Star Trek: Full Speed Ahead

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction' started by Zefram_Cochrane, Jan 30, 2008.

  1. Zefram_Cochrane

    Zefram_Cochrane First Faster Than Light Premium Member

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    As promised, here is the teaser for our sixth episode, "The Better Part of Valor." This episode takes place about 4 years prior to "Damn the Torpedoes!" aboard the starship Potemkin where Leone and Ariel are serving. Note the stardate pre-dating TNG Season 1.

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    Star Trek: Full Speed Ahead
    By Michael D. Garcia

    Episode Six: The Better Part of Valor

    NCC-18253 (USS Potemkin)
    En route to Turkana IV
    Stardate 38896.89
    Stateroom 06-0018

    Lieutenant Ethan "Dawk" Dawkins stepped in through the door from the corridor and took up his customary seat at the octagonal table within the stateroom. "Congratulations on your promotion, Commander."

    "Thank you, Dawk," replied Commander Krystine Leone from across the green felt. "Missed you at the Wetting Down."

    "I heard all about it from Ted and Oleg. It's all they talked about late last night after I finally got off shift," said Dawkins with a shake of his shaggy blonde hair. "I almost punched them out for bragging about it."

    Leone gave her friend a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry you drew the short stick on the shift schedule."

    "If you were really sorry, I'm sure you would have arranged it so Ted or Oleg had the duty instead of me."

    "Too true." She reached underneath the table and pulled up a tall bottle. "Just so there's no hard feelings, I saved you a little something from the party. Courtesy of the two of us."

    Dawkins' eyes lit up as the bottle came into view. "Oh, my... well, I think you're most definitely forgiven, then."

    "Just do me a favor?"

    "What's that?"

    "Tuck that away and keep it out of sight for a while? I think everyone drunk themselves stupid last night and to be honest, I could go a long while without seeing another damned bottle of alcohol."

    The doors slid aside to admit two more people as Dawkins' promised, "I'll be sure to keep this in a very safe place, rest assured."

    Lieutenant Commander Ariel Elannis grinned as she stepped in. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the tall bottle being placed at the floor near the table. "Oooh... you have a tasty treat for us tonight, Dawk?"

    "Sorry, but I'm under strict orders to keep this out of sight."

    "Pity. I'm parched."

    Leone grumbled, "The replicator is right over there. Dry out a little, you big lush."

    "I'm not a lush!" complained Ariel. "Dawk, tell Her Royal Highness that I am not a lush."

    "She's a lush," deadpanned Dawkins. When Ariel shot him a dirty glare, he shrugged, "Well, you are. You want me to lie?"

    "Yes."

    "My apologies." He turned to Leone to tell her in a matter-of-fact tone, "Commander, our operations chief is not a lush."

    Everyone at the table chuckled, except Ariel. "I'm not, damn it! Want me to prove it?"

    "No!" came the collective exclamation.

    Leone slipped a deck of cards from its cover and began to shuffle. "Can we please play poker, now?"

    The doors opened to admit Lieutenant Theodore "Ted" Roosevelt and Lieutenant Commander Oleg Johansen. They almost said in unison, "Good evening, everyone."

    Ariel slipped into the seat next to Leone and furrowed her brow. "Guys, please tell Krys that I'm not a lush."

    "Poker," complained Leone.

    Ted and Oleg looked at one another and laughed out loud. Finally, Ted dropped his grin and asked, "Oh, shit, were you serious?"

    As he took his seat, Oleg snorted. "You're the biggest lush I know."

    Ariel frowned. "You two are worthless."

    "Starfleet doesn't see it that way," retorted Ted with a snicker. "You hungover from last night still or something?"

    Oleg offered, "If you need the hair of the dog, I thought I saw a bottle of something on the floor."

    Dawkins grabbed it away from Oleg before he could place it on the table and cradled it. "Mine!"

    Ted asked with a raised hand, "Wait, we need dog hairs?"

    Leone pointed to the table and raised her voice above the increasingly loud conversation, "Well, lookie here, folks. A deck of cards. What say we play with them, huh? Maybe a game where we gamble on who has a better hand? Anyone know of a game like that?"

    "Krys, sarcasm is unbecoming an officer in Starfleet," Ariel said, grinning.

    "Says the bitch who drank the ship dry."

    That drew a wince from Ariel. "Touché."

    Ted immediately complained, "Hey, how come she gets to call you a lush, and we get yelled at?"

    Leone offered a wide grin of her own and started dealing cards. "Because I outrank everyone in this room, so shaddup!" When she was satisfied that she had their attention, she announced the game, "Now, the game is five card draw, jacks to open, trips to win."

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    Act I is being worked on! :)

    -- ZC
     
  2. Mistral

    Mistral Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Cool! Reminds me of some of my poker games! (Still wondering about Tomy, though!)
     
  3. Zefram_Cochrane

    Zefram_Cochrane First Faster Than Light Premium Member

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    That poker game is a good amalgam of what I deal with occasionally when I play poker with friends.

    Tommy will be dealt with in a later episode. I promise.

    -- ZC
     
  4. Mistral

    Mistral Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Ok, but what about Tomy?(Jesus, I really have problems spelling, don't I?)
     
  5. Zefram_Cochrane

    Zefram_Cochrane First Faster Than Light Premium Member

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    Can't get that double-M to work, eh? ;)

    The plot from Milk Run/Eternal Midnight is all connected, somehow. We find out what happens to Tommy later on in the season.

    -- ZC
     
  6. Zefram_Cochrane

    Zefram_Cochrane First Faster Than Light Premium Member

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    FSA #1 is going live at TrekFiction.com tomorrow!

    -- ZC
     
  7. Gibraltar

    Gibraltar Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    A good look back at some of our character's earlier years. It appears Potemkin has a fun loving crew, at least where promotions are concerned. However, as they're headed for that hellhole known as Turkana IV, I'm guessing some badness lurks right around the corner.
     
  8. Zefram_Cochrane

    Zefram_Cochrane First Faster Than Light Premium Member

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    I was wondering if anyone was going to pick up on that little tidbit or not ;) Yeah, the mission to Turkana IV was inspired by a line from that episode where they say that Potemkin was the last Federation starship to visit there.

    Also, Lieutenant William Riker was posted to Potemkin that year.

    As always, thanks for reading,

    -- ZC
     
  9. Mistral

    Mistral Vice Admiral Admiral

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    ???? Turkana IV? I must be too tired to remember....
     
  10. Zefram_Cochrane

    Zefram_Cochrane First Faster Than Light Premium Member

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  11. Mistral

    Mistral Vice Admiral Admiral

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  12. DavidFalkayn

    DavidFalkayn Commodore Commodore

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    Just caught up. Very nicely done. I actually felt a bit for Hargreaves here--yes, she's on a vengeance quest, but her motives are understandable and I can feel for her being undercut due to political machinations. As for O'Day--it's always darkest before the dawn--or before it fades to black entirely. Kincaid has a hard situation to deal with trying to find his niche while at the same time looking to his future--to be honest, he's the character that I'm liking the most at the moment.

    Very, very well done, sir! :)
     
  13. Zefram_Cochrane

    Zefram_Cochrane First Faster Than Light Premium Member

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    This isn't the last we hear from Hargreaves, trust me. This is just season one, so she'll be back on her quest when Leone presents another opportunity.

    O'Day will return, too. Promise. :)

    You're the only one, so far, that likes Kincaid. ;) I'm glad you like him, because he's actually very cool to write, since I've landed him as my starched-and-pressed TNG-esque officer in the midst of this band of brigands.

    And of course, thank you so much for reading,

    -- ZC
     
  14. Zefram_Cochrane

    Zefram_Cochrane First Faster Than Light Premium Member

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    Here is Act I of "The Better Part of Valor"

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    Captain's Log
    Stardate 38896.91

    Diverting from our scheduled visit to the New Providence Colony on Jouret IV, the Potemkin is travelling at maximum warp to the Turkana system, in response to a code one-alpha-zero originating within. According to our chief operations officer, the signal's signature matches a Federation distress beacon. The identity of the vessel remains to be seen, but preliminary indications suggest it to be a civilian craft, rather than Starfleet.

    Along with our intentions to investigate the source of the distress signal, Starfleet Command has requested an update to their records on the status of the colony on Turkana IV; a colony that shed its Federation protectorate status nearly nine years ago. The latest available information appears to have been collected just after the severance of communication and supplies to that colony.

    On a positive note, my executive and chief operations officers have received their promotions to Commander and Lieutenant Commander, respectively.

    The sound of the intercom did not wake her, but the voice of the captain did. "Bridge to Commander Leone."

    Leone reached out with her hand to touched the commpanel to the side of her bunk. "Leone, here, sir."

    "Commander, I'm sorry to wake you, but you have an incoming transmission from Starbase Two-One-Two."

    "Two-One-Two?" Leone stalled from time to shake off the grogginess of a late night coupled with an early morning subspace call.

    "Yes. It's marked personal."

    She sat upright in the bunk. There were only a handful of people she knew enough that could get a live personal subspace communications link from the Starbase. "Uh, thank you, sir. I'll take it down here." She swung her legs out and touched her bare feet to the floor. All she had on was an Academy t-shirt from the class of 2350 and a set of very worn underwear.

    "Of course. Stand by."

    The call waited for her at the desktop terminal in the living area of her stateroom, where she sat back and took a moment to wake herself up. "Computer," she called out to the air, "place personal transmission on screen."

    The insignia of Starfleet appeared, along with the Starbase Operations logo and various and sundry information about the transmission, including the date and time. The screen blinked and her husband and son replaced the information with a crystal clear quality.

    "John!" she exclaimed, happily. "Dom!"

    "I'm sorry, love. I always forget about the time difference between here and there," said John with a wince. In his lap was their son, Dominic. Every now and again, he would bounce up to peek up into the screen.

    Krystine smiled through her tired sigh. "It's all right," she assured him. "I figured it might be you."

    "Hi, Mommy," Dominic said in his high-pitched voice.

    "Hello, Dom," she replied with a wave. "How're you doing?"

    His smile dropped. "I want to go play."

    "Well, then go play," she told him, no trace of disappointment in her tone as he climbed from his father's lap and ran out of range of the visual pickup. Once he left, she continued, "I don't get to see you guys too often, anyway. I'm surprised you were able to send a subspace transmission, though. What's on Starbase Two-One-Two?"

    "The usual. Power system overhaul for the next six months."

    "And I assume that you thought that it was a good idea to take our son to a Starbase so damned close to the Klingon border," she glared at him with her arms folded over the t-shirt she wore to bed.

    John avoided her glare. "I wanted to spend some time with my son, y'know? I'm going to be here for a while, and I figured that he could use a little vacation before he starts primary education."

    She could hardly blame him for that. It's more than she did for him since he was born, and the guilt of that flared up resulted in her anger of taking him out of school for the sole purpose of letting him play on a Starbase for six months. "Fine," she said, letting it go.

    "By the way, your mother told me you made Commander."

    "Yesterday, actually."

    He beamed at her. "That's great news, Krys. I'm so proud of you."

    "Thank you," she said as she felt the blush rise to her cheeks under his words of praise. "The captain presented me with the new insignia just before the Wetting Down. Ariel got her promotion, too."

    "Well, tell her I said 'congratulations.'"

    "I will."

    "I just wish you'd told me yourself."

    "I was going to write, but-"

    "You got busy. I know," he finished for her. "It's the life of a fast-track Starfleet officer, such as my lovely wife."

    She gestured to her unkempt hair and state of dress. "Not so lovely at oh-five-hundred."

    He reached out with his hand and touched the screen. "Always lovely, to me."

    "Aw, so sweet. How are you?"

    "I'm fine. I miss you."

    "I know."

    "Do you miss me?"

    "Occasionally," she said as she looked down at her hands. "In the middle of the night, when I'm in the bunk by myself."

    "Glad to hear you sleep alone."

    "Are you?"

    John grinned. "Of course. I'm glad to hear that Ariel hasn't yet convinced you to enter her den of ill repute up on deck three."

    "Who says she hasn't?"

    The grin dropped off his face, along with the color. "What?" he asked, darkly.

    She could not hold in her laughter any longer, a let loose with a broken chortle. "You're too easy a mark, love," she said. She leaned on the desk that held the terminal screen and let out another chuckle. "The surprising fact is that you're the only male in the universe that wouldn't consider girl-on-girl action a good thing."

    He let out a laugh of his own. "I know; something's wrong with me."

    "Definitely."

    "But all joking aside, you know that I know, right?"

    "I know."

    "And yet you joke about it..."

    "Because nothing will ever come of it. We're friends."

    "She wants more."

    Her eyes glanced down at the desk. "You don't trust me?"

    "I do," he said quickly.

    "Good."

    "The thing is..."

    "What?"

    He looked away from the screen again, unsure of how to proceed. "I don't entirely trust her. She's always so..." He trailed off with a shake of his head.

    "Oversexed?"

    "I was going to say something nicer, but we can use your word, sure."

    She brought a hand to her forehead and sighed. "John, we can't keep having this conversation."

    "Sorry."

    "No, I'm sorry. I just don't want to keep talking about it. We're posted together, and I'm in love with you. Not her."

    He nodded. "I know, and I love you, too. Very much. I guess I just miss you."

    "I miss you, too."

    "Where are you, now?"

    "In my quarters."

    John shot her a frown. "You know what I meant."

    She chuckled softly. "We're going to be in the Turkana system, soon. Another hour or so, last time I checked."

    "Colony visit?"

    "Rescue operation."

    "Ah."

    "Yeah."

    The conversation stopped, there. They sat and stared at each other with meaningful glances. Finally, John gave a slight inclination of his head. "Well, take care of yourself, Krys. And tell me when you plan on taking some leave."

    "I will," she promised. "My love to Dom."

    "What about me?"

    She leaned forward closer to the screen and smiled. "My love to you, too."

    ---- SCENE CHANGE ----

    Captain T'Cirya often felt that Starfleet erred in their redesign of the uniforms from the maroon jackets to the one-piece jumpsuits. The form-fitting uniforms left very little to the imagination. The junior officers and crewmen who lacked emotional control often allowed their hormones to run away with them when duty should come first. While a human woman might have felt flattered by the attentions received while wearing it, all she could do is curb the annoyance she experienced when it happened. She believed that the undue attention appeared as a form of punishment to her daily attention to maintaining her physical fitness as prescribed by Starfleet.

    To that end, she had a command version of the two-piece medical tunic replicated. The added cover removed the annoyance from her daily life on the bridge. When the bridge maintained order, she felt as though the universe maintained order. There were times when during the long hours of flight, she could almost mediate within her seat, attuned to the stars around her ship. In the early morning hours before the forenoon watch, when the bridge's personnel numbered in the minimum to maintain regulation for a ship in flight,

    And then, Lieutenant Commander Elannis would arrive and ruin everything.

    Unlike T'Cirya, Ariel reveled in the attention she received. Merely reveling understated it; she absolutely wallowed in it. The captain suspected that she deliberately replicated her uniforms one size too small, to ensure that no matter where she went on the ship, all eyes locked onto her as though the Orion-accentuated curves of her body were an energy source that fed them just by being in the room. To add injury to insult, her zipper tended to be pulled down to allow the bare skin of her chest to be seen until the hint of cleavage appeared.

    It happened every morning when she reported for her duty shift, like clockwork. The turbolift doors opened, and T'Cirya felt the room flood with pheromones.

    Not Ariel's, of course, as Doctor Romanova ensured that their hybrid operations chief received her weekly injections of pheromone inhibitors. It was a part of her contract to serve on a ship full of unsuspecting Terrans, much like the oath of celibacy for Deltans. Ariel seemed to combat the inhibition of her natural tendencies by exuding sex with every step she took to get to her duty station.

    Though the crew often felt they were being surreptitious in their off-duty hours, T'Cirya maintained an awareness of their activities through observation and overhearing gossip on the bridge. Ariel's reputation aboard ship reflected her demeanor perfectly, and while another officer may have taken care to preserve an air of formality and professionalism, she cared more for the opposite.

    "Good morning, Commander Elannis," said T'Cirya, as though Ariel had always been a lieutenant commander. No emphasis was made toward her promotion within her tone.

    Through the curly strands of raven black hair that fell from her face, she peered at the captain with only her right eye visible. Ariel smiled. "Captain." She slid into the vacant seat and logged into the console with a flick of her wrist.

    Shortly after, Commander Leone entered the bridge from the turbolift, carrying a padd under her arm. "Oleg assures me that we will make our timetable, sir. He promised he would tow the ship with his bare hands, if need be."

    T'Cirya lifted herself from her seat and placed her hands at the small of her back as she met her executive officer to speak with her. "Inform Commander Johansen that his dedication to duty is laudable."

    "He will appreciate that, sir."

    As her ready room resided two decks below the bridge, the captain opted to hold an impromptu conference on the bridge. She lowered her voice as she spoke, "Starfleet has requested a nominal update for Turkana IV."

    Leone winced. "Really?"

    T'Cirya said nothing. She knew Leone's conversational style enough to know that it was rhetorical.

    "Well," sighed Leone, "it looks like we'll be plenty busy in the system. Might as well, since we'll be in the neighborhood. How would you like to proceed, sir?"

    T'Cirya replied, "Given the less-than-stellar reports from the last starship to visit Turkana IV, I'm reluctant to send an away mission to the colony without the full support of the ship in orbit. The colony will be there after we've completed our rescue operations."

    "Now entering the Turkana system, Captain," said the petty officer at the helm.

    "Aye, sir," said Leone with a quick nod. She turned to address the helm, "Full impulse power, helm. Ariel, let track down that signal."

    As the stars reformed into specks of light in the distance, Leone moved away from the captain to hover over Ariel's duty station.

    While she was within earshot, Ariel muttered, "You just love to breathe down my neck, don't you?"

    "Only way I can get an honest days' work out of you," retorted Leone as she grinned. "Find anything?"

    "I'm trying to pinpoint the exact source of the signal..." said Ariel, with her voice trailing off. "Here we go. Looks like a ship of some kind in orbit of the third planet. A decaying orbit, too."

    "Helm, take us to Turkana III," ordered Leone.

    As the ship's bow turned toward the present location of the planet, T'Cirya added another order. "Set condition yellow, Commander."

    "Yellow alert," agreed Leone. "Dawk, raise shields. Weapons to hot standby."

    The ship's alert status indicator flashed a solid amber glow onto the main bridge. From the tactical station, Lieutenant Dawkins nodded. "Aye, sir. Shields are up. Weapons energized and ready."

    "Long-range sensors are picking up several craft in the vicinity of Turkana III," reported Ariel, her voice clear as her fingers worked the console in front of her. "I'm washing the silhouette through the computer to identify them."

    "Are we within visual range?" asked T'Cirya.

    Ariel replied, "Long-range sensors have a visual lock, sir."

    "On screen."

    Leone peered at the viewscreen as the image of several non-descript craft presented itself. "Can you magnify?"

    The screen shifted once more to close in on the ships. A large vessel without visible lighting lay adrift amongst several smaller craft that operated under their own power. The outline of the larger vessel remained unclear to the officers on the bridge.

    "The computer has a match on the large ship," reported Ariel. "It is the source of the transmission, but it's the only thing I'm reading off of it."

    "What about the smaller ships out there?" asked Leone. "Dawk, you love old school ships, don't you?"

    Dawkins supplied the information with a wide grin, "Old-style sub-impulse fighters. I would say, the Remora-class fighter. First production, 2172."

    "What are those typically armed with?"

    "Dual phaser mounts only. The standard armament of that day were the type-zero-fives." He added, "Single-seat craft, max speed of one hundred thousand kilometers per hour. They're pretty maneuverable, though."

    "If they were to turn hostile, we could at least outrun them."

    "Absolutely," replied Dawkins.

    Ariel announced, "Sensors reporting a total of eight fighters and one small supply hauler, it looks like. Four are in operation, but I'm showing four landed on the exterior, with the hauler docked at the airlock."

    "Any exterior markings to identify the origin of those craft, Commander?" asked T'Cirya.

    She shook her head. "No, sir. Nothing on the hull of the fighters or the hauler. But the freighter is NGR-88190, which the computer has associated with the SS Delilah's Deed, a Minuteman-class medium freighter belonging to the Rock Hound Shipping Corporation based on Galorndan Core."

    "Lifesigns?" asked Leone.

    Dawkins reported, "I'm reading five on the freighter, but I'm not reading any life support. We'll be within weapons' range in sixty seconds."

    "They've seen us. The fighters are powering up thrusters and moving to intercept. I'm showing weapons are arming," said Ariel, quickly.

    Leone rolled her eyes, then shot a glance toward the captain. "You've got to be kidding me. Four sub-impulse fighters versus an Excelsior-class starship? That's suicide."

    T'Cirya was unfazed. "Identify fighter armament, Lieutenant Dawkins."

    "Scanning, Captain," replied Dawkins. "I'm showing phasers, but I can't be sure they're the standard payload. I'd imagine they might have upgraded them; the power distribution indicates a higher transfer than the type-zero-fives."

    "Hail them."

    "Hailing frequencies open," said Dawkins. He called into the audio pickups of the communications system, "To unidentified fighters on approach, this is the Federation starship Potemkin. We intend you no harm. Please respond."

    "Captain, fighters are now within weapons' range," said Ariel.

    Dawkins shook his head. "No response to our hail, sir. Also, no change in sensor readings on the fighters. They're flying at us, weapons-hot."

    "General quarters," order T'Cirya. "Repeat your hail, Lieutenant. Add that we will defend ourselves, if necessary."

    As Dawkins did so, Leone leaned over to speak to her captain. "They don't really pose much of a threat, sir. Do we really intend to fight?"

    "Starfleet regulations are quite clear on the matter, Commander," replied T'Cirya, matter-of-factly. "I'm without recourse, should they open fire."

    The executive officer grimaced and shook her head. "Seems pointless."

    "No response," report Dawkins. "I'm reading weapons locks. Those are definitely not the older models, sir. The tactical systems didn't allow for sensor guided phaser emitters."

    Leone frowned. "Captain, recommend we disable only."

    The captain agreed with a nod. "Mister Dawkins, decrease phaser power accordingly."

    "Sir, it's going to be difficult to disable. Fighters of that class were built for speed, not bulk. I'll do the best I can," he promised.

    "See that you do," replied T'Cirya.

    "They're firing," Ariel announced.

    The ship rocked under the combined phaser hits from the four fighters.

    "Shields down to eighty percent!" Dawkins exclaimed, more surprised by the firepower than anything else.

    Nearly everyone on the bridge looked at the tactical station with shock. Only T'Cirya and Ariel appeared to maintain a professional air.

    Ariel commented, "Definitely not the old model phasers."

    "Return fire," ordered T'Cirya. "Target weapons and propulsion only."

    "Ariel, find out what we're dealing with."

    The phasers lanced out to make contact with one of the fighters, but missed as it banked out of the way quickly. Again, they retaliated with another barrage, this time taking special care to target the underside of the engineering hull.

    Dawkins shook his head and in an incredulous tone, he told the bridge that "Shields are now at sixty-three percent."

    "Engineering to Bridge," called Commander Johansen. "What the hell is going on up there?"

    "Not now, Oleg," replied Leone through gritted teeth, as the ship took another shot. She moved over to the tactical station and looked over Dawkins' shoulder for up-to-the-moment information.

    "I got a read on the weapons systems," said Ariel. "Type-five phaser cannons. And they're overpowered, for sure."

    "Jesus," breathed Dawkins.

    "Captain!" called Leone. "I think it's time to take the kid gloves off."

    T'Cirya pressed her lips together and nodded. "I'm afraid you're quite correct, Commander. Lieutenant Dawkins, full power to weapons. Return fire."

    "Aye, sir. Firing weapons at full power."

    The deck lurched beneath them again, and the shield status indicator dropped below fifty percent. Leone watched as the computer continued to miss its targets. "No, Dawk. Switch to manual targeting. Lead them a little. Dogfight with them."

    (continued in next post, cut for post size limitations of vBulletin)
     
  15. Zefram_Cochrane

    Zefram_Cochrane First Faster Than Light Premium Member

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    (continued from previous post)

    Dawkins grinned. "All right." He began to manually target the fighters, firing where they would be, rather than where they were. With each shot, he drew closer and closer until the beam singed the side of the craft. It broke off, immediately, as did the other fighters.

    "They're disengaging, Captain," said Leone.

    Ariel added, "As are the others docked to the freighter."

    Dawkins kept firing, hoping to scare them off, now that he had their evasive maneuvers in mind.

    "I think they got the point, Dawk," said Leone softly. "Cease fire."

    "Aye, sir. Going to weapons' hold."

    "All departments, make your damage report to the executive officer," ordered T'Cirya over the ship's intercom.

    Leone moved back to her customary position near the captain. "Ariel, is that freighter reported missing?"

    "Two days' overdue out of Galorndan Core."

    "Any lifesigns left on the freighter?"

    "Negative."

    She turned to T'Cirya. "Sir?"

    "You're authorized for an away mission. Proceed with extreme caution."

    "Aye, sir," nodded Leone. She snapped her fingers. "Dawk, get your team together and meet me in ten minutes, Transporter Room One."

    Lieutenant Dawkins slapped his communicator and lifted himself out of the tactical console. "Dawkins to Security. Boarding team alpha, report to Transporter Room One. Prep for no-atmo, full gear, ten minutes."

    ------------------------------

    And they haven't even gotten to Turkana IV, yet.

    Thanks for reading,

    -- ZC
     
  16. Mistral

    Mistral Vice Admiral Admiral

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    very enjoyable, as always. I sense tension in Leone's marriage. Wasn't she divorced in the other eps?

    Whoever is flying those fighters is brave-I wouldn't take on a starship with a space-going F-16!
     
  17. Zefram_Cochrane

    Zefram_Cochrane First Faster Than Light Premium Member

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    Jan 17, 2008
    Location:
    Silicon Valley, CA, USA
    Krystine and John (he took her name when they got married, btw) are still married when she takes command of Farragut. I haven't featured them too prominently within the series, yet, but they're mentioned in the pilot episode when Ariel meets Krystine in her stateroom in part one.

    Yes, there is a little tension, there. She's a career officer. He's a career propulsion and power expert. Their son is being raised by Krystine's parents for the most part, so the family doesn't gather in the same place all that often. And even with Farragut being able to accommodate families, she doesn't ask that her eleven year-old son join her. She's more comfortable with him being safe at home. Though, he does visit in the first season.

    The fighters were a concept borrowed from Best of Both Worlds. When the Borg cube is advancing into the Sol system, it's met but these three cylindrical fighters that get destroyed with three blasts from the cube. I figured, those weren't the first time the Federation used small interceptors.

    We find out who's piloting those older craft in the coming Acts.

    Thanks for reading,

    -- ZC
     
  18. CeJay

    CeJay Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2006
    Cool, I like stories set in the immediate time before TNG. We don't get that very often for some reason.

    And Turkana is a great place to re-visit. Obviosuly Leone and the Potemkin are headed in all kinds of trouble here.

    I've really been enjoying this so far and I like the many different storylines you've created. That really helps to give your series a lot of depth.

    Looking forward to more.
     
  19. Zefram_Cochrane

    Zefram_Cochrane First Faster Than Light Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2008
    Location:
    Silicon Valley, CA, USA
    Thank you for the kind words, CeJay. :) And yeah, I like to explore the Lost Years, and I love reading stories about what might have happened during those periods of time.

    -- ZC
     
  20. Zefram_Cochrane

    Zefram_Cochrane First Faster Than Light Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2008
    Location:
    Silicon Valley, CA, USA
    Full Speed Ahead is now officially a part of United Trek. :)

    -- ZC