye sir,”
Derek said. He walked back down to his
station beside Andy.
“Andy can’t
you get us around?” Bateson asked.
“Captain the
Bird-of-prey has a smaller turning radius than us,” Welch said. “I can’t get
into position with it.”
“Andy take us away form the battle then turn us around. Hopefully
we will be facing them. Course is four-three-six-mark-one,” Bateson said. Andy
carried out his orders…
It worked.
When they turned around they were facing the Klingon vessel, and the red ball
of a photon torpedo. They had no time to react. The torpedo smashed into the
saucer section. The ship buckled under the explosion.
“Josh, fire back!” Bateson ordered. To torpedo’s screamed
away from the
In reply the
vessel fired back. Four torpedoes flew away from the vessel. Each smashed into
the
“Captain weapons are not responding,” Josh reported.
“What?”
“The weapons
are not responding.” Another torpedo screamed away from the vessel. The
explosion rocked the ship violently. Josh fell and smashed his head on the
consol.
“Medic!” Bateson shouted. “Andy get
us outta here. Full reverse.” The starship increased
speed and started to back away from the Klingon vessel. The ship increased
speed as it flew along. “Andy turn us around.”
The
“No sir.
They have just clocked. I think they are going off to lick their wounds,” Derek
said.
Bateson
tapped a button on his chair. “Bride to Engineering, Scotty?”
“Scott here
Captain,” Scotty said.
“Give me a
full damage report,” Bateson said.
“It’s not
good Captain, the warp engines ‘ave taken a real beatin’. So
‘as the impulse engines. The main energizers ‘ave also takin’ a
beatin’,” Scotty reported. “We’re barely pullin’ ‘er together.”
“Thank you
Mr. Scott. When can you fix it?”
“Give me at
least a day sir,” Scotty said.
“Thank you
Scotty, Bridge out.”
“Captain
what about the Bird-of-prey?” Derek asked.
“When
Scotty’s finished with the repairs we will go back out to the border,” Bateson
explained. “When the Klingons de-clock, we shall engage tractor beams and hall
it to the nearest space station.”
The rest of
the day was spent repairing the ship. It had a lot of damage. Bateson pleaded
for Scotty to speed up the process. In the end Scotty said it would take twelve
hours. That was good enough for Bateson.
With the day
ended Derek went off to his quarters. Brad would be working late that night.
Derek changed out of his clothes and went to bed.
The next morning Derek awoke early.
He quickly changed clothes and went to eat some breakfast. This morning he ate
slowly. The day before he had ate in a rush and did not get full.
After he was
finished he walked up to the bridge.
Bateson, Welch, and Wright were already there. Josh had a bandage on his
head. Derek took his seat and started a sensor sweep. He turned to Captain
Bateson. “Sir, when are we going back to the border?”
“As soon as
the rest of the command staff reaches the bridge,” Bateson replied. Derek
turned and went on with his work. In the next few minuets
“Andy, set
course for the border,” Captain Bateson ordered. He turned to
He called
me Derek, Derek thought. That must mean he trusts me. Andy made some
adjustments and soon the
“Andy put us
on a parallel course with the border,” Bateson ordered.
“Aye, sir,”
Welch said. The ship turned and started on the new course. Within a few moments
Derek shouted,
“Captain
Bird-of-prey just de-clocked on port side.”
“Josh engage
tractor beam,” Bateson ordered.
A few minutes
later Wright said, “Captain the Bird-of-prey is in tow.”
Bateson
tapped the button on the bridge. “Bridge to Engineering,
Scotty?”
“Foreman
here, Captain Scott is busy with the warp core,” Brad’s voice said.
“Can we warp
Mr. Foreman?” Bateson asked.
“Yes sir.
The warp core will be on-line in two minutes,” Brad said.
“Thank you
Mr. Foreman, Bridge out.” With the Comm link closed Bateson turned to Welch.
“Andy set course for nearest star base full impulse until warp comes on-line.”
“Aye sir,”
Welch said. With that the
*
* *
Two days later Derek and Brad were
sitting at Star Base 5 eating dinner in the lounge. The Klingon crew was held
in the brig being prepared for the journey to Qo’noS where they would be taken
care of by the Klingon government.
“I tell you
we should not give those Klingon’s back to the Klingon government. Publicly
they will scold them but behind closed doors they will congratulate them,” Brad
said as they were eating.
“I don’t know, the Klingon Empire is
very strict about things like that,” Derek said.
“Your not defending them are you?” Brad asked.
“No. I’m just saying that the Klingon
Empire our allies now. I think we should trust them,” Derek said.
“I don’t know, maybe your right,”
Brad said. “People just don’t give Klingon’s high regard.”
“Well just look at the
“True. I just grew up fearing
Klingon’s,” Brad said. “This new generation will grow up fearing Cardassians.
Soon the Cardassians may join the Federation. When that happens there will
still be tension between us and the Cardassians.”
“Yes,” Derek said nodding. “It’s
amazing how people can fear people they do not understand.”
“Well I’m just about as full as you
can get. I’d say we’d better get back to the ship,” Brad said standing and
picking up the trey.
“I agree.” Derek stood and walked
over to the disposal chute and threw away the trey. Then Derek and Brad walked
off toward the Transporter Room to head back to the ship.
Six Months Later…
Ensign
Derek Kestner was sitting in his quarters enjoying some tea when the speakers
came to life and said. “All officers to the bridge.”
Derek stood and walked out of his quarters and toward the turbolift.
The
bridge was crowded with people when Derek arrived. He sat down at his station
and turned to look at Captain Bateson. “Look people, we’ve got a problem. The
Cardassians as you know have been giving us trouble for months. We just got a
report that the Cardassians are now in Federation space. They have set a course
for Hashak III.
“Our
orders are to go to the station and protect it from attack.”
“How
far away are we from it?” Bush asked.
“Derek,”
Bateson said.
“ETA:
Twelve hours, that is, if we turn now,” Kestner said.
“Very
well,” Bateson said. “Andy set course for Hashak III.”
“Aye
Captain,” Derek said. The
“Aye
sir,”
The
“Derek
scan for life forms,” Bateson ordered.
The
scan took only moments then Derek reported, “Captain, the life signs that are
coming up are very weak.”
Bateson
tapped a button on his chair. “Transporter room, prepare a landing party.”
“Aye
sir,” a voice said.
“Captain,
may I be apart of the landing party?” Derek asked.
Bateson
thought a moment then said, “Sure, go ahead.”
Derek
stood and walked to the turbo lift. The doors opened. Derek walked in and said, “Transporter room.”
Within
seconds the doors opened in front of the Transporter room doors. Derek walked
in. He saw that four other people were standing on the transporter pads. “The
Captain said that I was to be apart of the landing party,” Derek said to the
Transporter Chief.
The
chief handed him a phaser and a scanner. Derek took his place on the
transporter pads. He noticed that on of the people was Brad. The chief
activated the transporter and the cool tingle of the beam surrounded them.
They
reappeared at the station. It was a mess. The station had been destroyed. They
started to see if they could save anyone. They found few survivors. Those they
did find they were almost dead.
“Well
I guess we’d better prepare the bodies for transport,” the commanding officer
said.
While
looking around Brad said, “Derek come look at this.”
Derek
walked over to where Brad was. Derek looked down to the body he was pointing
at. She had a Starfleet personnel name tag. It said her name was: Melissa
Gallimore. Derek thought for a moment then it hit him. “This is Whitney’s mom.
I remember her from the vacation. She looks a little different though.”
“I
thought it was her,” Brad said. “Whitney will be crushed. Well help me take her
over with the other bodies.”
Derek
grabbed her under the arms while Brad grabbed her feet. Then they walked over
to where the other bodies laid and prepared to set her down. As they were
setting her down they herd a phaser fire and a
earsplitting scream.
They
both pulled out their phasers and ran to where the sound was coming from. They
were the first to reach the room where the scream had came
from. They saw a man with many injuries and blood streaming down his face
standing in the room with a phaser in his hand.
He
staggered to the left then fell to his knees, then he
fell to the floor. “Medic!” Brad yelled. They had brought
the Doctor along with them. Derek walked over to the man and pulled the phaser
from his hand.
“Hey
Brad, I don’t think that he needs a medic. I also don’t think he shot himself,”
Derek said.
“Well
of course he did, even a phaser on stun can kill someone,” Brad said.
“This
phaser is not on stun,” Derek said. He tossed the phaser over to Brad. At that
moment the others walked in.
“What
happened?” the c.o. asked.
“Sir,
this man killed someone then died. No doubt he thought the Cardassians had come
aboard the ship and was killing anyone that was still alive so he fired at one
of us,” Derek explained.
“Who
was killed?” one of the other officers asked.
“The
only officer not here is the doctor,” the c.o. said. “Mr. Kestner scan for the doctor.”
“Aye sir.” The scan only took seconds. When it was finished
Derek said, “There is no sign of the doctor.”
The
c.o. tapped his communicator. “Landing party to
“This
is the
“We
want to report that the doctor has died, also the bodies are ready for
transport.”
“Thank
you landing party, please send us the coordinates for
the beam up.”
The
c.o. gave them the coordinates then they walked back to the chamber where the
bodies were lying. The bodies disappeared in the transporter beam then the
landing party was transported.
Captain
Bateson, Commander Bush, Derek and Brad were sitting in the lounge enjoying a
drink and talking. “Sir, how will the families be notified?” Brad asked.
“Starfleet
Command will notify all of them but for Whitney Gallimore. Our orders are to go
to Alpha Centauri and report the loss to Ms. Gallimore,” Bateson said.
“Sir
if you need a volunteer to tell her I will,” Brad said.
“Very
well Brad. If you want to tell her you may. Give it to her gently,” Bateson
said. With that he stood . “I’d better go notify Andy
of the course change. See ya’ll later.” The Captain turned and left the lounge.
Bush
also stood. “I also must be going.” He turned and left.
Brad
and Derek both stood and left. Brad went back to the engine room while Derek
went back to the bridge. The turbolift doors opened. Derek went to his station
and sat down. Bateson had just finished telling Andy the new course change.
“ETA to Alpha Centauri?” Bateson asked.
“One
hour sir,” Derek said.
“Derek,
Brad volunteered to tell Whitney but I will have to tell her father. I would
ask that you, and Brad would accompany Commander Bush
and I in telling him,” Bateson said.
“You
will have to ask Brad but for my part I will come along,” Derek said.
“Thank
you Derek.”
The next hour past quickly. Soon the
Bateson,
Bush and Derek waited while Brad gave her the news. Minutes later Brad stepped
out. He a look of grief on his face. “Let’s give her
some time. I suggest we go to the Transporter Room and beam up her father,”
Bateson said.
They
walked in silence. The doors of the Transporter Room slide open. “Chief you may
beam up Mr. Gallimore,” Bateson said. Seconds later Whitney’s Dad was standing
on the transporter pad.
Bateson
walked forward his hand out stretched. They shook hands. “Mr. Gallimore my name
is Captain Morgan Bateson. These are my officers, Commander Gabriel Bush,” he
motioned to Bush, “Ensign Brad Foreman and Ensign Derek Kestner.”
Mr.
Gallimore shook each of their hands then said, “Why an I here?”
“Would
you please follow us to the Conference Room?” Bateson asked. “It’s right this
way.” He led them to the Conference Room. The doors slide open. A man was
standing there. He came over to Captain Bateson.
“Captain
the girl has been taken to the lounge for a drink,” he whispered.
“Thank
you Ensign. Would you please excuse us?”
“Aye sir.” The Ensign left the room.
Bateson
went to the head of the table and sat down. Bush, Derek and Brad stood beside
him. “Perhaps you should sit down,” Bateson said.
Mr.
Gallimore slowly sat down. “Why am I here?”
“Well
as you know your wife had just was stationed on Hashak III. Today the station
was attacked by a Cardassian Warship.” Bateson paused. What he had to say was
hard. “Your wife didn’t make it.”
Mr. Gallimore started to cry. He cried for a while
then asked, “Where is my wife’s body?”
“It’s
on board,” Bateson said. “We will transport it to you. I’m sorry.” Bateson
stood. “We’ll leave you alone.” He turned to his officers. “Come.”
The
four of them walked out of the room and down the corridor. They rounded the
corner and entered the turbolift. “Gabe we’ve got to appoint a new doctor,”
Bateson said.
“I
believe the next person in line for the job is Ensign Alex Robinson. They say
he was at the top of his class,” Bush said.
“That’s
right,” Bateson said. The doors opened. “Wizz tell Mr. Robinson to come to the
bridge.”
“Aye
sir,”
“Mr.
Robinson, as you know on Hashak III our doctor was killed. That leaves the
position open to you. You are now the doctor of the
“Thank
you sir,” Bateson said.
“You
may go back to
About
an hour later Whitney and her father beamed back down to Alpha Centauri. With
their mission completed they left orbit and proceeded to their next mission.
Two Years Later…
Lieutenant
Derek Kestner sat in the Conference Room beside Lieutenant Brad Foreman. They
were talking about the tactical position. Josh Wright was transferred to
another ship and they needed a tactical officer.
“The
tactical position is a hard one to fill. I don’t know anyone going after that
position so if you know anyone going after that position let me know,” Bateson said.
“Hey
Brad, Whitney told me that she was going after the tactical position,” Derek said.
Brad
smiled. “Excuse me sir,” he said.
“Yes
Brad?” Bateson said.
“You
remember Whitney Gallimore don’t you?” Brad asked.
“Yeah,”
Bateson said. “What of her?”
“Well
I hear that she has pursued the tactical position,” Brad said.
“Good
idea. I’ll look into it. Thank you all, you may return to your stations,”
Bateson said.
They
stood and left the Conference Room. Derek and the other members of the bridge
crew went back to the bridge. Two hours later Bateson took his seat on the
bridge. “Derek how long would it take to get to Space Dock?”
Bateson asked.
“Two
hours present speed,” Derek reported.
“Andy
set course for Space Dock,” Bateson said. “We’re going to pick up our new
Tactical officer.”
“Aye
sir,” Welch said. He plotted the new course. The
Two
hours later the
“Aye
sir,”
“Space
Dock this is the starship
“
Space
Dock tractored them in. Once they were secure Bateson asked, “Derek would you
please join us in the Transporter Room to greet our new tactical officer.
“Aye
sir,” Derek said. Derek stood and walked to the turbolift with Bateson and
Bush. The doors opened, the three of them walked in.
“Transporter
Room,” Bateson told the computer. Within seconds the doors opened. The three of
them walked out. They were facing the Transporter Room doors. They walked in.
Bateson
looked over at the Transporter Room Chief. “Are they ready to transport?”
“Not
yet sir,” the chief said.
“Very well.” They stood there a second. Then Bateson turned
to Derek. “Derek you will take her to her quarters?”
“Which
room will she be in?” Derek asked.
“Take
her to Joshes room,” Bateson said.
“Aye sir.”
Then
they herd over the speakers, “
“We
are ready,” Bateson said. There was a light on the pad and then a young girl
was standing there. Bateson walked forward. “Ms. Gallimore, I am Captain Morgan
Bateson. This is my first officer Commander Gabriel Bush.” He motioned to Bush,
“And this is-,”
“Hello
Derek,” Whitney said walking forward. They shook hands.
“I
see you already know Lieutenant Kestner,” Bateson said smiling.
“Sorry
sir,” she said to Derek.
“Derek would you please take her to her quarters?” Bateson
said fighting a losing battle from laughing.
“Aye
sir,” Derek said. “Follow me.”
Derek
led Whitney out of the Transporter Room and into the turbolift. “Deck nine,”
Derek said. The turbolift took them to their deck. Whitney followed Derek out
of the turbolift. He stopped at a door close to the lift.
“This
is your cabin,” he said. He handed her an info-padd. “This is your access code.
You enter it into the padd beside the door once then the computer will
recognize your bio-signature. You will also use it on the bridge at your
station. If you don’t have any questions I need to leave.”
He
waited to see if she had any questions. Instead she said, “Thank you sir.”
“Your welcome.” Derek turned and walked back to the
turbolift. The turbolift doors opened on the bridge. Derek walked down and took
his seat.
Bateson
cleared his throat and said, “Could I have everyone’s attention?” Everyone on
the bridge turned to look at Captain Bateson. “I just wanted to say that we
need to do everything to make Ms. Gallimore welcome. Thank you.”
Derek
went back to work. After awhile Bateson turned to
“Aye sir.”
In
only moments officers were coming through the turbolift doors to the bridge.
“We’re preparing to leave. I want everyone to stay sharp,” Bateson said. He
turned to Whitney. “Ms. Gallimore don’t worry about a
thing. We have good officers on this ship. If you have any questions just ask
one of them.”
“Aye
sir,” she said.
“Wizz
get me Space Dock.”
“Aye sir.” It took Wizz a moment then he turned around. “On speakers.”
“Space
Dock this is the
“
“Thank
you Space Dock.
“Aye sir. All moorings cleared,” Welch said.
“Very well, ahead one-quarter.”
“Aye sir.” The
So
starts the story of the U.S.S. Bozeman.
The
End