I'm not sure about this challenge-it was very difficult but here's what I came up with-
REDRESS
You walk into the room and you know that every eye is upon you. You checked yourself in the mirror, back behind your ready room doors. You know your uniform is immaculate, you know it because you never allow yourself to leave the room in a less-than-perfect state. You stand for a moment in the entranceway and look around the Bridge. Slipping your swagger stick under your right arm, you advance over to the throne, the prize, the Captain’s chair.
Taking your seat, you mutter, “If he thinks he’s going to get away with this, he’s got a real surprise coming.” At least, when you are telling the court-martial board later, that’s what you recall saying. Other testimony contradicts you, but only in the details.
You tap the intraship relay and say, “Kirk, they’re going to hang you for this. Surrender now and maybe they’ll go easy on you.”
Kirk, that defiant, sanctimonious prick, doesn’t even answer. You order the ship to pursue and the Enterprise suddenly slips out of the spacedock door. “If he goes to warp he’s got a real surprise coming,” you say, although the transcripts later suggest you didn’t say it in quite that manner. No matter-when the Enterprise goes to warp you give the order you have to give. “Go to transwarp!”
As the Enterprise begins to disappear in a rainbow flash your ship screams a death knell and shudders to a halt. You slam your swagger stick down upon the arm of your chair so hard it breaks. You glare at your crew, as if asking them to comment so you can redress them in public. You cast about for a scapegoat and then you remember what you weren’t sure you heard as Commander Scott entered the turbolift, and you realize he gutted your ship. The frustration is immense.
TEN YEARS LATER
“So will you spend your years out there?” you ask the man next to you.
“We have one more mission and then she’s to be decommissioned. Another ship will carry on the name,” there is a catch in Kirk’s voice, “Enterprise. I intend to retire. It’s a younger man’s galaxy.” As you stand in McKinley Station you look at the man next to you. A decade ago he saved your career. Now you call him “friend” and you realize through the jealousy that still exists that he has devoted his life to taking chances and it has paid off. You stand silent as Enterprise is refitted.
TEN YEARS AND THREE WEEKS
He has come home one last time, come home to a hero’s honor and the accolades of millions. You stand within the main dock and watch the ship glide by. A walkway is extended and he comes out. You say, “Welcome home, James.” He smiles at you but you see the sorrow in his eyes. He is leaving his one, true love. You ask, “What is to become of her?” He looks at you bleakly.
“They are going to salvage and scrap her to build more ships.” The bitterness is plain in his voice. “She deserves better than that. I’m sorry, can you excuse me?” He steps away and you feel his despair. He has gone on many bold missions, taken chances and risks no one else would dream of, and, now, they were going to turn his precious ship into scrap metal. As you watch him walk away you realize-you never took chances to do what was right, you never risked it all.
Engineering was quiet with the crew re-assigned. The Enterprise is in the starship graveyard just outside of the orbit of Venus. You scan one more time for life signs. You are the only one aboard. You carefully place the home-made explosives around the warp core and you set the timer. Rushing to the Bridge, you set more of the paste around the weakest points. You can hear a message coming in on the intercom.
“Styles, what are you doing?” It’s Kirk, calling from his home in San Francisco. “You aren’t going to get away with this!” You smile briefly at the echoes of another day.
You don’t reply.
As the ship plods past Jupiter Station you realize you have taken the first true risk of your life. You smile out at the stars. They are friendly and bring a magic warmth.
“Styles, come back! What the hell are you doing?” Kirk is angry now, judging by his tone.
As you clear Jupiter into barren space you finally decide to reply. “Jim, she deserves better than to be turned into scrap. So do I, and with you retiring that’s all I’ll ever be. Thank you for supporting me when I’d made such mistakes.” You seal the channel and can no longer hear Kirk or anyone else at Starfleet who might be trying to reach you. Somewhere near Neptune, smiling as you haven’t in many years, you trip the detonators. Enterprise goes away as she existed, in a blaze of glory.
REDRESS
You walk into the room and you know that every eye is upon you. You checked yourself in the mirror, back behind your ready room doors. You know your uniform is immaculate, you know it because you never allow yourself to leave the room in a less-than-perfect state. You stand for a moment in the entranceway and look around the Bridge. Slipping your swagger stick under your right arm, you advance over to the throne, the prize, the Captain’s chair.
Taking your seat, you mutter, “If he thinks he’s going to get away with this, he’s got a real surprise coming.” At least, when you are telling the court-martial board later, that’s what you recall saying. Other testimony contradicts you, but only in the details.
You tap the intraship relay and say, “Kirk, they’re going to hang you for this. Surrender now and maybe they’ll go easy on you.”
Kirk, that defiant, sanctimonious prick, doesn’t even answer. You order the ship to pursue and the Enterprise suddenly slips out of the spacedock door. “If he goes to warp he’s got a real surprise coming,” you say, although the transcripts later suggest you didn’t say it in quite that manner. No matter-when the Enterprise goes to warp you give the order you have to give. “Go to transwarp!”
As the Enterprise begins to disappear in a rainbow flash your ship screams a death knell and shudders to a halt. You slam your swagger stick down upon the arm of your chair so hard it breaks. You glare at your crew, as if asking them to comment so you can redress them in public. You cast about for a scapegoat and then you remember what you weren’t sure you heard as Commander Scott entered the turbolift, and you realize he gutted your ship. The frustration is immense.
TEN YEARS LATER
“So will you spend your years out there?” you ask the man next to you.
“We have one more mission and then she’s to be decommissioned. Another ship will carry on the name,” there is a catch in Kirk’s voice, “Enterprise. I intend to retire. It’s a younger man’s galaxy.” As you stand in McKinley Station you look at the man next to you. A decade ago he saved your career. Now you call him “friend” and you realize through the jealousy that still exists that he has devoted his life to taking chances and it has paid off. You stand silent as Enterprise is refitted.
TEN YEARS AND THREE WEEKS
He has come home one last time, come home to a hero’s honor and the accolades of millions. You stand within the main dock and watch the ship glide by. A walkway is extended and he comes out. You say, “Welcome home, James.” He smiles at you but you see the sorrow in his eyes. He is leaving his one, true love. You ask, “What is to become of her?” He looks at you bleakly.
“They are going to salvage and scrap her to build more ships.” The bitterness is plain in his voice. “She deserves better than that. I’m sorry, can you excuse me?” He steps away and you feel his despair. He has gone on many bold missions, taken chances and risks no one else would dream of, and, now, they were going to turn his precious ship into scrap metal. As you watch him walk away you realize-you never took chances to do what was right, you never risked it all.
Engineering was quiet with the crew re-assigned. The Enterprise is in the starship graveyard just outside of the orbit of Venus. You scan one more time for life signs. You are the only one aboard. You carefully place the home-made explosives around the warp core and you set the timer. Rushing to the Bridge, you set more of the paste around the weakest points. You can hear a message coming in on the intercom.
“Styles, what are you doing?” It’s Kirk, calling from his home in San Francisco. “You aren’t going to get away with this!” You smile briefly at the echoes of another day.
You don’t reply.
As the ship plods past Jupiter Station you realize you have taken the first true risk of your life. You smile out at the stars. They are friendly and bring a magic warmth.
“Styles, come back! What the hell are you doing?” Kirk is angry now, judging by his tone.
As you clear Jupiter into barren space you finally decide to reply. “Jim, she deserves better than to be turned into scrap. So do I, and with you retiring that’s all I’ll ever be. Thank you for supporting me when I’d made such mistakes.” You seal the channel and can no longer hear Kirk or anyone else at Starfleet who might be trying to reach you. Somewhere near Neptune, smiling as you haven’t in many years, you trip the detonators. Enterprise goes away as she existed, in a blaze of glory.
