Chapter 13
1 week later...
The setting was again so familiar to Chris Lennon. The sun gleamed from behind the hills, it shone its magnificent rays throughout the whole land. The shadows were long and the Golden-gate Bridge finally seemed to be living up to its name as the shimmer of light temporarily blinded him. But it was now autumn and the waterfront was not as green as it was almost two months ago. The brown leaves began to fall from the trees and the world seemed a little colder as he again began to wander around the city.
The emotions seemed identical to those he experienced the last time he wandered these streets. Happiness to be home again, joy of being alive but foremost uncertainty of what lay in his path.
The Spartan had docked at the Utopia Planitia on Mars last night with the entire crew being transferred back to Earth. He immediately returned to his home in the tranquillity of New Zealand and let the weight drop from his shoulders for a little while. After the best night sleep he had had in many years he woke to feel like a new man but still had to face Admiral Nechayev in San Francisco to summarise the whole experience.
This time Lennon knew exactly where to go, the Admirals office had become like a second place of work to him and by-passing the secretary who sat in front of her office he walked straight into the guest lounge and took a seat.
From behind an old fashioned wooden double door Admiral Nechayev entered the lounge from her office beaming radiantly.
" Good afternoon Captain, great to see you again."
" Likewise Admiral." he responded as Nechayev walked to the replicator.
" Tea, coffee?" he inquired, "or perhaps something a little stronger?"
" I suppose it is a celebration." Lennon smirked from his seat.
Admiral Nechayev moved away from the replicator to a small counter concealed in the corner of the wooden styled room. She bent down and picked up a bottle and two crystal glasses and marched back over to the spot Lennon was sitting.
" Brandy, it is a special occasion." she smiled back before taking her seat in a sunken leather chair across the table from Lennon.
" I've read your report, it was very thorough." she said pouring into the glasses. "I liked your ingenuity, disguising your ship as a Pakled transport was a great touch."
"Thank you admiral, fate was in my favour this time around." he responded.
" It appears you were correct in your reasoning. The Obsidian Order did want us to send the Spartan to investigate the military buildup. It was a good thing you discovered the Cardassian sensor station before entering their space. Otherwise you would never have known about their tricks and the Spartan would be in enemy hands."
" That wasn't down to me Admiral, Lt. Ruth Donnachie made that discovery using her own initiative. She deserves the credit"
" Yes, so I've been told. Her findings have come as a bit of a surprise actually, we knew the Cardassians were devious but we never thought they had the ability to build a sensor array of that magnitude."
" I think it took us all by shock admiral, we have become to complacent with the Cardassians. It's time to change that."
" No captain, it is not time to act. We value our peace treaty."
" But admiral they are freely scanning deep into our space. The tactical data they have on our forces would be astronomical." Lennon began arguing.
" Not any more captain, because late last night while the Spartan was returning home a taskforce of Pakled transports entered Cardassian space and destroyed the array."
"Pakled transports!" Lennon exclaimed as he began to burst into hysterics.
" Exactly." Laughed the admiral.
It took a while for the laughing to die down but Lennon's thought soon shifted to the here and now and he suddenly remembered the main reason why he was here.
" So what do I do now admiral?" he asked in a sharp serious tone.
" Well I've had a few ideas about that, the USS Aintree is in need of her former captain."
Lennon had expected this response, and showed no emotion when it was aired although returning to his old ship seemed like a step back in his career.
"Or..." continued the admiral, " The Spartan will be up and running again by Christmas and I can't think of a better person to take the reigns as she is integrated into Starfleet.
Upon hearing this Chris Lennon rose out his seat as his heart pumped.
" That's fantastic, thank you so much."
" And I know an eager crew who are also without a ship at the moment." Nechayev continued. "But of course there is one position you are short of."
Captain Lennon seemed puzzled, what was she talking about. However Nechayev continued to smile as she hit her commbadge.
" Lieutenant, please enter."
The wooden double doors again swung open and in walked a familiar face.
" Lieutenant Anel Jura." began the admiral, "I'm sure you've met."
Lennon seemed speechless at the time, Anel Jura had been left behind on DS9 after being taken into custody following his orders. The captain had meant to retrieve her at the end of the mission, but with everything that happened he had plain forgot.
"It's alright captain," Jura began, "when the admiral found out I was under your orders she pulled a few strings to have me realised from the cell."
" That's right captain, Lieutenant Jura has been sitting in San Francisco for the last two weeks while you have been out there putting your life on the line."
Lennon and Jura quickly exchanged a smile, and it seemed he was forgiven.
" Will you join us again Lieutenant, and this time I promise no fighting."
" I'd love to Captain." responded Jura.
" If he breaks his word Lieutenant, you could always use that left hook of yours again." laughed Nechayev.
1 week later...
The setting was again so familiar to Chris Lennon. The sun gleamed from behind the hills, it shone its magnificent rays throughout the whole land. The shadows were long and the Golden-gate Bridge finally seemed to be living up to its name as the shimmer of light temporarily blinded him. But it was now autumn and the waterfront was not as green as it was almost two months ago. The brown leaves began to fall from the trees and the world seemed a little colder as he again began to wander around the city.
The emotions seemed identical to those he experienced the last time he wandered these streets. Happiness to be home again, joy of being alive but foremost uncertainty of what lay in his path.
The Spartan had docked at the Utopia Planitia on Mars last night with the entire crew being transferred back to Earth. He immediately returned to his home in the tranquillity of New Zealand and let the weight drop from his shoulders for a little while. After the best night sleep he had had in many years he woke to feel like a new man but still had to face Admiral Nechayev in San Francisco to summarise the whole experience.
This time Lennon knew exactly where to go, the Admirals office had become like a second place of work to him and by-passing the secretary who sat in front of her office he walked straight into the guest lounge and took a seat.
From behind an old fashioned wooden double door Admiral Nechayev entered the lounge from her office beaming radiantly.
" Good afternoon Captain, great to see you again."
" Likewise Admiral." he responded as Nechayev walked to the replicator.
" Tea, coffee?" he inquired, "or perhaps something a little stronger?"
" I suppose it is a celebration." Lennon smirked from his seat.
Admiral Nechayev moved away from the replicator to a small counter concealed in the corner of the wooden styled room. She bent down and picked up a bottle and two crystal glasses and marched back over to the spot Lennon was sitting.
" Brandy, it is a special occasion." she smiled back before taking her seat in a sunken leather chair across the table from Lennon.
" I've read your report, it was very thorough." she said pouring into the glasses. "I liked your ingenuity, disguising your ship as a Pakled transport was a great touch."
"Thank you admiral, fate was in my favour this time around." he responded.
" It appears you were correct in your reasoning. The Obsidian Order did want us to send the Spartan to investigate the military buildup. It was a good thing you discovered the Cardassian sensor station before entering their space. Otherwise you would never have known about their tricks and the Spartan would be in enemy hands."
" That wasn't down to me Admiral, Lt. Ruth Donnachie made that discovery using her own initiative. She deserves the credit"
" Yes, so I've been told. Her findings have come as a bit of a surprise actually, we knew the Cardassians were devious but we never thought they had the ability to build a sensor array of that magnitude."
" I think it took us all by shock admiral, we have become to complacent with the Cardassians. It's time to change that."
" No captain, it is not time to act. We value our peace treaty."
" But admiral they are freely scanning deep into our space. The tactical data they have on our forces would be astronomical." Lennon began arguing.
" Not any more captain, because late last night while the Spartan was returning home a taskforce of Pakled transports entered Cardassian space and destroyed the array."
"Pakled transports!" Lennon exclaimed as he began to burst into hysterics.
" Exactly." Laughed the admiral.
It took a while for the laughing to die down but Lennon's thought soon shifted to the here and now and he suddenly remembered the main reason why he was here.
" So what do I do now admiral?" he asked in a sharp serious tone.
" Well I've had a few ideas about that, the USS Aintree is in need of her former captain."
Lennon had expected this response, and showed no emotion when it was aired although returning to his old ship seemed like a step back in his career.
"Or..." continued the admiral, " The Spartan will be up and running again by Christmas and I can't think of a better person to take the reigns as she is integrated into Starfleet.
Upon hearing this Chris Lennon rose out his seat as his heart pumped.
" That's fantastic, thank you so much."
" And I know an eager crew who are also without a ship at the moment." Nechayev continued. "But of course there is one position you are short of."
Captain Lennon seemed puzzled, what was she talking about. However Nechayev continued to smile as she hit her commbadge.
" Lieutenant, please enter."
The wooden double doors again swung open and in walked a familiar face.
" Lieutenant Anel Jura." began the admiral, "I'm sure you've met."
Lennon seemed speechless at the time, Anel Jura had been left behind on DS9 after being taken into custody following his orders. The captain had meant to retrieve her at the end of the mission, but with everything that happened he had plain forgot.
"It's alright captain," Jura began, "when the admiral found out I was under your orders she pulled a few strings to have me realised from the cell."
" That's right captain, Lieutenant Jura has been sitting in San Francisco for the last two weeks while you have been out there putting your life on the line."
Lennon and Jura quickly exchanged a smile, and it seemed he was forgiven.
" Will you join us again Lieutenant, and this time I promise no fighting."
" I'd love to Captain." responded Jura.
" If he breaks his word Lieutenant, you could always use that left hook of yours again." laughed Nechayev.