CYCLE 1 – FUGUE

CHAPTER 1

"The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are." - John Pierpoint Morgan – Earth (Human)

STARFLEET ACADEMY, SAN FRANCISCO, EARTH

JUNE, 2267

Ensign Thomas Wilkes looked wistfully at the scenery at the edge of the landing field. San Francisco was beautiful any time of year, but early summer always seemed to bring out the best in the Bay area and the view was spectacular. The Golden Gate Bridge was poking her towers up above the sparkling blue waters of the bay, with a few puffy clouds overhead in the cobalt sky. The aroma of California Roses from the Academy's immaculate gardens scented the air.

He had to admit that it had been an interesting four years and he'd often wondered if he'd be allowed to graduate at all. He'd had plenty of fun, exploring California's hills and coast, much as he'd explored the various offerings at the Academy before finally settling on Engineering and Power Generation and Distribution Systems as a focus. He sighed to himself. Nothing really seemed to ever catch his interest for long. Taking the entrance exam at 16 back in North Yorkshire, England, had been a freak thing – passing it had been even more of a freak event. But he really didn't have anything better to do with his time. His parents were not all that well off so University was out, and taking over the family farm just really didn't seem like his thing.

Starfleet only asked for eight years – and four of them were spent in the Academy so why not? Get a chance to get out, see some of the universe, have some fun, then maybe try to figure out what to do with his life. It was insane expecting teenagers to know what they wanted to do with themselves. But there you had it – that's how the world worked. You were expected to fit in, to be like everybody else and do the same things at the same time and...he sighed again.

"Hey, Wilksey, why the heavy sighs?" he heard a silky voice ask.

Turning to face the speaker he said "Hello Angie." and smiled. Angie had been one of the very nice things about his Junior year and in fact had almost been responsible for him flunking out. Well, one of the times he almost flunked out, anyway. Spending time in his quarters with her was a lot more fun than going to class. But it had really only been a fling for both of them – She had plans for her life and had her eye on the big chair. Glancing down at the way she filled out her gold Command-branch uniform tunic he continued "Just being me, is all. Still not really sure where I'm going or why."

She laughed, a sound that still sent thrills up his back, "Wilksey, I just have the feeling that there's something out there for you. I have said for AGES that you're special. You just need to..."

He interrupted with a laugh, "Apply myself! I know, I know. I've heard that about every 2 weeks from one counselor or another since I was 12."

She leaned in close and gave him a solid kiss, which he returned with interest. "I got the posting I wanted!" she smiled and began putting her very non-regulation long chestnut brown curls into a more regulation pony-tail.

"Enterprise?" he asked, stunned. The USS Enterprise was the top choice of pretty much every graduate. There were legends going around about that particular ship and you had to be cream of the crop to get a berth there.

"Yes. I'll be starting out in astrogation, so I might even get bridge qualified in a few weeks!"

"Angie, that's amazing!" he said, genuinely pleased. "You'll be Captain Stone before you're 30!"

She laughed again, happy and excited, "Probably not that fast, but who knows? Where are you headed? That garbage scow you always figured Dr. Reynolds had in mind for you?"

He laughed, "No, believe it or not, the Hood."

She was surprised, "The Hood? For real? How'd you swing that?"

"I have no idea. Dr. Reynolds told me that I was specifically requested. He looked like he just bit into a lemon when he told me."

She looked at him for a few moments. "Requested? Wilksey, I don't want to be mean, but you were the absolute bottom of the class. One more demerit, one point less on any test and you would've flunked out. Why would they request you for one of the top Constitution-class cruisers in the fleet?"

He shrugged, "I have no idea. But I'm supposed to report to Chief Engineer White in Main Engineering."

Shaking her head, but smiling, she kissed him again and said, "Wilksey, I've said since I met you that you're the luckiest man on Earth. I've got to go – my shuttle's boosting in like 2 minutes." She slung her duffel over her shoulder and hurried off to a waiting shuttlecraft, emblazoned with NCC-1701/3 USS ENTERPRISE along her side and the name COPERNICUS in jaunty script on her nose. He enjoyed the view as she walked away. Definitely something to miss.

He wondered again why he couldn't seem to really commit to a relationship; or anything else. Angie was an amazing woman – you'd think he'd have chased after her with everything he had in him, but it had been the other way around. She was only his second lover after an awkward and fumbling affair in secondary school. Women were just one more thing that he liked but could never really get that focused on.

Sighing again, he shouldered his own duffel and walked the short distance across the field to the shuttlecraft from the Hood, found a seat and strapped in. A few minutes later, the little ship lifted off and pointed her nose to the stars and he was on his way. He spent most of the ride up wondering just why he had been requested, and by whom.

When the shuttlecraft landed in the Hood's aft bay, he didn't have long to wait. Each of the eight newly-minted Ensigns aboard were met by a runner from their section and escorted directly to their waiting supervisors. Since Wilkes was the only Engineer among the group, he quickly found himself standing at attention in front of a compact little Australian with a neatly shaved head. The office was packed with technical manuals and the man's desk was covered with coffee stains and paperwork. At the moment, he was kicked back in his chair with his feet on his desk, scrutinizing one Ensign Thomas Wilkes.

The subject of his study was getting more uncomfortable by the second. Trying to keep his back straight and his eyes focused on an imaginary spot on the office wall, he wondered exactly what was going on here. He'd been called on the carpet before, but usually they started right in as to what was wrong – and he hadn't done anything yet!

Finally, Chief Engineer Ethan White broke the silence, "And why are you here in my office, Ensign Wilkes?"

Thoroughly puzzled, he tried to explain, "Sir, I was ordered to report to Chief Engineer White aboard the USS Hood and that is why I am here."

"Don't be a drongo, Wilkes. You're an Engineer. Explain to me why you are here."

"Someone aboard specifically requested me, sir."

"And why would that be?"

"I honestly have no idea, sir. I was expecting a...smaller ship."

"You were expecting a garbage scow. I spoke to Dr. Reynolds at the Academy." White laughed. "You were the Goat this year. In fact, you've managed to set a sort of record – you have the lowest passing score ever recorded for a Cadet, in fact, the lowest score possible for a Cadet. So, again, why are you here?"

Thinking quickly Wilkes came up with the answer, "YOU requested me, sir?"

"Very good Wilkes! Any idea why?"

"No, sir."

"Wilkes, the Goat is a rather unique position at the Academy and that...honor... traces its lineage back to the old military academies of pre-atomic Earth. Interestingly, the Goats have a tendency to exceed all expectations and often exceed the accomplishments of the top of their class. They are statistical odd-balls and misfits who seem to be able to find a way through the most unusual circumstances and come out on top. Often heroically.

"I've looked into your history, Wilkes. You are young. You took the entrance exam – and passed – despite nearly flunking out of secondary school. How is that possible?"

Clearing his throat, Wilkes said, "I guess I just never applied myself, sir."

"Psycho-babble bullshit, Wilkes. I've read your files. I've talked with your parents. I know everything there is to know about you. You're a square peg in a world of round holes in a lot of ways. But I think there's some potential here, and I intend to take advantage of this tendency of yours to fall into the shit and come out smelling like a rose. Get your gear squared away in your quarters. You report to Lieutenant Jerkowycz tomorrow morning at dilithium control.

"And Wilkes. You're holding out on me. Cough it up."

"OH! Yes, sir!" Wilkes dug into his duffel and pulled out a wrapped package. "Mother didn't say who this was for."

"Your mother is a saint, Wilkes. A home-made Yorkshire curd tart FROM Yorkshire is too good to pass up. I'll admit that's part of the reason I requested you. If I catch you causing her any stress, I'll have you fed into the warp drives. Dismissed." he happily began unwrapping his package.

FEDERATION HEAVY CRUISER USS HOOD, UNDER WAY

DECEMBER 2267

Six months later, Wilkes again found himself in front of White's battered old desk, uncomfortably bearing the scrutiny of the Chief Engineer.

"Wilkes. Once again, you come before me. And why is that?"

Wilkes HATED his tendency to start his 'interviews' by demanding that the one summoned explain why he was summoned. He hadn't done anything wrong...lately. Of course he hadn't done anything spectacularly right either. He had just done what he was supposed to do. "I believe you want to check on my progress, sir? It's been almost 6 months since I reported aboard."

White rolled his eyes, "Wrong. Bzzzt! Good guess though, I suppose. How do you like working on the engines, Wilkes?"

Uh-oh. "It's OK sir."

"Not terribly exciting, is it? At least not if you're doing everything right. In Warp Engineering, if things are getting exciting, someone has really stuffed it. Ever interested in branching out?"

"Branching out?"

"There's a lot more to Starfleet engineering than just warp power, Wilkes. A lot more to learn. If you're ever thinking of really moving up in rank, you have to broaden your focus. Or are you just a one-term wally? Keep your head down, do the bare minimum, never poke your head up, and get out. Waste your whole enlistment doing nothing?"

Wilkes bristled, "NO, sir. I just don't really know what I want to do yet."

"And you never will until you get some experience beyond fine-tuning matter/anti-matter flow rates and juggling plasma fields. From what your supervisor tells me, you're not having any trouble with the work. You have an excellent understanding of the theory and the practice, you just lack the hands-on experience." He paused. "Wilkes, what do you know about the Dosadi?"

Dredging his memory from the Academy he answered, "Um, they're a race of cat-people. Very vicious fighters and they like to fight a lot. The Federation made first-contact a bit over a century ago. They use a lot of Federation technology and we tend to back them in brush wars, which they fight a lot of. Smaller empire out towards the Klingons and Romulons if I recall. You see them on Earth every now and again in some of the bigger cities. They seem to be historians if I recall correctly."

"Close enough. Tell me about fighters."

"Fighters, sir? The Hood doesn't normally carry fighters."

"I didn't ask you what the Hood carried, Wilkes."

"Fighters. Either a big, heavily armed shuttlecraft with limited warp capability or a really small, underpowered and under-armored starship depending upon your point of view. Becoming more popular in fleet actions for their flexibility and ability to deliver heavy payloads, but they have very high casualty rates."

"Good. I prefer the very small starship point of view myself. Did you study their systems at all?"

"Yes, sir, actually I did. One of my professors was a big proponent of fighter tactics. I got to work on a couple different models. They're a lot more complex than shuttlecraft with more redundant systems and of course they're optimized for combat."

White smiled. "Spot-on, Wilkes. How married to the whole idea of rank are you?"

"Sir?"

"How important is it to you that you outrank crewmen and you can give them orders? Is your status as an officer critical to your self-image?"

"I like being an officer, sir. But I suppose I don't really care. When you're working on something it just matters that you get the job done to standard."

"That's pretty much what your supervisor told me about you and about what I'd expect from you. You never struck me as someone who was that concerned with symbols and all the trappings of rank and all that crap. All right, Wilkes, I think you'll do. Come with me." And he stood up and began to leave the office.

Completely confused again, Wilkes followed his Chief down to one of the smaller briefing rooms. As they entered the room, Wilkes almost missed a step. There, big as life, was a five-foot tall version of puss-in-boots.

Now the Chief's question about the Dosadi made sense, Wilkes thought to himself. And this one had rank, if he was reading the silver stripes on his shoulders correctly.

White walked up to the big cat, clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Captain Nolin! It's great to see you again."

The tan-and-cream colored cat smiled back, showing some good-sized canines and gripped his arm. "White, it's been too long. Captain Karmes said that you had a candidate in mind."

"I believe I do, Nolin. This is Ensign Wilkes, one of our newest engineers with a focus on power engineering, but I think he's more of a generalist then that."

Wilkes wondered exactly what the Chief had in mind as he tried to study the alien Captain. He looked like a big cougar that had decided to stand upright and upgrade his paws for hands. He was wearing dark blue trousers with a bronze stripe down each leg, a sword for Christ's sake, black boots, and a black cloak. He spoke Standard but with a hint of an accent, almost Swedish sounding he thought.

Then he noticed that the cat was sizing him up as well.

"Wilkes. Did Chief Engineer White tell you what we've got in mind?"

"No, sir. Not yet, sir."

Nolin turned slightly and smiled, "Still keeping secrets from everyone, White?"

"Old habits die hard, mate." He smiled back.

Turning back to Wilkes he continued, "Are you familiar with the Officer Exchange Program, Ensign Wilkes?"

Wondering if every senior officer in the universe started their interviews out with questions he answered "Yes sir."

"Ever consider it?"

Wilkes was genuinely surprised. The Officer Exchange Program was usually for the elite – people who would represent the very best of the Federation. How did HE get picked for this? "Honestly sir, I had not."

Nodding, Nolin put his hand on his sword hilt and thought for a moment. "Chief White thinks highly of you, Wilkes, or he would not have brought you here. I command the Imperial Dosadi assault carrier Delos. She's brand new, still fitting out, really. White and I are, as you've probably guessed, old comrades. He suggested a trade to help both our cultures. But, there's a bit of a difficulty."

"What's that sir?"

"Well, the person I want to send over is an enlisted rank. A Crew Leader – A Petty Officer in your system. Chief White is fine with that, and he'll be filling in your position with a temporary rank of acting Ensign. IF you decide to take advantage of this opportunity. And here's the problem. You would be filling in HIS position – a position beneath your rank and status."

Wilkes thought to himself Ahhhh...Now I understand all the questions White was asking about that. But Nolin was continuing:

"However, you'd be in charge of more people than you are now – you'd have a crew of 4 reporting directly to you and you'd be in charge of all the power, energy weapons, and shields on an F-14 Tomcat fighter. You'd be getting experience in leadership and in a broad range of systems. But it IS beneath your rank. In fact, YOU would be reporting to an enlisted man, although you would outrank him, your position is beneath him. It's technically grade-inversion and that's usually a bad idea. I'm willing to make an exception in this case based upon Chief White's recommendation."

White spoke, "Wilkes, I'd advise you consider this – You'd be experiencing another entire culture, you'd be leading men, you'd have an entire SHIP that was your responsibility instead of just bits of one. And you'd see things you'd never see aboard the Hood. And we'd still be your home ship – you'd return to us when you're done."

"How long is this posting for, sirs?"

White spoke first, "A year."

Wilkes thought about it. Serving aboard the Hood was easy, comfortable, and frankly, boring. The crew were nice, the work easy and it just wasn't that different than the Academy. Or home. The decision was easy: "I'd love to take a swing at it, sirs."

Big smiles all around. Captain Nolin said, "Well done, Wilkes! I think I can promise you an interesting year. If you survive it, of course."