Blast from the Past

Posted on Sun Dec 19, 2021 @ 1:10pm by Commander John Logan

2,609 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: We Will Take Care of You
Location: Victory

Cmdr. John Logan
Intel Officer

Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit
Commanding Officer

John sat back on his hard wooden chair as he held his PADD in disbelief.
So much had happened over the past 8 years, none of which he could
disclose. He swiped through the pages of his new orders and sighed as
he saw who commanded the Victory. The Rhea he remembered had changed so much over the years he was John Murdock's protege. Logan was more like Murdock in today than 10 years ago when he first began working with Murdock. Everything he'd learned was hands on under the Commodore. He'd also become quite close with Hope, John and Rhea's daughter. He wondered how Rhea would react when seeing his transfer orders.

Starfleet had held the transfer orders, at his request. The first Rhea
would hear of his assignment would be as he handed her the orders. He
looked forward to seeing her again. It wasn't only Murdock who he'd
learned from. Rhea was Murdock's Executive. Seeing the two of them in
action was like watching a well-orchestrated symphony. The harmony in which they commanded, was seamless. Those were impressionable years for Logan. He'd just been promoted to Lt.jg and had been hand selected by Murdock. Logan was offered many opportunities to work under different leaders, but he stood by Murdock's side, growing his rank and learning from the best. There were many unknowns for Rhea as to the disappearance of the Dark Victory, John Murdock, Hope and Logan. They were all assumed dead or at least, MIA.

Now, Logan was alive. He knew how that would play on Rhea's mind. He knew that she had to move on from the life she once embraced. Sadly, she did just that. She was always a tough nut to crack and an even tough CO, but after the disappearance of her family and the Dark Victory, Rhea became cold, strategic in her ways and very much a rebel. She took on every tough assignment. She dared fate to knock her down. She'd encountered so much and led the charge. But John Logan knew that his return would be tougher than anything she'd encountered, no matter how well she appeared to handle it. He was about to open old wounds. He was about to relight a flame of hope that if he was alive, so would Murdock and Hope. He knew there would be many questions, but his orders were clear. He had to stick with the cover story and those, came directly from his CO. He had a job that had to be done. A job that required time manipulation. It was the butterfly effect that Logan was charged to redirect. Even mentioning this to Rhea or her crew would have unknown implications that could alter reality.

Logan and his crew had experienced the "Mandella
effect". Their life was plagued with it. Often, it was hard to keep
straight what was and was not. This was no different. Failure to make
the right changes at the right time could have consequences that were
unthinkable. No, he had to stick with the cover story. He was found
barely alive on a moon along a trade route. He was unconscious and
naked. The cargo crew who recovered him helped nurse him to health
until they could get him to proper medical facilities. From there,
Starfleet stepped in and helped him recover, but his memory was wiped.
Yes, he had to stick to the cover story, no matter how much he wanted to
give Rhea a firm hug and tell her everything she wished to be true.
Instead, he was to be a blank slate. He had to act confused when she
saw him. After all, this was his first time meeting the Fleet Captain.
Her reputation preceded her, but that's all he could know. To
mislead... even lie, to someone he cared deeply for, crushed him. Maybe
someday the truth could be revealed, but if he was successful, none of
that would matter anyway. It was this thought that helped him to be
cold and determined. After all, isn't that what Intelligence Officers
were known for?

It was time. The shuttle to the Victory was departing. Logan focused on the mission at hand and compartmentalized his thoughts. He got into his "character" and boarded the shuttle. He didn't pay attention to the travel time and soon found himself grabbing his gear and stepping off the shuttle onto the platform. He transported onto the Victory and
greeted the Chief. "Permission to come aboard"? He placed his head
against the retinal scanner as the Chief welcomed him onto the Victory.

"Shall I alert the CO of your arrival?".

"No", Logan said. "It's been
a long time; I'd like to surprise her after I wash up and stow my gear".

“Aye, Commander. Deck E, 21". Logan exited the room and headed to his assigned room.

"Computer, where is Captain Kennit?".

"Fleet Captain Kennit is currently on the bridge in the ready room".

Logan changed into the Victory’s Intelligence Uniform and made his way to the bridge. As the lift doors opened, he was quickly greeted by the guard and brief introductions followed. "I need to check in with the Skipper", he said softly. "Right this way, sir."

The door chimed for the ready room. Logan, now fully in character, waited for Rhea's command to enter.

Since coming on duty that morning, the Captain had been busy with status reports and meetings overseeing the on-going upgrade work being done to the Victory’s shields and ablative armor systems. The shield upgrades were on schedule, and expected to be ready for testing and system certification in four more days. The application of the bio-resin to the ablative armor was slightly behind schedule, which was a problem. She’d pushed through a request for additional work crews to be assigned to the task to get them back on schedule and insure that the job was completed on time. Starship’s were meant to be in space. Not sitting in a space dock moored in place with docking umbilicals.

After returning to the ship from the meetings she’d attended, the Captain had been working on a multitude of items needing her attention. New crew reports, training simulations to keep the ship’s crew in peak condition to work with one another, and the usual issues when the ship was in port somewhere with some of the crew enjoying their time off on the station just a little too much. She’d removed her jacket, taking a seat at her desk with the jacket neatly hung from a hanger and peg on the back bulkhead.

Currently, she was ignoring the lunch which had been brought up in favor of reading the newest report to reach them from the Alpha Quadrant relating to the rising level of resources and effort bring expended to aid the Romulan Star Empire in their efforts to evacuate the Romulan home world and colonies which lay within the danger zone of the impending supernova of the Romulan star. The report included the latest data which had been cleared for release relating to the star’s coming explosive demise.

The scientist in her was puzzled to put it mildly. What had happened to this star to take it to this point so quickly? How could the Romulan’s have missed the signs that their star was this close to its end? Had they really just kept it quiet until the truth could no longer be hidden? The latest sensor information included data on the amount of neutrino’s being emitted from the massive dying star. It was expected that there would be a massive outburst of neutrinos from the star followed within hours, or perhaps minutes by the blast as the star’s massive core collapsed sending shockwaves through it’s bloated form and tearing it apart.

The evacuation effort was in full swing, the shipyards at Mars working round the clock to complete ships capable of moving refugee’s out of the danger zone to safety. And throughout the Federation, rising political opposition to the expenditure of so many resources was creating another storm of it’s own.

She was reading a summary of a report written by Commander Geordie LaForge, who along with Admiral Picard had left the Enterprise and was overseeing the shipyard construction efforts when motion at the corner of her eyes drew her attention outside her ship, and she rose to watch through the viewport as a work transport unit moved into position to begin the application of more of the bio-resin to a new section of the Victory’s ablative armor along the hull. She could also see one of the umbilicals currently holding her ship in place inside the dock. It was a thick, ugly thing.

Behind her, the door chime sounded. Without turning, she called out “Enter!”

The door opened, and as she started to turn one of the work lights outside the ship briefly swept across the hull and illuminated the Ready Room so that she appeared in profile. Trim, fit and muscular, her arms bare in the sleeveless tunic top she wore beneath her uniform jacket. Her hair pulled back in a neat loose ponytail, Fleet Captain Kennit did not look to be her age of 58. She looked to be in her mid 30s, didn’t look as if she’d aged at all from the days when she served as Commodore Murdock’s First Officer.

The moment she saw him, her expression changed from one of command authority to alarmed disbelief. Her face paled and she gasped, dropping the data PaDD she’d been holding and lifting her hand to her mouth covering a sharp gasp of shock. She was looking at a ghost.

Logan, knowing the look in Rhea's face, forced himself to show no emotion and stepped forward. Handing Rhea his transfer orders, he stood at attention. "Captain, I'm John Logan. I was ordered to report to the Victory as the Intelligence Officer. Reporting as ordered, sir."

Logan stood at attention, not looking at her but instead straight ahead.

The shock in her eyes shifted as he spoke, the brief glimpse into the woman in his memories vanishing to be replaced by someone else. The depths of her eyes held a deep, burning intensity which rose swiftly in the silence after he stopped speaking.

She was talking him in. Everything about him. His words. His posture. The fact that he was obviously not meeting her gaze.

For a long series of heartbeats she didn’t speak. Didn’t look at the PaDD with his orders. Didn’t move at all. Then, her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly at the same time as that glimmer of fire in her gaze turned into an inferno of black fire. When she spoke her voice was as soft as raw silk yet within the soft pitched words was deep emotion, colder than that of deep space. “No.”

She tossed the PaDD containing his orders to her desk where it landed with a clatter and slid a short distance before coming to rest. “Eight years ago I took part in a massive search operation, looking for the USS Dark Victory, a ship which you were aboard following its disappearance. Despite all the ships searching, not a trace of her was found.”

She stepped closer to him, taking no action yet that simple step somehow menacing as she continued, “Now you show up here. In my Ready Room. Acting as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened, but refusing to look me in the eyes.” Her voice cracked with her next words, her emotion raw and powerful. “What then hell happened eight years ago? Where are they? Where is my daughter? Where is my husband? Where is my family!?l”

It was a military code of conduct to not look the CO in the eyes until placed at ease. Logan continued to look forward and placed a puzzled look on his face. "Sir? I'm not certain how to respond to your question. Who is your family? Your daughter? The USS Dark Victory? My orders direct me to report to the USS Victory as its intel officer."

She was silent for a long moment. Just watching him. He refused to look at her, even though she was most certainly looking closely at him. His lips pressed together. His pupils were enlarged, not incredibly so but too much for the light in the room. The pitch of his voice was off as well. Subtle, but there.

“I don’t need an Intel officer,” she said in a soft but hard voice. “Especially not one who starts off with dishonesty. Try again.”

Logan continued to stand at attention, remaining silent for a moment. "Captain, permission to speak freely?"

“By all means. Please proceed.” She answered.

Logan paused slightly and began speaking with a hint of annoyance in his tone, as the moment demanded. Logan didn't work for Kennit. He worked for the Admiral. He was sent to fill the Victory's opening but his assignment was a loan. He had a level of autonomy. He would serve under Fleet Captain Kennit, but rank aside, his CO was the Admiral. "I have been ordered to report to the Victory by Fleet Admiral Thomas Sheridan, to serve as your CIO. If you would rather have a different officer assigned, that is at the Admiral's discretion and you can take that up with the Admiral. The orders are on the Padd.”

He paused and looked her in the eye. This was difficult for him, because this was a woman he cared for and had served with in the past. He wanted to embrace her and give her details of the last 8-years. But, if his assignment, given by the Commodore and executed by the highest level of the Federation was to be successful, he was not permitted to reveal any part of it.

"Captain, I don't believe we have met before. I don't know what you are asking of me about your daughter or the past 8 years. I'm sorry. I wish I could provide you with the answers you seek. As I have stated, I'm reporting as ordered, to serve on the Victory as CIO. I do understand the awkwardness if you didn't request a CIO, but again, that would be a discussion with the Fleet Admiral. My orders stand as noted, unless directed otherwise by command."

Logan knew Rhea couldn't refuse and he knew she would hate the idea of not having the control. It was the only card he could play at the moment until she was able to fully absorb the moment and come to terms with his arrival. The transfer orders explained how Logan came to be and explained that he was found with a case of partial amnesia due to traumatic injury a few years ago. He needed to stand by the cover story, as much as he wanted to fill her in. These were the Commodore's orders.

"Is there anything else Captain?"

She stared at him. Her gaze hard and unforgiving. “No. You are dismissed.”

Then, as he turned to leave she spoke in a low, soft voice. Speaking in a dead language she said “Dimitte me ut mendacium. Numquam semel in fide perdendi ignoscere.”

Logan spoke softl as he exited, ::good to see you too::.

Logan entered the bridge and made his way to the intel console. He knew most of the Victory's accomplishments. He sent an encrypted signal to his CO and would only occasionally provide mission updates.

=/*\=

 

RSS Feed