Suspicion or Paranoia
One
"All hands, battle stations!" Captain River Wesi Bradoc yelled as though the ship's computer might not have heard her. The computer registered the command almost before the captain had finished giving the order. The siren for red alert sounded throughout the bridge and the rest of the ship as overhead lights dimmed and officers ran to duty stations throughout the decks. Pulsing red lights grew more intense as the ship's normal lighting was replaced by the dim lighting from power being transferred away from non-critical systems.
"All hands reporting in, all duty stations manned and ready captain," Lieutenant Tosva Ynzozev said from the ops console on the starboard side of the bridge. The Andorian woman's fingers danced across her console monitoring sensor data, communications, and basic ship functions. The ship's external sensors had picked up an anomaly that had appeared then disappeared. The anomaly had appeared the same way on three separate occasions within the last hour. The last time the anomaly had occurred, it was 10,000 kilometers off the port bow. Whatever it was had powered its weapons and ignored all hails.
"Air Boss, deploy the squadron," Bradoc said as she studied the main viewer. The viewer was tied to the external sensors on the port side dorsal section of the ship's saucer. She couldn't see anything of note but something was out there, hunting them. "Squadron ops, launch six wings of fighters and form up around the ship," Lieutenant Commander Dhol Illiloph, the Air Boss said while standing behind two officers at the flight ops station. The ship's hanger bay opened to expel a swarm of angry yet small tactical fighters.
"Fighters deployed, captain," Dhol said half turned toward Bradoc. His antennae darted about in caution. "Be ready for anything folks," Bradoc said half mumbling. She knew they were ready, they had been training for several weeks getting the ship ready for active service after its maintenance activity. Recertification was a bitch but necessary. A heavy sigh broke the silence that was growing on the deck.
A tall slender and weaselly man stood just in front of the vacant captain's chair. He held a PADD and looked noticeably bored. Bradoc turned to him, wearing a mean expression on her boar-like face. The man widened his eyes and cleared his throat before burying his face into his PADD. Bradoc thought better of saying anything to the man and turned back toward the view screen.
"Open a channel," Bradoc said. She moved just behind the ops console and placed her hand on the back of the chair. Tosva signaled the channel was open with a wave of her hand. "Unknown vessel, this is USS Bonhomme Richard, we have detected you on approach, weapons hot. Our posture is one of defense. If you do not respond on hailing frequencies we will be forced to defend ourselves," Bradoc said as she nervously brushed a lock of hair behind her right ear.
Bradoc watched on the main viewer as a shimmer moved in closer to the ship. "Dhol, move a fighter wing to intercept the shimmer," Bradoc said. She turned and moved toward the thin Zakdorn man still gripping his PADD. As she approached, the Zakdorn side-stepped without looking up from his work. Bradoc walked past and took a seat in her chair at the center of the bridge.
"Sabre one reports that the shimmer has changed heading and moving away from us," Dhol reported. Bradoc watched on the main viewer as the small fighters sped off further away from the ship. A sudden bout of worry entered her mind. "Dhol, order the rest of the squadron to follow maintaining a ten kilometer distance from Sabre wing." Bradoc typed a command into her chair's armrest console. "Helm, I'm sending you a flight plan. Follow it until further notice."
The male human ensign at the helm brought up the flight plan on his computer. "Following flight plan, aye aye ma'am," the ensign said. A bit of confusion crept into his voice. The Flight plan had the ship move perpendicular to the fighters and the anomaly at a speed of one quarter impulse. The ensign put in the commands with haste but still looked confused.
A sudden white ball of light formed at the center of the main viewer. "Sabre wing is gone ma'am," Dhol shouted from the flight ops station. "Helm, take us to the sight of the explosion, best speed," Bradoc said. "Air Boss, launch another wing and tell two of the others to circle back to us," Bradoc said, using the flight ops officer's unofficial title instead of her officer's name or official title. "We are not losing another one," she thought.
"You're up Dirk. Foil and Epee, fall back to Bonnie Dick and use an arrow head formation," Dhol said. The two officers at his station typed up commands to coordinate the opening of the hanger doors and lowering the aft shield. Tosva at OPS spoke next. "Ma'am the squadron has been engaged. Multiple contacts." Dhol turned to face the captain's chair. "Confirmed, Tachi and Bowie wings are taking fire from three ships, they are Klingon."
"Three B'Rell class birds of prey ahead twenty kilometers and closing," the Bonhomme Richard's tactical officer said. The Bolian male was already arming the torpedoes as he spoke. The bridge grew chaotic as officers began shouting reports and status at once. "Air Boss, you have command of your squadron, engage the enemy at will. Tactical target the lead ship, aim for life support and engines. Helm, attack pattern alpha," Bradoc barked the commands to her officers as she typed in commands to monitor the enemy ships' status.
Bonhomme Richard flew straight into the enemy formation with tactical fighters in tow. The first volley of phaser fire shredded the lead ship's shields. Two torpedoes followed the assault striking the aft dorsal section of the ship. The Klingon vessel tumbled end over end as it's maneuvering thrusters misfired. "All wings, target the weapons on the crippled ship then split and harass the other two," Dhol said with a smile.
"Tactical pick a second target and engage," Bradoc said. Captain Bradoc watched the monitor on her armrest. The enemy was no match for the Bonhomme Richard or her tactical fighters. Bradoc watched as the shields on the remaining ships where buckling under the combined might of Bradoc's forces. The chaos on the bridge came to order as each of her officers realized that the battle was nearly over.
"Captain, new contact on sensors. Negh'Var warship, closing in fast!" Tosva frantically passed word through the ship to brace for shock. Bonhomme Richard shook violently as four dual heavy disruptor cannons hammered the dorsal shielding around the nacelles. "Helm, bring us about. Tactical, target the new vessel and don't waste power on their bow. Air Boss, destroy the three birds of prey," Bradoc said. There was no emotion in her voice as she ordered the deaths of all the Klingons on the those smaller ships.
The Zakdorn officer standing near Bradoc had opted to take a seat next to her after the last attack. He chuckled slightly as he continued to type on his PADD. Bradoc shifted in her chair as the ship was hammered again. The disruptor cannons struck the aft shields over the nacelles rocking the ship violently as the inertial dampeners and structural integrity fields struggled to compensate for the assault. "Helm, keep our ventral aspect on the battleship," Bradoc said.
The ship spun away from the front of the battleship as another volley of fire lashed out. A few bolts of energy struck the aft ventral shield. Bonhomme Richard barely shook from the glancing blow. "Captain, the birds of prey are all destroyed," Dhol said from his station. Bradoc turned in her chair toward him.
"Order all wings to engage the aft quarter of the Negh'Var," Bradoc said confidently. "Helm, bring us about for a frontal assault. Tactical, on my command you will redirect all shield power to the bow." Bradoc typed a command into the armrest console to bring up a tactical display showing the movement of the Bonhomme Richard relative to the Negh'Var. The ship shook once again from a new volley of disruptor fire as they began to turn around.
"Bringing us about…" The ensign at the helm began to call out before being cut off mid-sentence. "Set a collision course for the Negh'Var's Bow, full impulse." Bradoc almost shouted the command. The Bonhomme Richard was an old Constitution-class ship from way back; or rather it was a redesigned starship following the old blueprints. The ship was built from the ground up with modern technology but that didn't mean it had a chance against a Klingon battlecruiser. Ramming the ship or making the enemy ship think she was willing was the only thing Bradoc could think of as a good strategy.
Bonhomme Richard completed its turn to face its attacker. Despite the assault from the tactical fighters, which the Negh'Var ignored, the ship seemed intent on dealing with the larger threat first. "Full power to the forward shields Mister Harrow and fire at will," Bradoc said expecting it to be her last command. The ship violently shook with each volley of disruptor fire from the battlecruiser's heavy cannons. The last thing Bradoc saw on the screen was the Negh'Var's engines exploding as a torpedo flew toward the bridge.
The lights and screens all over the bridge went dark and then the lighting returned to normal operating mode. The viewscreen returned to the true visual sensor feed showing empty space. Bradoc stood at attention, waiting for the Zakdorn officer to speak. Bobed, Bonhomme Richard's first officer, stepped onto the bridge from the ready room. "All stations end simulation, return to normal operating conditions," the Tellarite woman said as she moved to stand next to her captain.
The Zakdorn looked up at the ceiling. "All hands, stop the problem, stop the clock, secure from battle drill and return to normal ship operations. Execute plan of the day as instructed," the Zakdorn said. The computer played his high pitched voice throughout the ship. "What's the verdict Klent?" Bobed asked.
Klent looked at Bobed with an unamused expression before turning to look at Bradoc. "Congratulations Captain, Bonhomme Richard is hereby fully certified for fleet operations. Although I have to admit that I wasn't expecting you to make a suicide run on a Negh'Var," Klent said while shaking his head. "Figured I'd give them a little payback for Sabre squadron," Bradoc said turning to him with a smile. Klent rolled his eyes and returned his gaze to his PADD.
"Well despite that reckless action at the end, your ship met all other requirements. I'll send my report to Starfleet at once. Until they respond back, you know the drill, we hang tight until you receive new orders." Klent performed an about face and walked off toward the main turbolift which would take him to his assigned room. "Not sure what Starfleet was thinking, turning a connie into a carrier," Klent said smugly as he entered the turbolift.
Bradoc watched the certifying officer leave the bridge. Once he had entered the turbolift Bradoc turned to her first officer. "What do you think our next assignment will be?"
"You mean, what do I think Admiral Keller will have us do?" Bobed asked with a playful smile. "She is likely going to have us patrol some anomaly for a few weeks to see if any future folk poke through," Bobed said, answering the question with a chuckle. In all the time Bradoc had known her, Bobed never seemed to take anything serious. The two Tellarite women seemed to have all the eyes of the bridge on them.
"Nothing to worry about it folks, observe standard operation," Bradoc said a bit flustered. Bradoc and Bobed sat down in their chairs as the bridge officers turned back to their stations. "Helm, set a course for the nearest asteroid. Ops, you'll begin a mineral composition scan." The two officers acknowledgments went unheard. Bradoc needed them to do something but they were operating within the Risa Sector just 200,000 kilometers outside the Vega system. There wasn't much to concern the crew so close to Risa.
Dhol Illiloph interrupted Bradoc's thoughts. "Permission to secure flight ops," Dhol said while leaning over the railing behind and to the left of Bradoc's chair. "Permission granted," Bradoc said, trying not to sound bored. Lieutenant Commander Illiloph and one of the ensigns at the flight ops station moved to the turbolift and left. One officer remained on watch at the station in case of emergency.
USS Bonhomme Richard drifted through space on one quarter impulse. The ship traveled from one piece of drifting debris to the next as the bridge officers tried to occupy their time. The ship made several passes around the sector in a standard patrol course over several hours before Bradoc finally told her helmsman to set a course for the Chulan system in the Rator sector. Bradoc was trying to put the crew at ease by expanding the patrol to a wider area while they waited. Commander Jensen was still in charge of Temporal Defense in Keller's absence, to Bradoc's knowledge. "Would Jensen be giving us a new assignment?" Bradoc thought with a shutter.
Bradoc only met Jensen once. He was a small man, at least in the sense of his comportment, not the type to make an impression. According to Admiral Keller, the man was great with filing and organizing. Chances were that if Keller hadn't returned then Jensen would assign Bradoc and the Bonnie Dick to a supply run coreward to support the anti-piracy efforts around the Nimbus sector. She would much rather take any assignment Keller dished out. At least then she'd be doing the job under the department she was assigned to.
Bradoc ran a diagnostic of her chair's systems for a third time as she tried not to fall asleep. Bobed had gone off duty an hour ago putting the night watch in effect. Bradoc could have left the bridge long before that but she didn't want to be cornered by Klent for another long winded debate on Federation politics. Bradoc started to drift off to sleep. Her eyelids felt heavy and she was too lost in thought to realize that she was falling asleep until she heard the tapping of fingers on an arm rest.
A young human lieutenant named Mallory was sitting in the First Officer's seat. She was fidgeting with her fingers, no doubt eager to have all senior officers off the bridge so she could relax. Bradoc started to realize how awkward the bridge had gotten with the night crews' junior officers all sitting in silence. Bradoc stood and moved to the front of the bridge. They were still on course for Chulan at a slow speed of warp factor 5. There current course would take them a couple of days but it wasn't like they needed to be there.
"I'm heading off to bed Mallory, you have the bridge," Bradoc said as she headed to the turbolift. Lieutenant Mallory nodded and smiled, "aye, ma'am. Pleasant dreams." The lieutenant seemed nervous. Bradoc wondered if it was due to being a new command officer or if perhaps the night crew was hoping for their antics to be left undiscovered. Assuming they were up to any foolish antics.
"Captain, distress call coming in," The human ensign at ops shouted with excitement bordering on panic. Bradoc heard the man shout as the turbolift doors closed. "Computer, open," Bradoc said. She pushed on the doors as they slid open, unassisted and unimpeded by her urgency. Bradoc ran down to the ops stations. "Play the distress call," Bradoc ordered.
"This is … Kim of the … Attack… Starbase... I repeat...!" The voice sounded familiar but panicked. The ensign at the ops console worked his fingers across his controls trying to clean up the recording. "Too much interference, can't clean up the recording anymore than what we got," said the ops ensign nervously. "Source, Mister Watts?" Bradoc asked.
"Sol system, Starbase One," Watts said as he continued to review information on his console. Bradoc looked at the officer on the Helm. He was a young Vulcan, new to Starfleet and new to the ship. He was focused on his console despite hearing the news. "Captain, are we going to respond?" Mallory said. She had moved up behind Bradoc without her noticing.
"You bet your ass we are!" Bradoc turned back to the helmsman, "helm, set a course for Starbase One, maximum warp." Bradoc looked up toward the viewer, "Red Alert! All senior officers to the bridge; Engineering, I want preparations made for a quantum slipstream jump, on the double!" The computer filed her spoken requests to the relevant parties, waking officers and notifying main engineering of her intentions. The call for red alert had dimmed the lighting on the bridge and across the ship as power distribution prioritized combat systems.
USS Bonhomme Richard was a fairly new ship, built from the old constitution class design specs. Its design made quantum slipstream difficult and dangerously risky compared to ships built with the technology in mind. Traveling at warp wasn't an option for this emergency. At their present course and speed it would take around twelve hours. The ship would arrive on minimal power due to pushing the warp reactor to its limits for an extended period and they wouldn't be much help if they had to initiate an emergency warp core shutdown.
After fives minutes of tense waiting, the Bonnie Dick's senior bridge officers began filing onto the bridge in ones and twos. Much to Bradoc's surprise, Klent had arrived with Commander Erdron Azplin. The Betazoid man was Bradoc's chief engineer. "Captain, my teams are preparing the ship as you requested. I'll monitor the power fluctuations from my station here," Azplin said. Bradoc nodded an acknowledgment then turned to Klent. "What do you need mister Dacarum?" She asked.
"I wish to lend my services to you, if you'll have them," Klent said with a smug look on his wrinkled face. "If you have any valuable input I'll listen," Bradoc said. She looked around at the crew on the bridge. Dhol Illiloph had taken his station at flight ops along with the night watch and an officer that had held the watch early in the morning. Tosva Ynzozev was talking with Watts but had yet to replace him at the station.
Lieutenant Commander Harrow arrived on the bridge with Commander Bobed, they were the last to arrive. Harrow took his station relieving the crewman that was assigned while Bobed walked down to join Mallory and Bradoc at the center of the bridge. Only three members of the night crew remained on the bridge, Samuels at one of the flight ops stations, Mallory, and their current helmsman Ensign Tako. The ship's chief medical officer, chief supply officer, and chief repair officer were the only senior officers not required to report to the bridge during battle stations. The bridge grew silent as every station waited for orders.
"Captain, The quantum slipstream drive is ready to be used," Azplin said, not bothering to look up from his station. He was already inputting the calculations he would need to relay to the helm and engine room. "Thank you mister Azplin. Helm, plot a quantum slipstream course for Starbase One and wait for my command," Bradoc said. She didn't wait for Tako's reply, "Harrow, load a full spread of torpedoes and be ready to target the first enemy in range. Don't wait for my order."
"Illiloph, once we get clear of the slipstream, I want you to launch the entire squadron and have them coordinate with Harrow on targets," Bradoc moved to the captain's chair and sat down. Bobed and Mallory joined her on either side. Bobed took a seat in the XO's chair while Mallory leaned against the railing, locking her arms behind the rail. "Helm, you may engage when ready," Bradoc said, gripping her armrests tightly. "Aye, aye ma'am." The young Vulcan ensign's fingers danced over his console before pressing the button to engage the slipstream engine.
Bradoc watched on the main viewer as the main deflector shot a beam of energy beyond their warp field. The beam expanded 90 meters off the ship's bow. The beam seemed to form a cloud which enveloped the ship. As the cloud came into contact with the warp field, it seemed to wrap around the ship's warp field. Within seconds a tunnel seem to form around the ship, transitioning them into quantum slipstream.
Azplin began calling out course corrects as he typed in new calculations. Tako diligently followed the course corrections, seemingly at peace. "Ynzozev, what's our ETA?" Bradoc asked in-between orders from Azplin. Tosva checked something on her console and then waited for Azplin to finish calling out another course correction. "ETA is about five minutes," Tosva said.
Bradoc opened the console in the right armrest. She called up the time stamp for the distress signal and their estimated time of arrival. "Our arrival will be around 20 minutes after the initial call," she thought. There was a good chance that the emergency will have been handled or that the worst had come to pass. "We may be a little late," Bradoc said, mostly to herself.
A warning sounded on Ynzozev's station four minutes into there trip. "Captain, structural integrity is failing around the main deflector and the struts holding the port nacelle," Ynzozev said. "Divert power where you can. Has damage control been alerted?" Bradoc asked while talking over Azplin. Bradoc stood up from her chair and walked over to the ops station.
"They are responding. Lieutenant Commander Shija is leading a team to the main deflector now. They are going to try to shore up the deflector housing." Ynzozev spoke quieter to allow Tako to hear Azplin's orders. Bradoc studied the ops console while standing over Ynzozev's shoulder. She watched as the readouts showed that minor systems were starting to malfunction as energy was diverted to the main deflector to keep the Quantum slipstream active. "I just hope we make it before the ship flies apart," Bradoc thought.
Two
USS Bonhomme Richard tore out of quantum slipstream with the grace of an injured cow. Several armored hull plates flew off the saucer and secondary hull as the ship reentered normal space. The port nacelle was visibly misaligned and hanging loose from its pylon. The port nacelle was venting drive plasma and the main deflector pointed slightly downward, from warped supports. The ship entered normal space at velocities slightly higher than running the ship at full impulse.
"Helm, max reverse thrust! Get us under control," Bradoc yelled from the deck. She had pitched forward and rolled toward the main viewer when the ship had entered normal space. The inertial dampeners were meant to compensate but they obviously took a hit to their effectiveness. Bradoc stood as quickly and carefully as she could. The rest of her officers had managed to remain at their stations but she saw green blood pouring from Tako's nose. A clear sign that the deceleration had been just as harsh on him.
"Report!" Bradoc shouted after regaining her footing.
"We are two-hundred and fifty thousand kilometers out and closing in fast," Tako shouted in a calm but clear voice. "Ma'am, we have systems down across the board. The main deflector is offline and the nacelles are screwed!" Ynzozev shouted while frantically prodding her console for more information. "Weapons are still working captain," Harrow exclaimed. "We can launch fighters whenever you are ready captain," Illiloph said. He was nursing a bump on his forehead. The blue antenna on his head had shriveled to avoid harm and remained so.
"Put the threat on main viewer and launch fighters," Bradoc said while heading back to the captain's chair. Mallory peeled herself off the railing and approached Bradoc. "I think they're broken," Mallory said, stunned. Her arms dangled limply from her sagged shoulders. "Get to sick bay, Mallory," Bradoc said while walking back to the command chair. Bradoc took a seat in her chair as the young lieutenant walked off the bridge.
"Well, we made it," Bobed said from the XO's seat. She was smiling at Bradoc. The ship continued its advance on Starbase One even as Bonhomme Richard's engines applied thrust in the opposite direction. Bobed and Bradoc both studied the ship's speed on their personal monitors located on the armrests of their chairs. As soon as the ship started to slow to full impulse Bobed spoke up. "Helm, take us in, all engines ahead full."
"We are approaching weapons range captain," Ynzozev said. Bradoc studied the main viewer. From their angle of attack she could see a massive anomaly spiraling several hundred kilometers from the old starbase. Several Borg probes and spheres where engaged in battle with about a dozen Federation starships. A large Borg cube sat motionless between the anomaly and Starbase One.
"Bobed, you know what to do," Bradoc said. Bradoc wanted the full story and didn't have time to give orders in the first attack. Her officers knew what she expected and she trusted them. Micromanagement wasn't her style. "Captain, we've arrive," Tako said. He stared at Bradoc with a raised eyebrow expecting a new order. "Take us in but keep us maneuverable…" Bobed raised her voice to address the bridge, "Remember people, our main deflector is down we won't have any shields."
USS Bonhomme Richard closed in to attack range with its hanger doors still open, deploying tactical fighters. The closest targets were a trio of probes attempting to make a strafing run on a Yamato-class Dreadnought. Bonhomme Richard lashed out with its forward phaser banks. The beams slammed into the middle probe annihilating its shields. The beams were quickly followed up with two torpedoes. The first torpedo detonated on the probe's ventral side, shredding the outer hull. The second penetrated the outer hull and detonated inside the probe vessel. The explosive cloud sprayed debris outward in all directions.
The entire squadron deployed from Bonhomme Richard's hanger, began harassing the remaining probe vessels. As the Bonhomme Richard passed over the Borg vessels, Harrow fired a full spread of torpedoes to finish off the probes. "Who's in charge here?" Bradoc asked her ops officer. Ynzozev scanned the vessels all around them. "Its a bit of a mix, there is an unidentified vessel sitting just beyond the cube. A Tholian vessel and a few Lukari ships are also out there but one ship is familiar."
"Which one?" Bradoc asked, getting impatient. She could hear her officers as background noise as Bobed barked orders, designating new targets and a new course. The officers didn't miss a beat executing everything as ordered. Bradoc did her best to tune them out.
"USS Paradox, captain, its Admiral Keller's ship," Ynzozev said. The flash of an exploding sphere blinded Bradoc for a second. The ship had been targeted and destroyed by Harrow. His actions were a bit reckless given their proximity to the vessel. No doubt Bobed was aware of the risk and was simply demonstrating her reckless strategies again.
Tako attempted to avoid the exploding debris from the sphere. He moved the ship away, maneuvering Bonhomme Richard's secondary hull and ventral saucer toward the explosion. Some of the debris peppered the already damaged main deflector shredding it into several large pieces that somehow managed to stay attached to the ship. "Lets try to be a little more careful shall we," Bobed said with a chuckle. Despite the gravity of the situation, Bobed's demeanor seemed to keep the bridge crew's spirits' up.
Bradoc felt the deck shutter slightly from the debris impact. "Put me through to the Paradox," Bradoc shouted. She squeezed her chair's armrests tightly. A vaguely familiar face appeared on screen. "This is Captain Jaaz Zenoosi, you here to help?" Jaaz seemed calm despite the chaos outside their ships.
"Actually, I was hoping you could tell me what's going on," Bradoc said in surprise. She had expected to see Keller on Paradox's bridge. "Not enough time for a full explanation. Captain Kim and Admiral Keller took a team to save Admiral Kuumaarke. Don't fire on the cube, all other Borg are fair game," Jaaz said.
"Whose in command here?" Bradoc asked.
"I would say it's Captain Kim. We were on our way back to Earth Spacedock when the call came out. Kim has been working with the Lukari to seal the rifts that have been popping up. The rift was just sitting here for a while before shit hit the fan." Jaaz smiled at Bradoc, "we'll sort things out later. For now lets mop up the mess, Paradox out." Jaaz's image winked out and was replaced by the chaos happening just outside the ship.
Bonhomme Richard shook violently. "Damage report!" Bradoc shouted while clinging to her seat. The inertial dampeners struggled to compensate for the sudden jerking movement the ship took. "We just lost the starboard nacelle!" Ynzozev shouted in surprise.
Bradoc punched in a few commands into her chair's armrest console. A tactical map popped up on the small display. The tactical fighters had stayed together but had managed to drift away from the ship chasing after targets of opportunity. The Yamato-class ship was still behind them protecting the starbase. Several other smaller vessels were flying in formation attacking the various sphere ships. Bonhomme Richard was practically by itself.
"Air Boss, recall the fighters. Tell them to form up on us. We need the extra protection." Bradoc resumed command of the bridge with that order. She heard Illiloph's reply as she continued to monitor the area. "Harrow, pick a nearby target and engage as soon as our support arrives." Harrow barked an acknowledgment while keeping his face buried in his console.
Bradoc squeezed Bobed's arm as she stood up. It was her way of letting her first officer know that she wanted her to take command again. Bradoc walked over to the engineering station Azplin was still manning. The chief engineer was diligently working on power distribution and coordinating the repairs. "What is the status of our warp engines?" Bradoc asked. Azplin didn't look up from his console as he continued inputting commands.
"The warp core is fine, more or less, but the nacelles are done. I had to vent the drive plasma. The port nacelle may be salvageable but the starboard one is gone. If we need to get out of here in a hurry, best we got is full impulse." Azplin finally looked up from his console. "Permission to leave the bridge?" He asked.
"Permission granted," Bradoc replied. Azplin sprinted to the turbolift. As he ran, Bradoc noticed Klent for the first time since before they made the jump. He was standing next to Harrow monitoring damage control efforts. The ship shuttered lightly then listed to port before the inertial dampeners corrected.
"Captain Bradoc, I have an idea," Klent said looking up from his console. "Tako, bring us into formation with Indefatigable and Agamemnon," Bobed shouted from her chair. "Harrow, coordinate tactical with the other two vessels, I want that sphere dead in one pass!" Bobed's excitement was infectious. Despite that, Bradoc tried to tune the rest of the bridge chatter out as she spoke to Klent.
"What is it, Klent?" Bradoc asked. She approached him, standing just behind Harrow. The ship shuddered again and the bridge lights flickered.
"I've been monitoring the situation with damage control, they have everything well in hand. That said, I'd like to take a few of your crew to pilot the two runabouts you have in the shuttle bay," Klent said with a smile.
"For what purpose?" Bradoc asked.
"We are going to extend shields around Bonhomme Richard, it should help with some of the debris that has been peppering the ship." Klent stared at her with his usual smug look.
Ynzozev interrupted before Bradoc could answer. "Captain, another cube has arrived through the rift!" Ynzozev shouted to be heard over the rest of the bridge chatter.
"Permission granted mister Klent, good luck." Bradoc punched the thin wrinkly man in the shoulder, a gesture that was meant to show her approval.
"Helm, intercept that second cube," Bradoc ordered as she made her way back around to her chair. Klent disappeared through the turbolift before she made it back to her seat. Bonhomme Richard moved out of formation with it's two escorts and headed for the new threat. The ship shuttered again from an explosion. Lights on the bridge flickered again and the central overhead light exploded from a power surge that rained glass down on Bradoc and Bobed. The two officers did their best to brush the glass fragments from their uniforms.
The sudden chaotic bridge was interrupted by a voice on an open channel. "All ships, fire on the cube. Let's take it out!"
"That order was from Captain Kim," Ynzozev said. She turned back to Bradoc as if waiting for a response. The order was vague for those that hadn't boarded the cube, there were now two. Bradoc knew what he meant though. "Helm, you heard the man. Bring the ship about. Tactical, target the damaged cube and be ready to fire a full spread of torpedoes on my mark."
The ship made a wide arcing turn to face the damaged cube. The unidentified ship was already firing its weapons as was the rest of the fleet. Harrow had started harassing the cube's shields as soon as the cube had appeared on the main viewer. The shields died away quickly. The cube started taking direct damage. Torpedoes enveloped entire sections of the cube. Most seem to detonate on the surface.
"Harrow, fire torpedoes." Bradoc finally said. She watched on the main viewer as a cluster of torpedoes flew forward toward the cube. The eight torpedoes slammed into the cube with enough force to destroy an unshielded vessel twice over. Instead the cube simply deformed on one corner but kept firing back.
"The cube is about to go critical!" Ynzozev shouted from the ops station.
"Get us out of here, full emergency thrust," Bobed shouted back.
Tako maneuvered the ship up and over the cube increasing speed to full impulse and firing the maneuvering thrusters to propel the ship further above and away from the damaged cube. The cube finally exploded as the Yamato-class starship fired its phaser lance into the cube's center. The debris from the ship exploded in all directions. Peppering friend and foe alike.
Bradoc watched on the main viewer as Kim's ship USS Inouye and Jaaz's ship USS Paradox charged after the second cube with the unidentified vessel following closely behind. "Should we join them captain?" Bobed asked. She was monitoring something on her armrest mounted console. Bradoc looked at her first officer for a second before answering.
"No." Bradoc turned to the front of the bridge. "Helm, find us a nearby target." Bradoc looked back at Bobed but spoke loud enough to be heard over the whole bridge. "We're not in great shape right now. Better to just mop up the remaining smaller units." Bradoc stood up from her chair. "Air Boss, order our fighters to engage the sphere ahead of us. We'll run support for now."
The mix of responding ships mopped up the rest of the Borg within a few minutes. Watching the new triangular vessel fire a powerful beam into the other cube was interesting to say the least. Once the last Borg vessel was destroyed Kim's Ops officer sent a message to the whole fleet. The order was to secure from red alert and allow the Lukari and the one responding Tholian vessel to shutdown the rift anomaly. The Bonhomme Richard wasn't in any shape to do anything after the battle.
Three
Captain River Wesi Bradoc sat in the chair behind the desk in her ready room. Across from her was her first officer, Commander Bobed. They were both reviewing reports on PADDs. The console on the desk had apparently suffered a power surge during the battle and had exploded. It sprayed glass and transparent aluminum all over the back of the ready room chair. Some shards had penetrated the chair and embedded into the bulkhead beyond. Two of the overhead lights had also been rendered inoperable by stress of the ship's systems during the battle.
"Bridge to Captain Bradoc," a young, feminine sounding voice said over the intercom system. Bradoc looked up toward the ceiling. "What is Lieutenant?" Bradoc asked. The young lieutenant had been given command on the bridge while Bradoc and Bobed tried to sort through the damage reports and after action reports that needed to be filed. "We have a shuttle arriving. Its from USS Paradox. They are requesting to come aboard," the lieutenant said nervously.
"Tell them that they are clear to land. Have the duty officer for flight ops guide them in," Bradoc said. She returned her gaze to the PADD in her hand. The pad displayed the general over view of the damage that Bonhomme Richard had taken, both in reaching the battle and in the battle as well. Along with the catastrophic damage to the Nacelles and main deflector, the ship was also pock marked and pitted from all sorts of debris. Some of the debris had even punctured the outer hull and threatened the integrity of the ships habitable spaces.
Aside from the shields and warp engines, most of the ship's systems were still functional. The problem was, that the systems that were damaged left them stranded until they could get a tow to Earth Spacedock. The danger of traveling at impulse speeds with no navigational deflector was thoroughly understood to be suicide. Bradoc placed the PADD down and looked at her first officer. "Should we go meet our guest or just have someone bring them up to the conference room?"
Bobed smiled. "Should we make them wait?" She asked. Bradoc returned the smile. "If it were any other officer, sure. I'm pretty sure its the admiral though," Bradoc said. Her face went stern for a second. "May not be good news. Come, we should head over to the conference room."
The conference room on board the Bonhomme Richard was located one deck below the bridge. Despite being unable to use the turbolift, the trip to the conference didn't take long. They simply popped a hatch in the ready room and dropped down into the passageway below. The two command officers found the conference room a mess. The table was off center with the chairs tipped and thrown in the corner near a window. The window was cracked exposing the conference room to the vacuum of space. Explosive decompression had pulled the room's furniture toward the window before a force field had enveloped the damaged window. Sealing the hull breach.
Bradoc and Bobed worked quickly to fix the chairs around the table and use the replicator in the room to conjure up a fresh pot of coffee and some cups to drink it with. Their attempts to replicate some snacks to go with the coffee failed when the replicator simply assembled a gelatinous purple and yellow ooze. The two command officers waited patiently in their chairs for Keller to be brought up to them. After a few minutes they were surprised to hear a knock at the door. Both senior officers got up to open the door.
They tried to hit the open button on the door control, only for the door to make a strange whining sound. Bradoc engaged the door release behind the key panel while Bobed pushed her fingers through the space between the doors and started to pull one door panel back. The doors finally opened once Bradoc pulled on the other door panel. Admiral Rebecca Marie Keller stood in front of them grinning in the doorway. "I always heard the connies had bugs but damn, doors ain't working?" Keller asked with a smile.
"Admiral," Bradoc said with a nod. "We took a bit more damage than we would have liked," Bobed said smiling. Bradoc motioned for Keller to take a seat at one of the chairs. "Come on in admiral," she said.
Bobed moved aside and waited for Keller to walk in a sit down before she also took a seat in an open chair. Bradoc sat next to Keller and poured coffee for the admiral. "So, what brings you on board?" Bradoc asked while handing Keller a cup. Admiral Keller took the cup of coffee and tossed it back, emptying the cup in one quick motion. She placed the empty cup on the table and signaled for more.
"I wanted to meet with you and discuss something I think might be important," Keller began. "The rift that was open was similar to the one we found in the Na'kuhl system. It serves as some sort of gateway. Not sure if they all lead to the same place or different places but that unidentified ship we met, its unlike anything we have seen before." Keller picked up her refilled cup and took a sip.
Bradoc stared at Keller, confused. "Who are the people in that new ship?"
"We don't know yet. Captain Kim is heading to Deep Space Nine to meet with our new arrivals. The Lukari are leading the diplomatic effort on this one. Still, its got the whole quadrant's attention." Keller seemed to fall into deep thought.
"River-" Keller grabbed Bradoc's hands "- I need you to come with me. This is important," Keller said looking concerned. River Wesi Bradoc had served with Keller for many years. They had both served together in the past, on a different Bonhomme Richard, in a different time. Bradoc, like Keller, had been pulled into the future right before they should have died.
The action was done by a temporal operative, Daniels. He needed operatives to do his bidding in this time and drafted them for that purpose. There were others, some moved on to other assignments or left Starfleet once Daniels no longer needed them. Others Like Keller and Bradoc stayed together and continued to work with temporal affairs. "What do you mean, come with you? Where are we going?" Bradoc asked with concern.
"I can't say at this moment," Keller said while looking at Bobed. "Commander, I'm giving you temporary command of Bonhomme Richard until Captain Bradoc is returned to you," Keller said in a stern voice. Keller stood and pulled Bradoc by the left hand. Bradoc's face flushed red out of embarrassment as she was led out of the conference room like a child. It was more than she could tolerate.
"Wait just a minute Becky!" Bradoc shouted in the passageway ripping her hand out of Keller's grip. "I'll not be pulled off my ship like a child! Tell me what is going on right now or I'll do something we both regret!" Bradoc's anger continued to boil up. Bobed cautiously moved into the passageway to see what was happening.
Keller looked back at Bradoc in shock. Her eyes moistened and her cheeks flushed red. "I'm sorry Riv... Captain Bradoc," Keller said. In that moment she sounded less like an officer in Starfleet and more like a woman who had just hurt a dear friend. "I didn't mean to offend you, I just, need to talk to you and I can't do it hear, its too important."
Bradoc let out a heavy sigh. Her anger had stopped rising but it wasn't subsiding. She turned and looked back at Bobed still standing in the doorway of the conference room. "Commander, do as the admiral says. I'll see you back in spacedock," Bradoc said looking haggard.
"Aye, captain. We'll have the ship well under repair when you get back," Bobed said as she retreated slowly down the passageway.
"I'm sorry River, I wasn't thinking and I really need you to come with me," Keller said looking a bit embarrassed.
Bradoc nodded her head in the direction of the Jefferies tube access at the end of the hall. The turbolifts were still down around the bridge making the trip to the shuttle bay longer than normal. They were going to travel through two decks before reaching a working turbolift. "How did you get up to the Conference room so quickly Becky?" Bradoc asked, still angry but also curious. "I ordered my shuttle to do a site to site transport," Keller said with a smile. Bradoc remained stone faced.
Keller followed Bradoc to the access port for the Jeffries's tubes. They stopped at the access hatch. Bradoc turned around to face the admiral, still angry. "Not sure what's gotten into you Becky, but I swear if you pull a stunt like that in front of any member of my crew again, I'm going to break your leg off at the knee and shove it up your narrow ass!" Bradoc was starting to get over the incident a second ago, not that anyone but Keller would have noticed.
"A site to site transport or holding your hand in the passageway?" Keller asked sheepishly. She was smiling a bit as though the question was meant to be a joke. Bradoc smiled back without saying anything. The question would have been funny another time.
River Wesi Bradoc had served as Keller's second officer aboard the Pioneer-class Bonhomme Richard. The two had been friends since the academy and where on a first name basis, most of the time. They had grown close enough that Keller had made a pact with her and a few other cadets that if she made captain before the others, she'd get them all postings on her first ship. Bradoc was assigned as the assistant chief engineer. Rebecca Keller used to pull River along at the academy anytime she saw something she felt her friend needed to see.
Back in those days, Bradoc didn't mind being led by the hand by an excited friend. It had been years since Keller had done that. Had it happened on shore leave or on liberty, it wouldn't have bothered her. In front of her crew, it felt demeaning. "You calling me Becky takes me back," Keller said as they entered the Jefferies tube.
The two senior officers moved through the Jefferies tubes without saying anything more. The two officers crawled through the tubes on hands and knees. Once they got to a central shaft near the turbolift system, they would descend down two decks. While in the tube a few feet from the shaft, Bradoc broke the silence. "I always knew you hated being called Becky," She said with a smile.
The two officers began their descent using a ladder built into the shaft. "I could have you on charges you know," Keller said playfully.
"I'd challenge it. How do you think it'd play out?" Bradoc asked mockingly. "I touched her Admiral. So, she called me Becky," Bradoc said in as childish of a voice she could manage.
"Of course it sounds stupid when you put it that way," Keller said. She rolled her eyes, not that Bradoc could see her as they continued down the shaft. The two old friends occupied their time with talk of old times. Keller told Bradoc about a prank she played on their old XO just before their mission to K-13 as they made it down to a working turbolift. On the ride to the shuttle bay, the two argued about Baseball. As they stepped into the shuttle bay and walked to Keller's old Class-F shuttle craft, The two were playing a game of who's hotter.
"General Martok or Captain Kagran?" Bradoc asked. She watched as Keller's nose winkled slightly. "General Martok is definitely hotter," Rebecca said. She looked back at Bradoc with curiosity. "I like the one-eyed monster too," Bradoc said trying not to laugh. After she spoke, the two giggled like children before stopping in front of Keller's shuttle.
"No pilot?" Bradoc asked.
"Not this time captain," Keller said, suddenly serious. "We are heading out to meet a friend. I won't talk until we are at the rendezvous point."
"That serious huh?" Bradoc stared at her friend for a moment more before stepping into the shuttle. She took a seat at the station on the right as Keller shut the hatch and moved into the left seat. Bradoc made no attempt to operate the shuttle. She simply sat back and watched her friend and superior power up the shuttle and move them to a launching area.
Flight OPS cleared the shuttle for launch and the class-F shuttle tore out of the hanger bay like a frightened puppy. The shuttle barely got clear of Starbase One's operational area before Keller engaged the warp engines. "We got a few hours time River. Want to play another game?" Keller asked as she continued to monitor her station.
"What you have in mind?" Bradoc asked. "Smash or Pass? Truth or Dare?" Bradoc started to guess another when Keller interrupted. "I was thinking of pub trivia," Keller said with a smile. Bradoc's eyes widened at the old game idea. "I haven't played pub trivia since the academy…" Bradoc smiled at Keller waiting until her friend looked at her... "- back in the 23rd century," Bradoc said with a giggle.
Four
The Class F shuttle, Muffin dropped out of warp a few minutes out from P'Jem. The planet had faced its fair share of conflict in recent years but had since continued its long cultural heritage as a place for peace, reflection, and meditation. The shuttle approached the atmosphere without challenge from any authority, not that any was expected. River Wesi Bradoc watched Keller as she placed the ship in geosynchronous orbit over the tranquil world. Bradoc started to check the sensors but Keller grabbed her left hand gently and pointed out the center viewport with her free hand.
"If you are curious just look out the window," Keller said softly. "I don't want sensor logs of our meeting."
Bradoc looked at Keller for a moment before looking outside the front window. It was hard to make out at first but Bradoc could see the horizontally thin profile of another Federation starship. It wasn't the type of ship she would have expected. As the ship drifted closer Bradoc could make out enough to recognize the design. It was a Crossfield-class ship.
"Who are we meeting exactly?" Bradoc asked while looking back at Keller. The admiral had already moved to the back of the shuttle, as though she was expecting someone. "Someone else we can trust will be joining us shortly," Keller said without looking back. Bradoc stood up from her seat and joined Keller.
A shimmer of azure light seemed to materialize and grow in intensity. It was the unmistakable sign of someone using a transporter to beam aboard the shuttle. Bradoc watched as an Andorian woman was reconstituted bit by bit in front of them. Only once the transport was complete did Bradoc realize who she was staring at. The woman standing before them was a trusted friend and was a part of the Temporal Defense fleet that Keller commanded, Captain Amira Ophelia Drex.
Bradoc didn't wait for a proper greeting. She immediately rushed over and gave the surprised woman a hug. Keller approached and placed a hand on Drex's shoulder. "Good to see you Drex, its been ages," Bradoc said in a muffled voice. Bradoc was a short woman, average height for a Tellarite but short compared to most species. Bradoc's face was buried in Drex's belly.
Drex carefully pushed Bradoc to arms length. "It has been a while. Not since we first got to this time," Drex said with a smile. So few of the Pioneer-class Bonhomme Richard crew were left. Not even half the crew had made it into the future but of the ones that did, few chose to remain in Starfleet. Keller, Drex, and Bradoc had been friends since the academy but once in the future, they had little contact. Keller and Bradoc had kept in touch the most.
"So, what's the plan Keller?" Bradoc asked. She was happy to see her best friends but was quickly losing patience with the situation.
"One we get down to the planet I will finally tell you what we are doing," Keller said. She moved over to the shuttle's controls and started to take the ship down for a landing. Bradoc quickly moved to her seat and strapped in. Drex remained in the back, she sat on one of the couches lining the shuttle's bulkheads. The ride down was quick and smooth despite the transition from impulse drives to thrusters.
Keller began to guide the shuttle toward a larger monastery. It was a familiar structure, one Bradoc had not seen since her academy days. It was unchanged despite the decades. Bradoc remembered the monastery well, it was the place where cadets were taken for their first hands-on experience with alien cultures. It was also the place were Bradoc and her two best friends got in trouble for accidentally catching a meditation room on fire.
This particular monastery was the site were cadets would learn about the Vulcan purists and the ways of the more conservative elements of one of the Federation's founding member worlds. It was an enlightening experience for the cadets to see a people that wished to hold onto its culture and practices without judgment or change. The main lesson to be learned was that members of Starfleet should not try to force their beliefs on others but instead to learn about them and respect the people that choose those ways of life. It didn't stop the cadets from learning other things, like meditation and Vulcan history. Most cadets saw the trip to P'Jem as a getaway from the tedious marching from one class to another, faces buried in computers.
The shuttle swooped in behind the large main building of the monastery. Keller brought them in over a rear shuttle pad. The pad intended for the delivery of supplies and was about twenty-five kilometers from the building itself in order to keep the noise of the shuttles from disturbing the monks. The landing wasn't as smooth as Bradoc would've expected it. Seeing Keller's face twist a little confirmed Bradoc's suspicion.
"You need more practice admiral," Bradoc said with a smile. She clasp the admiral on the shoulder as she moved to the back of the shuttle. Drex was already opening the back hatch when Bradoc approached. "I'm just a little rusty with planet side landings is all," Keller said as she joined them. "There is a small rest stop six kilometers from the landing platform. We will talk there."
"Its been a long shuttle ride. Got any water?" Bradoc asked looking annoyed. Keller reached into an overhead bin and removed a survival pack. It had several small pouches of water infused with electrolytes. Keller handed each of them one pouch and then closed the survival pack, placing it back in the overhead bin. "These will do. Lets get going," Keller said as she started ahead of them.
Bradoc opened her water pouch and squeezed half of it into her mouth and swallowed before she started after Keller. "What else she going to ask us to do, carry rocks on our heads up to the monastery?" Bradoc asked, looking at Drex. The thin Andorian captain let out a chuckle.
The walk to the rest stop was as peaceful as could be expected. On the way they encountered only the occasional pilgrim walking the path and a rare monk sitting in a clearing off the trail, meditating. The trail was paved and wide enough for cargo trucks but only antigrav sleds were permitted to use the trail. Halfway up to the rest stop Bradoc found herself wondering who would be pushing antigrav sleds up the path. Her answer came in the form of a young monk pushing a sled down to the landing pad.
"Are we there yet?" Bradoc asked in a mocking tone. "What's a matter River, you don't like walking on those little legs?" Keller teased. "Can we not mention anything with water?" Drex asked panting. She had drink all of Bradoc's water and her own. Andorians enjoyed the cold, they were born in it. The monasteries at P'Jem were experiencing their summer months, making the trek up to the rest stop difficult for her.
The Three officers made it to their destination about an hour after they first landed. A small structure with a tiled roof sat just off the trail allowing pilgrims and monks alike a place to rest in shade. Walls lined three sides of the structure giving it the appearance of a barn. The tiled roof above matched the design of the other buildings closer to the monastery. Keller lead the group to a stone table with benches.
Bradoc and Keller sat down as Drex ventured over to a large iron basin at the back of the structure. Attendants filled the basin with clean water every morning for visitors to use. For the pilgrims that ventured the trail it was a temptation to be avoided. Drex cupped her hands in the water and pulled them up to her face to drink. She repeated the action three more times before joining Keller and Bradoc at the table.
"I invited you to out here to talk to you without having to be concerned with a record being made of our conversation. I want as few records of our meeting as possible. What I have to tell you two does not go beyond this shelter until I deem it necessary, is that understood?" Keller asked. The two captains looked at each other before responding.
"Understood," both said at the same time. "You planning a mutiny Becky?" Bradoc asked. Her voice couldn't hide her concern despite her mocking tone.
"No, but I do have grave concerns over recent events," Keller said cautiously. "We know that after strange rifts in subspace have occurred recently. A Lukari vessel was pulled into one. Then Borg from the mirror universe come through another rift and shortly after the Lukari vessel returns with an ally that can practically destroy a cube on its own and somehow we just assume that these newcomers are peaceful?" Keller paused to look at her two subordinates.
"I'm sorry admiral, I'm out of the loop. I was on assignment in the Delta quadrant just a few hours ago," Drex said with a bit of confusion. "How did you get here so fast?" Bradoc asked a bit surprised. Drex looked at Keller as though asking for something. The admiral nodded to Drex which appeared to be the answer Drex needed. "My ship isn't just a recreation of the old Crossfield-class," Drex began. "The ship also uses an old propulsion technology that the USS Discovery had a couple of decades before we even joined Starfleet."
"Wasn't that tech outlawed for requiring a pilot to be augmented though genetic manipulation?" Bradoc asked. She was looking at her old friend with curiosity. River Bradoc, like many officers across Starfleet, had only become aware of the Displacement-activated Spore Hub Drive when Starfleet had encountered the Elachi. The species was capable of using the technology and often used it in battle.
"The Displacement-activated Spore Hub Drive was installed on my ship River. We have a member of our crew that is Elachi, he controls the drive." Drex said with a smile. "Anyway, we got a subspace message from Keller telling us to meet here so we used the drive to get here." Drex omitted the great pains that Keller would have gone through to contact her.
To transmit a message to Drex required the use of subspace comm relays and ships aligned in the path to the Solanae Space Gateway. From there the transmission would have been sent to the gateway that led to the Jenolan Dyson sphere and then through a line of starships to the Kyana system where a single text message reached the Crossfield-class starship USS Haiti. The message was one sentence. It was coded and encrypted yet still cryptic enough to be ignored by anyone that managed to read it.
"Lets get back on track ladies," Keller said. She quickly brought Drex up to speed on the events over the last several weeks. From her attempts to rebuild her fleet to being assigned to the mission that started her major concerns. The information Keller gave them made Bradoc realize just how much Keller was dealing with. It made her wonder if the admiral might be getting too paranoid from all the stress. Drex took it all in without saying anything.
"So what is it you want us to do?" Bradoc asked impatiently. "We don't even know these aliens. We haven't met them face to face from the sounds of it."
"Captain Kim and Admiral Kuumaarke are escorting the aliens to Deep Space Nine for an introduction and conference. We will learn more there," Keller said with a sigh.
"You weren't asked to participate?" Drex asked.
"No, the Lukari got the lead on this one and they invited Kim. I'm certain Quinn will be assigning more ships but my guess is that he'll choose personnel closer to DS9." Keller looked down at her hands briefly. She had been clenching them together as she talked. After noticing, Keller but her hands under the table in her lap.
Bradoc continued to stare at Keller. She cleared her throat before Keller realized that she hadn't answered Bradoc's original question. "To answer your question from before, I need you two to stick close to Earth Spacedock for a while. Drex, go ahead and finish your assignment in the Delta quadrant. I'll have you reassigned to local patrols after that." Keller turned to Bradoc. Before she could speak, Bradoc raised a hand to interrupt.
"My ship is a wreck but I'm guessing you want to assign me to local patrols if my ship gets out of the yards," Bradoc said unamused. USS Bonhomme Richard hadn't even completed space trails when Bradoc was forced to command the ship against the Terran Empire and C'qer. The ship had sustained moderate damage at the time but only required a few days in the yards. Now the ship was in need of extensive repairs only within hours of having completed recertifications. At this point in her career, Bradoc was spending more time in drydock than she was out in space.
"You got it River. I need the two of you close. With a powerful new player on the field that can pop in through anywhere and decimate a Borg cube, anything is possible. We could be looking at a new ally but my gut says that we could be looking at the vanguard of a new threat to the federation." Keller shifted on the bench. The cold stone bench was starting to feel uncomfortable.
"You honestly believe that we are facing a new threat from another universe?" Drex asked leaning closer to the center of the table. "I would say its a good chance," Bradoc said. "Paranoia or not, it couldn't hurt to shore up some defenses and have an emergency strategy ready just in case." Bradoc got up and moved over to the water basin to drink.
"I brought you guys here because of the reaction I saw from the Lukari captain that introduced us. He seemed completely in awe over the newcomers. Brought back bad memories of brainwashing and mind control," Keller said with a shutter. In all of her time in Starfleet Keller had seen all manner of alien influences on Starfleet personnel from the parasites that took over Deep Space K-13 to the Bluegill of the Delta quadrant. She had even seen former Borg reprogrammed to carry out assassinations or sabotage starships.
"If it puts your mind at ease than I'm in but I'll hold judgment on these new people until they give me reason to believe otherwise," Bradoc said as she moved back to the table. She remained standing. "I'm willing to see the potential threat admiral. You have my support," Drex said. "That being said, what's the plan for contact and where should we meet if the worst should happen?" Drex asked.
It was clear to Bradoc they were all on the same page. Give the appearance of resuming business as usual while keeping an ear out. The three would not likely meet or talk about this again unless things happened the way Keller suspected they would. "If I need to contact you two, it will be through non-secure channels with a cryptic message. If you here me say it, all three ships are to proceed to Drozana Station," Keller said.
"Why Drozana?" Drex asked in disgust. She had once gotten into a bar fight over a misunderstanding back when the three of them had served aboard the Bainbridge. "Best place to find allies and coordinate tactics. All sorts of crazy characters go to Drozana at some point. Starfleet, even if under alien influence wouldn't bat an eyelash over three starships heading to Drozana," Keller said with a smile.
"So what's the signal?" Bradoc asked. She continued to stand near the table rather then sit. "I will ask you guys about whatever you are currently doing at that moment and then I'll bring up a moment when we were on the Bainbridge together. If I mention Skaavri's name than you know to proceed after the call to Drozana Station." Keller shifted once more in her seat. This time she looked noticeably uncomfortable.
Skaavri was the Chief Engineer onboard the old Pioneer-class Bonhomme Richard. He had been transported like Keller and many of her crew into the future but he had never joined them on the Bainbridge. Shortly after making his way to the future, Skaavri went looking for information on the whereabouts of his family. Bradoc never found out what he learned but it was grim enough that the Tellarite man committed suicide afterward. The entire surviving crew was put on suicide watch and mandatory counseling for three weeks before they were cleared to serve again. Over half refused to serve, instead trying their hands at new careers.
Mentioning the man in conversation, saying that he served with them on the Bainbridge would work well enough. No one was likely to see a problem or care about the nostalgic ramblings of an admiral. "Anything other questions?" Keller asked. "Comments?" She looked at the two other officers as they shook their heads side to side. "Concerns?" Keller asked finally. Drex stood up from the table, as did Keller. "Dismissed, then," Keller said as she started to walk toward the shelter's opening.
Drex tapped her combadge, "Haiti, on my arrival, black alert. One to beam out." Drex disappeared in azure light as she was broken down into molecules for transport. "Lazy bitch," Bradoc said with a laugh. "Should we tell her that she wasn't supposed to use transporters so close to the monastery?" Bradoc continued. Keller chuckled lightly as she started for the landing pad.
"You could always report her to the Abbott," Keller said as Bradoc ran to catch up to her. "I'm not walking my ass all the way up there. Besides, you're my ride." Bradoc elbowed Keller in her left thigh. "You're right, I wouldn't wait for you," Keller giggled. The two continued cracking jokes and telling stories down to Muffin. The little shuttle was dusty from an earlier landing by a cargo transport but otherwise undisturbed.
The two officers got into the shuttle and fastened themselves in. "What game we playing this time?" Bradoc asked while the two ran preflight checks. "Want to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon?" Keller asked with a chuckle. Bradoc looked puzzled. "Who is Kevin Bacon?"
"He's a late twentieth century, early twenty-first century actor. Supposedly everyone in the movie and television…." Keller saw Bradoc's eyes glaze over- "We can just do pub trivia again," Keller said, changing the subject. Captain Paris had taught her the game a while back and she had been itching to try it on someone. The subject was too niche she realized. "Trivia's fine," Bradoc said with a sigh of relief.
The prospect of facing an invasion from an alternate universe was bad enough. To suspect that the newcomers might be able to brainwash members of the Federation was worse. For the sake of galactic peace, Bradoc hoped that Keller was wrong and simply being paranoid. "Time will tell," Bradoc thought to herself. Bradoc was jostled from her thoughts as Muffin began to lift of the pad.
Muffin lifted off the surface with a speed seldom permitted on established worlds. The near empty airspace allowed them the luxury of leaving as quickly as they wished. USS Haiti was long gone and there was no space traffic on sensors for light years. Muffin whined as the old engines spun up the warp drive. "To Home we go," Keller said in a mockingly deep voice. Who she was mocking, Bradoc didn't know. Muffin jumped to its maximum warp.