The beeping from the console beside his bed awoke him. Bleary eyed he yawned and slapped at the console until the light went away, and a voice spoke:
"Sorry for waking you, Commander, but Admiral Newman has requested to speak with you."
Commander Cory Rypkema coughed and stretched.
"Alright, I'll be there in a bit." He said, shutting off the console and climbing out of bed.
Two minutes later he straightened his uniform one last time and checked himself over in the mirror.
He nodded to himself, and then walked out the door.
He proceeded down the hallway of the Starbase, until he got to the Admiral's conference room.
"Security Clearance Required" The console squawked.
Cory placed his hand on the sensor, and then waited.
"Confirmed. Commander Cory Rypkema. USS Tarsonis, Tactical Officer."
The door slid open and Cory stepped in. There where eight other staff officers assembled. Cory quickly looked at their rank badges, and counted Three Admirals, Four Captains, and a Marine Colonel who had his boots up on the table and was leaning back in his chair.
"Have a seat, Commander. Excuse Colonel Decker's bad manners." Fleet Admiral Jack Newman smiled then motioned him to an empty seat at the far end of the table.
Decker rolled his eyes and yawned, reading a PADD.
Cory sat, nervously, in the chair and waited.
"Relax, Commander." A Captain sitting beside him said, smiling warmly.
Cory shifted uncomfortably in his chair and said nothing,
"Captain Amanda Walker. I command the Deception." She offered him her hand.
Cory shook it. "One of the new batch of Akiras? I thought you where on the front line?"
Walker shook her head. "Recalled for repairs."
"So, what are we waiting for?" Cory asked.
Walker laughed. "You're very nervous aren't you?"
"When you're the most junior officer here, and have no idea what's going on, that tends to happen." Cory replied.
Walker counted heads then said, "We're waiting for two more Commanders actually, then we can start."
Cory managed to relax a bit amongst conversation with Captain Walker.
"I'm from Vancouver actually, big city in Canada." Cory said.
"I'm from Minnesota, myself. You like baseball at all Commander?" She asked.
Cory grinned. "Its an obsession. If baseball hadn't lost most of its popularity, I would've probably gone into that sort of career instead of Starfleet."
Walker nodded, understanding. She was about to speak again when two more officers walked in through the door.
Cory's grin was wide when he recognized the two twin brothers, Orion and Elijah Solomon.
They both waved, and then sat down in the remaining seats, beside him and Captain Walker.
"Long time no see. Why are you two here?" Cory was happy to see his two old friends from back home.
"Got called in. I was guarding a shipyard, Orion was out blowing up some Dominion outpost." Elijah said, sighing.
Orion grinned. "I always get the fun stuff."
Cory nodded, remembering that Elijah and Orion where the Tactical Officers on their respective ships. Cory had known them since he was eight.
Captain Walker shook hands with both of them. "Friends of yours?" She asked Cory.
"Very old friends. I've known them since I was eight. They're extremely immature."
The twins frowned. "We've grown up."
Cory coughed into his fist several times. All four officers laughed.
Admiral Newton cleared his throat and stood, drawing everyone's attention.
"Now, first matter. Commanders Rypkema, Solomon and Solomon, please stand."
The three men stood. Cory tried to stand upright.
"You can have some formal ceremony when the war's over if you want. But right now, I'm pleased to promote all three of you to Captain, give you commands, and assign you to the new battle group I am organizing at this meeting."
All three blinked at each other.
"Wow." Orion said.
The Admiral's aide handed them their new rank pips, which they pinned onto their collars.
"Please sit, Captains." Admiral Newman smiled.
The three beaming men sat down.
"Now, as I've said, I am organizing a new battle fleet. Its mission will be subject to change, but at the moment, we will be guarding the shipyards orbiting Earth, as our defences are a little strained, with most of our ships fighting the Dominion." He said, pausing to take a breath.
A few officers groaned.
Newman chuckled. "I know, babysitting some shipyards, isn't the idea of an interesting assignment, but note that we are a Battle Group, so we may see some action."
Cory shrugged. He'd rather have a command babysitting shipyards, as the Admiral put it, then be a Tactical Officer escorting supply convoys, which was his previous assignment aboard the Tarsonis.
"The other Admirals here are just my advisors. I'm advising the Captains of the vessels in groups as they arrive. There will be…" He checked his PADD, then continued; "25 ships in this fleet. I will be in command aboard the Reaper, my beautiful Sovereign Class ship. Our three new commanders will be given fresh Akira vessels, details on your PADDs, gentlemen."
Cory looked down at the information now on his PADD. He was commanding a ship christened the USS Raptor. Most of the crew had served on at least one ship before, though there where several new raw crewmen that he would have to watch out for. The Akira in itself was an impressive ship. 12 Type Ten Phaser Arrays, 4 Quantum torpedo launchers, shield strength of 7.5, and a max speed of Warp 9.2
He scrolled down the list of the other ships in the fleet, found his twin friends also commanding powerful Akira warships, and then looked back up at the Admiral.
"We move out tomorrow morning. Our three new Captains may want to get acquainted with their new crews, so we will end this meeting before I bore you all to death with details. I'm going to save that for my advisors." He winked then dismissed them.
Cory walked out, with the twins behind him.
"After you, Captain Solomon." Elijah said, bowing.
"No, No, I insist, after YOU, Captain Solomon." Orion said, bowing as well.
Cory shoved them both aside, but couldn't keep a boyish grin off his face as he walked in front of both of them.
"How rude. A Starfleet Captain should be more polite." Orion said.
Cory grinned again and shook his head, walking off towards Bay 19.
***
Chapter Two: USS Raptor
***
Cory stood at the hatch leading to the hangar bay of the Raptor, which was still hooked up to Bay 19, undergoing final modifications. He looked out the viewport. It was magnificent. Brand new, no marks on the paint or dings on the hull. He smiled and walked over to the hatch.
"Level Five Clearance Required." The computer said.
Cory sighed and placed his hand on the scanner.
"Identity Confirmed. Captain Cory Rypkema. USS Raptor."
The door slid open noisily and Cory walked down the long corridor into the hangar bay.
Two squadrons of fighters stood neatly lined up. Three engineers where checking that they where secure. They saluted when they saw him enter, and then quickly left.
A man who walked with the air of a seasoned officer walked towards him, and then saluted.
"Commander Rick Harper reporting for duty, sir." He said.
"What position are you filling on my ship, Commander?" Cory asked.
"I'll have the honour of being your First Officer, sir." Harper said smoothly.
Cory laughed. "Then as your first act, you can take me on a tour of this wonderful warship."
After a tour and inspection of the crucial parts of the ship, Harper led Cory to the bridge.
"Captain on the Bridge." A dull Vulcan voice echoed from a corner.
"At ease." Cory said, his eyes taking in every inch of the room.
"Meet the rest of the crew, sir?" Harper made it a question.
Cory smiled and nodded.
Harper pointed at the Vulcan. "Our Science, Astrometrics and Sensors Officer: Lieutenant Commander T'prel."
T'prel saluted, Cory waved it down. "No formalities, people. Be at ease, we're off duty, and I don't think I want to be known as some strict, ill tempered Captain who snaps at his officers if they slouch."
All the officers, who seemed to be quite tense, relaxed a bit after that.
"Lieutenant Commander Alex Gordon is our Tactical and Security officer." Cory shook hands with the big man who said he was from Texas.
"Next, our pilot, Lieutenant Tash Parker." Harper gestured to the woman who gave him a smile.
Cory nodded.
Harper spoke again; "I'll introduce you to the Doctor and our Engineering chief later, neither of them are on board yet."
"I'm looking forward to serving with you all." Cory said, and then left the bridge quietly.
"Opinions about our new Captain?" Harper asked.
T'prel shrugged. "He will suffice."
Tash laughed. "He'll have to do more then suffice, T'prel."
Alex leaned back against the wall. "He's nervous. It's his first command, so I can't really blame him. And I looked up his file. Apparently he has trouble getting along with people."
Harper frowned. "You really are nosey, you know."
***
Observation Deck: USS Raptor
***
Cory leaned back in the chair and took another sip of his brandy. The stars where still, as the Raptor was still hooked up to the station, waiting for final personnel to board.
The observation deck was a good place for someone to sit and be with their thoughts. That was what Cory needed right now. He had no idea why he had been promoted to Captain. One of the most important things about being a Captain was to get along with your crew.
Cory had never had more then a few friends, and was usually considered a loner. He had focused on developing his career rather then his personal life during childhood.
He had graduated first in his class, and had been assigned to an old Excelsior refit vessel. The Vanguard had been destroyed while on patrol along the Federation/Romulan border. They never did find out what destroyed the ship, but Cory and seventy-eight others survived.
Cory heard the door whoosh open silently, and frowned.
"Can I help you?" He said without turning around.
"Oh, sorry, am I intruding?" The voice was female.
"No, not at all. I was just thinking." Cory said quietly.
She took a seat on a chair, and seeing Cory's rank pips, jumped up again.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't realize who you where." She stammered.
Cory smiled lightly. "Relax. Sit down."
She sat, very tensely, watching him.
"Who are you?" Cory asked.
"Lieutenant Amanda Solrys sir. I was assigned to the Peregrine squadron onboard."
"Captain Cory Rypkema." He said, finally looking over at her.
She flushed when their eyes made contact and stared at her shoes. A flicker of recognition entered her eyes as she did shot her head back up.
"Wait a minute…" She started.
Cory frowned. Her face was familiar.
"Were you onboard the Vanguard?" She asked.
"Yes, I was the Tactical Officer." He said, finally realizing where he had seen her. She had been one of the reserve helm operators, not on duty during the attack, but obviously one of the survivors.
She nodded. "I transferred into Fighter Command after that. I lost a lot of friends on that ship."
Cory would've said, "So did I", but it would have been a lie. He had been the Tactical Officer for only two weeks, and had distanced himself from everybody. He was bad with people now, but he was terrible back then. So instead he just nodded.
His comm badge suddenly chirped. "Harper to Captain Rypkema."
Cory tapped it. "Go ahead Commander."
"We're all ready to leave Captain. Orders are to head out and join the fleet. I assumed you would want to be on the bridge when we did." Harper said.
"Acknowledged." He stood. "We'll continue this conversation later, I've got to get to the bridge."
"Okay, see you around." She said, as Cory walked out of the room.
***
Bridge: USS Raptor
***
"Raptor to Control, we are ready to depart. Please release the docking clamps." Commander Harper said.
"Acknowledged Raptor. Have a safe flight." As the operator spoke, Cory gripped his chair as the ship rumbled.
The twelve docking clamps that held the sparkling new ship in place retracted, and Lt. Parker kept the Raptor in place with minimal thrusters.
"Set a course for Earth, Lieutenant." Cory said, relaxing slightly in the command chair.
"Course laid in sir." Tash said.
"Engage." Cory said, with a grin.
The crew laughed as the ship lurched forward, the impulse engines powering up for the first time.
"How long until we get to Earth?" Cory asked.
T'prel answered; "Our ETA is approximately One hour, twenty-seven minutes, nineteen seconds, Captain."
Cory rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Commander."
***
CHAPTER 3: The 13th Battle Fleet
***
Admiral Jack Newman anxiously paced the bridge. A few of his officers thought he would wear a rut in the carpet with all his pacing. But he had a right to be nervous. He had seen most of the ships in his new fleet where arriving in bunches, and four where still unaccounted for. The Raptor, Deception, Nightingale and Phoenix, four of his Akira cruisers, had still not entered Earth's orbit.
"Lieutenant, any word from them?" He asked for the tenth time in the last ten minutes.
The officer sighed, but not loud enough for the Admiral to notice. "No sir. Sensors have not seen them enter the Earth system yet."
Admiral Newman sighed.
***
Bridge: USS Raptor
***
"Good to see you, Captain Walker." Cory said. The woman on the viewscreen smiled.
"We left about two minutes before you, and decided we would wait. The Admiral told us to travel in groups, just in case." She said.
"Well, let's not have him worry. We'll follow your lead." Cory said.
T'prel suddenly called out "Captain, incoming vessels."
"Yeah, we see them too." Walker said.
"Hail them." Cory said.
A sneering human came on screen. "Surrender and prepare to be boarded!"
Cory blinked. "How many ships, T'prel?"
"Four, sir. They are of unknown configuration. These would seem to be pirates."
"Hurry up, Captain. Lower your shields or we will open fire!" The pirate's voice was shaky.
"I don't respond well to threats." Cory said darkly, glaring at the pirate.
Then he frowned, realizing that his shields weren't even up in the first place.
"Lieutenant Gordon, get a torpedo lock on the lead ship." Cory said.
"They're breaking off sir. All four of them are running. Should we pursue?"
Cory shook his head. "Continue on our set course, Lieutenant Parker."
"That was weird, wasn't it? Pirates, not realizing our shields aren't even up, and then running at first sign of a weapons lock? Sounds like a test from our dear Admiral." Walker said over the channel suspiciously.
Cory frowned. "Maybe. We'll have to ask him when we get to Earth."
***
In orbit over Earth.
***
Admiral Newman's relieved face amused Cory slightly. He seemed genuinely worried that they had not made it. The Phoenix and the Nightingale had come in together seconds before the Deception and the Raptor, so everyone was accounted for.
"We did come across some strange pirates though, Admiral. They told us to lower our shields, but we hadn't even raised them yet. Then they ran at the first hint of a weapons lock on them." Cory said, raising an eyebrow.
The Admiral whistled innocently.
Walker and Cory laughed. It had been a test.
"Well, no matter. Everyone is here, so I can tell you all that the mission has been altered. We're going to protect some shipyards near the Dominion border. They haven't been hit too hard, but the defences there are a little strained, so we might as well help them out. Courses are being sent to your helmsmen." Newman said.
"Helmswomen…" Tash mumbled.
Cory was relieved at least they would be closer to the front lines, and possibly some action. And he remembered the other side of it. Death. He didn't want this crew to die like the Vanguard's crew. And if they did, he would feel even more responsible, because this time, he was the Captain.
"Let's get moving, Lieutenant. We don't want to be at the rear of the fleet do we?" Cory said.
"No, sir!" Tash said, and Cory felt the familiar lurch of the warp engines starting up.
"Proceeding to given course at Warp Six, sir." Tash said.
"Thank you, Lieutenant Parker."
The Raptor was right near the front of the group, behind a pair of Defiant class ships that where obvious escorts for Admiral Newman's Sovereign Class Reaper.
"Sir, there is a private message coming in for you from the Deception. Should I have it transferred to your office?" T'prel asked in his dull, droning voice.
"Yes, thank you, T'prel." Cory stood up and walked into the lavish office.
He leaned back in the chair and put his feet up.
Captain Walker's face appeared on the screen, she was also in her office.
"What can I do for you Captain Walker?" Cory asked.
She laughed. "Enough with the formalities. I think we can go to a first name thing now."
Cory shrugged.
"Well, straight to the point. Did you ask your helmsman wh-"
"Helmswoman." Cory interrupted. "She's very sensitive about that it seems."
Walker groaned. "Tash Parker?"
Cory nodded. "You know her?"
"One of those people who thinks women are still abused and not respected enough. Just never make any anti feminist jokes around her. She almost got prison time for hitting another officer." Walker sighed.
Cory blinked. "Wonderful. Thanks for the tip though."
"I'm surprised they would assign her to you. No offence." She added hastily.
Cory shook his head. "I know. Curious they would give me a nut case for two reasons. One, I'm new at this. Two, everybody knows, people aren't my strong point."
"You talk to me just fine." Walker said.
Cory shrugged. "You and the two goofballs are some of the few that I can get along with. So far no problems with the crew."
"That's good to hear. Now, back to my point. Did you ask Lieutenant Parker what system the course leads us to?"
"No." Cory scratched at the stubble on his face. He had forgotten to shave this morning.
"Well, it seems the shipyards we're guarding are in the Tel`Qata system." Walker said.
Cory frowned. "Why are we guarding Romulan shipyards?"
"I have no idea, and the Admiral tells me to keep my nose out." She replied, irritated.
"Well, I haven't heard much about it, except that it's a Romulan sector. Maybe there are some Federation shipyards there too." He said, trying to reason it out.
Walker shook her head. "No. Romulan and Federation shipyards in the same system? We'd have Tal`Shiar operatives crawling all over the Akira and Sovereign schematics, taking mechanics hostage, that sort of thing."
Cory nodded in agreement. "True. But can you think of any other explanation for it?"
Walker shrugged. "Oops, I have to go. My chief engineer is summoning me."
Cory laughed. "See you later."
He reached over and cut the connection, then leaned back in the chair again.
Cory's comm badge suddenly beeped.
"Captain, we are approaching our destination." T'prel said.
Cory responded by standing up and walking back through the door into the bridge.
"Are we within visual range?" Cory asked T'prel.
"Affirmative. However there are several vessels in front of us, our view of the system will be obstructed."
"On screen." Cory said.
The rear of the Reaper and its defiant escorts partially blocked the view, but Cory saw at least two shipyards. Both of them looked Federation.
Admiral Newman's voice came over the channel. "Break formation. We're too late."
"Sir? Too late for what?" Another Captain.
" To save these shipyards. Raise shields. Destroy any enemy vessels you find." Newman said, closing the channel.
Cory frowned. "Shields up, Red alert. I suppose we're going hunting."
"Captain, One Galor Class Cardassian warship bearing 220 mark 40." T'prel said, his Vulcan fingers flying over his console.
"Set an intercept course. Let the Admiral know what we're doing."
"Acknowledged. The Deception has pulled up behind us."
Walker wanted to tag along. Well that was fine with Cory. A Galor Class ship was no easy target, even for a vessel with the strength of an Akira.
"The Galor is firing!" Gordon yelled.
"Evasive manoeuvres Miss Parker. Mister Gordon, fire torpedoes, full spread." Cory was calmer in battle. Everything just seemed to flow.
Eight bright blue quantum torpedoes streaked out from the Raptor, with eight from the Deception a few seconds behind them.
The Galor's pilot was quite skilled and managed to steer the lumbering cruiser clear of seven of them, but the remaining nine slammed into its starboard shields. The protective bubble shattered as four torpedoes managed to break through and slam into the hull.
"Their shields are down, fire phasers at their engines!" Cory said.
The torpedoes had burned a hole right through the middle of the ship, and now focused phaser fire melted and destroyed the big ship's engines.
Within a few seconds it had already begun to drift.
"Nice shooting, Mister Gordon." Cory said. "Anything else out there, T'prel?"
Suddenly the Raptor lurched violently, throwing several crewmembers onto the floor.
T'prel managed to stay standing and yelled over the noise "Four Keldon Class ships have dropped out of warp and opened fire on us and the Deception!"
Just as Cory managed to get his footing again, something exploded on the left side of the bridge, throwing everybody to the ground again.
"Shields are at 35 percent! They are focusing their fire on one point!" T'prel was still the only standing officer.
"Don't you damn Vulcans ever fall over?" Harper grunted, pulling himself back into his seat.
"Return fire! All weapons!" Cory said.
Streams of torpedoes hit the front of the lead cruiser, the shields absorbed them all but flickered, and the ship started to roll, presenting undamaged shields.
"Heavy damage to their shields. No weapon hit them. The Deception is now opening fire and the Freedom and Vesuvius are coming to assist us."
Another violent explosion rocked the ship. Cory swatted at sparks that landed on his uniform and stung him.
"Damage report!" He yelled.
Harper pulled it up on his console. "We only have one operational torpedo bay, phasers are operational. Shields are down. Four hull breaches on deck eight. Seventeen wounded, no fatalities yet."
"Are our fighters launched?" Cory asked. The Raptor carried two squadrons of Peregrine attack fighters.
"No, sir you didn't order it yet."
"Shit! Launch them!" Cory swore again under his breath, knowing he wouldn't make that same mistake again.
24 Peregrine fighters launched out and joined the fray.
"Order them to concentrate their attacks on the Keldon's weapons." Cory said.
Harper pointed at his screen. "The Vesuvius is firing Tri-Cobalt torpedoes."
Gordon whistled. "Those things are na-as-ty."
Nasty they where. They fired from the Steamrunner's tubes in bursts, and slammed into the aft shields of the already damaged Keldon ship. They shredded through and three torpedoes detonated inside the engines.
A rippling explosion spun the Raptor end over end as fuel and other chemicals in the engine area of the Cardassian ship exploded, sending a small shockwave.
The ship rumbled again and this time an explosion behind the Tactical console sent Gordon flying over the front of it, to land in a crumpled heap.
Harper leapt over the back of his chair to check him.
T'Prel's voice was still so damn calm it was eerie. "Sir, our shields are down, and they are beaming commandos aboard." He drew his phaser.
Cory drew his as well, and Tash stood up, her weapon already in hand.
Harper stayed in a crouch, his phaser up as well, as four Cardassians transported into the bridge.
The whole bridge crew fired, taking down two. The other two, froze for a second, then dove, firing.
Cory fired two quick bursts then ducked behind the Tactical console. He heard a loud grunt then somebody hit the floor, Cory prayed it was a Cardassian.
Another Cardassian beamed aboard, but right in front of Cory, so he fired his phaser point blank, leaving a smoking hole in the alien's back.
Suddenly the firing stopped.
T'prel calmly spoke "They have been neutralized and the shields are back up, preventing any further intruders. The Cardassians are withdrawing."
Cory sighed and relaxed.
Suddenly he noticed Harper, crumpled on the ground beside Gordon, his chest barely rising.
"Dam nit! Get them both to sickbay! Emergency transport!" Cory yelled.
Blue beams whisked both the men off to sickbay.
Cory sat back down again and sighed.
***
Sickbay: USS Raptor
***
Cory met his Chief Medical Officer for the first time. She was Admiral Newman's niece, but obviously skilled in medicine.
"Gordon is fine. Harper is a different story. One of the bolts went almost clean through his arm, severing ligaments and muscles. I doubt he'll ever have full use of it again, unless we amputate and give him a prosthetic. The other two entered his gut, but I was able to heal that damage." She explained.
"He'll survive though?" Cory asked.
"Oh, yes, of course." Dr. Newman said.
Another officer he had not met came through the doors with a PADD.
Cory stared at him.
The man looked nervous suddenly. "Something wrong, sir?"
Cory shook his head. "I just haven't met you yet."
"Ah. Lieutenant Commander Martin Greer, sir. I'm your Chief Engineer, and this here is the damage report." He said.
Cory took it and quickly read it. Bad enough that they needed to be towed back to Starbase. While they had been fighting the Cardassians on the bridge, a barrage of torpedoes had slammed into the port nacelle, nearly ripping it completely off. Workers had placed metal plates to help hold it together, and a ship would be towing them to the spacedocks they had just saved. One week, they would be back on the road.
"Thank you, Commander, Doctor. I've been asked to come aboard the Reaper for debriefing." He nodded at them both then walked out.
***
Captain's Quarters: USS Reaper
***
Brandy, Captain? Admiral Newman asked, standing beside the replicator.
"Please." Cory said, taking a seat.
Admiral Newman replicated two glasses then sat down on the opposite side of the table, handing Cory a glass.
"Did we lose any ships?" Cory asked, breaking the silence.
"Unfortunately, yes. We lost the Vesuvius. It blew up with all hands aboard. It seems that after it crippled that Keldon ship, all the Cardassians wanted to do was destroy it. No survivors."
Cory sighed. "The Raptor will be ready to head back out in a couple of days, after they get the port nacelle back on."
More silence.
"Admiral, why where we protecting Federation shipyards in a Romulan controlled system? And since it was Romulan controlled, why where there no Romulans to help us out?"
Newman took a sip of his brandy. "On the other side of the planet we saw when we entered is a massive Romulan shipyard. The planet is full of valuable resources, and we share it. It's almost like a mini border in itself though. We get half, they get half. The fight happened on our side, and they didn't think it was necessary to give us a hand. Not that we really needed it. Only one ship lost, while we destroyed twenty four Cardassian vessels."
"There was no Jem'Hadar support?" Cory asked, surprised.
"Not with this force." Newman replied.
Cory downed half the glass of brandy, letting the replicated liquid trickle down his throat.
The Admiral paused for a second, then looked at Cory.
"How did you like your first taste of command?"
Cory thought about that for a few seconds. It had been a lot easier then he had thought. Nobody dead, but according to T'Prel, Harper was shipping home."
"I liked it." He said, downing the rest of his drink.
END