Alright! This chapter's quite a bit shorter than my norm, but it's just to wrap up the first mission. I've already gotten started on the second one, and I'll have a new chapter up again damned near right away! So, to wrap up the first mission, here's the next installment!

OH! And for those of you who haven't yet, read the changes to 'Chapter 5: All Good Things' in order for some of this to make sense!

MattSaotome

Mission 1 Epilogue

Gohan's ship sailed along beside the Wildstar with ease. There were several scorch marks spread out over both ships, and obvious battle damage scarred the otherwise perfect surfaces of their hulls.

In his ready room, Ranma was making his report to Starfleet. That meant he was talking to his dad. Not something that Ranma enjoyed doing.

"So the Wildcards were successful in recoverin' the CinC, but we barely got Commander Stoltz outta the bunker. We've got some heavy cosmetic damage to the underside of the hull, but the rest of the damage can be repaired by our own engineerin' crew."

On the monitor before him, Genma snickered. "All because you let yourself get caught!"

Ranma stood up, instantly mad. "I TOLD you, Oyaji! It was that stupid twit you assigned me for a helmsman, Ryouga! HE'S the one who somehow got 'Descend 500 meters' mixed up with 'Oh, and why don'tcha just go ahead and vent the bussard collectors while you're at it'!"

Genma sighed deep. "Well, my boy, it sounds like you and your crew still have a lot to go through."

Ranma sat back down with a huff. "Understatement!"

"Either way, I want the Wildstar to pull into the nearest port for repairs and some staff additions. We need your ship back out in the field sooner than your engineers can handle on their own."

Ranma nodded, going all business on his father. "The nearest starbase is 146. We'll be able to pull in there in about five hours."

Genma nodded on the monitor. "Then make it so, Ranma."

The monitor blipped to the UFP logo, then turned off. On the couch across from Ranma, Goku and Vegeta were grinning and shaking their heads.

Ranma sighed heavy, then noticed them doing it. "…What?"

"Your father is a real piece of work, Ranma!" Goku laughed.

"What he said!" Vegeta chuckled.

Ranma rolled his eyes. "You guys have no idea! This wasn't even the tip of the iceberg!"

The door chime rang, and Ranma looked over to the entrance.

"Come," he said.

The doors opened, and Gohan and Trunks walked into the ready room. Ranma smiled almost immediately.

"What's up, guys?" He asked.

Trunks shrugged. "We're about ready to get under way, Captain."

Ranma gave a single nod. "Any time ya wanna come back, you're more than welcome! I don't have ta tell ya that the battle coulda been lost without your help!"

Gohan went a little red, but Trunks stood tall with pride. He knew it! They were the best as far as civilians went! He'd settle for nothing less!

"Of course they were welcome help!" Vegeta stood, his expression somewhat stern. "If there's anything I think I taught my son, it's how to stand proud as a warrior!"

Vegeta looked at Trunks with pride writ all over his face. Trunks face didn't change, but his eyes were hugging Vegeta for all he was worth, knowing that Vegeta considered any open signs of affection to be weak.

"Thanks, Dad!"

Goku wasn't nearly as held back as Vegeta and Trunks as he stood up and gave Gohan a quick hug. He pulled back and put his hands on Gohan's shoulders.

"So when the hell did this happen?" He asked with a smile.

"Well, you know…" Gohan searched for a good explanation. "I just take what people give me and… well, make it better!"

Goku laughed. "Well… any ship that can stand alongside this one and fight is certainly a good ship!"

"Thanks, Dad!" Gohan grinned. Then he turned to face Ranma, and Trunks followed suit.

"Only one question remains." Vegeta spoke again. Everyone turned to face him. "Well, do we keep calling it 'Gohan and Trunks ship'? Or did you prefer 'Ambassador class hybrid'?"

Gohan and Trunks chuckled. Then, Gohan looked over to Goku.

"We named the ship 'Iccarus'."

Goku nodded. The name belonged to a pet Gohan had as a boy. It seemed only fitting that his first ship take the same name.

Vegeta gave a single nod, the name's origin not lost on him, either. "A good name."

Ranma stood and extended his hand, shaking Gohan's first, then Trunks'.

"Well guys, I wish you safe voyages! Don't let it be too long before we do this again!"

The two chuckled in reply to Ranma's comment, then turned and left the ready room. Not moments later, they beamed back to their ship and laid in a departure course.

In space, the Iccarus pulled away from the Wildstar slowly, continuing its flight in whichever direction Gohan and Trunks felt like pointing.

From somewhere deep within the bowels of the Wildstar, a single voice cried out to be heard. The voice of a certain helmsman, still learning how to find his way.

"WHERE AM I NOW?????"

"Sickbay." A voice beside him replied calmly. All of a sudden, Ryouga's expression changed from frustration to that of worry and fear. A dopey grin appeared on his face as he slowly turned his head to face the person who spoke.

"Uhhh… Ah… AKANE! Umm… Hi, how ARE you? Nice day out ISN'T IT?!? …Ahhehehehehehehehhhh…"

Ranma was walking down the corridor heading in the direction of main engineering. As he walked, his brow furrowed slowly, several banging noises coming to his ears that were growing in intensity. At the last second, he jumped away from the wall beside him, just as Ryouga's head broke through it, the rest of his body concealed somewhere on the other side of the bulkhead.

Ranma's eyes went wide, and he stepped cautiously over to the nearly unconscious lost boy.

"Bu… but… Akane… I'm… real… sor-r-r…" With a deep exhalation, he slumped into unconsciousness.

Ranma's eyes went even wider. Akane? Where was she? If she was in sickbay, then that would mean Ryouga just went through… he began to count on his fingers, and found that he had to use both hands twice! Seventeen bulkheads!!!

Note to self, stay away from Akane for at LEAST 24 hours!

Ranma slowly reached up and tapped his com badge. "Uh… Saotome to Bones"

"Go ahead, Captain."

"Can you come to Baker quadrant section gamma, just outside Main Engineering? I have my helmsman's unconscious head looking at me from it's bulkhead mount."

There was a moment of silence before he could hear someone on the other side of the com badge screaming in the background. It didn't take a rocket scientist to recognize the voice of his fiancée, Akane.

"THAT HONORLESS, PERVERTED, BLACK SLAB OF PORK CAN DIE FOR ALL I CARE!!! IF HE'S GONNA GET ANY HELP, IT AIN'T GONNA BE FROM ME, CAUSE I'LL DEEP FRY THE LITT- I'll, uh… I'll be right up, Captain." Bones' voice finally came back over the line.

His quarters were dark around him, and the com line was open. The monitor glowed brightly before him. Two shapes were visible on it. The one began to speak.

"So he specifically mentioned Section 31 involvement?" A female voice said.

"That's correct." Steven answered. "I don't know how he knew what he did, but he laid it all out like he'd been in one of our briefings!"

"The captain is obviously much more intelligent than we originally thought," a male voice said now. "You know our policies in these situations, Commander. See to it that this problem is dealt with!"

Steven nodded slowly. "Aye, Sir."

The transmission came to a close, and Steven thought about what he had to do for a moment. His face remained blank as he leaned forward and opened a new transmission. A moment passed, and he breathed deep, reflecting on the consequences of even saying something out of turn nowadays. The screen blipped again, and a man in a black uniform appeared on the screen.

"Go ahead, Sir?"

"Launch the Leviathan," Steven said quietly.

A second passed in silence.

"Target?"

"U.S.S. Wildstar. Ensure Agent extraction."

Another moment of silence.

"Understood."

Steven closed the transmission and leaned back in his chair hard.

Things had definitely taken a turn for the worst!

Another cliffhanger!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!! I'm evil sometimes... Anyways, you won't have to wait long!

I'm wide open for the review thingy again!

MattSaotome