Epilogue

STARFLEET COMMAND

ADMIRAL KIRK'S OFFICE

Kirk was listening to Jacobs' report. The rescue was fantastic. He was pleased that all went so well. Jacobs was finishing up, "… and Dr. Mallard says their prognosis is well. I would recommend that they all get some counseling for this experience. Jameson has been in a foul mood; he will not allow visitors at all. He views the crew as the enemy. Don't worry, we are trying to be good hosts. I even invited him to the Captain's mess yesterday, which he refused."

"Also, thank you for forwarding Mr. Cogley's name to me. I've been a client of his for a couple of years, though this is the first time I'll be using him for political cover, I guess that's what you call it. Once again, thank you for your help and, well, everything. Good luck at the Academy, keep in touch. Jacobs out."

Kirk thought a bit. Reading between the lines, Jameson may have become unbalanced concerning this whole deal. Pushing his intercom to his yeoman, the yeoman answered, "Yeoman Chase."

Kirk said, "Yeoman, arrange a time for me to meet with Admiral Nogura."

Chase asked, "Subject for the meeting?"

Kirk thought a bit, "Debriefing the Wisconsin's first mission."

USS WISCONSIN

CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS

Jacobs pushed the record button. "Captain's personal log, Stardate 6312.2. The Wisconsin is proceeding to Starbase 5. Once we arrive, we will be transferred to Admiral Adama's Command. I don't know much about him, he became Starbase commander after the Wolverine was decommissioned. The Wisconsin is performing well, all our battle damage is fixed now. Dom assures me that once we enter orbit, he's going to get the carbon scarring off the hull. He likes the ship looking clean.

"The department heads have gotten together and decided to throw the Badgers a dinner. We're going to kick Chef out of the galley, prepare, and serve the meal for the Badgers on a job well done. Their hard work certainly paid off well, with no casualties on a hazardous mission. Dom is fixing an Italian something-or-other, supposedly the recipe has been in his family for generations. No doubt to that. I'm going to try to fix dessert for fifty people, a big job.

"Jameson is in a foul mood, he is not only isolating himself from the crew, but is having terrible manners concerning that as well. I invited him to the Captain's table yesterday and he said he'd rather eat with a Norsican. I guess there are some people you can't please.

"Mr. Kenn is making a speedy recovery. I half thought he was going to ask to try to rejoin the Wisconsin and become a Badger. I'm glad that Mr. Kenn's self-centeredness seems to have been cured, only time will tell. All the best to him.

"I couldn't be happier with the performance of the Badgers. They performed exactly as we hoped that they would. Also, I'm going to recommend Mr. Agathon and the crew of the Claw for commendations. His instincts proved right, without them blowing their warp core, we would have had a much tougher time getting the shields down for the Raptors. Also, that warp core breach significantly softened the station up for the fight. Wisconsin would not be in as good of shape as we are if Agathon did not make that tough decision." He thought a bit, then pushed the stop record button. Before he left, grabbed a chef's coat. He had the quartermaster make it for him. The coat had a big stylized "W" on the left chest. Walking out of his quarters, he started humming "On Wisconsin."

SENATOR JAMESON'S QUARTERS

Jameson had been thinking quite a bit. He pushed the record button. "Admiral Harold Clayborne, Starfleet Command. Harry, I'm on the Wisconsin. We need to talk about this ship. I've seen what they do first-hand and we have to stop this. Currently we are underway to Starbase 5. I want a couple of things. First, I want you do to an inspection or something. Find some dirt or anything we can use to stop or slow them down. Second, I want you to get my nephew, Ensign Joseph Kenn, Starfleet Security to be posted to the Wisconsin. No compromises, find a regulation somewhere and get it done. Do not respond to me until I get in contact with you from the Starbase, preferably you come out to the Starbase and meet with me.

Jameson out." And he pushed the stop button. Better provide some cover.

Jameson pushed the record button. "To My Wife, our residence on Earth. Priority Personal. Dear, I need you to send the attached message to Admiral Harold Clayborne, Starfleet Command. Do not open it, I have a secure lock on the message, he will know how to open it. Thank you, Charles. Computer, attach the previous message to Admiral Clayborne to this message, scramble with my personal code Alpha." The computer responded with an affirmative beep.

Jameson pushed the com button, "Senator Jameson to Ensign Kenn."

"Kenn here, hello Uncle Charles. What can I do for you?"

"Can you come to my quarters."

"Sure, Dr. Mallard has me in a wheelchair now. I'll be right by.

A short time later, Kennedy wheeled in. "Hi Uncle Charles."

"I need to talk to you."

Kenn asked, "About what?"

"I'm going to get you posted to this ship." Jameson said darkly.

"Why?"

"Because I want you to dig, find something that I can use against them."

Kenn didn't like this at all. "Uncle, they saved our lives. We both owe them."

"Don't argue with me! Starfleet has given carte blanche to this Jacobs and he has created a monster with this ship. Did you see the slaughter? What were those things that tore up the Norsicons so savagely?"

"Claymore mines." Kenn offered meekly.

"Yes, but what are they?"

"Directional explosives that shoot shrapnel in one direction."

Jameson was astounded. "To maim and hurt people."

Kenn tried to explain, "Uncle Charles, they did exactly what they were supposed to do, clear the area. Without them, we might not have made it back."

Jameson waived his hand. "We're the Federation, we have superior weaponry. They should have been able to do the same thing without killing them."

Kennedy recognized that it was useless to argue with his uncle. Jameson simply would not listen. He also recognized that Jameson had the power to do exactly what he wanted. "What is it you want me to do?"

"Tell me what happens on this ship."

Kenn argued, "But you can find that out from the reports, the sensor records, other evidence."

Jameson snapped back, "All can be forged! I want what really happens, I want the behind-the-scenes information."

Kenn stalled, "How do I get the information off the ship? They will look at everything I send."

Jameson handed a chip over to him. "Download this program in your personal computer. Every time you send me a message, first record a bogus message for everyone to see. Include a picture, something innocent. Use this program to encode the real message in the picture. It's foolproof."

Kenn looked at the chip in his hand. "That's spying!"

"Exactly!"

Kenn shook his head, "No, I mean I could go to a penal colony for this!"

Jameson answered excitedly, "When we get to Starbase 5 I'm going to have a meeting with Admiral Clayborne. He will cut you orders for exactly that. It will be legal and you will be covered. The process has already begun."

Kenn looked at his Uncle. "So, I have no choice."

Jameson looked at him. "Joseph, Admirals would love to have the access you do with me. Don't waste this opportunity. Your career can skyrocket with this."

Kenn felt sick. "Uncle, I will do my job to the best of my ability."

Jameson was elated, "That's the attitude!"

KRUGE'S SHIP

BLACKBEARD'S HIDEOUT

Kruge was entering the system under impulse power and cloaked. Something was wrong. First was the power output of the base. It was way off, way too far low. They were just getting within visual range. "Visual! Maximum magnification."

The screen showed the asteroid and base with severe damage. There was still debris floating around the base, a huge hole where the hangar bay used to be, and the main sensor array destroyed. Looking at the asteroid, his expert eye could see that it was combination of phasers and photon torpedoes, though the intensity of the phasers was something he had not seen before.

His ship stopped a few miles away from the base. He pointed to the communications officer, who opened a channel. "Ragnar! This is Kruge."

Ragnar answered. "Kruge! Did you bring supplies?"

Kruge immediately felt disgust for this Norsican. "Where are you at? Your command center is exposed to a vacuum!"

Ragnar explained, "In my office…"

Kruge cut him off. "Stay there! I'm beaming over now."

Kruge turned to Maltz, "You have the ship, cloak immediately after I beam over."

The Klingon bird-of-prey decloaked long enough for the transporter to work. Kruge beamed directly into Ragnar's office with two guards. Ragnar came around from his desk to greet him.

Kruge looked around, the office was too small for a command center, but that's what they have fixed up in the room. There were several Norsicans in the room. Norsicans and Klingons are both about the same size. Norsicans are intimidating, but not fearsome like Klingons. Norsicans are bullies, Klingons are warriors and both species know it. Kruge strode over to Ragnar and stood in front of him. "What happened?"

"A federation ship attacked us. It came…"

Kruge's disgust was so thick he could spit. "Impossible, you outgun them, your shields are the best we could give without having them point to the Klingon Empire."

Ragnar offered, "It was one of their new heavy cruisers."

Kruge practically spat. "Really, which one? Do you have data?"

Ragnar held out a computer chip. "The Wisconsin. Here is the complete sensor record, while we were having sensors running. You have power output levels, power signatures, their new phasers, new torpedoes, new shielding, and their new super-secret shuttle. They came out of nowhere, total stealth. We never even knew about them until they were leaving."

Kruge was skeptical, surely intelligence would have warned him about this. "Show me now!"

Ragnar went to his computer and pulled up some images of the Raptors. Kruge immediately recognized them. "Those are Raptors! They are old and obsolete. The Federation must be broken to be flying junk they scrapped years ago. You are a fool!"

Ragnar tried to argue, but it sounded more like groveling, "We couldn't detect them, we still don't know how they got here! It's new technology! I assure you!"

Kruge was so disgusted he grabbed Ragnar and spun Ragnar's back to him. Before Ragnar could realize it, Kruge pulled his daqtagh, his Klingon knife, opened the large barbs on the side, and stabbed him in the heart- through Ragnar's ribcage, through the bone. This act did a few things. First, it killed Ragnar almost instantly. Second, Ragnar was denied a warrior's death by being stabbed in the back. And lastly, it showed how inferior Ragnar was to his killer by the killer breaking bones in the stab. Kruge pulled the blade out and wiped it on Ragnar's clothes. Kruge's guards were ready for this and any reprisal, but the Norsicans knew they were outnumbered, seven Norsicans to three Klingons.

Kruge walked back to the beam in spot. One of the Norsicans asked, "Who is in charge?"

Kruge spat, "I don't care. We will contact you in one month. If you survive that long." And with that Kruge sent a signal and beamed out.

CREW'S MESS

USS WISCONSIN

All the Badgers were seated. The department heads went all out for this dinner. They had set the tables, clearly this wasn't going to be a 'chow hall' dinner. Jacobs strode to the front, dressed in his service A uniform. All the officers were wearing theirs as well. When Jacobs stopped in the front, center point, it all became quiet. "Everyone, thank you for coming. I'm very proud of all of you on this mission, we have accomplished it and so much more. Thanks to your quick thinking and going above and beyond the call of duty, we have captured a Norsican ship, gathered intel beyond our dreams, rescued all the hostages that we knew of, inflicted major damage on the pirates, and all this without a single casualty to our side. This ship is made up of us, the crew. I know that Mr. Bauer has drilled in you the idea of servant-leader, and we as the leadership on the Wisconsin want to set the example for the whole ship by serving you. This ship's crew has come together like I never expected and performed magnificently. Badgers, thank you for a job well done!" Applause broke through the room.

Once it died down, Jacobs added, "And now, I'd like Pastor Octavian to offer the Blessing."

Octavian replaced Jacobs at front and center. "Let's Pray." All lowered their heads. "Father, we come to you to glorify you on what you have done. We thank you that our mission was accomplished, for the safe return of the hostages, for how our crew has worked together. I fully expect that as people analyze what has been done, they will be able to see your handiwork in everything; from the concept, to building, to training, to the performance of people and machine. We thank you for working in every aspect, for the protection, for the performance of all crewmembers. We especially thank you for the Badger's first major engagement and their safe return. Please continue to work with the Wisconsin, please give us strength, unusual wisdom, so that we may in turn glorify you. Please bless the food and fellowship. In Jesus' name, Amen!"

Another cheer came forth from everybody. Jacobs returned to front and center now wearing his chef's coat instead of his service uniform coat. This brought some laughs and chuckles. "This will be done family style. Each department head will be in charge of a squad and will serve food and drinks. Mr. Leonaidas has Team 1 squad A, Miss Jareau has squad B." To which squad B cheered, Jareau was very beautiful. Jennifer Jareau blushed. Jacobs picked back up, "Sorry Squad A, it was random!" Everyone laughed. "I have Team 2 Squad A, Mr. Grimm has Squad B, Mr. Carter has team 3 Squad A, Mr. Hotchner has Squad B. Mr. Santini has team 4 squad A, and Ducky has Squad B! Let's get to eating!"

The officers started to serve the meal and quickly the room was filled with people eating, talking, and having a good time with each other. At one point, Leonaidas and Jacobs were standing on the side of the room taking it all in. Leonaidas observed, "Josh, I think this is a good thing. Who knows what you have started."

Josh smiled. "Well, like we all talked about before, it was just neat to see how all the pieces fit in place over the last couple of years. Let's guard this with prayer, the Lord has taken good care of us. Like I said on day one, it's His ship."

Leonaidas smiled as he looked out over the room. "Amen to that."

Josh spotted an empty dish. "I'll talk later, my table needs more of Santini's Spaghetti!"

The Wisconsin sped on in space, going off in the distance. At first, it looks so big when close, but as it goes away in the distance, one can see how big space is and how fragile this island of civilization is.