STAR TREK
"Vanguard"
By: John Christen Knudsen, Junior
In the transporter room of the Prime Maxim, the starship had just departed for its first mission. Antwon Bach had graduated from a Starfleet correspondence course. In this way, he was a graduate of the Academy. He was a Starfleet ensign. He was handpicked for the ship because of his very high test scores. The officer was eager to please.
"Where am I?" the young man spoke upon materializing onto the transporter pad. They were in orbit of the New Paris colony. He did not have a uniform since it was the first time he had ever left the place of his birth.
The tactical officer replied with a smile, "This is the starship Prime Maxim. I am your superior, Clarence Hope. Welcome aboard, Ensign."
"Well," Antwon began, "I've always wanted to hear something like that. But, what I meant was, which department is mine on the ship?"
Lieutenant Clarence Hope put his arm around the ensign and explained, "Captain Doris Stark has you assigned as a helmsman on this Galaxy-class starship. And I have been given orders to show you around. Come with me, please."
As they both left the transporter room, the ensign asked, "Could I see my quarters before we do that? I would like to see what it looks like."
"Yes," he said. "You might also want to put on your uniform."
"That might help," he answered with pride.
His uniform would make him whole. That was the one and only reason he decided to join Starfleet in the first place. He graduated at the top of his correspondence class. He never had the intention of making history in his Starfleet career. That was just asking for trouble.
Prime Maxim's first mission was to visit the newly charted Zelor system. Antwon was assigned to the away team. First Officer Allen Page led the team. The away team also had the doctor and the tactical officer. Ensign Bach was on his best behavior.
"Let's go into that cave," the commander said with a tricorder in hand. "Something inside is not consistent with the primitive life here."
The tactical officer attempted to enter the cave only to be thrown back by a force field. A tremor shook the earth. Antwon Bach looked to the sky as the doctor treated Hope.
The helmsman pointed up, "Commander Page, look there. Pulsewaves are being fired at the Prime Maxim. We have to do something. The ship is under attack."
Pulsewaves hit the Prime Maxim as Allen tried to get inside the cave. The weapon inside had to be turned off. He ordered the doctor, Aaron Leroy, to continue treating the tactical officer as the ensign watched for natives with his phaser set to stun.
Not long after, an explosion made a reddish anomaly in the sky. It caused the force field to lower. They were safe in the cave until they could reprogram a tricorder to send out a distress signal to the nearest starship. They were trapped there for three months.
The starship Vanguard was the nearest. It was a Constellation-class ship. It was the starship Antwon's brother, Darius, was known to be science officer of. Darius was surprised when he saw his brother in a Starfleet uniform.
"I'm sorry we failed," Antwon told his brother.
Lieutenant Darius Bach replied, "You are lucky to be alive. You have to get to sickbay to be checked out by the doctor. All of you must go."
The brothers hugged as the Vulcan doctor was informed, "Transporter room to Doctor Selak. Lieutenant, be ready to receive four wounded officers."
"Is it serious?" Selak asked of the transporter chief.
"Mostly psychological," the ensign responded.
"It's a good thing that I happened to be on Vanguard," Darius said tapping his communicator for the bridge. "Why didn't you tell me that my brother was down there? I am responsible for his safety. He will never leave my sight again."
"It's all my fault," Antwon cried out in pain.
Darius smiled, "Doctor Selak will be the judge of that."
Out of the four rescued, Antwon stayed on board so his older brother could give him attention. Out of concern for his future, he was promoted one grade and made the supply officer of the ship. The lieutenant junior grade was given therapy, but the duty officer would fall behind as he medicated himself with alcohol. He was welcome at tactical anytime.
Antwon Bach would spend lots of time in the officers' lounge on the starship Vanguard. He was a lieutenant junior grade on the ship. He was the supply officer but sometimes took shifts at tactical. Antwon was known to drink. He was not the best officer. Sarah Baker was his friend. She approached him with care.
"Good morning, Lieutenant," she said with a smile as she sat down next to the officer. "That is, Lieutenant Junior Grade."
He said in sorrow, "I wish to be left alone, but I really appreciate the fact that you care."
She continued by asking, "I'm not sure, but aren't you supposed to be taking a shift on the bridge today?"
"What?" Antwon inquired.
Then a communication came down from the bridge, so all on board could hear it. The captain was calling him, "Lieutenant Bach, you are late for another duty shift at tactical. Report to the bridge, immediately!"
Antwon jetted out of his seat leaving his drink behind. He did this without hesitation. This happened all the time, and he hated himself for it. Sarah had become the last person in the officers' lounge. She had a look of shock on her face.
Captain Sean Brinkledge was in his ready room. After all, he was the captain of a Constellation-class starship. He was receiving a message from his command base in that sector. The message was coming from Deep Space Nine. Commander Sisko appeared on his computer screen.
"Let's get to the point, Captain," Sisko said. "We have found an anomaly in Klingon space."
Captain Brinkledge asked, "What does that have to do with us?"
The commander replied, "You created it."
This intrigued the captain.
Sisko continued, "You will meet up with a Klingon escort. It is a K'tinga-class battlecruiser. You're going to study the anomaly while the Klingons study a nearby planet to find out what happened there."
"But, Commander," he hesitated, "this ship is nine years old—"
Benjamin interrupted, "Just do it."
The message ended. He switched off his computer. The captain recalled that planet. It was called Zelor. There, they rescued the survivors of a doomed exploratory mission. Antwon Bach was part of that mission. An anomaly was created by the explosion of that officer's previous ship, the Prime Maxim.
Out of breath, Antwon Bach arrived on the bridge. The captain was doing just the same. Antwon took his post at tactical relieving Lieutenant Rush Logan who was a little put off for having to wait for him. The captain spoke.
"Bach," he asked, "could you tell us what you know about Zelor?"
"It was the planet that the Vanguard rescued the away team I was a part of after the Prime Maxim exploded, mysteriously," he said.
The captain asked, "How long ago was that?"
The young lieutenant was fighting back tears, "Three years ago."
Out of respect, there was a brief silence on the bridge. It was broken by the officer's older brother who had become the Vanguard's science officer and helmsman. He was older by seven years. He was a lieutenant commander and the reason Antwon, an ensign three years before, was on the ship in the first place. He watched over his little brother.
Darius Bach asked, "Does he have to relive what happened?"
"No," the captain agreed sitting down in his chair.
Just then, the awaited Klingon escort arrived and took its place at their port side. Both ships knew the mission. The Klingons didn't even bother to contact Vanguard before the long voyage into the distant reaches of space.
There was another silence.
Sarah Baker had been called to her post in engineering. She was the engineer's assistant. She was walking through the door. The chief engineer was a commander. He had been on the ship for nine whole years. That was longer than anyone else on board. He was an officer of exceptional skill.
He inquired, "You spoke to him, didn't you?"
"I had to," she started. "He was late for another duty shift. So don't give me that—"
"Don't talk back to me," he interrupted. "I've seen things you can't imagine. I've been on this ship for nine years. Why do you care so much about that young drunk you hang around with anyway?"
Sarah asked, "Do you really think I care what you think? You've been trying to pressure me off this ship for months."
"You're lucky," he said in response. "I wish I had someone like that in my life."
"So do I. Then I would be chief engineer."
They laughed together.
Both ships arrived at their destination at warp factor two. The Klingons turned to study the planet while Vanguard cut its engines. One individual on the bridge had the rank of chief. He had once been assimilated by the Borg Collective. He was assigned to the ship's ops position. His name was Adam.
"The anomaly cannot be scanned into, sir," he said. "We have two choices – we could abort the mission or enter the anomaly."
"The anomaly has grown more unstable in the last three years," the helmsman stated. "Did you say it was created by the Prime Maxim's explosion, Antwon?"
"Yes," he replied.
The captain decided that the ship should enter the reddish anomaly. It was the only way they could complete their mission. Inside, they found the saucer of the Prime Maxim with life aboard. It had been inside the anomaly for three years. Antwon immediately deserted his post to get to a shuttlecraft.
"All hands to battle stations!" the captain demanded.
The corridors were packed with officers running to their posts. Antwon was on his way to shuttlebay seven with tears in his eyes to steal a shuttlecraft. His old crew was still alive. The ship was on red alert. No one was in the shuttlebay. He stole the shuttlecraft Rhine and launched it towards his old ship.
"Where's Antwon?" his brother asked.
Adam exclaimed, "Captain! A shuttle is being launched! It's headed for the Prime Maxim's saucer!"
The captain was furious, "Dammit! That's Antwon. Beam him back here!"
"Something else, sir!" Adam asserted. "A Bird-of-Prey has just entered the anomaly! And they are firing on us!"
The bridge shook as the Klingons attempted to penetrate Vanguard's hull with their weaponry. Then the Klingon ship stopped firing on them and started to fire on the Rhine. The shuttlecraft was spinning out of control. It was going to crash into the Prime Maxim's main shuttlebay.
"Prime Maxim!" he yelled. "This is Antwon Bach of the Federation starship Vanguard! Prepare to receive this shuttlecraft!"
"Estimated time 'til arrival?"
"Now!"
The shuttlebay doors opened just in time. The shuttlecraft crash-landed in the shuttlebay throwing Antwon like a ragdoll. The shuttle was damaged beyond repair. Then the Bird-of-Prey turned to fire on the saucer. Another Vanguard entered the anomaly the same time they did. It was ready for a fight. Both ships gave the order to fire upon the Bird-of-Prey. It was destroyed.
There was another silence. Antwon broke it, "Ouch!"
His head hurt. At that moment, the captain of the Vanguard opened hailing frequencies, "This is Sean Brinkledge, captain of the starship Vanguard, to the entering starship, state your purpose."
What appeared to be a double of the captain responded, "This is the captain of the Vanguard."
This shocked everyone on the bridge.
"You will stand down from red alert and tell me how there can be two starships in the fleet exactly alike in almost every way," the other captain commanded.
The captain smiled, "I've heard this one before."
The captain began to explain, "It is quite possible that a rift in the fabric of space brought our two separate universes together in this anomaly. I'm guessing you came to study this… thing… just as we did."
"No," the other said. "We came to escape from a Klingon attack."
The captain was puzzled, "But we are at peace with the Klingons."
"Not in our universe," his alternate revealed.
The first officer of the other Vanguard was Antwon Bach. The scar down his right temple proved he meant business. He was a lieutenant commander on that ship and had something to say, "Enough. We have a fleet of Klingon warships tracking us. You can't stay here. We will provide you cover, so you can go to warp."
On the bridge of the Prime Maxim, Captain Doris Stark was sitting back in her captain's chair listening to all of this. She knew exactly what to do. Then Antwon arrived on the bridge. He arrived with some old friends.
"Explanation," she demanded.
All he could say was, "I don't know, a rescue?"
She laughed.
There was a Vor'cha-class attack cruiser in that sector. It was in the parallel universe. It was the command ship for a Klingon fleet. They saw the Bird-of-Prey enter the anomaly after the Vanguard. They were speaking in Klingon.
The second officer said, "The Federation starship has disappeared into a gas cloud."
Their captain replied, "Send two of our best K'vort-class cruisers to destroy them."
"We cannot scan into the gas cloud," the science officer stated.
"It does not matter," the captain continued. "Once that scout ship is destroyed, we will have free reign in this sector. The humans will have no choice but to surrender to the Klingon Empire. Then, the war will be over."
The Klingon female at his side broke her silence, "It's almost sad. Starfleet Command once held a vote on whether or not to give us this sector three years ago. It is unfortunate that thousands of them had to die."
The transporter chief was having some problems. She was a lieutenant named Lisa Hovelson. Tapping her communicator, she contacted the bridge.
"Captain, I think we have a problem," she said. "The anomaly is dampening our ability to transport the crew of the Prime Maxim to safety."
"Is there anything you can do?" the captain asked. "We have to leave very quickly."
She responded, "I could mass transport, but I'd have to do it blind."
She made the attempt. The Prime Maxim's crew was transported to one of the two Vanguards, but it was the wrong one. They beamed to the alternate Vanguard.
"Captain," she started, "I think we have another problem. I don't think they're from our universe."
"Can you be sure?"
She was deathly sorry, "The mass transport beamed them to the other Vanguard. If they are from our universe, I just made a big mistake."
Antwon had arrived in the transporter room of the wrong Vanguard and knew at once what had happened. He couldn't understand it all.
"This can't be right," he noticed. "Why am I not on my ship? Are you saying this is not my crew?"
The transporter chief tried to calm him down, "Lieutenant—"
"But that's what you're saying!" he continued.
She got on the communicator, "Doctor Selak, report to the transporter room, immediately."
Doctor Selak was a Vulcan and a well-respected one. He arrived at the transporter room to see the young officer totally losing control.
He cried out, "No! You're telling me my old crew is dead! No!"
Selak, the Vulcan lieutenant, did all he could do. He overpowered the officer and sedated him.
Captain Stark asked, "Did you have to do that?"
The next thing the officer knew, he was in their sickbay. The Vulcan doctor was hovering over him. He was just coming to consciousness.
"We're all dead, aren't we?" he asked.
"I don't know," Selak replied. "But we can beam you back to your ship, so you can leave before more Klingon ships arrive."
Antwon asked, "More are coming?"
"Yes," he said. "You have about an hour. All hope is not lost."
Antwon had to ask a question, "But why did I beam to this ship if it's not mine?"
"I don't know that either," he replied. "Is there anything you would like?"
"Sleep," he said. "I'm tired."
The doctor went to work. He gave the officer a tranquilizer so that he might sleep for a few good minutes.
"There, my old friend," he said gently.
On the bridge of the Vanguard, the crew was trying to figure out how Antwon was not lost in transport.
"I don't get it," Lisa said.
Selak noted, "He should be dead."
The first officer had the answer, "Remember that new programming we put into the computer a year ago?"
She continued, "It was supposed to anticipate questions like these."
Antwon's brother moved quickly to a nearby engineering station and said, "So let's ask the computer. It says here that the Prime Maxim could not have possibly come from the opposing universe. And, that means, the beam was because their ship was simply… closer to the saucer."
"Logical," Selak stated.
The first officer of the alternate Vanguard wanted to see his alternate self. He stormed into the sickbay with Lieutenant Sarah Baker at his side.
"Where is that little cuss?!" he yelled.
The doctor sprang into action, "Sir, I would advise you not to speak to him. His condition is—"
"Wake him up."
The doctor took the lieutenant out of his deep sleep. The commander had some words to say to him.
Antwon cried, "You're me!"
"You think you're me?" he responded. "I'm the first officer on this ship."
Antwon's vision wandered off to Sarah at the commander's side.
This insulted him, "Stop gawking at my wife!"
"Your wife?!"
The Klingon escort that came with the Vanguard was in orbit of the planet Zelor. They beamed a landing party down to discover what happened three years before to destroy the Federation Galaxy-class starship.
One Klingon said to another, "It was the beaming that caused it."
The question became, "Are you saying this was an accident? How could this planet's ancient weaponry destroy a Galaxy-class starship on its first mission?"
"The beaming triggered that ancient weaponry," he said surely. "Pulses hit the ship causing a warp core breach."
"Why did the same thing not happen to us?" he asked.
The Klingon said, "The weapon is recharging itself. We have to shut it down, or the Klingon Empire will never claim this planet for its own."
"Some ancient race of aliens really wanted this planet's primitive population to be protected, didn't they?" the captain wondered.
Both of the Vanguards' transporters were adjusted so that the Prime Maxim's crew could be beamed to safety. Antwon Bach chose to beam last. The Klingons from the alternate universe were already on their way.
The chief engineer hailed the bridge, "Captain, two K'vort-class cruisers have just come out of warp and have cloaked."
The captain replied, "As soon as the transport is complete, raise the shields."
On the viewscreen was the other captain. He said to his alternate, "We will provide you cover, so you can go to warp."
Captain Brinkledge noted, "But you will be destroyed."
"It does not matter," he said. "It is the least we can do for a Federation starship from a universe of peace."
"Full impulse power!" the captain ordered. "Get us out of here!"
On board the alternate Vanguard, there was an admiral that was acting only as an observer in the war. She stayed quiet throughout the whole ordeal. But, after communications between the two Vanguards ended, she simply walked off the bridge and into the ready room. The captain followed her. She was waiting for him.
"Why would you do this?" she asked.
"We are doing our duty," he replied. "You know we're going to lose this war."
"I don't think risking our lives for people we can't even prove or disprove exists helps our chances either, Captain," she noted.
There was a brief silence.
"This might be the last battle of the war," he explained. "I don't want the Klingon side of this story to be the only one told."
The admiral struck her hand against the desk and left the ready room. For that moment, the captain had forgotten she had a family to go home to.
The commanders of the attacking K'vort-class cruisers knew their mission but did not expect more than one Federation starship to be in the anomaly.
Darius Bach was at his station, "Two K'vort-class cruisers have opened fire on us from both port and starboard, sir."
"Engineering," the captain ordered, "hold down the fort as long as possible. We don't want to lose structural integrity."
First Officer Bach had an idea, "Give me power to weapons. I'll nail these Klingon bastards, Captain!"
"I have guided the ship into a stationary position," Darius said. "If I can just—"
The helm station he was sitting at exploded. He was thrown from his seat. Doctor Selak rushed to treat his wounds.
In engineering, they were trying unsuccessfully to contain the warp core. Sarah said to her commander, "Sir, I can't hold containment."
"Then increase structural integrity," he ordered, "so we can at least stay at our posts."
An explosion hit all of engineering leaving Sarah Baker in command of it. The ship's computer began to count down the seconds until a warp core breach.
She looked up, "Is anyone alive in here?!"
She got no response. She decided to run to the main engineering station so she could give the people on the bridge power to weapons. Then the ship's computer stated, "Warp core breach in thirty-five seconds."
Sarah got a bad feeling, "Bridge!"
Antwon was the only one who answered, "Yes!"
Sarah told him, "We don't have much time!"
"I know!" he replied. "The captain's dead!"
Tapping her communicator, she responded, "I've done all I can do, goodbye!"
Antwon cried out, "No, wait!"
Out of anger, he jumped to the ship's tactical station. He fired the last salvo from the ship's phaser banks. And, with that last salvo, he missed his targets. Then the impending warp core breach destroyed the ship. The shockwave from that destroyed the attacking K'vort-class cruisers. The remaining Vanguard was still in danger. If it was destroyed, the Prime Maxim's survivors would not be saved. On the bridge, the Vanguard crew braced themselves for impact.
Darius said, "We have reached full impulse, Captain. Steady as she goes."
"Put aft shields to maximum," the captain ordered.
Adam responded, "Yes, Captain."
Rush Logan, at tactical, said, "We're clearing."
Then he received new information from his console, "Sir, the alternate Vanguard has been destroyed."
The entire ship was shaken as the shockwave, after destroying the Prime Maxim's saucer, hit their aft shields hurling them forward. On the bridge, an engineering station exploded because of it. Doctor Selak was called to treat an injured officer.
They were safe.
Darius Bach shouted out, "We made it! It was a rough ride! But we made it! I'm seeing stars for the first time all day!"
Doris Stark wanted to speak with the captain. She found him in his ready room sitting at his desk. They began to talk.
"He saved us," she asked, "didn't he?"
"Who?" the captain inquired.
"Antwon Bach," she explained. "You know, that officer you have to remind to take duty shifts on the bridge."
The captain smiled, "Oh, him. Everyone on this ship knows him. What's so special about him?"
"He graduated at the top of his class at the Academy," she said. Then she walked out of his life forever. She had a crew to tend to.
This made the captain think. He immediately called Antwon to his ready room to set things straight.
He entered the ready room to say, "Antwon Bach, reporting as ordered."
The captain told him, "You realize it was quite possibly your actions that saved the lives of everyone in that anomaly. If you had not stolen the shuttlecraft Rhine and gone to the Prime Maxim's saucer, there would have been no way to prove it was from our universe, and we would have been destroyed like everything else in that… thing."
"So I'm going to be demoted?" he asked.
"No," the captain replied. "As of this moment, you are a full lieutenant in your department. You are also dismissed."
Puzzled, Antwon started his way out of the ready room but turned around to ask the captain a question, "What does this mean?"
The captain told him, "Stay away from the tactical station."
He applied the new rank to his collar and headed to the officers' lounge to celebrate with a meal. There were Klingons in the room. The captain had given them shore leave rights. They knew who Antwon Bach was – he was the hero of the ship. When they saw him, they just laughed. Antwon almost forgot about his new friend, Sarah. She was sitting alone at a table.
"You look like you've just seen a ghost," she said. "And with a promotion, too. That's just great."
He sat across from her and asked, "How are you doing?"
"Well, when we arrive at Deep Space Nine," she smiled, "I'm going to be the ship's new chief engineer."
Then she noticed something different about him, "What?"
He said softly, "I saw you on that alternate starship."
"So?"
He hesitated, "So, we were… uh… engaged."
Everyone in the room heard this. Taking what he said in, she took him by the hand and led him out of the officers' lounge. She wanted to get to know him better in a place they could not be disturbed. The Klingon escort and Vanguard were side-by-side on their way back to Federation space with their mission complete.
It became time for Constellation-class ships to be decommissioned. Antwon Bach sat with his brother and his two new friends in a lounge overlooking the retired Vanguard resting safely in Spacedock.
"Friends forever," Darius Bach toasted at the table.
After their beverages met, Sarah Baker, sitting at the table, began to weep in fear they would never see each other again.
Selak, the Vulcan doctor, noted, "I'm sure all of you have secured posts on other starships by now."
All but Antwon acknowledged this. They all slowly looked his way. This was just like him.
"What?" the lieutenant began. "Do I have to be prepared for everything? Am I a boy scout or something?"
Sarah laughed with her drink full in her mouth. It was coming out her nose.
Then, suddenly, a message came over the station-wide speaker, so all on the starbase could hear, "To all with a lieutenant's rank or higher, if you wish to acquire a ready command, see your local deck officer as quickly as possible. Thank you."
Antwon was already on his way. For the ones still at the table, the alcohol was causing them to laugh uncontrollably. Even Selak, a Vulcan, cocked an eye. For a Vulcan, that was hysterical laughter.
With the help of a nearby turbolift, Lieutenant Bach reached his goal in record time. As he approached the deck officer, the first thing he asked was, "Did I make it in time?"
The deck officer smiled and said, "Yes. You're right on time. Once you catch your breath, could you tell me who you are?"
It took time, but he did catch his breath, "Lieutenant Antwon Bach of the starship Vanguard."
"Well, sir," he said, "you are now a captain."
He looked towards the doorway and informed the other officers that a captain had been chosen. Then he got on the station-wide speaker, "A captain of the starship Reliant has been chosen. Thank you."
This began to confuse the new captain, "Reliant, sir?"
"All your questions will be answered when you report to Commander Lori Gates," the deck officer replied extending his hand to be shaken. "Congratulations, Captain Bach."
Antwon smiled, as he rarely did, and shook the officer's hand. Making his way out the door, he was puzzled. Starfleet must have been giving commands away if he had earned one. He never saw himself as 'one in a million.'
The new captain boarded a travel pod to enter the Reliant at its bridge. The ready room was near. He decided to speak to the first officer before changing into the appropriate uniform. She explained much.
"This ship was created by a full-power start," she said.
"What is a full-power start?" Antwon had to ask.
Lori Gates explained, "The Enterprise discovered the full-power start in its five-year mission. It created a duplicate Enterprise that crashed into the planet they were trying to pull away from."
"If the duplicate crashed," the captain asked, "how do you know it existed?"
"Can I finish?" she returned. "Everyone knows the Reliant was stolen by the augment Khan Noonien Singh. But that was only the second mission of the USS Reliant. Clark Terrell earned his command by testing a full-power start as Captain Kirk did. It created a duplicate ship and crew. This ship is that duplicate. Study of it only ended earlier this year."
"So I'm the captain of a ghost ship," the captain responded. "That sounds simple enough."
"Pretty much," Lori told him. They shook hands. The first thing Antwon did was put on his uniform to contact his brother. He rubbed it in his face. Darius felt jealous but kept it to himself. He was both proud and worried. He always saw his brother as a captain but over time.
Antwon Bach was given a secret mission within Klingon space. The captain was undercover with such skill that he would be arrested for treason. His first officer observed him drinking alcohol he could not handle.
"Okay," Antwon said raising his glass, "now I'm drunk."
Letting out a great laugh, K'nor said, "I like listening to your stories, human."
There was a brief silence. Antwon was chosen for the assignment for his ability to hold liquor.
"I wish revenge on the Federation, too," K'nor confessed.
Antwon began to deceive, "I do have a plan."
"Impossible," the Klingon stated.
He continued, "The shuttle that I use to transport contraband might be outfitted with a makeshift holodeck emitter. It could carry troops. You said you had connections with some – how should I say – soldiers of fortune?"
Drunk, the Klingon decided to ask, "How could hundreds of Klingon soldiers fit on your tiny ship?"
Antwon returned, "You don't know what a holodeck is, do you?"
"No," K'nor asserted drink in hand.
Antwon smiled to say, "It can turn matter into energy."
The Klingon's eyes lit up, "Turn them into energy patterns?"
Antwon nodded.
"It's a good idea," the Klingon said, "but people don't work for free. We have no money to pay these soldiers with."
"Yes, we do," the Starfleet officer explained. "My shuttle has, what we call, food replicators and material fabricators. Together, we could go into Klingon space and provide goods at a reasonable price."
"That's how we get the money?" K'nor asked in astonishment – it was so simple once it was explained to him.
"That's how we get the money," the Starfleet officer concluded.
"What would we do with this army?" K'nor asked loudly.
Antwon said the first thing that came to his mind, "Steal a starship."
His Klingon companion cried out, "A Federation starship! Then we can go to Earth and dominate the world!"
K'nor held his liquor better. Antwon was not aware that he was under surveillance. Lori Gates, the first officer of the Reliant, was watching him. It was the chance she needed to cheat the captain out of his chair.
The Ambassador-class Cleopatra had Captain John Rogers in command. For an entire afternoon, a Federation starship was shadowing them from afar. In this mystery, the starship they were tracking did not respond to hails. In the brig, Antwon Bach awaited court martial.
"Report!" John demanded arriving on the bridge.
The ship was being fired at from an extreme range. The first officer, Darius Bach, responded sitting at the helm, "Sir! That's no ordinary weapon!"
"What kind of weapon is it?!" the captain shouted.
"It's a shuttlecraft!" Darius cried as the ship was hit. The ship was hit with immense force. Darius brushed sweat from his brow.
"Captain! Shields are up!" the chief engineer informed the bridge.
"Red alert!" the captain responded.
There had never been a battle like this before. They had taken a very large hit on their hull with a shuttlecraft. It was imperative that they survive the battle. It was important for them to warn others.
Meanwhile, on the attacking ship, a Ferengi, Hugo, was dominating the Excelsior-class Holt Jerome. He had many races with him – all pirates. It was a stolen ship that was very damaged.
"Have you launched another shuttle yet?!" he inquired of his first officer.
"Yes! Launching!" the first officer shouted.
A human female was on the bridge of the Excelsior-class vessel. The Ferengi did not allow women to wear clothes in their presence. She chose to contribute words to the battle, "They raised their shields! Hit 'em again!"
The Ferengi commander slowly swiveled his chair towards her, "You, treasonous woman, get out of my sight!"
Knowing him to be serious, she ran off the bridge. She just happened to be the former first officer of the Constellation-class Vanguard sobbing at her mistake.
The shuttle they launched only had one pilot. It went into high warp on a collision course for the Cleopatra. Just before it hit, its Klingon pilot cried out, "Death before dishonor!"
Impact.
"Sir! Our shields have fallen!" an officer yelled. The blow left Captain Rogers unconscious on the deck. Doctor Selak helped his captain.
The first officer, Darius Bach, gave an order, "All hands! Abandon ship!"
"Why can't we just fire back at them?!" cried the weapons chief.
"Because they're too far away!"
Antwon Bach was running towards the escape pod closest to the brig. He was in civilian clothes. Everyone had the same idea – distance between them and the ship. They couldn't have run any faster.
Drunk minds think alike – Hugo chose to assault the Cleopatra because Antwon was on board. The pirates earned the title 'mercenaries from hell.' There was nothing the starship could do. It was dead in space.
"They are abandoning ship, Captain," someone told Hugo.
Standing up, Hugo said, "We will salvage what we can to meet our own diabolical ends. Prepare the secret weapon."
"The transporter, sir?" the alien at ops asserted.
"Yes," he stated. "We will take that ship the same way we took this one. It will be the second ship in our armada."
A very large Gorn stood behind him. Hugo explained, "This nameless Gorn warrior will be cloned with my adjustments to the transporter. Then we will beam wave after wave at them until the Cleopatra is ours."
He had an evil smile.
Meanwhile, on the distant Ambassador-class starship, few people had access to an escape pod. Those that didn't have access were floating around with the artificial gravity damaged in the attack.
"How could this happen?" Antwon asked as his escape pod launched.
Sarah Baker chose the same escape pod he did, "Well, where do I begin? Your terrorist plot was put on the news. You're responsible for this."
"Before my court martial?" he asked her.
He hoped it was a bad dream. Sarah was only there as a witness for the defense. She could have died. There was no way he could win his case. Then she told him, "Your brother was also on board. He was the first officer."
They looked out of the escape pod window to see the massive damage inflicted upon the Cleopatra. It did not fire one shot in this battle. Many people were murdered without mercy. Antwon felt responsible.
The escape pods were collected by an old freighter. The survivors were rescued by the old freighter Casper. The freighter reminded Antwon of his time on the Vanguard. Then things went from bad to worse.
"He's dead," a nurse told him.
"What?" he cried. Sarah knew to stand back. He was going to lose it. He lost his best friend. He didn't even know Selak was on board.
"We've counted everybody," the nurse explained. "Selak did not make it to an escape pod in time."
Antwon began to pace.
"He was my best friend," he said. "I'm not going to stand for this."
He interrupted the freighter captain as he made his report to Starfleet. The captain was overweight. The Starfleet officer could deal with him easily. He inquired, "Do you have a shuttle capable of warp speed?"
"Yes," said the captain.
"I am going to have to requisition it," he said.
"Are you even in Starfleet?!" the captain asked. "That's my only shuttle! You can't do this to me! Stop! You don't have the authority!"
Antwon ran out of the cargo hold towards his destiny. Sarah knew it was impossible to stop him. She held the nurse back, "He'll be alright."
The shuttle was small. It felt more like an escape pod than anything else. It was cramped. He readied for launch and contacted the bridge of the Casper, "Please open the shuttlebay doors."
It took a while for the bridge to respond. Then it replied, "You have permission to leave. We are opening the doors."
The doors opened.
The shuttle was so small that it crept up on the Holt Jerome quickly. Antwon had them right in his sights. He activated a warp engine. His intent was to ram the Holt Jerome, "For my father, my father's father and—"
Impact.
The direct hit obliterated the stolen pirate vessel. Hugo's reign of terror was over. They then rescued the Cleopatra from its captors. Antwon had made the ultimate sacrifice. Selak survived to mourn the fallen officers.
Sarah Baker had become an alcoholic. Her friend was murdered. Darius Bach visited her at Spacedock while Cleopatra was undergoing repairs. She had plans to reanimate her friend with a transporter. She was drunk.
"You have to stop drinking," Darius told her.
She chose the lounge that overlooked the retired Vanguard, "His essence is still within the transporter buffer. All we have to do is get to it."
"That's illegal," he assured, "and you know it."
He thought for a moment then said, "Alright, let's do it."
Beaming to the Constellation-class ship, they had little time. Lieutenant Commander Darius Bach reported, "The ship has been retired. The antimatter has been taken out of its engines. There is little chance of success."
"Come on," Sarah ordered. "We can't stop now."
They started to retrieve Antwon. It did not turn out well. He was crying out in pain as every molecule in his body was torn to shreds.
"Jesus," Sarah spoke.
A moment passed, then she said, "We have to try it again."
"There is no way we're doing this again," he responded. "We're already going to lose everything if we get caught."
Sarah cried, "We have already lost everything! We can't explain this!"
She was serious, "I am going to do this one more time. I don't care what you think. I'm going to do this. You can leave if you want to."
"Fine," he smiled tugging on his uniform. He secretly wanted his brother to materialize in the same horrible way he did before.
"We can always try again," Sarah noted.
The second time was a charm. Antwon Bach was safe and sound on the transporter pad. The only problem was – he wore the same uniform he had when the Vanguard was retired one year before. The officers waited for arrest. The three of them were demoted one whole grade. It was a miracle.
Antwon Bach tugged on his uniform. He was given the long explanation on why he was alive and how he came to be. His brother explained it all. And, with a shallow apology, they began to talk about his future.
The lieutenant junior grade stated, "If what you're saying is true, I'm a year younger than I should be and the ship I serve is out of commission."
His brother replied, "Not to mention that your department has been replaced by computers."
Darius was going through some hard times also. He was demoted one whole grade to full lieutenant. He was no longer the first officer of the Cleopatra.
There was a pause.
"I know the future I want," he replied. "It's in the past."
His brother realized what he was implying and responded, "No. Not in a million years. We'd never get away with it."
"Yes," Antwon spoke.
"You want me to smuggle you back onto the Vanguard and beam you into the past?" he stressed. "We could only attempt that once. You could die."
"You asked me what I wanted," Antwon told him.
Security was everywhere. It kept the two from boarding. Antwon had to be beamed in from Spacedock. Darius beamed his brother in, in such a way, that he might travel through time. He materialized two years before.
Antwon turned to see no one in the transporter room. Lisa Hovelson then appeared. She believed he was in his quarters. His first impulse was to murder his alternate self to avert a time paradox. He knew not why. Entering his quarters, he vaporized his alternate self with a phaser.
"What is the stardate?" he asked the computer.
The computer replied in a pleasant voice, "Stardate 45921.5."
Antwon subconsciously remembered that stardate. The Vanguard tractor beamed a lifeless Borg cube to Deep Space Nine. He thought the Borg cube might become active, so he ran to the bridge.
Captain Sean Brinkledge inquired, "I was under the impression it was your off hours. Do you want more time at tactical?"
"No, Captain," Antwon told him. "It doesn't make any sense. Borg cubes do not just shut off like that. It could be a sneak attack."
The captain replied, "It's alright. Our chief engineer led an away team to the Borg cube. We know why it's nonoperational – a Starfleet officer named Adam Inkolar was assimilated. His will was so strong that the cube shut down."
"That's amazing," Antwon smiled.
The captain passed him a PADD, "I was just about to recommend to Starfleet that we promote the chief engineer to full commander."
"What about Adam?" he had to ask.
Sean responded, "I'm requesting he be assigned to us, even though that means taking his commission away until we know his loyalties."
The Constellation-class Vanguard was peacefully towing the Borg cube to Deep Space Nine. The mission was to reverse engineer the Borg technology. Antwon had to wait in line to see the officer they liberated from the Borg Collective.
He was not yet out of surgery. He was talking, though. He could not remember his name. His uniform could be seen under all the Borg implants. It was that of a lieutenant and operations officer. He was very brave.
"Hello, Adam," Antwon said.
"Why do people keep on calling me that?" Adam asked.
Antwon smiled and explained, "That is your name. It means man."
"Adam," he repeated. "I am Man."
The supply officer went over to the doctor to ask, "What did you do to his eyes? Are they supposed to be that color?"
"We had to give him new eyes," the doctor replied. "But, don't worry, he will be as healthy as a horse."
"Why did you choose red?" he inquired.
The Vulcan doctor responded, "I blessed him with the rarest eye color a human could have. You're not the first person to ask me that."
Lieutenant Junior Grade Antwon Bach smiled as he left sickbay. It was a victory. The Vanguard completed a mission. As he returned to duty, his memories of things to come would fade in time. No one noticed the change in his hair.
The Federation Council decided to give a sector of space to the superior forces of the Klingon Empire in a plot for peace. Antwon Bach was assigned to the tactical station ready to obey his first officer.
"How far are we willing to go?" he asked her.
Fatigued, she stated, "As far as we need to for a peaceful resolution to the tension we have with the Klingon Empire."
Antwon said, "It's not that bad. They simply outnumber us. All we have to do is not fire the first shot. Then we can win any war."
This fact elated the first officer. A young ensign entered the bridge. She passed Antwon a PADD and claimed him with a hug. Witnessing it, the first officer ordered him into the ready room for an embrace.
He was confused. He contacted his brother. Darius was at the Academy teaching a lecture on warp theory. He was transported there by the captain in the shuttlecraft Rhine.
"What exactly did she say?" Darius inquired.
He confessed, "She thought I was the boyfriend for that new ensign in engineering. At first, I rejected her advances, but she—"
"Advances?" Darius cried. "Are we talking about the same woman?"
He hesitated to say, "She said that I could not begin a relationship with Ensign Baker without her approving it. Sarah was given a promotion because of me surrendering myself to her."
"No kidding," his brother asked. "How was it?"
He smiled and said, "It was great."
The Klingons, unfortunately, intercepted the message and ended the negotiation. The ambassador was an admiral. She didn't know why, but her men were being forced off the planet. Antwon chose to beam down.
With weapons fire everywhere, he started to run towards the center of the disturbance. He believed he was responsible and came unarmed. As the admiral was fleeing, he alone faced the Klingons.
"I am responsible for this," he spoke. "Punish me for the insult to your people. Do not harm the innocents in the starship above."
"We honor you by learning to speak your language," the ambassador responded waving a blade, "and you disrespect your own women?"
"I don't understand," Antwon said to the Klingon. "We have given you an entire sector. How can you look a gift horse in the mouth?"
It was the insult the Klingon ambassador needed to challenge him to single combat. He thrust his blade into the negotiating table. In an attempt to continue the negotiation, the officer picked it up and cut his own right temple.
"For that," the Klingon said, "you will live only for today. Run. But know the Federation will be hunted as long as you are still alive."
He bowed with respect as he knew war had begun. The Vanguard became damaged by a Vor'cha-class attack cruiser when lowering shields to recover those on the planet surface. Antwon became the next first officer.
Later, in the officers' lounge, Sarah Baker demanded truth. He told her exactly what he had to. He chose to omit only one truth. He stood up as if he was to give a presentation. He talked using body language.
"Is that right?" she asked honestly. "Did I get promoted because of you getting with the female in charge? We weren't even together."
He explained with a shrug, "She thought we were."
"I believe you," she said raising her glass. "If we survive this war, I am going to marry you. Not only did you make me a lieutenant, you made me the reason for a war that will scar the Klingons forever."
"I started this war with a simple insult," he asserted. "Losing this war is inevitable. The Federation will be hunted until I die."
Lieutenant Sarah Baker had only one question for him, "Was she prettier than me? Because, if she was, I'm going to end you."
That was the moment he lowered his head in shame. Antwon could no longer look her in the eye. He became depressed. The one truth that he chose to omit was a reference to Sarah being less attractive. It was a fatal mistake.
History would repeat itself. The Vanguard was to meet its destiny on the battlefield. Darius Bach was blown from the helm station. Selak rushed to treat his wounds as the explosion threw shrapnel everywhere.
"Bridge!" Sarah cried. Antwon ran to his brother at the helm station. The ship's computer was counting down the seconds until a warp core breach.
"Yes!" Antwon answered her.
"We don't have much time!" Sarah continued. Antwon looked back at the captain to see him with shrapnel lodged in his forehead from the explosion.
"I know!" he replied. "The captain's dead!"
Selak began to prey for the lost. Tapping her communicator, Sarah Baker contacted the bridge. She responded, "I've done all I can do, goodbye!"
"No, wait!" Antwon yelled. He ran to the tactical station in an attempt to appear heroic by firing weapons. The last salvo from the phaser banks actually missed its two K'vort-class targets.
He was an acting tactical with a command. He was not trained for combat. His final act was to focus the viewscreen on engineering. Gazing upon his one true love, he then recalled the battle he was about to lose.
The one survivor of Vanguard was detained at New Zealand. It was where Starfleet personnel went when they lost their freedom. She was in her cell when a security officer came to ask her questions.
"The starship Vanguard was destroyed," stated the officer.
Sitting down, she asked, "My starship Vanguard?"
The officer responded with silence. The decorated commander started to cry once she realized Antwon inadvertently saved her life with the charges against her.
On one knee, the officer asked, "I once wanted to serve on Vanguard. What was it that started this war with the Klingons?"
"Well," the prisoner started, "I saw a new ensign, Baker, I think her name was, lifting her leg as she hugged an acting tactical on my bridge."
The officer was confused, "Did she claim him?"
"Yes," she nodded her head in shame. The guard eavesdropping at the door tapped his communicator to inform his superiors that the prisoner was to be released. Her badge was suspended to test her loyalties.
Knowing she was under surveillance, she contacted an asteroid within Klingon space famous for the hardest drinks in all the universe. K'nor drank there to acquire information. They spoke via subspace.
"Okay," K'nor said raising his glass, "now I'm drunk."
"I don't care if you're drunk," she firmly stated. "This guy gave his life to save mine, and he didn't even know what he was doing. So pay attention."
"Sorry," the Klingon stressed. "I'm too poor to pay attention. I traffic information and traffic it well. Know what I mean?"
Electronically transmitting all the bars of gold-pressed latinum she could find, the commander asked, "How can I save this loser?"
"Well," K'nor burped, "you could save him with a transporter buffer. That is, if the ships he served on were not destroyed in battle."
It took a while for her to realize the implication, "Time travel? How far should I go? One year? Two years? How many?"
"It doesn't matter," K'nor answered. "Some believe an alternate universe is created with every trip in time. If you survive, of course."
As a guest on the starship Reliant, she traveled back to the first mission of the Prime Maxim to rescue him. At first, the commander was not certain her mission was ethical. She then noticed the change in his hair.
One night, as an ensign serving on the starship Vanguard, Antwon Bach was headed to the bridge assigned to the helm. It was a station run by his brother, a lieutenant. He was away from his station.
"Where is the first officer?" the ensign asked. He secretly had a crush on the commander. Antwon knew her before she knew him. He was attracted to her for saving his life.
"She went to look for you," the captain replied. Ensign Herald Briggs was also serving on the bridge that night as tactical. It was good that he chose to do so.
Antwon Bach was more disappointed than you could possibly imagine once he realized what was going on. He broke the silence, "Oh, shoot!"
"Ensign!" Sean Brinkledge cried at the officer running. The ensign ran towards his brother's quarters. He bumped into the commander in the corridor believing she was with Darius. But she had just left his own quarters.
Antwon immediately transferred from the Vanguard to the Prime Maxim. He was in line for a nice, quiet spot at the helm. But, first, he chose to speak before returning to the ship of Galaxy-class.
"He raped her in my quarters," the young officer spoke in shame. Captain Stark took a step back as it upset her.
She had to inquire, "How do you know it was rape?"
"I was on the bridge to take a shift by his request," he began. "I never gave my brother permission to enter my quarters either."
Grinning, his captain asked, "Could it be a coincidence? He is a better officer. He has a superior rank and position. You could be less of a man. The two might have been having an affair."
"Why was she waiting in my quarters?" he asked the two.
A pause took place that needed time to pass. Then she, Doris, turned to the captain of the Constellation-class ship to say, "You're dead."
In time, the Vanguard would be decommissioned by the fleet. Its captain asked that Darius Bach only lose one grade. Antwon was ever so fond of his commander before this incident. It hurt him.
Love conquered all. It also took time for the ensign to finish therapy. He was not up for promotion until the therapy was over. All in all, the only therapy he needed was time for his wound to heal. Incest was a crime.
Lori Gates was on the USS Reliant. No one wanted to be captain because of the instability of the Maranda-class vessel created by the full-power start it experienced a century before. She drank water.
"Well, self," she started as she sat alone, "here we are."
Lori sipped her drink, "Less crew are on board than can operate."
"I need a miracle," she spoke leaving abruptly for the bridge. The walls began to shimmer as it sometimes did. It was annoying to her at times.
"Bridge," Commander Gates said tapping her communicator.
"Yes," a lone voice from deck one stated. "I'm glad to know you're still in command. I'm considering leaving and—"
"I know how you feel," she replied coming onto the bridge. She thought about things as she lost her breath. It took some time for it to return.
Smiling, a thought occurred, "Son of a gun!"
"What," the engineer lazily inquired.
She gingerly sat down in her captain's chair to proudly say something as equally as profound, "I have a dream every night about a boy who is captain of this vessel. And I have never even met him before."
She held her head in her hands, "And there's nothing I can do."
Lori Gates was at her finest acquiring the rank of commander. In another place, Antwon was her captain. They had never met. He might not leave therapy as she might not a captain have to operate the ship, so unpopular.
He was walking pleasantly down the street with a fellow student named Charlie. Antwon smiled for the friends he made every day on the world he had not left in his entire life.
"And that's why, I feel, in times of war, the President's orders should remain suggestions," Antwon spoke. They were outside of the youth center of their local community when a Nausicaan appeared off in the distance.
"Is it possible you have such respect for life that you would sacrifice it for anything?" Charlie responded with admiration for his newfound friend. Antwon's friends tended to be a little bit younger than him.
Charlie pointed to say, "Look. It's a Nausicaan."
Antwon and Charlie stayed on alert. The Nausicaan would challenge Antwon to a fight. He began, "My species is from a distant world. Meet me outside of this youth center, tomorrow, or you have no honor."
The alien spat as he walked away. Antwon Bach thought this a good reason to enter the Academy after graduation. He was so poor that he had to mend his shoe that morning with thumbtacks.
The next day, he was walking down the same street, at the same time. Alone, he forgot all about the challenge that was made. He was more worried for his damaged shoe.
By the youth center, a group of Nausicaans waved him over. Already impressed that he chose to come at all, it was implied that he should have brought others.
"Oh, I forgot," Antwon responded walking over in the same clothes as the day before.
Realizing the human might have some fight in him, the leader of the group made himself known. He was the same who made the challenge in the first place. Each in the group was larger than he was.
"How do we do this?" the young boy, Antwon, inquired of them.
It was good that he respected his elders, "Step over this line and the fight begins, human."
He did. It got him punched in the head. The alien forced a reverse headlock. Antwon ran backwards until his foe hit a dumpster. Luckily, he was still in the reverse headlock. He told him, "Stop the fighting. Please?"
When the Nausicaan stopped moving, the fight was over. Antwon was more worried that someone might see the bottom of his shoe than anything else.
"Can I go now?" he politely asked the Nausicaans. Antwon Bach fought with honor. He would not remember the fight for many years. Later, his counselor told him that he was right to not bring friends.
After the counselor made record of these facts, she informed Starfleet of that record. Sarah Baker was a student about to graduate from the Academy. She was also a fan of history. She wanted to meet him.
In being asked for her choice of assignment, Sarah replied, "I have to meet this guy. He may be the sole reason for the diplomatic tension between us and the Nausicaans. And it has only grown."
"You are only twenty-one years old," her teacher informed her.
Folding her arms, she asked, "Don't I have enough school credits to be posted on a Galaxy-class starship?"
"Yes," he replied. "I just didn't want to lose my best student quite yet. But, if it means that much to you, have your fun. No one says you can't go to the Academy twice. Where are you headed now?"
In a shuttlecraft, Ensign Baker gazed upon a photo, "I am already on my way to the Prime Maxim. Could you tell the dockmaster this shuttle is not stolen? Thanks."
Her hand gracefully operated the controls as she entered warp for Deep Space Eight. On the Galaxy-class starship, the two started off as friends. She found him six months into therapy and convinced him it was a bad idea.
In holodeck two, Antwon and Sarah took traditional vows. Its only witness was the retired USS Republic. Resting on the lunar surface, inside a crater, under a dome, it was the last of the Constitution-class from the five-year mission.
The End