At the New United Federation of Planets Headquarters on Vulcan, in the building which had once housed both the T'Pau Logic Foundation and the Vulcan High Command, Captain Charlotte Finn straightened her blue tunic. She was about to deliver bad news to the Starfleet Chief of Staff, arguably one of the most powerful men in the Federation.
The PADD she was carrying displayed the words "Covert Activities Report" but the rest of the text wasn't visible, for obvious reasons. She felt uneasy, carrying a handheld phase de-atomizer weapon in a holster like a security guard, but the Fleet Admiral was getting a bit paranoid in his old age.
He even lived in a holosuite for the time he was at HQ, because, as he had said – what was it? Ah - "reality makes me nervous." She took a deep breath – and walked in.
At first glance, she appeared to have walked out of a turbolift onto the bridge of an archaic starship, possibly pre-Dominion War. The room was under Code Red conditions - or, she supposed, Red Alert for this period. There were flashing red lights and it was dark. Nobody was sitting in the Captain's chair, or manning any of the stations – except Ops.
"Admiral." Charlotte straightened up. "With all due respect, sir, shouldn't you be sitting down? Doctor Myo said –"
"I don't care what Myo said! I want the Doctor. The REAL Doctor." The old man lowered his head over the ops console. Charlotte sighed. She hated messing with her mentor's mind, but it had to be done if she was going to get through to him.
"Stand up straight and pay attention, Harry!" she said, doing her best Kathryn Janeway impression. Admiral Kim stood up straight in an unnatural manner. It wasn't something the old woman would have said had she been alive, but it got his attention.
"Yes ma'am." Charlotte shook her head.
"No, sir. It's me, Commander Finn." She smiled. Harry looked relieved.
"Oh, Charlie. Am I glad to see you! Good news?"
The communications chief shook her head. "Sorry, sir. The Sparrowhawk's crew just got picked up by one of our battleships, the Desperado. The Anubis is missing with only half a starboard nacelle, and the Enterprise is still duking it out with the Evangeline."
The tired officer breathed in. "What about the Discovery and – and that ship, that ship they had the AUDACITY to call Voyager? Destroyed?"
"Escaped."
"NO!" Harry was going red. Finn looked at him worriedly.
"Calm down, Admiral."
"Charlie, I want it destroyed. Promise me. Promise me you'll destroy it." He looked at her seriously, the light from the ops console bouncing off his wrinkled face, making great black shadows.
"I –" She hesitated. "All right. I will. I will personally put together a task force from Prometheus-class and Avatar-class ships. A tactical squadron. We'll strike at the H'nori Colony, and take out Voyager. On one condition."
"What's that?" mumbled Harry. He was close to tears.
"Promise me you'll take a vacation. Go to Earth, see it again. You're spending too much time with the pointies."
"That is a racist remark, Miss Finn," muttered Harry gruffly, but he was smiling. Suddenly, there was a beeping noise from the ops console. "We're being hailed."
"Who by? It's a holodeck!" Charlotte exclaimed as she went round to Ops to look over Harry's shoulder.
"Someone in the office has routed a shuttle communication from the T'Krut defence grid satellites to the hologrid." He tapped a few buttons. "On screen."
The interior of an old Delta Flyer-class shuttle came on the screen, and it was only when she noticed the "Captain Proton" flight panels that Charlotte realised that this was the original Delta Flyer. A very old woman sat in the pilot's chair, and a bald man she couldn't quite place sat at tactical.
"Harry!" The woman crowed. She looked quite humanoid, but she had pronounced horns protruding from her forehead. Ktarian? Charlotte wondered. Then the man also piped up.
"Keeping in good health, are we, Mister Kim?" he asked. Then it hit her. Voyager's EMH – the Doctor!
"Naomi! Doc!" Harry's voice cracked with emotion. Then he hardened. "I have nothing to say to you."
"Oh, come on, Harry," Naomi swatted his rebuttal aside. "Humour two old defectors."
"I'm amazed the Flyer's still up and running after the beating your destroyers gave it," the Doctor cut in, trying to make conversation. "The late Mister Paris would not be pleased."
"Well, it serves you right for stealing it from the surplus depot," said Charlotte. Harry was about to silence her when Naomi turned.
"Oh, so who's this? A Starfleet lackey? Take my advice, dear – the Coalition uniforms fit much better."
"She'll wear one to warm her up on a cold day in hell," the admiral retorted.
"Look, Mister Kim, we need a favour." The Doctor broke in to pacify the bickering trio. "We heard from – well, never mind where – that Annika wasn't well. Please – let me see what I can do for her."
"NO!" shouted Harry. "Get out of Federation space, you traitors! Look who comes in this hour of need, when everyone except Annika, the Captain and me defected. A hybrid girl who was never an officer on that great ship Voyager, and a clapped-out, obsolete hologram. Annika is fine. She's just got to the end of the road, even with all that Borg technology. You can get out of our space and go back to Betazed, you TRAITORS! To think you once operated on me, I once entrusted you back-stabbers with my LIFE! The Captain must be turning in her grave!"
And with that, he collapsed.
The PADD she was carrying displayed the words "Covert Activities Report" but the rest of the text wasn't visible, for obvious reasons. She felt uneasy, carrying a handheld phase de-atomizer weapon in a holster like a security guard, but the Fleet Admiral was getting a bit paranoid in his old age.
He even lived in a holosuite for the time he was at HQ, because, as he had said – what was it? Ah - "reality makes me nervous." She took a deep breath – and walked in.
At first glance, she appeared to have walked out of a turbolift onto the bridge of an archaic starship, possibly pre-Dominion War. The room was under Code Red conditions - or, she supposed, Red Alert for this period. There were flashing red lights and it was dark. Nobody was sitting in the Captain's chair, or manning any of the stations – except Ops.
"Admiral." Charlotte straightened up. "With all due respect, sir, shouldn't you be sitting down? Doctor Myo said –"
"I don't care what Myo said! I want the Doctor. The REAL Doctor." The old man lowered his head over the ops console. Charlotte sighed. She hated messing with her mentor's mind, but it had to be done if she was going to get through to him.
"Stand up straight and pay attention, Harry!" she said, doing her best Kathryn Janeway impression. Admiral Kim stood up straight in an unnatural manner. It wasn't something the old woman would have said had she been alive, but it got his attention.
"Yes ma'am." Charlotte shook her head.
"No, sir. It's me, Commander Finn." She smiled. Harry looked relieved.
"Oh, Charlie. Am I glad to see you! Good news?"
The communications chief shook her head. "Sorry, sir. The Sparrowhawk's crew just got picked up by one of our battleships, the Desperado. The Anubis is missing with only half a starboard nacelle, and the Enterprise is still duking it out with the Evangeline."
The tired officer breathed in. "What about the Discovery and – and that ship, that ship they had the AUDACITY to call Voyager? Destroyed?"
"Escaped."
"NO!" Harry was going red. Finn looked at him worriedly.
"Calm down, Admiral."
"Charlie, I want it destroyed. Promise me. Promise me you'll destroy it." He looked at her seriously, the light from the ops console bouncing off his wrinkled face, making great black shadows.
"I –" She hesitated. "All right. I will. I will personally put together a task force from Prometheus-class and Avatar-class ships. A tactical squadron. We'll strike at the H'nori Colony, and take out Voyager. On one condition."
"What's that?" mumbled Harry. He was close to tears.
"Promise me you'll take a vacation. Go to Earth, see it again. You're spending too much time with the pointies."
"That is a racist remark, Miss Finn," muttered Harry gruffly, but he was smiling. Suddenly, there was a beeping noise from the ops console. "We're being hailed."
"Who by? It's a holodeck!" Charlotte exclaimed as she went round to Ops to look over Harry's shoulder.
"Someone in the office has routed a shuttle communication from the T'Krut defence grid satellites to the hologrid." He tapped a few buttons. "On screen."
The interior of an old Delta Flyer-class shuttle came on the screen, and it was only when she noticed the "Captain Proton" flight panels that Charlotte realised that this was the original Delta Flyer. A very old woman sat in the pilot's chair, and a bald man she couldn't quite place sat at tactical.
"Harry!" The woman crowed. She looked quite humanoid, but she had pronounced horns protruding from her forehead. Ktarian? Charlotte wondered. Then the man also piped up.
"Keeping in good health, are we, Mister Kim?" he asked. Then it hit her. Voyager's EMH – the Doctor!
"Naomi! Doc!" Harry's voice cracked with emotion. Then he hardened. "I have nothing to say to you."
"Oh, come on, Harry," Naomi swatted his rebuttal aside. "Humour two old defectors."
"I'm amazed the Flyer's still up and running after the beating your destroyers gave it," the Doctor cut in, trying to make conversation. "The late Mister Paris would not be pleased."
"Well, it serves you right for stealing it from the surplus depot," said Charlotte. Harry was about to silence her when Naomi turned.
"Oh, so who's this? A Starfleet lackey? Take my advice, dear – the Coalition uniforms fit much better."
"She'll wear one to warm her up on a cold day in hell," the admiral retorted.
"Look, Mister Kim, we need a favour." The Doctor broke in to pacify the bickering trio. "We heard from – well, never mind where – that Annika wasn't well. Please – let me see what I can do for her."
"NO!" shouted Harry. "Get out of Federation space, you traitors! Look who comes in this hour of need, when everyone except Annika, the Captain and me defected. A hybrid girl who was never an officer on that great ship Voyager, and a clapped-out, obsolete hologram. Annika is fine. She's just got to the end of the road, even with all that Borg technology. You can get out of our space and go back to Betazed, you TRAITORS! To think you once operated on me, I once entrusted you back-stabbers with my LIFE! The Captain must be turning in her grave!"
And with that, he collapsed.