Disclaimer: Star Trek and all its characters belong to Paramount Pictures. Carrie belongs to author Stephen King but the words are mine. The characters of the Four Orders are entirely my own.

Requested Story by T-Rex-1000

AU/ST/Carrie/FO: Admiral Brigham enacts a desperate plan to save the life of his granddaughter, enlisting the help of Starfleet captain: Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise under false pretense and no matter the cost. But the price comes too high…

Chapter 6

Previously:

Admiral Brigham was on his toes. The Captain was definitely up to something and he was not sure he wanted to find out what. So far the two have been spot-on on every Starfleet regulation. So he wondered what they were up to, for the nth time.

They reached the ready room and sat down waiting for the others and they arrived shortly after looking expectantly at the captain.

He stood up and straightened his uniform. He looked into each person's eyes sitting around before making this decision. He knew he had one trick up his sleeve should this go wrong and that was Regulation 619 that stated that "The commanding officers must relieve themselves of command if their current mission leaves them emotionally compromised and unable to make rational decisions."

Thinking a bit he came up with another regulation that could serve him well should the admiral decide to be difficult and that was Regulation 208 (paragraph 2) that "Allows an active captain to override the orders of other officers."

And then there were one another that could serve him with Beverly's help and that were Starfleet Order 104 Section C: "Should it be proven with admissible evidence that the flag officer who had assumed command was medically or psychologically unfit for command, the starship's ranking officer could relieve them on that basis. However, such an action was required to be supported by an appropriate certification of unfitness by the ship's chief medical officer (requiring the CMO to also produce test results to that effect) or other clear evidence, such as an act of attempted suicide". And of course Beverly could easily use the medical protocols to that effect too - Regulation 121 (Section A).

He thought to himself – 'one can always find a relief in the bylaws of Starfleet.' He felt so as he was at unease of what he was about to do that went against all his instincts but the problem was he could not turn his back on Ella Brigham especially when he had the means to save her life even it involved some fancy maneuvering with the laws of the Federation and Starfleet.

"I thank you all for coming. As you all know Ella Brigham's life hangs in a balance because of a disease introduced by an alien species with the intent to harm the lives of Federation citizens and as such has been recognized as direct threat to Federation security by Admiral Brigham who as of this moment is in Command of the USS Enterprise under Regulation 19 Section C."

And now

Silence befell the ready room. The most surprised of all was Admiral Brigham. He quickly masked it of course. Picard was definitely full of surprises but that development made his day as he could enact his plan without any further resistance. He wondered though if the captain had really thought this through. This regulation gave the Admiral absolute authority to carry out his mission and in perfect legality.

"Thank you, Captain Picard," The Admiral stood up as everyone's eyes was turned in his direction. "I know this may appear a bit sudden to all of you however we are pressed for time and we must act immediately to neutralize this disease and threat to Federation security."

"What are your orders, Admiral?" Jean-Luc asked though he hoped the good admiral remembered that he made a deal with some conditions involved.

"My first order of business is Starfleet Transfer Regulation SFR-02-0933-3440 with which I am assigning Lt. Samuel Frex to the Enterprise as my first officer effective immediately."

Commander Will Riker was ready to protest but one look from his captain made him relax and accept it gracefully. Dr. Crusher noticed the exchange of looks and looked at Jean-Luc expectantly. He made her the sign saying 'later' so she relaxed too. Admiral Brigham being so excited did not notice this exchange.

"Commander Riker, please accept my apologies for this but I am sure you understand that I prefer to work with someone I do know even if only for the duration of this crisis. It is nothing personal against you or your record, which is impeccable."

"Of course, Admiral,"

"Excellent," Admiral Brigham said. He was grateful to his instincts for using the Enterprise as these officers were loyal but obedient of the laws and that spoke volumes. "Now I am assigning Commander Data and Commander LaForge to examine all possible ways for us to extract Ms. White from her surroundings without being detected in anyway by the 20th century probes, satellites or other means that could potentially spot us. Also, Dr. Crusher, I will need you to prepare sickbay for the blood transfusion and also the procedure for the memory wipe of Ms. White once it is done.

Commander Riker, I am assigning you temporarily to Chief of Security alongside your second in command Lt. Worf. Captain Picard, you will remain in command of the ship to any duties outside of the mission's parameters but I am also assigning him to overlook the procedures for time warp to ensure we arrive where we have to in the 20th century and back to the 24th. That would be all for now."

The Admiral thought this was only fair. "Oh, and have Lt. Frex report here."

"Yes, Admiral,"

Everyone left and resumed their duties while only Captain Picard, Commander Riker and Dr. Crusher headed elsewhere. He needed them to know the stakes of this gamble.

"Alright, Jean-Luc, what the hell is going on?" Beverly asked when they got into a room and secured it. "We have received no such directives from Starfleet. Is the admiral out of his mind? Are you?"

"All valid questions, Beverly." Jean-Luc said raising hands defensively. "The truth is we can't ignore the possibility of saving Ella's life when we have the means to achieve it. Also it is possible the Admiral is right about Starfleet and we can all attest to that with Special Order 48666."

"This is highly unlikely." Beverly protested.

"True but we can't take the risk until we have the whole picture." Commander Riker interjected.

"The truth is I don't quite trust the admiral to relinquish command if push comes to shove. " Jean-Luc said voicing one of his fears.

"Then why give him the power to do what he wants?" Beverly asked.

"So we do have an excuse," Commander Riker answered.

"That's right, Number One." Jean-Luc nodded. "Also I have left out a few regulations that can restore my command very easily."

"Not mention, the admiral knows he doesn't have absolute authority hence the reason he is threading carefully." Riker added.

"This is all well but it doesn't justify your actions." Beverly said. "We are in a willful violation of Starfleet's regulations. This should have been reported immediately."

"Again true if it were not for the possibility the admiral could be right and that is a risk at this point that I am not prepared to take." Jean-Luc countered.

"You are playing a dangerous game, Jean-Luc, with everyone's future."

"Saving a life, Doctor, is not a game. It is duty, our solemn duty to help those in need."

"We can't always foresee the complications of laws."

"I will be sure to write that down on your tombstone, Commander." Beverly countered.

"Ok, enough with the speech combat," Jean-Luc interfered before it escalates into a debate they did not have the time for. "All I am saying is we should be careful with him. He has the innate ability to piss anyone. I watched him once force the Vulcans to leave a meeting feeling extremely emotional about his bitty remarks."

"Well that explains everything." Beverly remarked.

"Will, make sure Lt. Worf remembers his loyalties and Starfleet regulations should the worse take over."

"No worries now that I am chief of security."

"Let's do this right and come back in one piece." Jean-Luc said. "And then we will deal with the validity of his actions. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Beverly ceded. She was not very happy about this development but accepted the reason of Jean-Luc's strange decision. She of course had the feeling that as usual plan A never works and something was bound to give up and throw their plans straight out of the airlock but took a deep breath and got back to sickbay to prepare for the next phase.

Lt. Frex could not believe the admiral's luck with the current development. He had always dreamed of being in command of a big starship but he would have never imagined that would be the Enterprise, the flagship of Starfleet.

He had brought to the admiral his granddaughter's stasis pod with him. He also brought the time tracker. The admiral was extremely pleased with it. All was proceeding according to plan even better than projected. Of course they had to remain vigilant as there were still many things that could go wrong.

He would have also preferred to have some of his old crew under him and not the current ones but it is what it is. He had to make it work in the most effortless way possible. It was not time to raise suspicions when they were this close to executing the general plan.

He made a quick check of all the resources now at his disposal and was pleasantly surprised of the efficiency with which this ship was run (even by the previous first officer). He knew of Commander Riker but never had the pleasure of meeting him or working with him. He understood the admiral made his chief of security for the duration of the mission along with Lieutenant Worf as second in command.

The Enterprise was definitely the flag ship of the fleet. It was not the strongest or the most powerful but it was the best. It was the perfect mix between these two qualities with one of the best crews in the Federation as a whole. It would be his privilege and honor to work with them. And he intended to be more of his best to prove that the admiral's trust in him was well placed.

The Admiral gathered the command staff in the briefing room to outline the plan to save his granddaughter's life in greater details. He was certain that there would be a few objections to his rather direct approach but to his surprise the crew only contributed to the points of the plan that needed clarification.

"Alright then," Admiral Brigham said. "Let's get to work."

The command crew left the briefing room only Lt. Frex remained. He believed the admiral needed to control better his emotions on this one as there was a regulation that could easily take away his command. He shared his opinion with the admiral who took the note and sent him to oversee the preparations.

Several days later, the Enterprise was ready for the time warp jump. The time tracker had extrapolated the exact location of the target – Carrie White. Everyone was surprised of the accuracy with which this machine worked with little to no information.

"Commander LaForge, are we ready?" Admiral Brigham asked.

"Yes, Admiral, all systems are nominal. Engines are ready for time warp acceleration."

"Excellent, "Admiral Brigham could almost taste success. "Commander Data, set course and engage to warp factor 6."

"Yes, Admiral," Commander Data executed the order with precision and Enterprise was on the move.

"Approaching target star," Lt. Frex announced.

"Begin approach,"

The Enterprise moved in orbital approach for a slingshot maneuver.

"Increase speed to warp factor 9."

"Warp factor 9 in seven seconds," Commander Data informed. "Warp 9 attained, increasing to maximum velocity. Calculating trajectory and we are set for time warp."

"Time warp in three, two, one," Commander LaForge confirmed.

The ship engaged its powerful engines and executed the maneuver perfectly thus emerging on the other side of the star moments later.

"Report,"

"We have emerged successfully from the time jump." Lt. Frex said. "Checking coordinates," There was a small pause. "Coordinates are verified. Time coordinates check out. We have arrived in the late 20th century. The year is 1979 May 08th early in the morning."

"It is as accurate as it can get. Set course for Earth, maximum sustainable warp."

"Yes, Admiral,"

The Enterprise readjusted its course and jumped to warp straight back to Earth. It took them 14 days to reach Earth. They had a few days to spare and prepare for the snatching operation. The Admiral wanted them to practice it in such a way that would not arouse the suspicions of anyone let alone the local authorities. Their presence must have a minimum contact with the locals hence the reason the Enterprise was parked outside of Earth's orbit to avoid any unnecessary sightings however remote a possibility that could be.

When all the details were ironed down to the last detail they waited for the precise time and that was May 28th 1979 near midnight. The Admiral only hoped that they are not going to notice all the disturbances Ms. White would create in the meantime. He needed them focused on one task only.

And finally the wait was over and the shuttle headed for the preset coordinates. The ambulance appeared. They flew over it and the crew beamed in and it happened just as he had read it in the temporal report.

Carrie White was then beamed directly to the ship's sickbay where Dr. Crusher got to work in extracting her blood and transfusing it to Ella Brigham. Everything was proceeding according to plan and the admiral could barely contain his enthusiasm. But nothing truly happens according to plan even one so meticulously rehearsed.

"Sickbay to bridge," Dr. Crusher called. "There is someone here who would like to say hello."

The Admiral bolted from the bridge straight to sickbay. His heart was pounding and beating faster than the speed of sound. He reached it minutes later and then stopped in his tracks. From one of the biobeds, his precious little gem stood eyes wide opened and somewhat confused but positively beaming with gratitude and joy.

"Grandfather?"

"Ella," Tears found their way out and down his cheeks. He was so happy. He was ecstatic that it worked.

"How?"

"The one next to you is Carrie. Her blood saved you."

Ella Brigham eyed the biobed next to her where her ancestor lied peacefully. She was grateful to this sudden change of her situation. She was told over and over that there is no cure but her grandfather never gave up hope and now she was up and about and the disease was gone. She could again enjoy the sun, the stars, her friends (hoping they were still around), the sky, the holodeck and all that life had to offer.

The two jumped into each other's embrace. They were so happy and that's why they did not see it coming. Suddenly the doors slammed closed with terrible force. The lights trembled and flickered.

"Who are you?"

To be continued…

And don't forget to review. It only takes a couple of minutes. Thank you!

Lordheaven