Author's note: The following story takes place after the events of the movie Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) and at the same time as the novel Star Trek: Titan: Taking Wing (2005). Hence there are some spoilers. The author is not extensively well read on other Star Trek novels, so there may be some canon conflicts.
Star Trek: Orion
Space, the final frontier. Many in the Federation are sent out to explore it, to find new worlds, and to go where no man has gone before. Others however are called upon to uphold and maintain the regions of space where exploration has already taken place. Some of these regions have experienced long and prosperous peace; while others, more recently, have experienced war.
These are the voyages of the starship Orion. Its current mission is to aid in the patrolling and securing of the regions of space near the Romulan Neutral Zone, while the Romulan Star Empire undergoes restructuring following the devastation of the coup d'etat of their Senate by the Reman Shinzon. Although not a few elements of the Romulan leadership are reaching out to the Federation, animosity towards the Federation runs deep on Romulus. The Orion may soon find it mission to be not so routine.
Chapter 1
Captain's log; stardate 56970.3: We are resupplying at a Federation star base before we head out on another patrol near the Romulan Neutral Zone. We are also taking on a new command officer: Lieutenant Senior Grade Henry Hickensen. I look forward to seeing what this new addition to my crew will bring.
Lieutenant Senior Grade Lindsey Lander stood on the bridge of the Orion, waiting for her captain, Theresa Taylor, to address her. She watched as the Captain addressed various officers to see if the starship was supplied and prepared for its next assignment. But the conversations were far from exciting. Supply check lists, engineering updates, personnel assignments. Lindsey looked at her own report and found it equally boring.
Lindsey was a twenty-seven year old human female. Her clean blond hair was fixed behind her head in a bun, the preferred hair style of human females in Starfleet; her red command uniform was straight and perfectly pressed; and her Starfleet insignia, which doubled as a combadge, and the two gold rank pips on her collar gleamed with a perfect polish.
Contrary to her official appearance, Lindsey had been an adventurous spirit when she had first applied to Starfleet Academy. Looking back, she admitted that such a carefree attitude had actually hampered her grades and affected her placement in Starfleet. This, ironically, had kept her away from truly adventurous assignments like the Enterprise or Deep Space Nine. Yet she had found that in her four years on board the Orion, serving under Captain Taylor, she had learned far more about being a Starfleet officer than she ever did at the Academy.
Finally, her turn came. "Lt. Lander, your report."
Lindsey handed her data pad to the Captain. "Captain, the Orion continues to react well with her refit. All critical systems are operating as expected or better. Engineering will have more details, but I have highlighted the essentials in my report."
"Excellent," said Captain Taylor. As the Captain stood before her, Lindsey took a moment to admire the woman. Captain Taylor had been with Starfleet for a long time, having started as a lowly ensign out of the Academy and working her way up the ranks slowly over a long career of just over forty years. Now she was a veteran starship captain. The Orion was her third command, and she had been captain of it for seven years already. There was little to note about her career at first glance, but a careful study would reveal years of dutiful service and excellent leadership. Now she stood on her bridge with an aura of command and leadership.
The Captain's year of experience were reflected in every part of her appearance. She stood straight and professionally, and she held an air of authority. She had also aged with dignity. Her face was still fair even as the years had creased it with defined wrinkles. Her hair was pulled back in a single thick braid that dropped down to her lower back, and its jet-black color was contrasted by clean streaks of grey that ran throughout the entire braid.
"Lieutenant Lander," spoke the Captain. "We are bringing on board a new officer who has transferred to the Orion. I want you to welcome him on board and show him his quarters. Have him report to the bridge at 1400 hours."
"Of course, Captain. What is his name?"
"Lieutenant Senior Grade Henry Hickensen." Lt. Lander raised her eye brow at the name, and the Captain noticed. "Do you know him, Ms. Lander?"
"Yes, Captain. He was a year ahead of me at the Academy. We were good friends"
The Captain gave Lindsey a searching look, as though she had guessed at what kind of friendship Lindsey and Henry had shared. Captain Taylor then smiled. "Good. I am sure he will appreciate a familiar face. He should be arriving at the space dock hatch in the next few minutes. Dismissed."
"Thank you, Captain." Lindsey exited the bridge via the turbo lift. When the lift had brought her to the appropriate deck she began walking towards the docking hatch. She smiled as she did. Having Henry on board the Orion might keep things from getting too boring.
Lindsey's brisk walk brought her to the docking hatch. Traffic was quite heavy through the corridor that led back to the space station. There were a lot of last minute details being attended to before the Orion detached from space dock. Lindsey kept her eyes open, but she did not immediately spot the man she was looking for.
"Lindsey Lander, is that you?" said a voice just ahead.
Lindsey reached the source of the voice, "Yes, Henry, it is me."
"I didn't know that you were assigned to the Orion," said the man with two bags, a back pack, and a rolling suit case. He was about six foot with short blond hair and a medium build. He was wearing a red Starfleet uniform with the rank of lieutenant senior grade on his collar.
"And I didn't know that you were transferring to Orion," answered Lindsey, "until about five minutes ago."
"And you came to greet me," said Henry with a smile.
"Don't flatter yourself. I was ordered to welcome you on board. And so…" Lindsey switched to a formal tone. "Lieutenant Hickensen, welcome on board the USS Orion NCC-26532. You are to report to the Captain on the bridge at 1400 hours. But before that I can show you to your quarters."
"Sounds good to me, Lieutenant Lander," said Henry matching Lindsey's formality.
Lindsey took one of Henry's bags, and the two of them walked down the hallway a bit before stopping at one of the interactive ship maps. "Computer, show me where Lieutenant Hickensen's quarters are."
"The Lieutenant's quarters are on screen," answered the computer's female voice.
"I didn't expect an old Ambassador class ship to have such an up to date computer interfaces." Henry inspected the screen on the wall. "This is up to the standards of Galaxy or even Sovereign class ships."
"The Orion has undergone a substantial refit," said Lindsey as she began to lead Henry down the hall. "As you know Starfleet has lost too many starships in the last couple decades. Between the Borg Battles of Wolf 359 and Sector 001 and especially during the Dominion War, let's just say that the shipyards are not pumping out replacements quickly enough."
"Quicker to refit an old bird, then to build from nothing."
"That's the idea," Lindsey nodded. "The Orion was scheduled for decommissioning. But seeing that her many years of service have not been too hard on her, Starfleet felt she was capable of a few more years."
"How did she adapt to the refit?"
"Quite well. One of my tasks has been working with the engineers and keeping the Captain appraised on the status. The Orion is fit for operation."
"And for combat?" asked Henry.
"And for combat," answered Lindsey. "We have the standard complement of photon torpedoes with 6 launchers: two in the aft, three in the fore, and one ventral launcher. We also have 8 phaser arrays."
"That's quite the armament."
"Like I said, the Federation has seen its fair share of combat in recent history."
"Did the Orion participate in the Dominion War?"
"I don't think there was a Federation ship that didn't. Except Voyager that is," added Lindsey quickly. "The Orion was only in a few major battles. In reality, it was running convey duty most of the time. I came onboard just as the War ended, and I am glad for that. I hope we never have to use our armament in real combat," said Lindsey.
"There was a time when you would have loved to see combat," Henry said with a smile. "I remember that young wild girl back at the academy; dreaming about defending the Federation from all the evils of space." Henry waved his hand vaguely to represent space.
"I was a young and stupid cadet back then. Now I am a Starfleet officer. I had to mature."
Henry gave Lindsey an elbow jab. "It was fun though, wasn't it?"
"I sure hope you have matured." Lindsey said with a slight glare.
"I'm just messing with you," laughed Henry. "So, tell me about the crew. Old, young? Human, alien?"
"Mostly human, and mostly young. The senior staff has seen a number of years. The junior staff on the other hand is full of second tier academy grads. If a less than impressive cadet needs a good place to start, then the Orion is the place to learn."
"Are there any Orions on the Orion?"
"No, there are not."
"Darn," Henry's gaze dropped to the floor.
Lindsey punched Henry on the shoulder. "Grow up, Henry!"
"I am still messing with you," Henry rubbed his shoulder. "What about other species?"
"Pretty much what you would expect on a Federation starship. The vast majority are humans, but we have a variety of other races."
"Any Vulcans?"
"Are you kidding me?" replied Lindsey with a disbelieving look.
"Why wouldn't there be any Vulcans on the Orion?" asked a confused Henry.
"You remember the Vulcans from the Academy, right?"
"Yeah, annoying know-it-alls. They were usually at the top of the class, and didn't like to associate with us underachievers."
"Exactly," said Lindsey. "Since they often graduate with honors, they often get their pick of assignments."
"And no Vulcan would choose to come to the Orion?"
"Not if they are seeking career advancement. It's just…" Lindsey turned to Henry with a smile. "…not logical." They arrived at Henry's quarters. "Here you are. Get settled in as best you can, but remember, you're due at the bridge at 1400 hours."
"Aren't you going to come in?"
"No thank you," said Lindsey with a shake of her head.
"Where are your quarters?" said Henry with a hint of mischief in his voice.
"I will see you on the bridge, Lieutenant." Lindsey responded with an obvious tone of formality. She then turned and walked away. She knew Henry well enough to know that he was just joking with her and stirring up old memories. She smiled to herself as went to her next duty. Having Henry onboard the Orion would definitely not be boring.
Henry dropped his bags in his quarters, but only briefly inspected them. Then he set out to explore the Orion. He dropped down several decks below the saucer section and walked into a large circular room with a blue glowing column in the middle. "Aww… Engineering. If the bridge is the mind of a ship, then this is the heart."
There were three engineers working in various locations in the engine room. One of them working on a console in the center near the warp core turned around and saw Henry. He smiled and spoke with a heavy accent. "A bridge officer in Engineering? This is usually not good."
"No worries…" Henry leaned in to read the engineer's rank. "…Lieutenant. I'm just a new guy giving himself a tour."
"I didn't think I'd recognized you. What is your name, Lieutenant?"
"Henry Hickensen," he reached out his hand to shake the engineer's hand. "I just came on board about an hour ago. You are…?"
"Vladimir Anatolyevich Kustov."
"You are from Russia?"
"Yes, Volgograd."
"I'm from St. Louis. Pleased to meet you." Henry looked up at the warp core. "Is this part of the refit?"
"Yes, a new warp core. Not like the ones they are putting in the new Luna class, but still very good. The Orion can now go easily to warp 9."
"What do you think the max speed would be?"
"I will never give an answer to a question like that to a bridge officer, unless I am ordered."
"Why not?"
"You bridge officers are all fighter pilots at heart. You always want to know how hard you can push a ship without breaking her, and we engineers are left to fix it afterwards."
"Such information could be important in combat."
"Then I will provide it when we are in combat, but not sooner."
Henry smiled and patted the engineer on the shoulder. "You're alright, Vlad. Who is the chief engineer on board?"
"That would be Lieutenant Commander MacDonald."
"Irishman?"
"Scotsman."
"I look forward to meeting him."
"He's attending to last minute details before we shove off from space dock. If you ask me, it's no fun being the chief. Too much administrative details and not enough hands on work." Vladimir studied Henry with a long stare. "Why all the interest, Lieutenant? Is engineering your backup plan?"
"Backup plan? What do you mean?"
"Everybody wants to be a bridge officer. The glory is on the bridge. Everyone wants to be an Archer or a Kirk or a Picard. There are not many engineers that become famous. But it's not easy to become a command officer, and many transfer to other areas."
"There are a few famous engineers. There is Montgomery Scott from the old Enterprise, for instance. But to answer your question, no, engineering is not my backup plan. I have a general knowledge of how all this works." Henry waved his hand towards the warp core. "But not enough to make it work." Henry continued, "No, my backup plan would be security."
"Security? Why would you want to do that?"
"Every command cadet is required to pass certain combat classes. I always scored high in my proficiency tests, and I took every combat elective I could: hand to hand, small arms, tactics; I even took a fencing class. I figure if I can't make it to the bridge, I'll transfer to security."
"To each his own, I guess," said Vladimir.
"To each his own. But there is one thing, Vlad, that an engineer and a command officer have in common."
"What would that be?"
Henry leaned over the railing and looked into the warp core. "We both love our ship. You asked what my interest in engineering was. I am simply getting to know the Orion. If I am going to be stationed on the Orion for the next couple years, then I want to get to know her inside and out."
"I think we'll get along just fine, Lieutenant," said the engineer. "Would you like a tour?"
"I'd love that, Vlad."
After his brief tour of Engineering and agreeing to have a drink with Vlad when they were both off duty, Lt. Hickensen made his way to the bridge. He got into the central lift and spoke his destination. "The bridge, please." He felt the movement upward and soon the lift opened its doors, and Henry walked out on to the bridge.
The bridge of the Orion did not look its age at all. It had clearly also been the subject of the recent refit. Displays and consoles looked state of the art. The two stations in the front center were occupied by the navigator and the helmsman. Lining the perimeter on his left was the operations console and the door to the Captain's ready room. On Henry's right was the communications terminal and the tactical station. Down below the railing in front of him but behind the helm was the Captain's chair, and to its right was the seat for the first officer.
As Henry walked along the railing down the ramp to the lower portion of the bridge he saw Lindsey off to his right. She was standing next to the railing at no particular station. Henry realized that she did not have a station of her own on the bridge, but was rather an auxiliary command officer whose duties were elsewhere on the ship. She gave him an approving nod as Henry continued his path to the Captain's chair.
The chair was empty. Henry immediately walked to the man standing in front of the first officer's chair, and stood at attention. "Commander Gonzalez, Lieutenant Henry Hickensen reporting for duty as ordered."
"Good, Lieutenant. The Captain is waiting for you in her ready room." The first officer indicated the side room behind Henry.
"Yes, sir." Henry did an about-face, walked to the doors, and waited for permission to enter.
A soft but firm voice responded. "Enter." Henry entered the room, but before he could speak the woman behind the desk greeted him. "Lieutenant Hickensen, welcome on board."
"Thank you, Captain Taylor," said Henry as he stood at attention. The human female captain held a causal yet firm presence in the room which demanded respect from Henry like only a few of his teachers at the academy had ever done. It reminded him of a guest lecture he once attended which featured Captain Jean-Luc Picard. While Henry could tell that while this woman was no Picard, it was clear to him that she had earned the respect that she commanded through her many years as a Starfleet captain. Even the grey streaks in her black hair spoke to her dignity.
"At ease, Lieutenant. Take a seat." said the Captain.
"Yes, sir."
"Lieutenant, I know your academy training instructed you to call all superior officers 'sir,' but that is not the way I wish to be addressed," said the veteran captain. "I am a woman, I'm not ashamed of being a woman, and I expect to be addressed as a woman who happens to be your captain. You can either address me as 'Captain' or as 'Ma'am'."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Captain Taylor replaced her somewhat firm look with a soft smile. "Have you settled in yet?"
"Yes. Lieutenant Lander helped me find my room."
"You know Lieutenant Lander, don't you?"
"Yes, Captain. We spent time together at the Academy."
"How well did you know her?"
Henry wasn't sure if this was an interrogation or not, but he decided to assume it was just causal conversation. "Quite well. We were very good friends."
"How long were you dating?" asked the Captain with a raised eyebrow.
Henry smiled. He didn't mind a captain who was insightful. "Two years. We broke it off after my graduation. She still had one more year at the Academy, and there wasn't enough in the relationship for it to continue long distance."
"Would you be looking to resume your relationship here on the Orion?"
"Maybe, but not likely. We were young cadets at the time, and we were a fun couple. But service in Starfleet has a way of maturing a young officer. I don't imagine either Lieutenant Lander or I are interested in regressing back to our cadet days."
"I am certainly glad to hear that," said the Captain with a big smile. "I've worked hard to get Ms. Lander to be the officer she is today, and I brought you on board because of the good reports I got from your previous assignment. I don't want cadets, I want officers."
"I can be that."
"Good," said the Captain. "I also heard that you visited Engineering before coming here." Henry's eyebrows rose in surprise, but the Captain gave him a cunning smile. "Don't be surprised. I am the captain. I generally know what's happening on board my ship."
"The best way for me to settle in on board a new ship is to get to know the crew as well as the ship itself. You had already ordered me to the bridge, so I thought I would stop by Engineering before coming."
"What other locations would you visit to get to know the Orion and her crew?" asked the captain curiously.
"The mess hall."
The Captain gave a small laugh. "I believe you will do well on the Orion, Lieutenant. You will begin immediately. Your duties will be varied. You will be expected to relieve my main bridge crew when they are not on duty. I am also in need of a command officer in the hanger bay. Do you think you can familiarize yourself with our shuttles?"
"I am trained in piloting shuttles."
"Good. Are there any other skills that you possess that I should know?"
"I took numerous elective courses in security. I tested high in my proficiency of small arms and combat tactics."
"Good to know. I don't anticipate needing those skills, but if there is one thing that years of being a Starfleet captain has taught me it is that one should be prepared for the unexpected."
"Yes, Captain." Henry decided now was the best time to ask the question on his mind. "Speaking of expectations, Captain, what is our current assignment, and what can be expected?"
"We are assigned to patrol the areas around the Neutral Zone between Federation space and the Romulan Star Empire."
Henry gave the Captain a look of surprise. "Then I would say we need to expect the unexpected. After the Shinzon incident and the destruction of the Scimitar things can't be good in the Romulan Empire."
"Things are 'unstable' in the Romulan Empire," said Captain Taylor carefully. "But their new praetor, Tal'Aura, has requested humanitarian support from the Federation and is willing to dialogue. Things are going as well as can be expected."
Henry made no attempt to hide his surprise. "The Romulans are willing to dialogue? Will we be working with the Enterprise?"
"No, the Enterprise is undergoing substantial repairs and refit. The Scimitar did a number on it. But its former first officer, Captain William Riker, and the Titan will be leading the peace efforts. Our job is merely to patrol our side of the Neutral Zone. But don't expect the Orion to actually cross into Romulan space. If anyone gets the chance to do that it will be the Titan. If it's excitement you wanted, you should have put in a request to serve on that ship."
"Don't worry about that, Captain. There will always be that little boy in me that wants to see some action, but the Starfleet officer in me has no desire to engage the Romulans."
"We'll make a good officer out of you yet."
"Captain," interrupted the first officer's voice over the communicator. "The station has sealed up the airlock and is wishing us safe travels."
"I will be right there, Commander," answered the Captain. "Lieutenant Hickensen, come to the bridge. You may join Lieutenant Lander, in observing." The Captain stood up from her desk, and Henry followed her on to the bridge.
Lindsey was watching the bridge crew with great interest. She frequently served on the bridge during the night shift and occasionally was called up when one of the regulars was gone on an away mission. But she enjoyed watching when the main bridge crew was at work. Their level of disciple and coordination was spectacular. They might not be the best officers in Starfleet, but Captain Taylor had the team operating at a discipline level comparable with the best.
The Captain emerged from her ready room with Henry behind her. Henry came up the railing and stood next to Lindsey. The Captain immediately came to the center of the bridge and sat in her chair. "Lieutenant," said the Captain to the communications officer. "Let the station know our gratitude." Then she turned to her first officer. "Commander Gonzalez, is the Orion ready for departure?"
"All reports are in and all systems are green. The Orion is ready and is at your command, Captain," answered the first officer.
"Helm, power up thrusters and impulse; prepare to depart from space dock." The helmsman acknowledged his orders, and the Captain sat forward in her chair. "Detach from space dock." The Orion shudder a bit as she became free of the space station. "Helm, clear us from the structure; thrusters at one-quarter power." The Orion moved clear of the stations arms. "Navigation, lay in a course for our next destination. Helm, activate impulse engines and prepare to go to wrap."
Lindsey watched as the Orion was underway once again. She had seen it dozens of times before, but this time seemed different. Something told her that there was something more in store for the Orion than just the usual same old-same old. She looked over at Henry to see if he was feeling the same, but he was just standing next to her with his hands on the railing.
"Captain, we are ready for warp."
The Captain signaled with both her finger and her voice. "Engage."
And Lindsey felt a shiver run down her spine.
