Chapter Title: Fires of Orion
Chapter Synapses: Part one of two. The former crew of the USS Destiny take their shakedown cruise aboard the starship Hyperion, and their mission is to save their captain, Victor Starwind, from the renewed Orion Syndicate.Ship's Counselor Amy West deals with command for the first time.
Written by: Seraph Koji
Snow breezed passed Victor Starwind's face as he trudged toward a Starfleet Communications Relay Station on the L-Class world of snow on the fringes of Federation space. He looked over his shoulder, and the fuzz of the standard Starfleet issue heavy coat, the wreckage of the shuttlecraft Rubicon was to far to see, even without the snow whipping through the air. It had been three months since he returned to his own dimension, and he had encountered a subspace anomaly on his trip back to Deep Space Nine to meet with Admiral Janeway as she had instructed. Rubicon hit this L-class world a short distance from the Relay Station… or at least Starwind thought it did. The ship's sensor array was damaged and he wasn't quite sure God it was cold. Starwind looked about and felt slightly nervous, he felt should've seen the Relay Station by now. He heard a blip from his comm. badge.
"Victor Starwind, we received your distress call, are you in need of assistance?"
Starwind sighed, hitting his badge. "Yes. My shuttlecraft crashed, can you transport me to Deep Space Nine?"
"We will beam you aboard."
"Thank you." Starwind dissolved in a ray of light.
Amy West stood on the bridge of the Hyperion at Deep Space Nine a good three days later. Starwind should have been back. Hyperion should be done with her shakedown and ready to load up for their first mission. None of this had happened. West sighed staring at the viewer as Janeway appeared on it.
"Commander West, better be ready for your shakedown cruise. We just got a ransom letter from the Orion Syndicate. They want a stockpile of weapons in return for the life of Captain Victor Starwind." Janeway said solemnly.
West stared at the viewer. She was a counselor. Sure, she had passed Command School in four months, but command of a ship when a life is actually on the line? "Admiral, we are missing our chief medical officer, not to mention a first officer, and Mister VonBach is hardly level-headed enough to command a ship…"
"That, Miss West, is why you will take command of Hyperion during her shakedown." Janeway smiled, "We know where Starwind's runabout, the Rubicon from DS9's manifest, was last spotted, and we know the planned drop-off point. You know that the Federation doesn't deal with terrorists, but seeing as Starwind is your commanding officer, we figure Hyperion could go and stage false negotiations with these so-called 'Reformed Orion Syndicate' reps and attempt a rescue. You will meet at these coordinates, and the coordinates of Starwind's shuttle wreckage will be transmitted to you. Also, Lieutenant Commander Winters and Doctor Rin Asim have been sent on a secretive, covert, mission, but when you get back, they'll be here. Now get going. Janeway out."
West slowly sat in the central chair on the sleek Cosmos class ship's bridge. "Edwards, send message to Deep Space Nine, tell them we are leaving. Talara, lower moorings and release docking clamps. Take us out at full impulse. Once we're clear of DS9, take us to the rendezvous coordinates at maximum warp." She paused, "All hands, this is the bridge. We are now beginning our shakedown cruise and on it we are to rendezvous with enemy ships and free a hostage. I am Commander Amy West, and I will be in command of this mission."
"Covert mission." VonBach, the tall muscular (very Arian) human man scowled from his position at Tactical.
"Mr. VonBach, any man who needs a Fusion Catalyst and a 'Fire all' key, both placed over an arm's length apart and requiring authorization codes to keep you from blowing to hell all innocent things off our bow, has not the diplomacy or delicate touch for a covert operation." West gazed over at him.
VonBach smiled a perverse smile, "You know what they say about men with big guns, ma'am."
"Yes I do," West paused, and her gaze returned to the viewer, "They're compensating, as they're lacking in 'other areas'." The bridge crew snickered, and VonBach fell silent. West added; "If I hurt your feelings by that, Mr. VonBach, since ego is not one of those 'other areas' for you, be sure to file an appointment with my office."
Across light-years of space, two people, one human woman wearing a pin that featured a blue and green sphere with a red 'Z' seemingly carved into it, the other a Bajoran man with dark unkempt hair, sat at a bar. The were dressed in clothes of poor freighter crewmen, though they were not. They were Starfleet Officers Sen Asim and Sarah Winters.
"Barkeep, a glass of, ah, what is it called, Volka?" Sen turned to Winters.
Winters sighed, "Vodka, on the rocks. As for me, one tankard of bloodwine." She looked at Sen, "Honestly, Asim, there are times I wish Cap'n Lancaster were still here. Drunk, he was great fun. At least to laugh at." She paused, "You don't hold liquor too well yourself."
"We need work, Sarah." Sen replied, changing subject as he took the glass from the bartender.
Sarah gratefully took the bloodwine from the bartender, "You'd think a nice Warp 7 smuggler ship would get more business these days."
Sen shot her a gaze, "Sarah!"
"Sen Asim, you realize we are sitting in a bar on one of the greatest rocks of ill repute in all of the Alpha Quadrant." Sarah laughed, "Hell, if there was a plan to rob the Federation blind, you could find heathens both damned and insane enough to do it here."
A neatly-dressed man walked up to them. He was Bollian, and had two Klingons standing with him, "Smugglers, eh?" The Bollian smiled, "I am Motte, and I could use services of a Warp 7 ship of the damned. That is, the Syndicate can. This is Ro'mah and Goren, my bodyguards, as it were, and my superior, Lazarian is his name, could use a transport for a recent hostage. A nice ransom is on his head, though, so you two better be damned good."
Winters smiled, sipping her bloodwine, "A hostage? Sounds like fun. The freighter in port, Zeon, its ours. See you there in fifteen minutes, Mr. Motte. Seems to be your lucky day, too, since Starfleet gunners don't have a hell of a lot on me, plus I can pilot well. Asim here is a man of medicine, and a thief. Not near as religious as others of his race, a real benefit in our line of work."
Motte smiled, "The Renewed Orion Syndicate is glad to have your help."
Maybe a day, maybe two, later, the Hyperion dropped out of warp in a binary system to meet with Starwind's captors.
"Acting Captain's Log, USS Hyperion, Commander Amy West recording. We have arrived at the appointed coordinates and await the Syndicate. Personally, I feel nervous about this, I mean, I'm a counselor, not a Captain. Hell, the only reason I got that stupid promotion and Command Privilege is to prove to Starwind that I could handle it, and to prove it to myself. I suppose this mission has served to tell me thus far that I can't. I already find myself nervous and indecisive. It's true, simulations can't begin to prepare you for real command. The sooner Captain Starwind is back in that big central chair the happier I can be."
West exited the Ready Room and entered the bridge. For a while she just stood there, staring down the two stars on the viewer. There was a rather uneasy silence as waiting began, but waiting soon ended when a small fleet of fighters and one old Federation freighter came out of warp.
"Open a channel to the lead ship." West ordered, and the face of a human man appeared on the viewer, "I am Commander Amy West of the Federation starship Hyperion."
"Lazarian," the man smiled a vile smile at West, "Of the Orion Syndicate. I trust, given our cargo, you won't open fire. Beam down to the third planet in the system at the following coordinates to discuss terms."
"Mr. Lazarian, you understand the Federation does not negotiate with terrorists and the like. We cannot meet the requests you made…" West paused, "That is, not publicly."
Lazarian smiled, "Miss West, I like your style. Beam down immediately. Lazarian out." His face left the viewer.
Talara nodded, "Well done, Commander."
"VonBach, you're with me. Talara, take us into a synchronous orbit, then you have the bridge." West briskly strode to the turbolift.
Three beams of light accompanied Hyperion's materializing away team, while Lazarian, Motte, Winters, and Sen already waited.
"Commander West, these are my associates, Mr. Motte, Mr. Sen, and Ms. Winters." Lazarian gestured to his people.
West similarly introduced her accompaniment, "This is Commander VonBach and Ensign Jameson."
Lazarian nodded, "On to business then. We don't want to hurt any of you, or our hostage Mr. Starwind, but we will if necessary. All we want are weapons."
"And with such weapons you'll procure other weapons?" West asked.
"That is none of your concern." Lazarian waved his hand, dismissing the notion.
"How do I know Captain Starwind is still alive?"
"How do I know you have my weapons, Commander?" Lazaran instantly replied.
West smiled, "I suppose you don't." West smiled, "Mr. Lazarian, would you care to return to Hyperion to discuss these maters?"
Lazarian shook his head, "You know I can't."
West pretended to think for a moment, "Then I'll send Commander VonBach to your convoy, Think of him as… collateral. If I don't return you, the Syndicate gets a second hostage. If I let you return to your ship, VonBach is returned to me."
"I'm touched that you trust me to return your crewmen this much."
"Honor among thieves, Lazarian."
Victor Starwind sat in a cell aboard the freighter. He looked rather disheveled, which seemed understandable since he had spent the last week being moved from Orion Syndicate holding cell to Orion Syndicate holding cell. He felt sick and annoyed at this point.
But after a week, company arrived, in the from of Commander VonBach, who was thrown in the cell with him by the Bolian man's Klingon bodyguards.
"How about you let us go now, Motte?" Starwind asked, sitting in the corner of the cell.
Motte smiled, "Let me think… no." Motte and his guards left the room.
"Are we being observed?" VonBach asked.
Starwind shook his head, "No, Sarah and Asim took care of that. Sadly, they can't provide an escape plan till they get the name of Lazarian's superior. That was their mission from Starfleet Intelligence."
"Lazarian isn't the boss?"
"No, he's just a figurehead. The Orion Syndicate is far more established and deep than we imagined." Starwind paused, "So, you got any bright ideas?"
"We'll need Asim and Sarah to help." VonBach shrugged, "They took all my weapons."
"Asim usually brings the meals, so we just have to wait a little while." Starwind sighed, "At any rate, at least Hyperion is here."
West and Lazarian sat at a table in one of Hyperion's lounge areas, the surface of the planet out the window beside them.
"Tell me more about your last raid." West laughed.
Lazarian smiled, "As much as I enjoy this, Commander, we do have business to get to… or do you never want to see your crewmen again?"
"C'mon Lazarian, a great guy like you, with fascinating stories and that oh-so-irresistible dark side, you can't tell me you aren't having fun." West flirted slightly, just enough to taunt the man, this was a delicate game which she played, and one miss-move could mean her life and the lives of Starwind and VonBach.
Sen and Winters met in her quarters on the freighter.
"Commander VonBach has a plan for escape, but that means we need to complete our mission now."
"Asim-"
"Counselor West is doing everything she can to distract Lazarian, but that can't last forever. We need to be ready to get the hell out of here as soon as possible." Sen said, desperately.
"I think Motte is getting suspicious." Winters reported, "So either way, our time is limited. Go to the bridge, search communication logs again, I'm going to hack the ship's computer on Lazarian's fighter and get access to his logs. Meet me at the holding cell in three hours, no matter if you have the info or not. Time to go home."
"Aye, ma'am." Sen left Winter's quarters.
"Can I get you anything to eat this evening?" a waitor asked West and Lazarian.
"I would kill for some Betazed Stalk Foul with a Raktajino." West ordered.
"I'll take a Terran hamburger." Lazarain smiled, "It's a delicacy."
"I grew up on Earth. My dad was Terran." West nodded, "I've had plenty of hamburgers."
"Really, so your mom was Trill?"
"Joined to the Lankesh Symbiote." West nodded. "I was born in Michigan. Let me tell you, those lakes are amazing. So many in Starfleet talk about the Aenar City of Andoria or the ancient Bajoran architecture, or the Vulcan Forge or the storms of Feranginar… Earth has it's beauty too." West briefly got a sort of starry-eyed look, "I kind of miss it. I really don't get back as often as I should."
Lazarian smiled, "A while since you been to Earth?"
"Too long."
"Well, Commander, you should go." Lazarian suggested as the waitor brought their meals.
Asim threw two ration packs on the ground in the cell, "Just wait a bit, sirs."
To be continued…