Captain Decker looked through the porthole and caught his first glimpse of it, the ship, his ship. It had been two weeks since the Borg attack in the Antarctic. Starfleet's finest had been working on the map they had uncovered. The Borg vessel had been destroyed, but a coded transmission had been picked up coming from it.
The shuttle Docked with the Excelsior sill within the exoskeleton of the construction yard. Decker stepped of the shuttle into the shuttle bay and looked around. The bay was small but well designed, with room for two full-sized shuttle, windows overlooked it form the control room, and the admiral stood waiting patently for him.
"Admiral Pickard, what a pleasant surprise." Decker said politely.
"Yes. I'm pleased to meet you too." Pickard replied. "Shall we begin your tour?"
"At your pleasure admiral." Decker replied curiously.
"Then we shall begin with Engineering." He said marching off. Decker followed at a brisk pace the smile was begging to hurt he teeth.
"And finally let us take a look at the bridge, after which you and your senior staff will be briefed on the mission." Pickard said as the trubolift came to a halt and the doors opened to reveal a sleek bridge.
"Your senior staff." Pickard remarked. "First we have Lieutenant Crusher." He said gesturing to a young woman at the helm. "Ensign Bates." Indicating a young clean-shaven man at Opps. "Lieutenant Commander Brown." Indicating a stunning blond at tactical, she returned Decker's smile. "And finally Commander Quiche."
Commander Quiche had been worked with Decker in before on the Apex V station, he was a tall, clean-shaven Vulcan with a dark completion.
All the senior staff followed them into the briefing room, and settled at their seats, Pickard began by activating the wall console, and an image of the map from the Atlantian room came up.
"We have extrapolated the location of another Atlantian colony we believe that this is some sort of map room." The screen shifted overlaying modern star charts over the Atlantian map.
"Those coordinates are deep inside Breen space." Lieutenant Paris said.
"Yes, but we have no choice, the Borg already have this information, and intelligence indicates that the Romuluns are interested in acquiring this technology. So we must act now. To get you into Breen space we have collaborated with the Klingons, are you aware of operation looking glass?"
"Yes. The Klingons were going to use the mirror universe to launch an attack into the heart of Dominion occupied space, there was never an opportunity for it to used." Lt. Commander Brown offered.
"Well done." Pickard said, to Decker's ears it sounded condescending. "We will be using the same technique."
"But creating an exit aperture uses a massive amount of energy." Lt Commander Brown interrupted.
"We will be using the Midas array to project you entry aperture, and the Excelsior has been rigged to project an exit aperture. The array will need 90 minutes to recharge before you can project another exit aperture. Now I'll hand over to Lt. Commander Brown, to brief you on the Excelsior's weaponry."
He stepped down, and Lt. Commander Brown stepped up, she hit a control the map was replaced by a schematic of the Excelsior.
"You have the standard, phaser canons, six on the forward section and two on the aft. Torpedo bays, rigged to replicate and fire photon and quantum torpedoes, as well as the experimental Phantom torpedo, of which you have a limited supply. The Phantom torpedo uses the Romulon phase cloak to breach the shield perimeter and the outer hull of an enemy vessel before de-cloaking and detonating. You also have Pulse phaser turrets." She gestured towards the schematic. "The ship has been equipped with the experimental Ablative Armour, Admiral Janeway developed, and unlike the system she implemented this works in parallel with the standard combat shielding. The narrow band transporters allow you to use transporters whilst the shields are up, and possibly even transport through the shields of enemy vessels. The ship also has the ability to deploy gravity mines." She finished gesturing to the schematic.
"And now," Admiral Picard moved to stand at the head of the table. "I will depart, the Excelsior is due to depart for the Midas array in 15 minutes." He moved toward the turbo lift and at the door turned. "Captain will you escort me to the transpoter room?"
Decker was surprised at the request but polity got up and moved to join the admiral in the turbo lift and fixed the polite smile to his lips.
"Engineering are we ready to go to warp yet?" Quiche asked into his com.
"Yes sir, well apart form the mooring clamps and Io station has on us sir." Lutenant Jermyn said in his strong Texan accent.
"Lutenant Crusher, contact the station and tell them to remove the mooring clamps." He said raising his eyebrows at what undoubtedly Jermyn had considered a joke. It was unfunny by human standards; he could see this was going to be an, interesting assignment.
"Captain, that smile hasn't once reached your eyes." Pickard finally said.
"Permission to speak freely?" Decker said. Touching the control that paused the turbo lift.
"Granted." Pickard said. This should be good. He thought.
"I don't like you, I don't admire you, I don't want to be your friend, and I would never serve with you!" By the end Decker was almost yelling. He paused to gather himself; he doubted that smacking one of Starfleet's finest would do he carer much good. "But I will tolerate you."
"And captain why do you harbour such resentment for me?" Although it might be worth it, smacking him that is.
"You killed my parents, or gave them a fait worse than death." Decker balled his hands into fists to restrain himself
"How? I've never served with either of them. I heard your father was a good captain, until the battle of Wolf 35…" The realisation finally downed on him. "You blame me for their deaths at the hands of the Borg?"
"Yes." Decker said through clenched teeth
"Io One to beam out." Decker watched Pickard dematerialise. DAMN HIM! Decker thought
"Damn him!" He yelled hitting the wall. He spun and smacked the control that restarted the lift. "Return to bridge. No Deck 2 captains quarters personal authorisation Decker 356."
Amy Brown was worried about the captain, she still cared for him even after 2 years, she had seen him after the battle of Wolf 359, helped him through those hard times. She had thought that he was over it, he had finished grieving. But seeing him around Pickard showed her the emotions were still raw.
"Lt. Commander!" Quiche said.
"Oh, umm sorry, what was it you said?" She asked sheepishly.
"Do we a clear ext rout?" He said patiently.
"Yes sir. Ext rout is clear of traffic."
"Thank you."
"Sir?"
"Yes"
"May I be dismissed?"
"As you wish Lt. Commander." And then into his COM. "Lt. Hannigan report to the bridge."
"Thank you sir."
She went to the turbo lift and turned as the doors swished closed.
"Computer, locate Captain Decker." She demanded.
"Captain Decker is in his quarters." The computer's clean female voice replied.
"Deck 2." She ordered and the turbo lift whirred into life.
Decker stood in his quarters, surrounded by his packaged things, and stared out the large window as the stars shot toward him in rainbow streaks, as though someone had thrown a bucket of oil into the blackness of space.
It had been 4 years since the death of Mick and Shannon Decker, on the USS Ulasies defending earth form the Borg at Wolf 359. But the memories were still raw in his mind. He could remember it like it was yesterday.
Commander Decker shoved the last of his cloths into the crate, and snapped the mag-locks closed, the door chime chirped.
"It's open!" he called.
A young man walked in, in his hands he held a pad, and held himself like as though he was baring a heavy burden. But still it didn't occur to Decker the reason for his visit.
"Commander John Decker?" The man asked.
"Yes what is it?" Decker said going back to his packing; he was to be transferred to The Argo that afternoon.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news." Then it dawn on him. "Captain Michele Decker and Lutenant Shannon Decker have been killed in the line of duty."
Decker gripped the sites of the crate so hard as to turn his knuckles white.
"Haw?" He said through clenched teeth.
"They died fighting the Borg, at the Battle of Wolf 359. They died for the freedom of the Federation, you should be…"
"Thank you, you can go now." Decker cut him off.
The young man nodded, and walked out quietly, he had done this so many times, and it did not get any easier.
Decker picked up the crate and threw it across the room. The cloths fell out and along with them was a picture, it was of him and his parents, taken on the Marmolada Geyser in the Italian Dolomites. He crawled over to it and picked it up. Cradling the image to his chest he curled up into a ball and wept. That was how Amy had found him 2 hours later.
Back in his quarters on the Excelsior Captain Decker was roused form his musings by the chirping of the doorbell.
"Who is it?" He asked.
"It's me." Amy's voice came over the COM.
"Come in then you."
She did the doors closed behind here.
"Are you ok?"
"Not really."
"I know haw you must feel, after just seeing him."
"No you don't, haw can you know! You never lost someone!"
"Yes I did."
"Who?"
"You." She said closing the distance between them in a stride. "I want you back, but you have to let go. Stop hitting out at people. Or eventually you'll have no one left who cars about you."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He hugged her.
"I hate to think what you did to Captain Pickard." She said a smile tugging at her lips.
"I didn't hit him if that's what you think." He laughed, she laughed. Then they kissed.
"All senior staff, report to the bridge." Quiche's voice came over the com.