Part 1 – Job Offer
Unknown Planet 6655A, Stardate 77448.91 – June 13th, 2400…
The sound of hurried breathing, the crunching of leaves, the clapping of boots as they hit the ground running, the sound of phaser fire, the muffled explosions in the distance.
"A routine survey job," they said, "Docile natives," they said, "No chance of engagement."
Eighteen-year-old Ensign Ben Lovecraft made a mental note to slap whoever wrote that briefing before they beamed down to the surface of the planet when they got back.
The team consisted of Lieutenant Commander Reid Blackford, a six foot African-Human Male Engineering Officer from the New France Colony.
There was Lieutenant, Junior Grade Taayo Xozia, a five-foot-two Caucasian-Bajoran Female Science Officer who was born on Deep Space Nine during the Dominion War.
Then Lieutenant Graand Cifrurv, a five-foot-five Caucasian-Tellarite Male Tactical Officer from Tellar.
There was him, a six-foot-three Caucasian-Human Male from Mars, and his friend, Ensign Kakoth Targh, a six-foot Klingon Male Science Officer from Khitomer who he was carrying on his side with his arm over his shoulders.
As they others that ran ahead of them took cover behind a downed tree, Ben and Kakoth were just barley missed by an incoming laser-round.
Graand drew his phaser and aimed it downrange as the others watched Ben and Kakoth come running.
One of the natives come running through the trees with his rifle at the ready, as he saw them, he raised his weapon only for Graand to nail him square in the chest.
Ben and Kakoth dove into cover with the rest of the crew as Xozia pulled out a medical tricorder, and scanned Kakoth's knee.
"Direct laser burns to the leg," Xozia said, "We're going to have to amputate it."
"Give him something to keep going," Reid said as he pulled out his phaser, "We've got incoming."
"Lean back," Ben said as he set Kakoth against the side of the tree and pulled out his own phaser.
Several locals came running through the trees carrying what appeared to be rudimentary mock-ups of Starfleet's Particle Rifle from the 22nd Century.
"Commander, if we can fake them into thinking we're a larger force than we are, we might be able to make it back to the ship," Ben said.
"I already knew that Ensign," Reid said, "Fire on my mark," the officers raised their phasers, and readied to fire as soon as the soldiers came closer towards them, "Fire!"
The Officers opened a volley of fire directly at the locals.
The local aliens were about six and a half feet tall, the deep red skin with yellow splotches made them look like walking snakes.
Their reptilian eyes were infrared so they could see where the blasts were coming from.
As they opened fire, one of the shots nailed Ben in the right shoulder, sending him backwards against the ground.
Graand gave Ben a hand who accepted it and continued firing as soon as he was on his feet.
As they continued firing, Xozia pointed at the tree-line, "Commander, we've got even more incoming," she said.
"We have to fall back," Reid said, "Any ideas?"
"They see infrared, right," Ben asked.
"Yes," Graand said, "What'd you have in mind?"
"What do you say we heat things up a little," Ben asked as he aimed at the tree just a little way away from them, toppling it over, he fired again, and toppled another tree on the opposite side of the path.
"What good does that do us," Reid asked.
"It doesn't," Ben said before pulling out an emergency flare, and popping it on the trunk, "This does," he chucked the flare as hard as he could into the foliage of the tree which caught the tree on fire, "RUN!"
Ben picked up Kakoth and ran with the rest of the squad to the shuttle.
As soon as they entered, Reid spoke up, "It's gonna take a while to get the engines spooled up, go cover us."
Ben, Xozia, and Graand jumped out of the shuttle, and began laying down covering fire.
Right as the engines started spooling up, Reid hit the 'close hatch' button, and took off.
Ben looked back, and hit his comm-badge, "Reid, what the hell are you doing," he asked.
"Sorry boys," Reid said, "We have to get Kakoth back to the Helios before it's too late."
"Reid," Ben exclaimed as he aimed at the shuttle, and fired, only grazing the side.
Xozia hit her comm-badge, and spoke, "Taayo to Helios," she said, "Please respond."
"Go ahead Taayo," the Captain said over the radio, "What's going on?"
"Reid abandoned us," Xozia said as she fired at another local that was firing at them, "And we're coming dangerously close to being overrun!"
"We still can't transport you out of there," the Captain said, "The Thoron radiation in the planet's atmosphere would scramble your molecules across the entire system."
"Then find some way to come get us," Xozia said, "We're about to be overrun."
"We'll think of something," the Captain said, "In the meantime, we'll get Reid."
Right before Xozia could respond, a large explosion sent all three of them flying backwards.
Ben was disoriented, his ears ringing, his vision spinning, and unbelievable dizziness, he looked up, and saw that Graand was dying, a large piece of shrapnel was stuck two inches into his neck.
Ben crawled over, and grabbed Graand's outstretched hand, "Thank you Ben," he said as he squeezed his friend's hand, "For being here for me. You're a good friend…"
With that Graand rolled onto his back, and died, his hand slipping from Ben's grasp.
Ben looked over, and saw Xozia was lying there, completely unconscious, crawling over to her, and grabbing her hand, he could hear the crunching of grass as the locals of the planet approached them.
The turned Ben over onto his back, and held their weapons on him, "Move and we'll shoot you," the commander said as he took Ben's phaser, "On your feet."
As they pulled Ben too his feet, there was a series of explosions as a pair of Peregrine-class fighters came in, and fired at the hostiles.
Ben snapped out of it, freed himself, and went straight for the commander, the Ka-Bar knife that Starfleet issued made quick work as he plunged it into the commander's chest, and kicked him off the blade.
The blood on his knife was luminescent and glowed a bright green color, he didn't have time to focus on that as he grabbed the commander's weapon, and opened fire.
The first few soldiers fell no problem as a Danube-class Runabout came in for a landing, the people that stepped out were the Helios's Chief Tactical Officer Lieutenant Commander Charles Mahanoy, and several tactical officers stepped out of the shuttle carrying phaser rifles.
As they opened fire, Ben threw the rifle down, and ran over to his dead and injured colleagues.
He threw Xozia onto his shoulder, and leaned down to pick up Graand's body, lifting him onto his side as he carried them toward the Runabout.
As he was carrying them though, one of the local militia managed to get a shot into Ben's lower calf, nearly causing him to drop his colleagues.
As he arrived at the side of the Runabout, Commander Mahanoy grabbed Xozia, and hoisted her into the Runabout as Ben was struck again on his right shoulder-blade.
He heaved Graand onto the edge of the Runabout, and rolled him into the Runabout as he was struck again in the left arm.
Mahanoy grabbed Ben as he fell, and pulled him into the Runabout as the other tactical officers jumped on board.
He awoke in the Helios's sickbay to the ship's Doctor, Commander Eric Johnson, "How long have I been out," Ben asked.
"Almost twelve hours," Johnson said as he helped Ben sit up.
"Where's Reid," Ben asked.
"Dead," Johnson said, "He was arrested by security upon returning to the ship. He committed suicide in his cell two hours later."
"What about the others," Ben asked.
"I'm sorry Ben," Johnson said as he placed Xozia's d'ja pagh (her earring) into his hand, "You are the sole survivor."
"Computer, freeze program," twenty-eight year old Lieutenant Commander Ben Lovecraft said as he walked up to the holographic projection of himself.
He had changed since that away mission and had gone from the fresh-faced Starfleet Ensign to a serious Starfleet Officer, and he had ditched the shaved-sides hairstyle he had when he was eighteen for a flat-top hairstyle with spikey bangs.
In his right hand was a glass of Saurian Brandy, in the left, the Starfleet Medal of Honor that he received the day following that away mission.
He had pinned Xozia's earring to the ribbon of the medal to honor their memory.
The fact that Reid had killed himself gave him some small comfort, he knew that if he had been court marshalled he'd be enjoying his time in the New Zealand Penal Settlement awaiting parole.
After taking the last swig in the glass, Ben took the program, walked out of the holosuite, and back into Quark's, it was stardate 87198.68 – March 14th, 2410.
"Hello," Hadron said as Ben walked up to him, "Enjoying your time in the holosuite?"
"Somewhat," Ben said as he examined the program's datarod in his hand.
"Another brandy," Hadron asked.
"I better not," Ben said as he set the glass down on the bar.
As he pulled out a few strips of latinum, Hardon stopped him, "Don't worry about that," he said before pointing up at the balcony, "Your friend up there picked up your tab."
Ben looked upstairs, and standing on the balcony holding a glass of synthale was Captain Data who his father had served with during his time on the Enterprise.
"Captain Data," Ben said as he walked up the stairs.
"Hello Ben," Data said, "Been a while."
"Six years," Ben said, "It's a lifetime isn't it?"
"Very much," Data said as he finished off his glass, "Walk with me."
"No need to be rude sir," Ben said as they walked out onto the promenade, "But, what are you doing here?"
"A man can't visit the son of one of his friends," Data asked.
"That's not what I meant sir," Ben said, "It just seems unusual that one of the most legendary officers in Starfleet would visit a tactical officer on board a space station out on the frontier."
"Thank you," Data said before looking out the windows, "Where does the wormhole open?"
"Right up there," Ben said as he pointed just ahead, "In fact, I cleared a ship just before going to Quark's. It should be going through the wormhole any minute now."
Ben and Data walked up to the window, and watched as a freighter ship flew right at the Wormhole which opened in the same spectacular fashion that it always did.
"Still beautiful," Data said.
"Yes," Ben said, "Now, can I get an answer sir?"
"I've been given command of a ship," Data said as he and Ben continued walking, "The U.S.S. United. She's an experimental cruiser-escort hybrid ship."
"Tell me about her," Ben said.
"She's the first of her kind," Data said, "Crew of about seven hundred and fifty, four forward weapons, four aft, warp factor twelve point five, and advanced scanning technology."
"The mission the same as the Enterprise," Ben asked.
"Seek out new life and new civilizations," Data asked, "Something like that."
"Why come to me," Ben asked, "There must be others that are more qualified than me."
"I need someone I can count on," Data said as they stopped, "You were top of your class at Starfleet Academy, multiple academy records to your name. I need a First Officer."
"First Officer," Ben asked, "Me?"
Data reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small PADD which he handed to Ben, "It's spelled out there," he said, "Say yes, and you'll be promoted to Commander, and designated as my First Officer on board the United."
Ben contemplated before looking back at Data, "When do we leave," he asked.
"As soon as you pack your things," Data said, "I'll meet you at airlock 4."
Ben walked back to his quarters where upon arriving, he found a note from the station commander that simply said, "Good luck, Commander."
What do you think…