STAR TREK: The Best of the Best

Rating: PG

Other Stories By Me: DS5, & DS9- The Cardassian Incident.

Genre: Suspense, Action/Adventure

Synopsis: In this three-chapter tale, five Starfleet cadets are trapped on a crippled starship, the Minotaur. When Orion pirates pillage the cruiser, the cadets must fight them off.

Historian's Note: "Best of the Best" takes place during the time span of "All Good Things..." and "Generations".

One- Minotaur

Five cadets hurried into their new assignment, a New Orleans class science vessel, the Minotaur. They were Albert Wise, a human male with raven hair, Kreem, a gray-furred Kzin male, Halley Sightler, a blond human female, T'Rea, a Vulcan female, and Michael Simpson, a human male with brown hair.

The Minotaur had minimal weapons. A phase-plasma cannon used to weaken shields, a phase cannon, and three photon torpedoes. Simpson paused at the Minotaur's schematics.

"Accordin' to this, our quarters are in C deck." Simpson drawled in his Kentuckian twang. Kreem looked at the schematics.

"No, Simpson. It's on G deck."

Simpson looked again.

"You're right, Kreem. It is on G-deck, amigo."

"Straighten up, Cadet Simpson. You aren't in Kentucky anymore."

Captain Howard Wiley stood behind them, the top of his uniform the signature red of Command. The cadets wore mustard yellow for Ops. Blue was used for science, and green for medical.

Historian's Note- During this time period, it was true. During the third year of DS9, it was changed to the bottom.

"Captain Wiley." T'Rea said in her usual Vulcan manner.

"Cadets... Wise, Kreem, Simpson, T'Rea, and Sightler. You're straight out of the academy, right?"

Wise nodded, rubbed the spot where the pips would be for an Ensign, Lt., Lt. Commander, Commander, Captain, Commodore, Vice Admiral, and Admiral. Since Wise was a cadet, he didn't have a pip, while Captain Wiley had four. Kreem said something in Kziniti, his native tongue.

"Thank you for the compliment, Cadet Kreem." Wiley said as he walked towards a turbolift.

"What the devil did you say, Kreem?" Sightler asked.

"I said that his manner was like that of a galleon captain."

Sightler, Wise, Simpson and T'Rea looked at each other.

"On Kziniti, its considered a compliment."

***

The Minotaur undocked from Utopia Planitia, and sped off at maximum impulse for the outer fringes of Sol. Ever since the Talin IV or "Kirk's World" incident; a warp jump close to a large world, such as Jupiter was prohibited.

Captain Wiley had been given strict orders to head for Cento Delta, in the Gamma quadrant. The Minotaur would enter the Gamma Quadrant via the Bajoran Wormhole.

"Warp 3, Mr. Simpson."

Simpson waited for Kreem to enter the coordinates, and then hit the signal button that activated the Warp Core. The Doppler effect swirled around the Minotaur, and the stars shifted.

"Warp 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0!" Simpson shouted.

Wiley managed to grin at Simpson's theatrics.

***

The Brentos hovered, waited for a helpless ship to come by. Commandant Krekla craned his neck to look at his first mate's sensor readout.

"New Orleans class cruiser heading this way. NCC 1951, USS Minotaur." Krekla grinned. The Brentos was a captured B'rel class scout. A mere New Orleans cruiser would be no match for him...

To Be CONTINUED...

Mu-ha-ha-ha-ha!