It's been a long time since my muse has stuck around long enough for me to sit down and work on something that I actually like, but this little piece came to me just today and I've managed to get it all down. It is set in 2358, when the Federation goes to war with the Tzenkethi, focusing not on a great capital ship or frigate, but on the survey scout Darwin, pulled into the conflict against the will of the crew--who were eager to venture out into the unknown and now find themselves gathering intelligence on the actions of the Coalition. It's just a short, giving an introduction to Captain Alice D. Brahms and some of her crew as they receive their new orders and make arrangements to ship out. I hope you enjoy. * * * * * Star Trek: Darwin Call To Arms Brydon J. Sinclair Down every corridor and room she passed, all the officers, specialists and technicians were talking about was the announcement the Federation President had made on the FNS: they were once again at war. The surprising thing about the statement was that is wasn’t against the Cardassian Union, the current ceasefire was holding; no, this time is was against the Tzenkethi Coalition. Captain Alice Brahms hated the thought of another war. How many ships and crews would be lost? When would the madness of the last decade come to an end? Starfleet had fought against the Cardassians for years, though nothing was ever resolved, both sides were merely given a stay of execution, until the next time someone along the border got an itchy trigger finger and it all flared up again. She had gone into Starfleet in pursuit of knowledge and scientific curiosity, not phaser fights and interstellar politics, which was why her new posting, her second command, was so important to her. The Darwin was a ship of science and discovery, the kind of vessel she longed to serve onboard and the only reason why she had accepted the promotion. Unfortunately, her dream had been put on hold for fifteen months whilst the construction work had been completed—overhauling a tired old Oberth-Class into something newer and fitter for purpose was a long and tiresome process after all. That time had been spent on the light cruiser Ophelia which, though not the ship she wanted, had given her the opportunity to cut her teeth on having a fourth pip on her collar. “Bridge to Captain Brahms.” Brahms still found it strange to hear the title before her name, even after fifteen months of being called ‘captain’. “Go ahead, Commander,” she replied to her First Officer through the comgrid. “You are receiving a secure communiqué from Starfleet Command, Admiral Rentar’s office.” She scowled at the name, not one she was familiar with. “Understood, I’m heading for the bridge now. Patch it into my ready room, I’ll take it there.” “Understood. Bridge out.” Turning a corner, she headed down a narrow passage towards a turbolift. Before she could reach it, the doors opened and revealed the statuesque form of Lieutenant T’Aelyn Veron. The ship’s counsellor was engrossed in a PADD, but looked up when the doors parted, nodding at Brahms as she stepped out of the carriage. “I’ve left the crew’s psychological assessments on your desk, Captain,” she said, the faint wisp of a French accent lingering on her inflections. Brahms gave the half-Vulcan a small nod, a little too distracted by the waiting call to afford time for pleasantries. “Thank you, Counsellor. You’ll have to excuse me.” “Of course, sir.” Ordering the lift to the deck one, she couldn’t help but wonder who Rentar was or what he/she wanted with her. She had spoken with Admiral T’Sar of Starfleet Science and Admiral Remington from Operations just a couple of days ago, a little over fifty hours before the Tzenkethi declared war, and everything had been fine from their points of view. Stepping out onto the bridge, she quickly surveyed the room, which was filled with her crew. Commander Aurell stood at the mission ops post speaking with Lieutenant Commander Kinathu M’Tare, whose tail twitched—a sure sign the science officer was irritated. The aft consoles had engineers buzzing from one to the other, finishing up their final system checks, though they all gave tactical a wide berth, not surprising given that her Security Chief Kende Sodan was on duty. The Bajoran had a way of putting people off him, often with just a glower, but he had been highly recommended, so she had overlooked some of the more worrying comments on her personnel jacket—though there had been a few moments when she questioned that decision. The last member of her senior staff present was Ensign Naia at operations, who had two of the techs hovering about her, intoxicated by her Deltan allure. Brahms hadn’t planned on stopping but just cut across the bridge and into her ready room to answer the transmission, but Aurell stopped her. “Captain, we’ve just had a workbee ask for permission to transfer new parts into the shuttlebay. I was unaware we were due any more spares.” She stopped and looked at the El-Aurian, whose dark red hair was piled up high on top of her head. Aurell had been her Number One on the Ophelia, where Brahms had come to like her quickly and found her to be a dependable right-hand and wise advisor. So when she had been transferred to the Darwin she had asked Aurell to accompany her, to which the answer had been an emphatic ‘yes’. “As was I, Commander.” She turned to ops. “Ensign Naia, what is the cargo logged as?” The Deltan checked her display then looked up. “It’s down as phaser emitters, photon torpedoes, emergency batteries and something labelled ‘sensor components’, sir.” “Weapons!” exclaimed M’Tare, his hackles rising. “Don’t they realise we’re a science ship not a destroyer!” “M’Tare,” Aurell warned with a sideways glance. The Caitian, still bristling, bit his tongue and folded his arms across his puffed out chest. “Tell them to hold for the moment, I’ll deal with this once I’ve spoken with the Admiral.” “Aye sir.” Brahms left the confusion of her bridge staff behind and entered her cosy office, which still had a packing crate of personal belonging waiting to be emptied and put on display. She went being her desk and entered her security clearance as she sat down. The Starfleet Tactical emblem (which explained why she wasn’t familiar with Rentar) appeared for a moment before disappearing, replaced with the stern, lined face of a Tiburonian. “Captain Brahms,” the flag officer began, “I’ll make this brief. You’re previous orders have been rescinded. The Darwin’s mission to the Atrexa Expanse has been postponed; instead you will be retrofitted with additional weapons and assigned to reconnaissance along the Tzenkethi border.” “Begging your pardon, Admiral, but are there not more suitable ships for such an assignment?” “They need to remain along the Cardassian frontier, just in case the Union decides to use this situation to launch another full-scale offensive. Starfleet cannot afford to fight two wars right now, we’re still suffering shortages from our last confrontation with the Cardassians, so we need ever ship we’ve got. The Darwin’s vast array of sensors makes her ideally suited to act as surveillance vessel.” Feeling her stomach tighten and churn simultaneously made her nauseous, but she breathed deep and held her resolve. She knew that there would be no fighting this order, they were being repurposed for the fight and she would have to follow through—unless she was willing to resign her commission and turn her back on her career, which she wasn’t. She gave the Admiral a curt nod. “I understand, sir.” “You will need to get those additional systems installed ASAP, you’re departure date has been moved up as well. You head for Tzenkethi space in three days. Once there you will report in with Vice Admiral Gha-Vaalteii at Starbase 360, she will give you further orders. You’re new intelligence officer, Lieutenant Kez, will come aboard when you arrive at the station. Rentar out.” The screen went blank. Brahms sat for a moment, working through the situation in her mind. Her dream mission on a ship she had always wanted to be a part of was over before it had even begun. She could only hope for a speedy resolution to this war so that they could undertake the assignment her crew had all signed on for. Sighing heavily, she pushed herself up and headed for the exit. When the doors parted an eerie hush fell over the bridge, as all eyes settled on her. Squaring her trim shoulders, she moved to stand before the viewscreen, then looked at Naia. “Ensign, address intercraft please.” The Deltan nodded and entered the command. The boatswain’s whistle sounded throughout the Darwin and she took a breath. “All hands, this is the Captain. As you are all aware, the Tzenkethi Coalition has declared war on the Federation to stop our ‘imperialist expansionism’. To this end, the Darwin is being called upon to do its part in this new conflict. Our long-range survey mission to the Atrexa Expanse has been put on hold. Our new orders take us to Tzenkethi space, where we will conduct reconnaissance against the Coalition to aid our fleet in bring an end to this war. “I know,” she continued, looking around at the faces of the men and women before her; Aurell looked mournful, Naia anxious, M’Tare angry, whilst Sodan as unreadable as an Easter Island head. “I know this isn’t the mission we signed up for, but these are our orders and we will carry them out to the best of our ability. So I am counting on all of you to carry out these new orders with the same diligence as you have already shown. “We have three days to get the Darwin ready for her maiden voyage, so let’s snap to it. Brahms out.” The silence was oppressive. The crew looked among themselves and then expectantly at her. Before anyone could say anything, she stepped forward determined to make sure that her ship was as ready as it could possibly ever be. “Commander, give that workbee clearance to deliver its cargo. Lieutenant Sodan, see to the off-loading of those additional torpedoes. Ensign Naia, look into those ‘sensor components’, see what it is they’ve sent us and then get to work integrating them into our system.” “Aye Captain,” Aurell replied, her tone level, manner that of a true professional. Sodan and Naia nodded before heading towards the turbolift. M’Tare continued to glower at her, but she ignored him for now—knowing that of all the crew, he would be the most vocal about their involvement in Starfleet’s warmongering. “Brahms to engineering,” she called into the intercom. “Engineering, Kowalski here. What do you need, sir?” Lieutenant Gabriel Kowalski asked, his smooth voice sounding unnaturally pinched. “Lieutenant, we’re being supplied with extra phaser banks and emergency batteries, we need to have them installed in three days.” “It’ll be tough, but if we pull double or triple shifts then we should be able to get it done before we launch.” “Thank you, Mr Kowalski. Use whoever you need to get the work done. Brahms out.” With her crew on task, she headed for the turbolift. She wanted to check on how things would be with the crew, which meant speaking to Counsellor Veron and Doctor Htellok. Even without looking, she knew M’Tare was following. The turbolift doors opened early and Ensign Blaire Appleby stepped onto the bridge. The young conn officer, with tanned skin and freckles on her nose and cheeks, looked worried, which wasn’t surprising given she was the youngest on the senior staff and hadn’t been involved in a single battle since graduating from the Academy just ten months ago. “Are you alright, Ensign?” she asked quietly. “Yes sir,” Appleby replied instantly with her Australian drawl. She set a supportive hand on the younger woman’s shoulder. “We’re all a little on edge, Ensign. Just keep your head on straight, wits about you and you’ll be fine.” The ensign nodded, offering a small smile. “Thank you, Captain.” As the helmswoman took her station, Brahms entered the lift with M’Tare. She ordered it to deck three but called for it to halt after just two seconds, then faced the ginger-furred Caitian. “Commander, I don’t need this right now,” she began, hoping to cut him off. “Captain, you can’t be serious with this! We are a long-range scout and surveyor, designed to further the pursuit of knowledge and exploration, not charge into battle on the frontlines! If those krr’huk’s at Command had a brain cell between them they’d see that!” “I know what the purpose of this ship is, Commander, but those are our orders and as officers in Starfleet we have to follow them—if you can’t handle that then I’ll accept your letter of resignation.” A throaty growl escaped his clenched teeth. M’Tare had entered Starfleet as it offered the best opportunities to get out into the unknown and discover things no one else had, which was his reason for being. The more militaristic aspects of the fleet however rubbed him up the wrong way, something he was always very vocal about—if he wasn’t one of the best scientists on active duty then she might not have accepted his transfer request. She let out another sigh and let her body slump. The truth was, she felt the same indignation he did, the difference being she couldn’t vocalise hers to the crew—she had to make sure they followed their new orders without question. “Kinathu, I know how upsetting this is for everyone. We all came onboard this ship with the hopes of charting unexplored sectors, but we no longer have that luxury. Our role won’t be on the frontlines—if I have anything to say about it then we’ll avoid combat at all costs—but we do have a key part to play, one that could help save lives and keep this war from dragging on for years.” He paced back and forth in the enclosed space of the turbolift for a moment. After a few moments he stopped and though still irritated and angry, was calmer than he was before. “I apologise, Captain. I know none of this is your doing, but I would like to officially registry my objection at these new orders.” “Consider it registered, Commander. Now, I’d like you to run full checks on the sensors, we will need to gather as much data as we possibly can, as quick as we can and without alerting Tzenkethi forces to our presence.” He gave a single nod. Knowing that was as good as she would get, she asked the lift to resume then got off the silent carriage once they reached deck three. There was a new feeling in the corridors, trepidation mixed with determination, the technicians she passed gave her nods but kept their pace heading for whatever task or duty they needed to fulfil. Though she had yet to serve a single day of duty away from the safe embrace of dry-dock with this crew, they had already done her proud, being a full week ahead of their intended launch date—time that would now be of use to them, given the circumstances. As she rounded a corner and sickbay came into view, she saw the two nurses and a corpsman who were on beta and gamma shifts enter the main ward. They would’ve heard her announcement so were most likely heading in to see what they could do before the ship launched. Brahms was a few steps behind them, so paused and waited as Doctor Htellok briefed them on what he wanted them to focus on—his other nurse and corpsmen were already present and working. Once the new arrivals set about their duties, the Rigellian-Chelon waddled over towards her. Though his face didn’t allow for facial expressions like humans, his demeanour and how he carried himself spoke volumes as to his state of mind, and the usually chipper physician was unsettled. “Captain,” he said by way of greeting with a slight bow of his head. “Doctor, I came to see how things were going, but it looks like your people are on top of it.” He gave a nod and looked at the six men and women that made up his staff. “They are some of the best I’ve had the pleasure of working with, even if a little young and green.” “Is there anything else you need, supplies-wise I mean. I’m not sure just what out duties will entail out there, but we should be ready for all eventualities—even rescue and recovery.” “Our stores are fully stocked and the new biobeds are top of the line, so we should be able to handle whatever comes our way. We are fortunate that it is the Tzenkethi this time, they do not share the barbarism of the Cardassians.” “Thank heaven for small mercies.” “Indeed. I don’t suppose the Surgeon General’s Office could spare another doctor or two, just in case.” “I’ll enquire, though I wouldn’t get your hopes up. I suspect frontline and hospital ships will have their numbers boosted, we might have to make do with what we have.” Htellok nodded. “Then we will be in very good hands.” “Of that I’m sure, Doctor. I will have all crew who are rated emergency medtechs report in so you can check over their certifications, see who else you can call upon when needed.” “Thank you, sir. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have duties to attend to.” “Of course,” she told him, leaving the ship’s doctor to get back to what he needed to do. Stepping back into the corridor, she carried on the short distance to Veron’s office and saw that the counsellor was free so tapped the enunciator. The doors parted and she found the raven-haired therapist sitting at her desk, scrutinising her terminal. She gestured to the chair opposite and Brahms took it. As well as the desk and chairs there were a couple of comfy seats and a space for meditation, whilst the room itself gave off a sense of serenity and safety—Brahms had to wonder how much of that came from the room and how much of it was from Veron herself. “Counsellor, now that you’ve carried out full assessments of the crew, I wanted to know how they would handle this situation and the change in our orders.” “It’s hard to say, sir,” the half-Vulcan replied in a calming tone with was aided by her faint accent. “The more experienced on the crew know what to expect, though some may have difficult experiences with going to war, whilst the junior members of the crew don’t have much to draw upon to know how to cope with what we may face. The only true way to know is to wait until they are faced with high levels of stress and pressure.” “I know many will be angry or disheartened at not getting to do what they signed up for.” “Yourself included.” Brahms smiled softly. “Most certainly. I’ve gone to war before but had always hoped that was behind us, even all the times the peace talks with the Cardassians broke down, I was always hopeful that we would get away from being soldiers and get back to being explorers. Another week and we’d have been heading in the opposite direction.” “It probably won’t help having Commander M’Tare making his voice heard constantly over everyone else’s.” “This session isn’t about me, Counsellor, but the crews’ well-being as a whole. I need you to keep me informed of any problems or morale issues that may crop up—I suspect there might be some who hate the idea of being on the side-lines and would rather be more directly involved.” “There will be, just as there will be some who feel guilty about the fact that they want to stay safe as far from the fighting as they can get. Rest assured, Captain, if there are any situations with the crew that I feel you need to be apprised of, I will let you know—though you will have to respect patient confidentiality.” “I leave it up to your judgement, Counsellor. Thank you.” She rose up and left the Counsellor’s office, heading for the bridge once again. Brahms made a point of keep her shoulders squared and posture straight, wanting to at least give the impression that she was calm and collected, even though inside her head was a maelstrom of thoughts and feelings—not something she was able to deal with immediately, that would have to wait until she had a quiet moment. As she emerged from the lift, on the port side of the bridge, she was immediately aware of a crewman on her right, facing the bulkhead just finishing with the job he’d been given, affixing the new dedication plaque. He picked up his tool kit and excused himself, as she took a moment to look at the polished gold rectangle once again in pride of place. Due to the extent of the Darwin’s refit (only the spaceframe of the primary hull was all that remained of the original Oberth-Class ship, everything else, even the hull plating, was brand new) she was essentially a different ship, as such she was the first in a new breed of small, long-range survey scouts, now officially named the Darwin-Class, which also saw her being issued a new registry number. The new plaque was engraved with all the new details, whilst paying homage to the ship she had been before. Brahms’ fingers traced the ship’s name as she looked at her reflection on its surface, as she read the names of all those involved in both the original ship and the redesign, whilst at the bottom was the motto that had been attached to the Darwin since she was first commissioned: Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. For Alice Brahms, they were words of optimism and hope, sentiments to hold dear as they headed off to war. END
^ How did you guess? The name and concept of the Darwin (a ship of scientists sent off to war) actually comes from the first PBeM Sim I took part in (about 14 years ago now). Unfortunately, when I joined the Captain was AWOL and there were only a couple of active players still hanging in there. Whilst having a clear out of 'stuff' I found the old details I'd printed off about the premise, ship and crew, so decided to jig it around a bit (taking it from the war with the Dominion to that of the Tzenkethi) and see what that stirred up in me.
Well it's been a long time since I've popped up to review any stories in this forum but I have to say I like the start here Bry. The premise is interesting and I like the take on it being pre-TNG era and dealing with the Tzenkthi as it takes the reassigned science vessel mission in a new way. Makes it a bit more refreshing than a Dominion War set piece by virtue of being different but also the largely unexplored era and of course your ability to take the Tzenkthi and their threat in whatever direction you wanted. As I said, the little starter here gives the brain enough food to wonder what would/might happen if the story is continued. It would/should be interesting to see what would happen to this little ship and how it fares in its mission. One imagines it won't end up going smoothly and they get drawn into the action in some way. I'd like to think the little ship would stand up to that but that we would see it outmatched and in over its head - and science playing its part to save their asses but without the techno-babble. A few things stuck out for me - the crew having a top heavy command structure for such a little ship. This isn't usually a biggie for me but I was surprised given that you tend to not write that with your smaller ships. The other thing that jibed (but is only a personal opinion and not a fault) is the Bajoran officer on the crew in that era. However, the Vulcan counsellor with a French accent did intrigue me and I liked the balance of crew - not too standard and too exotic (as in for the sake of it species plucked). Anyway, it is good to see the muse back for you even for a short bit and this was a nice way to prompt me to review here too. Continued good luck with this or any other stories Bry.
Thanks mirandafave I just need to decide what the Tzenkethi look like, I'm not entirely convinced about the Kzinti theory. Other than the engagement Sisko had with them on the Okinawa we know nothing about them, so it offers a lot of chance to explore just who they are. Of course they would see some action, though with it being somewhat lightly-armed then they would have to rely on other tactics other than head-on engagement. Since I'm not scientifically minded then the technobabble would be kept to a minimum, with the focus more on the people and the struggles they face during the conflict. The crew structure was something I played about with quite a bit but had problems, and has ended up a little out of the ordinary for me--the crew of 90 has a third being officers, though most of those are scientists. My thinking behind that was that this ship was meant to last for about five years on its own, charting new sectors, planets, species and phenomena, which would likely attract a few experts in their field who would want to be a part of it. Ok, probably not the best reasoning, but it makes sense in my head, lol. As for top heavy, there is only one commander and one lieutenant commander on the crew (the other main characters would include 3 lieutenant, 2 lieutenant JG's, and 2 ensigns). As for my Bajoran, I did toy about with a couple of other species but thought it might be interesting to explore one from a time eleven years before Bajor became free, with all the baggage he would have. Kende Sodan grew up on a refugee camp outside of Cardassian space and managed to get off it and make his way to a small Starfleet outpost, where he earned the trust of a command-level officer who was willing to sponsor him. He's had issues with authority and been written up due to his anger, so he has lots to work through. Also you may notice that I've Anglicised his name, the family name is Sodan and his given name is Kende--something its been stated Bajorans did to help integrate better. I do try to get a nice mix of aliens and the rest of the crew is no different.
A very promising start, Bry - I like the setting of the pre-TNG era. I'm not sure I've read any stories from that period. Also, the reluctance of the captain and crew to shift their mission from peaceful exploration to picket duty creates instant tension and a platform for all sorts of intrigue. You describe the ship as a "survey scout" with a crew of 90, obviously designed more as a small science/explorer ship. It sounds similar to the later Nova-class . . . a predecessor ship perhaps?
A stepping stone between the Oberth and Nova classes. The Darwin-Class were once Oberth's but given a massive overhaul (such as the original Enterprise went through). Pretty much all that remains is the primary hull shape. The nacelles are newer and more efficient (I picture them similar to the Cheyenne-Class design), whilst the secondary hull is connected directly to the saucer--no flimsy pylons here. The shuttlebay has been moved from the front of the saucer to the back of the stardrive, whilst a modern deflector dish has been included, as well as additional sensor arrays just off the nacelles (like those on Sisko's Saratoga). The ship doesn't have holodecks but does boast an arboretum that takes up over half a deck, for both research and recreation purposes. She also has collimated phaser arrays, which have replaced the old banks, shields designed to withstand all manner of spatial phenomena, and a couple of torpedo launchers, though carries more probes than torpedoes. Ultimately, she was designed to have a high level of automation, be easy to maintain and carry out missions that could last up to five years independently.