A/N: Okay, dear readers, we need to have a little chat about suspending disbelief. When the show aired, they made it out like nothing of importance ever happened unless all the stars of the show were at their stations on the bridge. So when did they sleep? Of course there had to be shifts with others taking over their stations. So you can either believe that that was when the NCOs and enlisted got really boring turns (since nothing dangerous or exciting ever happened when our stars slept), or you can assume seaQuest had other officers we just never met. I'm sure a more realistic view would be the latter. If you assume there were other officers we never met, then you need to pretend they were all on shore leave before the Mobius Hole showed up in my story. I admit that may be a stretch, but no more than the show itself always perpetrated. Just go with it, please.

Chapter 10

Seaman Anthony Piccolo paced his cabin. It was too quiet without Lucas there. All of seaQuest was too empty these days. How long had it been since the entire bridge crew disappeared? Three days? Four? Master Chief Chuck Kendall, from engineering, had reviewed the bridge security discs about a hundred times. Tony asked to help and Kendall let him, probably since he was one of the few left on board who had some bridge experience.

The discs showed the bridge personnel talking about a Mobius Hole and the seaQuest being in the Black Sea. Some eerie French dude got on the loudspeakers and told Dr. Smith she was wrong about no one knowing they were there. Then, inexplicably, everybody passed out. Two guys about the size of Dagwood showed up out of nowhere and hauled the unconscious people out, each of them carrying two bodies at a time. They appeared to dump them in the mag-lev, but there were no security cameras inside the mag-lev to confirm this. Once the bridge was cleared, the two big guys got in the mag-lev themselves. The doors shut, and then they just disappeared.

Every single security record of every deck, corridor, lab, and launch bay had been reviewed dozens of times. There was no footage of them leaving the mag-lev, no sign they appeared anywhere else, and no trace of the bridge crew or their kidnappers anywhere. Kendall even asked the science staff for help, but so far, no one had a guess what had happened to their command crew. Some dipstick from Osmotic Filtration had suggested they try to find the Mobius Hole and take seaQuest back to their own time to find help. Tony thought that was stupid and cowardly. The last time they hitched a ride through that whirlpool thingy after Lucas dismantled the computer of his dreams, the thingy just vanished forever…well, forever until four days ago.

Everyone, including the science nerds, had tried to get the radio and vid-link working, but since O'Neill said on the discs that everything was dead, it wasn't too surprising that no one else could make it work any better.

People were starting to get restless and arguing about what to do next. Since Captain Bridger hadn't verbally given command to anyone, someone was going to have to assume it. Even though Chief Kendall was the highest ranking guy left, he would just create more problems trying to take over if he didn't have the support of the majority. So he called a general meeting on the bridge for nineteen hundred hours. All navy personnel were required to attend and everyone else on board had been invited.

Tony hoped Kendall would be successful at gaining everyone's support. At least he seemed to care about the missing crew and wanted to try to find them. He shuddered to think what would happen if one of those let's-just-go-back idiots talked the rest of the boat into giving command to someone else. Tony didn't like to get involved in navy politics, but he felt pretty strongly about it this time.

Captain Bridger had given him a second chance when his first act after coming aboard had been attempted desertion and all he deserved was the brig. Commander Ford had come back for him when he'd tried to take on Eddie's captors alone in that godforsaken jungle compound where he'd been a prisoner. And not only that, when everything was said and done, Commander Ford had said, "Good work, sailor." He'd just started to admit to himself that he liked the feeling he'd had at that moment. He liked that look of pride in Ford's eyes and he liked being regarded as something other than a total screw-up.

So, no, he wasn't going to just sit by and let anyone take over the seaQuest and count the whole command crew as some lost cause. He was pretty sure there weren't many others onboard like Ford and Bridger who had started to see past his swaggering, so it would probably be to Kendall's advantage if he just kept his big mouth shut. However, if it came to it, he wasn't above using that mouth of his to tell off anyone who started moving in the wrong direction. Tony took a quick ion shower and changed into a clean uniform for the meeting.

From the look of things, everyone had come to Kendall's assembly, including all the science nerds who didn't have to be there. Dagwood stood in the back, keeping quiet and watching. Tony made his way through the crowd to where he didn't have to stand behind anyone else. He was too short to see anything that way and this was too important to miss. Kendall nodded in greeting. Wow, he noticed me.

The chief did a quick roll call to make sure all the navy guys had followed orders. Everyone was there. He moved into the center of the crowd, where they'd left a space. He took a deep breath and spoke in a loud voice, "Captain Bridger has been missing for four days now. I think it's time we established leadership so we can make plans for how to proceed. I'm an engineer. I never intended to command. But without recognition that I am in charge now, we have too much whispering going on behind my back and too much petty quibbling. So if anyone else thinks he or she can do a better job than me, now's the time to make your case."

Silence.

"It's speak now or forever hold your peace," Kendall said warningly. "I will listen to your ideas and I value your input, but when I give an order, I want the same respect and follow-through you'd give the captain. Is everyone prepared to accept my command?"

Almost as if cued, all the navy personnel answered, "Aye, sir!"

That was a lot easier than I thought it was gonna be, Tony thought.

"Thank you. Now we need to enter it into the computer and log it officially for the record. Piccolo, would you do the honors?"

"Aye, aye." Tony wiggled into the commander's station and entered all the bridge crew plus Dr. Smith and Lucas as missing in action. As he got to Ford and Bridger, he felt a big lump in his throat. This is just so we can organize to find you guys, he reminded himself as he completed the keystrokes.

The computer would take this information and restructure command, then ask for confirmation. But when the next text screen appeared, Tony blinked hard. Damned dyslexia. Rather than repeat what he had to be reading incorrectly, he activated the automated computer voice to read it.

"Ranking officer onboard seaQuest is Ensign Darwin. Do you wish to confirm as Acting Captain?"

Whoa. It wasn't dyslexia. "You gotta be kiddin' me. The dolphin's in command?"

Chief Kendall's jaw dropped about a foot before he closed it and answered. "According to the computer. But only if we confirm it."

Whispers rose up over the whole bridge. Tony shook his head. He had wanted to do everything by the book when the outcome would put Kendall in charge, but this was ridiculous. A dolphin as captain? But if they threw military protocol out the window, then Kendall's position wasn't secure either. "So what d'we do, Chief?"

"Well, we have the vocorder. Let's ask Darwin whether he even wants command. If he passes, then it goes to me automatically."

"And if he doesn't pass?"

Kendall just shook his head. Did anyone want to contemplate mutiny against a dolphin captain?

Tony stood and wiggled through the crowd to the tank which connected to the rest of the boat by aquatubes. He retracted the cover, grabbed the vocorder, and spoke into it. "Hey, Darwin, can you come up to the bridge?"

Someone in the crowd piped in, "So, do we all salute when he swims in?"

People laughed but Tony found himself irritated. Okay, so making the dolphin captain was a bit on the ridiculous side, but they didn't have to get snide about it. It certainly wasn't Darwin's fault some human had made him an ensign. At least he wouldn't give up on Lucas, Bridger, and the others. In fact, Tony was pretty sure Darwin was about the most altruistic leader they could hope for. He would never endanger anyone for selfish purposes or to placate politicians. The seaQuest was his pod now and he treated all its inhabitants as family.

Darwin arrived in the bridge tank and a hush fell over the crowd. The dolphin didn't seem to notice all eyes on him. "Tony play?"

"Maybe later, Darwin. I gotta ask you something. You know Bridger and Lucas and a lot of others are missing, right?"

"Darwin find Bridger."

Tony frowned. Everyone had been so busy that no one had thought to send him out yet. "Yes, we want you to help us look for Bridger. But when the captain is gone, we have to have someone else in charge here."

"Ford is Bridger's 'right hand'. Ford lead seaQuest when Bridger gone," Darwin said.

Wow, he knew more about military chain of command than Tony thought. The captain must talk to him more than he realized. "Commander Ford is missing too. So are Brody and Tim." Darwin knew a few of the other missing crew, but it was a moot point since he outranked the rest of them anyhow.

"Tony in charge of seaQuest?"

This raised guffaws from the crowd. Even Tony chuckled. "No, not me. Do you understand ranks, Darwin? Do you understand why we have leaders, like the captain?"

"Captain leads so pod stays safe."

Tony rolled his head around in contemplation, then glanced at Kendall.

The master chief shrugged. "I'd say that was a pretty good definition."

Tony's brows shot up. Was Kendall really as open to this crazy idea as he sounded? Tony turned back to the tank. "Darwin, do you understand what the UEO or the Navy is?"

"Navy gives fish for work on seaQuest."

"Food would be like pay to him," one of the science nerds said. "He understands who pays the bills!"

"Right, Darwin," Tony said into the vocorder. "The Navy says who is in charge of seaQuest when all the other leaders are gone."

The dolphin dipped his tail and waited. Tony looked up at Kendall. They could tell him that Kendall was in charge and he'd never question it. He trusted his human friends on seaQuest implicitly.

As if reading his mind, Kendall said, "I'm not lying to a dolphin, Piccolo. Tell him the truth."

Tony inhaled deeply. "Darwin, the Navy says you are in charge of seaQuest now." When there was no immediate response, he added, "But only if you want to be. Chief Kendall will be in charge if you don't want to be."

"Kendall be Darwin's right hand?"

One of the science nerds gasped in awe. "Wow, I think he just named you his XO."

"He really does understand, doesn't he?" someone else said.

Tony wasn't that smart, but it looked like all these smart people actually believed a dolphin could be a submarine captain. He knew Darwin a lot better than anyone still left on board. If the others who didn't know him could accept him, then maybe he should too.

Kendall addressed the crowd. "According to UEO regulations, Ensign Darwin is Acting Captain of the seaQuest. I'm willing to give it a chance as long as everyone else is in agreement. If you've got a problem with this, now's the time to say so."

"Yeah, I got a problem. I'm not taking orders from a fish." Tony didn't see who made the comment, but it sounded like Seaman Brenton.

"Darwin's not a fish. He's a mammal," Dagwood recited. Tony cringed. Dagwood wasn't exactly the best advocate. Tony hoped the nerds would help the poor GELF out.

"So are rats, but that doesn't mean they're fit to command," Brenton said with an air of superiority. He was just short of earning a knuckle sandwich for his tone with Dagwood, but Tony clenched his fists and held his temper in check.

"Brown rats have metacognition," one of the science geeks piped in. "They know how to learn and use strategies."

"Is that supposed to make me want to salute one?"

"No," one of the older chief petty officers said while elbowing Brenton in the ribs, "it's supposed to make you realize that humans don't have an exclusive on intelligence. How can you possibly be unaware of this after living with Darwin this whole tour?"

"What's your real beef, Seaman?" Kendall asked. "Is it his intelligence or something else? The fact he doesn't wear pants or make crude jokes, maybe?"

A gasp sprung up at the dig. Very few who worked with Brenton were unaware of his proclivity toward smutty humor, but since he wasn't stationed in the engine room, it was surprising that Kendall knew.

Brenton folded his arms over his chest. "You asked if anybody had a problem with this and I said I did. No need to get all personal."

"Do you have a problem taking orders from me?" Kendall asked.

"No," he said in a small voice.

"Then what if you just consider me the captain and Darwin my advisor?"

"I guess that would be okay," he muttered.

"Look, we all know what Darwin means to Captain Bridger. He's proven his loyalty to seaQuest many times over. He's been Navy trained and he's satisfied me that he understands well enough what a captain does. For anyone who objects, you can consider me the de facto C.O., but I'd like to do this by the book in the computer and for the record. I propose we confirm Darwin as Acting Captain. I will be his Executive Officer and liaison to the crew. The question is, will everyone accept this? The whole point of deciding on an acting captain was to restore military order and move forward. Everyone got that?"

Heads nodded and a few yessir's were whispered anonymously.

Tony shook his head in disbelief, but then he leaned over and rubbed his new captain on the melon. "Looks like you're our captain then, Darwin. What do you want us to do?"

"Find Bridger. Find Lucas. Find Ford. Find—"

"Okay, okay. I think we get the idea. We're just human, ya know."

"Sounds pretty clear to me," Kendall said. "Well, people, you heard the captain. Our orders are to find the missing crew. I say we all get busy. Dismissed."