Hey! Hope this was fast enough for you. Special thanks to my four
reviewers, Hwi-Noree, Kiddo, KatKnits and Dolphinology. You made my day ;
). Oh, and as for Kiddo's question: patience, my precious. All will be
revealed...
Oh yeah, I don't own seaQuest or most of the characters in this story. You can tell by the episode with the man-eating plants. Not my style...
Pro Patria Mori
Chapter Two
The sub lay at the bottom of the ocean. She was small, but well-armed. And well-hidden. On the bridge, the captain surveyed the screens.
"You're sure that's her, commander?" he asked, for the third time. His XO nodded patiently.
"There's no mistaking it," he replied. "Nothing else is that big. And anyway, it's following exactly the right course. There's no doubt about it: seaQuest is real. And she's coming our way."
"Captain Braithwaite," An ensign looked up urgently from her computer screen, "sensors showing unidentified objects in close proximity to the sub, sir."
Braithwaite frowned, his sharp features crumpling. He turned back to the XO. "What are they?"
"WSKRS," the commander returned, not batting an eyelid. "They're in the plans I sent you sir." Braithwaite shrugged. He didn't have a head for figures. "They're scanning devices."
"Can they see us?" Braithwaite asked sharply.
"No, sir. Surprise is on our side."
Braithwaite grinned. This was a big day, possibly the biggest of the whole war. "Power up weapons," he said in a satisfied tone.
Communications officer Tim O'Neill sighed as he looked at his screens. It was only the first day on seaQuest and already he was wishing he'd given up the navy when he'd had a chance. After his injuries at the Aleutian Ridge engagement, they'd offered him an honourable discharge, and after five years of conflict he'd have done anything to get out of the war. But that damn conscience of his had kept speaking in the back of his mind. Democracy and freedom were threatened. Not like back in the first years of the century, but for real this time. He knew – he was a smart guy – that no-one experiences true democracy and freedom in wartime, and he wasn't old enough to remember what they felt like, but his parents had seemed pretty keen on the concept. He wondered if they were just looking back on a golden age that never was; probably, but even if they were, it must have been a damn sight better than this one. So here he was, back in the war, this time on the goddamned flagship. The seaQuest! If there was any place he was likely to be in the thick of the action, it was here. He knew he should have been flattered that he'd been assigned, and he was pleased that he'd been assigned to the same ship as Ortiz, but all the same.
When he'd arrived on seaQuest the day before, Ortiz had been waiting in his quarters, grinning.
"So, you're back on your feet," his friend had smiled. "God knows what they were thinking assigning you to this tin can."
"Well I certainly don't," Tim had replied, frowning. Then both men had broken into smiles, and embraced.
"It's good to see you're ok," Miguel had said, then, seriously, "I thought you would leave, I really did."
"I thought about it," Tim admitted, "but I like navy food too much."
"Lieutenant O'Neill, report," said Miguel in Captain Bridger's voice. Tim looked at him, surprised, then remembered where he was. He swallowed, hard.
"Um, all systems functioning as expected sir," he stuttered. Bridger was standing right beside him, looking down at him with and odd expression on his face.
"I make you nervous, don't I?" he asked. O'Neill blinked, and stared straight at his console.
"Sir-" he began, but suddenly Ortiz cut in.
"Sir, we have incoming!"
A ripple of surprise ran around the bridge. Bridger looked up sharply, then strode from Communications over to Sensors. "How many?" he asked urgently.
"Two, sir. Torpedoes. ETA two minutes."
"Fire intercepts."
"Intercepts away sir." There was a long, tense moment. "All targets destroyed." Bridger relaxed, and opened his mouth, but Ortiz looked up again, his face confused. "Sir, six more headed our way!"
"Where are they coming from?" cried Bridger in frustration. Ortiz looked helpless.
"There's nothing showing on the scans, sir. It's like they're just appearing out of nowhere."
"Intercepts!"
"Aye, sir. Intercepts away. All targets destroyed."
They waited. There was no further activity. And then Ortiz looked up, and now his face was pale. "Sir, an electro-magnetic pulse has just knocked out the WSKRS power grid."
"What?" Bridger asked, incredulous. "Where did it come from?"
"Best guess," Ortiz said slowly, "they distracted us with the torpedoes while attaching electro-magnetic mines to the WSKRS. We're lucky they're on a separate power grid, sir, otherwise we'd be dead in the water."
"I guess they didn't know that," Bridger said grimly. "Ortiz, find me that boat!"
"WSKRS power down sir!"
Braithwaite grinned. Everything was going according to plan. He turned to his sensor chief. "How many intercepts have they got left?"
"Sir, this is seaQuest. We could take pot-shots at them all day, they'd still have a nuclear arsenal. We can't beat her in battle, even when she can't see us."
"No," mused Braithwaite, "and we wouldn't want to damage her, either. That ship's going to win this war for the Alliance of Free States. How're you coming along with the main power, commander?" he asked, turning to his XO. The man looked up with a grim smile.
"I've just about got it," he said.
"I don't get it!" Bridger growled, pacing up and down. "This is supposed to be the most advanced boat in the ocean! No-one has a cloaking device that can confuse our scanners! And how come they can see us? No-one was supposed to know seaQuest even existed, let alone that she was here!"
Ford shrugged his shoulders helplessly. So much for impressing the captain on his first day, he thought ruefully. This one should've been a no- brainer, but somehow things always got screwed up. "I've got Commander Hitchcock working on it sir," he said. "But you know, it may just be a coincidence. That ship out there may just be a patrol that got lucky."
Bridger shot him a piercing look. "If that's so, why can't we see them?"
As he spoke, the deep, purring hum that permeated the ship shuddered for a moment, than subsided into silence. The lights went off, then blinked back on, gleaming dimly. Bridger and Ford stared at each other in astonishment as Hitchcock's voice came over the com. "Sir, I think you'd better get up here..."
"Status report," Braithwaite barked. He was getting uneasy; inactivity always made him nervous. He wasn't captain of the most advanced sub in the Alliance fleet just so he could hide from a fight at the bottom of the ocean. His XO looked up, a ghost of a smile twitching the corners of his mouth.
"The power's down, sir. All but a few systems are inoperational."
Braithwaite straightened and turned back to the outside view screen. SeaQuest was dark, dead in the water. He grinned.
"Good work, Commander Wolenczak."
Oh yeah, I don't own seaQuest or most of the characters in this story. You can tell by the episode with the man-eating plants. Not my style...
Pro Patria Mori
Chapter Two
The sub lay at the bottom of the ocean. She was small, but well-armed. And well-hidden. On the bridge, the captain surveyed the screens.
"You're sure that's her, commander?" he asked, for the third time. His XO nodded patiently.
"There's no mistaking it," he replied. "Nothing else is that big. And anyway, it's following exactly the right course. There's no doubt about it: seaQuest is real. And she's coming our way."
"Captain Braithwaite," An ensign looked up urgently from her computer screen, "sensors showing unidentified objects in close proximity to the sub, sir."
Braithwaite frowned, his sharp features crumpling. He turned back to the XO. "What are they?"
"WSKRS," the commander returned, not batting an eyelid. "They're in the plans I sent you sir." Braithwaite shrugged. He didn't have a head for figures. "They're scanning devices."
"Can they see us?" Braithwaite asked sharply.
"No, sir. Surprise is on our side."
Braithwaite grinned. This was a big day, possibly the biggest of the whole war. "Power up weapons," he said in a satisfied tone.
Communications officer Tim O'Neill sighed as he looked at his screens. It was only the first day on seaQuest and already he was wishing he'd given up the navy when he'd had a chance. After his injuries at the Aleutian Ridge engagement, they'd offered him an honourable discharge, and after five years of conflict he'd have done anything to get out of the war. But that damn conscience of his had kept speaking in the back of his mind. Democracy and freedom were threatened. Not like back in the first years of the century, but for real this time. He knew – he was a smart guy – that no-one experiences true democracy and freedom in wartime, and he wasn't old enough to remember what they felt like, but his parents had seemed pretty keen on the concept. He wondered if they were just looking back on a golden age that never was; probably, but even if they were, it must have been a damn sight better than this one. So here he was, back in the war, this time on the goddamned flagship. The seaQuest! If there was any place he was likely to be in the thick of the action, it was here. He knew he should have been flattered that he'd been assigned, and he was pleased that he'd been assigned to the same ship as Ortiz, but all the same.
When he'd arrived on seaQuest the day before, Ortiz had been waiting in his quarters, grinning.
"So, you're back on your feet," his friend had smiled. "God knows what they were thinking assigning you to this tin can."
"Well I certainly don't," Tim had replied, frowning. Then both men had broken into smiles, and embraced.
"It's good to see you're ok," Miguel had said, then, seriously, "I thought you would leave, I really did."
"I thought about it," Tim admitted, "but I like navy food too much."
"Lieutenant O'Neill, report," said Miguel in Captain Bridger's voice. Tim looked at him, surprised, then remembered where he was. He swallowed, hard.
"Um, all systems functioning as expected sir," he stuttered. Bridger was standing right beside him, looking down at him with and odd expression on his face.
"I make you nervous, don't I?" he asked. O'Neill blinked, and stared straight at his console.
"Sir-" he began, but suddenly Ortiz cut in.
"Sir, we have incoming!"
A ripple of surprise ran around the bridge. Bridger looked up sharply, then strode from Communications over to Sensors. "How many?" he asked urgently.
"Two, sir. Torpedoes. ETA two minutes."
"Fire intercepts."
"Intercepts away sir." There was a long, tense moment. "All targets destroyed." Bridger relaxed, and opened his mouth, but Ortiz looked up again, his face confused. "Sir, six more headed our way!"
"Where are they coming from?" cried Bridger in frustration. Ortiz looked helpless.
"There's nothing showing on the scans, sir. It's like they're just appearing out of nowhere."
"Intercepts!"
"Aye, sir. Intercepts away. All targets destroyed."
They waited. There was no further activity. And then Ortiz looked up, and now his face was pale. "Sir, an electro-magnetic pulse has just knocked out the WSKRS power grid."
"What?" Bridger asked, incredulous. "Where did it come from?"
"Best guess," Ortiz said slowly, "they distracted us with the torpedoes while attaching electro-magnetic mines to the WSKRS. We're lucky they're on a separate power grid, sir, otherwise we'd be dead in the water."
"I guess they didn't know that," Bridger said grimly. "Ortiz, find me that boat!"
"WSKRS power down sir!"
Braithwaite grinned. Everything was going according to plan. He turned to his sensor chief. "How many intercepts have they got left?"
"Sir, this is seaQuest. We could take pot-shots at them all day, they'd still have a nuclear arsenal. We can't beat her in battle, even when she can't see us."
"No," mused Braithwaite, "and we wouldn't want to damage her, either. That ship's going to win this war for the Alliance of Free States. How're you coming along with the main power, commander?" he asked, turning to his XO. The man looked up with a grim smile.
"I've just about got it," he said.
"I don't get it!" Bridger growled, pacing up and down. "This is supposed to be the most advanced boat in the ocean! No-one has a cloaking device that can confuse our scanners! And how come they can see us? No-one was supposed to know seaQuest even existed, let alone that she was here!"
Ford shrugged his shoulders helplessly. So much for impressing the captain on his first day, he thought ruefully. This one should've been a no- brainer, but somehow things always got screwed up. "I've got Commander Hitchcock working on it sir," he said. "But you know, it may just be a coincidence. That ship out there may just be a patrol that got lucky."
Bridger shot him a piercing look. "If that's so, why can't we see them?"
As he spoke, the deep, purring hum that permeated the ship shuddered for a moment, than subsided into silence. The lights went off, then blinked back on, gleaming dimly. Bridger and Ford stared at each other in astonishment as Hitchcock's voice came over the com. "Sir, I think you'd better get up here..."
"Status report," Braithwaite barked. He was getting uneasy; inactivity always made him nervous. He wasn't captain of the most advanced sub in the Alliance fleet just so he could hide from a fight at the bottom of the ocean. His XO looked up, a ghost of a smile twitching the corners of his mouth.
"The power's down, sir. All but a few systems are inoperational."
Braithwaite straightened and turned back to the outside view screen. SeaQuest was dark, dead in the water. He grinned.
"Good work, Commander Wolenczak."