T-Minus 52 hours

Posted on Tue Feb 15, 2022 @ 11:02pm by Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit & Commander Cullen Walker & Commander John Logan & Lieutenant Commander Zachary Addams & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot & Lieutenant JG Aergad Halvor & Lieutenant JG Ardal King

1,968 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: We Will Take Care of You
Location: DQ 8 & USS Victory

Starbase DQ 8
Spacedock Maintenance Facility
Operational Control Center

From his duty station at the systems status board, Ensign Bruce O’Conner was trying to manage the work schedules for the two science ships which were in port for routine maintenance to make some sort of progress while both ships were moved to a reduced workforce schedule in order to complete work on the USS Victory.

Both commanding officers were currently in the Chief’s office, expressing themselves. Captain Hiriam Yoran of the USS Nathan James was threatening to file a complaint about the delay in completing the upgrades to their sensor systems meant to allow the ship to better scan the proto-star identified in the Gallae Nebula which was expected to undergo the initial burst of fusion deep within the heart of the boiling, seething ball of superheated plasma, dust and gas to form a brand new star. Captain Martin Davis of the USS Bainbridge was equally distressed, demanding that the work crews pulled from the repair to his ship’s damaged port nacelle in order to focus on the completion of the work being done to the USS Victory. The ‘discussion’ going on in the Chief’s office had been going now for almost an hour.

Ensign O’Conner was at that moment, deeply regretting his choice to join Starfleet instead of becoming a veterinarian who specialized in cattle and horses like his father. He’d hoped for an exciting posting on a starship, somewhere out where the action was. Not to be sent to a starbase just about as far away from anywhere as they could have sent him. Right now, he’d rather be arm deep up a cow’s backside to pull a calf than dealing with this.

And the day was about to get worse.

At the end of the corridor, the turbolift doors parted and She stepped out.

Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit was, without a doubt, one of .. if not the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. To actually meet her was in and of itself a bit of a stunner. O’Conner had studied some of her past missions while in the Academy. Kennit, along with Commodore John Murdock (her husband) had faced some truly astonishing situations. The two of them were used as case studies in tactical theory as well as combat strategy. O’Conner knew how old she was, she didn’t look it. He remembered when Murdock’s ship had gone missing, that she’d led the search operation to find them. And that she’d left Starfleet when the search was called off, only to return when a quartet of Borg vessels had been detected heading for a Federation colony world near the Romulan Neutral Zone. She’d led the defensive response to hold the Borg off and had not only succeeded, they’d destroyed three of the four massive ships with the fourth retreating by means of a trans warp conduit to flee. The study of that battle had fascinated him and he wondered at the time how a woman who was so slender in appearance had led such a savage fight.

He didn’t wonder that anymore after meeting her. Beautiful, without a doubt. But she could go from beautiful to terrifying in the blink of an eye. One day ago, she’d appeared at his station. A soft smile on her face, she’d requested to speak with Chief Byrde about getting her ship’s last details completed on an expedited schedule. The Chief had originally told her he couldn’t do it, that he didn’t have the man power to get her ship ready to depart within 30 hours because of the other ship’s also in port for repairs.

The look in her eyes had gone hard. O’Conner wasn’t sure exactly what it was she’d done. She’d leaned over and entered a series of commands into the computer console on the Chief’s desk. Whatever had come up on the screen had made the Chief swallow hard, his eyes wide. Then, all he’d said was “Yes Ma’am. We’ll get it done.”

She’d smiled again, this time the expression somehow chilling. “See that you do Chief.”

And she’d left. But now, there she was. This time dressed in an all black uniform, signifying her association with Starfleet Intelligence and if rumor was true, that she was part of the whispered Section 31.

Kennit didn’t even look at him as she walked past his station and into the Chief’s office. Just before the doors closed, he heard her say in that soft, dangerous voice “Gentlemen. I understand there is a problem?”

===

USS Victory
Bridge

The Captain’s visit to the station had taken less than an hour, and as she returned to the Bridge and stepped out from the lift she walked across to the center seat. “Lt. Naroot. Dock control has assured me that the last of the work crews will be finished within the next 3 hours time. We are now clear to disengage from dock power, so lets get to work and start bringing our own warp drives back online and making that happen. As soon as the last of the work crews have completed the final certification checks and departed the ship, I want to get underway with no further delays.”

"Yes, Ma'am," Penny said, excited to finally get going. "Beginning power up checks." She sent a message to Engineering and began the checklist. She'd already been going through most of it. With a little luck they'd be ready to go long before three hours.

“XO.” She said next. “What’s the current status on the inbound ship? We still have approximately 52 hours before they reach this sector based on the last readings, is that ETA still accurate?”

Walker nodded and checked the scans, "Course, Trajectory, and Speed are consistent with last scan."

“Keep a close eye on them, and if anything changes, I want to know immediately,” Kennit told him.

Walker asked, "Should we assume they are hostile?"

She nodded, sighed, then activated the comm. “Bridge to Sickbay. Dr. Addams, we will be departing space dock in approximately 3 hours. Is Sickbay ready in the event of hostile action in the near future?”

"Aye, Captain. Sickbay is stocked up and battened down," Doctor Addams voice said over the comm system. "Just need to find my lucky tricorder and we'll be good to go."

“Good to hear it Doctor.” Kennit replied. “Let’s hope you’re as ready as you think you are. Bridge out.”

Closing the comm channel, Kennit turned toward the XO and said “Mr. Walker. You have the conn. I have some business on the station which needs to be completed prior to departure. It shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes. I’ll be back quickly.”

The Captain exited the bridge, and quickly headed to the transporter room where she beamed over to the station.

[Deep Space 8
Promenade Deck
The Zocalo Lounge]

Entering the bar, Kennit walked over to where the bartender stood polishing the faux wood bar top and took a seat. “What can I do for you Captain?” The tall man asked.

“We’re heading out shortly,” she said. “It’s a tradition. Shot of Fireball whiskey. Straight up.”

The barkeep just nodded. “Yes ma’am. Coming right up.”

Kennit looked over at the video display on the wall above the bar, a news report was playing. Something about rising unrest back in the Alpha Quadrant related to the pending supernova of the Romulan Star.

::Well,” she thought as she watched, listening to the reporter babbling away speaking to some Federation Council spokesperson who was spending a great deal of time talking about absolutely nothing at all. ::At least we know it hasn’t gone off just yet. Or,:: she mentally amended. ::It hadn’t gone off when this was recorded.::

Some part of her, the part of her which had once been a very enthusiastic science officer, really wanted to go back to the Alpha Quadrant. Wanted to be aboard a science vessel, watching and studying every moment of the star’s demise. Reality however, told her that going back there wasn’t an option. She’d tried. The Lord knew, she’d tried.

The bartender returned, sliding a napkin down on the polished bar with a flourish followed by flipping the shot glass in a spinning display before neatly placing it in the center of the napkin and pouring a healthy splash of the rich cinnamon liquor into the glass. “Nice..” she told him with a smile and a wink as she pressed her thumb to the payment marker on the PaDD he held.

“Have a safe journey Captain. Back in the day what was it they said on Earth? Fair winds and following seas..” he answered with a nod toward a painting of a tri-masted clipper at sea which rested in a place of honor behind him.

She just smiled, picking up the shot glass and taking a drink. The rich, cinnamon sweet burn of the liquor rolled across her tongue and she savored it for a moment before swallowing. Damn but that was some good stuff.. Watching the bartenders retreating back, she said softly “If only…”

Kennit watched the news report a moment longer, then knocked back the rest of her drink in a swift swallow. Flipping the shot glass upside down, she placed it with a thump on the bar and picked up the napkin to wipe her lips. “If only..” she repeated again as she rose from the bar stool she’d sat down on and exited the bar.

She waited for the turbolift to arrive, then entered. A civilian was present, by his clothing she guessed he was a crew member on one of the civilian freighters which was in port. She didn’t speak, waiting silently until he’d stepped out and then, when the doors closed she made a slight movement with her tongue and flipped the small data chip which had been floating in her drink to her lips where she retrieved it with thumb and forefinger. Looking at it, she tucked it into a small hidden cache pocket in the wrist of her jacket and returned to the Victory.

[USS Victory - Bridge]

Stepping out of the turbolift and onto the Bridge, Kennit said “See? Told you I’d be back.. don’t look so disappointed. I’ll be in the Ready Room if anything comes up that I need to know about..”

Entering her Ready Room, she walked to her desk and sat down. Opening her desk drawer, she removed a small device which she connected to a PaDD and then, plucking the data chip from her sleeve she wiped it off to ensure it was dry then inserted into the specialized reader and waited. When the PaDD display requested it, she entered a series of complicated codes in order to decrypt and access the data on the chip. When the reports appeared, she frowned slightly as she read, making a point to commit the information to memory.

Rhea read through the report sent to her by Admiral Bennett three times, until she was certain the data it contained was firmly committed to memory and then, she used her thumbnail to snap the chip in half after retrieving it from the reader then disposed if it in her small office replicator, erasing it from existence. Leaning back in her chair, she gazed out the window at the side of the station dock still holding her ship for the moment, her thoughts on the ship approaching them, on the pending death of the Romulan star, and on the reappearance of John Logan.


~*~

 

RSS Feed