STT25THC:#1 LEGENDS

[HoundDog]

Well, this is my first attempt in trek-fanfic, and it is the first story I've ever written in English. Being from Germany, there might be some mistakes in word/phrase use and spelling. I apologize and hope that it does not hurt the story too much.
As a matter of fact, I plan to make an ongoing series out of this, and so this first installment will be mostly setup (heck, most of my main characters don't even appear in this one). If your interested in some background-information, check out this thread: http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=48544, but you might as well just read. I think you will get most basic facts in this first story.
One further sidenote: I will post this story in segments, and I'm not done writing it down yet.
Anyway, here's the teaser:

STAR TREK - THE 25TH CENTURY

#1: LEGENDS - "teaser"

There it was. The one ship whose name was in some parts of the galaxy synonymous with Starfleet, hanging in space majestically. Shuttles swirled around it, and one could make out the repair teams crawling all over the seriously damaged hull like little ants. It wasn't in its best shape for sure, with all its primary systems seemingly offline. But still, it was a sight.
„She's beautiful, isn't she?“, the pilot of the shuttlecraft asked.
It took John Morris some time to answer. It was beautiful. And yet, there was talk of decomissioning it. The recent damage had been too severe to be repaired. It was told that Starfleet was planning to tear the ship into pieces that could be used for refitting other vessels.
„She's been heavily damaged“, Morris managed to say dryly.
„Yeah“, the pilot answered, „but still, what a ship.“
Morris didn't answer to that. He wasn't eager to be engaged in a chat right now, he just looked out of the shuttlecraft's window and watched the repair teams doing their work. If the talk was true, they wouldn't be much longer – just long enough to check out which of the ship's systems could be used as spare-parts.
As the shuttlecraft passed the ship's saucer section to reach its destination, the Commandbase 6, Morris was barely able to recognize the registration number on the hull. The hull-sections on which it was written had partly been blown away in the last battle. Still, he managed to read the letters – not that he had to to identify the ship, they were well known to every spacefaring being in the charted galaxy. They said:
USS Enterprise NCC 1701-F.

 

[HoundDog]

#1: LEGENDS pt. one

DEFENSE-PERIMETER-COMMANDBASE 6 / JULY 2428
John Morris, Captain of the Starship USS Alexandria until two days ago, had been ordered to report to Commandbase 6. Neither he was told to whom, nor regarding what matter. The communiqué had just said that he was relieved from his duties as Captain of the Alexandria and should report to receive new orders at Commandbase 6. Further information would follow after his arrival. Morris had been deeply surprised by this. The Alexandria was undergoing repairs momentarily, and unlike the Enterprise, she was definitely going to be reassigned to front service. That being the case, Morris had expected to overlook the repairs on his ship, and then continue his service patroling the defense perimeter. Instead, he was relieved of his duties and ordered to report here immediately. And, here he was, still not knowing what this was all about.
As Morris left the shuttlecraft, a rather unusual sight awaited him at the inner side of the docking port. A Ferengi wearing a Starfleet uniform with the rank insignia of Commander was impatiently waving a pad. He approached Morris in a seemingly brisk manner. „Captain John Morris? Please follow me. The Admiral is already waiting for you“, the Ferengi said without introducing himself. He didn't wait for Morris to verify his understanding, instead he just turned and walked down the corridor, obviously expecting the Captain to follow him. Morris did.
There weren't many Ferengi in Starfleet service, and the Captain had never met one as high ranking as this Commander. On the other hand, this particular Ferengi did not behave like others. His brisk attitude was very different from how Morris had expected him to behave. There was none of the usual sleazyness one usually associated with the Ferengi. The Commander seemed to be all straight-to-business, no fuzz. Not that this trait made him more sympathetic, but certainly it made him exceptional among his kind.
To Morris' surprise, they didn't take the way to down to the core of the base, where the Commandcenter was situated. Instead, they stayed on the peripherial ring. „The Admiral awaits you in the Observation Lounge“, the Ferengi said as if had read Morris' mind. He didn't look back, so the Captain didn't answer. Still, it felt like the Commander was testing him. Anyway, Morris was not in the mood for such games. Thus, they reached their destination without further talk. As the doors to the Observation Lounge opened, another surprise awaited Morris. It was empty except for a very old and wrinkled woman sitting on a couch and looking out into space through the Lounge's huge windows. She was obviously watching the ship's that were assembled in space around the Commandbase – Klingon cruisers, Cardassian warships, freighters coming in with supplies and, of course, the deadly-wounded beauty that beared the name Enterprise. The old woman seemed especially fascinated by that ship.
„Captain Morris is here to report to you, Admiral“, the Ferengi Commander said. His voice seemed to soften as he spoke to the wrinkled woman. It was not until now that Morris realized that she was indeed wearing an Admiral's uniform. Looking at the two arrivals as if she had been floating through space with her mind for quite some time, she managed to refocus back on reality quickly. She rose up from her chair and Morris couldn't help but think that she was a very small and fragile person. And she seemed familiar to him, though he was sure he had never met her before.
„Thank you, Commander“, the woman said to the Ferengi. „You're dismissed.“ While the Ferengi Commander nodded and left, she turned to Morris and pointed at the chair next to hers: „Take a seat, Captain. We have something to talk about.“ Speaking these words totally changed her appearance – she didn't look fragile anymore, but suddenly developed a very dominant presence that filled the whole Lounge. She certainly was an Admiral. At this point, Morris recognized her. She looked far older than on the pictures Starfleet usually provided, and there were rumours circulating that already had declared her dead – but there she stood. Alive. Breathing. And smiling like a teenager as she noticed that Morris had finally recognized her. The first Captain of the Enterprise-F.The only Starfleet Admiral never defeated by the Borg in open battle. Vice-Admiral Judith Hayman.

„Please Captain, sit down.“ Admiral Hayman wasn't able to suppress her smile while she repeated her offer to Morris. She got used to the people's reactions regarding herself years ago. In fact, she had come to a point where she was making her own private jokes about being a legend. Her favorite was to sign reports with the line:Vice-Admiral Hayman, still undefeated by the Borg. It was silly, and it sure could be interpreted as pure arrogance, because it wasn't entirely true: Hayman had been imvolved in battles were the Borg had defeated Starfleet more than once – but she had not been the commanding officer in those battles. The one time she had, she'd beaten them. So being Judith Hayman, still undefeated by the Borg was true only technically spoken. But it was something that drove Challis mad. And seeing the Bolian Commander-in-Chief getting one of his famous outbursts over this line was quite amusing for Hayman. So she continued doing it. In the end, they hadn't much to laugh in the High Command at all.
Morris finally sat down on the chair she had offered him. The Admiral returned to her chair as well. She decided to have some small talk first. „You seem surprised to see me, Captain.“
„Frankly spoken, I am, Admiral. I heard rumours about your death.“
„I'm sure you didn't believe those rumours.“ This is going to be fun, Hayman thought.
„Of course not“, Morris said. It looked like he was regaining his balance. „But some of them sounded quite convincing.“
Hayman couldn't help but give Morris a bright smile. „Actually, it was me who spread the most devastating ones. For example that I had been assimilated by the Borg and the High Command is keeping this secret because they think it'll cause a significant drop in the Fleet's morale. Thus I'm able to increase morale far better just by showing up on surprise inspections from time to time. Not that I've been doing this very often lately. But when I do... You won't believe how those people look at me. Especially the young crewmen – but I've been rude, Captain. I still haven't introduced myself to you properly -“ the Admiral straightened herself and put on her most serious face „- Vice-Admiral Judith Hayman, still undefeated by the Borg. And as you see – in contrast to all rumours circulating – still in active service as well.“
Now it was Morris turn to show his amusement: „Is this another trick of your's to increase morale?“
„Believe it or not, it works. At least, it increases my morale“, Hayman answered. She was enjoying this banter. But she could not allow this to distract her. She was here because she had a job for Morris. On the other hand, a few minutes more of this light conversation wouldn't hurt either.
Eventually, Morris appeared to have a different opinion on that matter: „Now that you've made clear that you really are who you appear to be, Admiral... What's this all about?“ Straight-to-the-point. No fooling around. Not afraid of making the tough decisions. And surely not afraid of asking a legendary Admiral to get to the point. That was exactly why Hayman wanted Morris for this job in the first place. Nevertheless, she was going to keep the Captain in suspense for just a little longer.
„You don't seem too delighted about being relieved from your duties as the Alexandria's commander“, she said, keeping her light tone in spite of Morris' obvious irritation. „I do understand that. It's a fine ship. A fine crew. You feel responsible for them. You care about what might happen to them.“ She paused.
„So this is going to be a permanent reassignment?“, Morris asked.
„It is. And before you're asking, Commander Idris will be promoted and resume command of the Alexandria. She has the necessary experience and will make a fine captain – you don't have to worry about that.“Hayman paused again, but this time continued before Morris could pose another question: „I know that you want me to tell you what I have in mind for you. And I will. But first I have to make sure that you understand the importance of your new assignment.“ Finally, Hayman decided to switch from small talk to the visionary Starfleet-hero manner of speaking she had developed for such occassions over the years: „In the end, Captain, this is all about legacy.“ And while saying that, Hayman's mind drifted back to the time she had the very same command she was going to offer Morris now. When she became a legend.

 

[HoundDog]

LEGENDS – pt. two

USS ENTERPRISE NCC 1701-F, KHITOMER-SYSTEM – TWENTY-NINE YEARS EARLIER
„Retreat!“, Captain Judith Hayman of the Starship Enterprise shouted through the thick wall of smoke that cut her off from the rest of her bridge crew. Another energy blast hit the ship and threw her almost out of captain's chair. Somewhere a console exploded.
„Aft shields are down“, someone shouted, probably Dalen, the ship's tactical officer.
„We're losing warpplasma from our port nacelle!“ Another voice.
Someone screamed in agony.
„Hull breaches on Decks 22, 24 and 25.“ Dalen again, Hayman guessed. She couldn't see anything. Just silhouettes running through the smoke. Everything around her was falling apart. And nobody had heard her order. So that's how it's going to end, she thought. There was nothing she could do anymore. Pure chaos.
Again, the Enterprise was hit. „We've lost our com-link to Admiral Vash'krye. The Shran... is gone!“ Hayman was already beyond panic. An imperturbable feeling of calmness crept over her. Acceptance. At least, going out like this was better than being assimilated.
„Captain?“ It was Mareyka, the ship's XO, who brought her back into reality. This wasn't over yet. They had the duty to survive – to build up a new line of defense. Hayman nodded to her First Officer: „The Admiral is obviously dead. We must get out of here.“ She rose up and almost stumbled over a corpse lying before her. She tried to identify the crewman, but the explosion that had killed him had burned him beyond recognition. The Enterprise was shivering again, hit by enemy fire. The few lights still gleaming on the bridge fluctuated wildly.
„Structural integrity is reaching critical level,“ the tactical officer stated the next bad news. As Hayman approached him, it became obvious to her that he was running on auto-pilote. He wasn't thinking about what was happening around him anymore – he just kept on with his senseless task of stating his unnerving damage reports after each blast the ship took – as if it wasn't obvious that the Enterprise was falling apart.
„Dalen“, Hayman said to him.
„Multiple hull breaches on Decks 20 and again, 22. Front shields are down to seventeen per cent.“ Another hit, another damage report.
„Dalen“, she said again. But the tactical officer wasn't listening. He didn't even look up from his console. Hayman grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him. Finally, he looked at her and his eyes seemed to clear a little. „Lieutenant Dalen“, the Captain insisted. „Is it still possible for us to go to warp?“
„Why, Captain... structural integrity is critical and... Admiral Vash'krye has not ordered our retreat“, Dalen stammered.
„Listen, Lieutenant.“ Hayman spoke as if she was trying to convince a child that there were no monsters living beneath its bed. „The Shran has been destroyed. The Admiral is dead. And if we don't retreat now, we'll be too. Is this ship still able to go to warp?“
„I can't guarantee... structural integrity... the port nacelle has been severely damaged...We could be blown apart if we go to warp!“, Dalen said, his voice becoming more shrill with each syllable.
„We surely will, if we stay. Send a signal to all ships: Retreat to the appointed coordinates.“
„But Captain...“
„Do as ordered!“, Hayman shouted him down.
He nodded. Hayman noticed that his hands were shivering as he handled his console. But he followed her orders. The Captain turned to the conn. „Helmsman. Lay in a course to retreat coordinates alpha. Warp one. Engage.“
The Enterprise jumped to warp, seriously shaking. „Structural integrity is holding. And as it appears, the Borg are not pursuing us“, Lieutenant Dalen said, still irritated.
Hayman dropped herself into the captain's chair and sighed. Then, without any foreboding, the conn-console exploded in a sudden gleam of light. Somethig was thrown across the bridge, directly into Hayman's arms. The smell of warm, burned flesh spread all around her.
As the smoke from the explosion vanished, the Captain of the Enterprise noticed that she was holding the dead body of her First Officer. She still did, when the medical team reached the bridge.

Hayman took the pad Dalen – who was now acting XO – had brought her when they had discussed the ship's status. It was the full report – including a survey of all identified casualties so far. She browsed through the list until she found the name she had been searching for. Mareyka T'mb'Ok, Commander, Executive Officer, dead. Thousands of casualties in the battle, at least millions in the whole system and billions since the attack began. But when it came to choosing one to mourn for, she took Mareyka. As if her death had been different from all the others. Talking about death becoming a face, Hayman thought. She scrolled further through the list, but the names blured before her eyes. And her thoughts kept going back to Mareyka. She hadn't been just her XO, she had been a friend.
Hayman's communicator beeped. It was Ensign Teemyal, a young Denobulan who was now acting Chief Engineer: „Repairs on subspace communications are finished, Captain. We should be able to reestablish our com-link with Starfleet Command now. The warp-engines, however...“
„Thank you, Ensign. Go on with the repairs. The warp-drive has absolute priority“, Hayman said. Due to the damage received in the battle, the Enterprise had to drop out of warp regularly on it's way to the retreat coordinates – the engines had been on the brink of overloading several times. Fortunately, the Borg didn't pursue them. They were too busy assimilating Khitomer. The Captain put the pad aside and activated the terminal on her desk. It was hard for her to focus in what she was doing. Since the retreat – since she had sat in the captain's chair with Mareyka's dead body in her arms, a strong sense of unrealness surrounded her. Like she was dreaming all this. Or maybe it was the sedative the doctor had given her.
Anyway, Hayman had to report to Starfleet Command. Khitomer had been taken by the Borg, and it was unknown yet how many ship's had been lost. Possibly only the Enterprise made it out. It took a while before the subspace-com-link went online. Even as it finally did, the connection appeared to be on the verge of fading. Hayman tried to shake of her numbness.
„Judith?“ It was Admiral Riker, barely recognizable through the static. „I can hardly ... you.“ The transmission fluctuated violently, and Hayman already thought that she had lost it. But then it stabilized. „... better now“, she heard Riker finishing his last sentence. He looked considerably older than the last time she had seen him. His hair had turned white, and there was no trace of his infamous charming grin left. Instead, his facial features seemed flabby. As if he was deadly tired.
„How bad is it?“, he asked.
„We've lost Khitomer. The Shran has been destroyed, Admiral Vash'krye is dead – as far as we know. We're on our way to the retreat coordinates. No information about the status of the Klingon fleet. And I can't give you a full casualty report yet – we don't know what's left of our fleet either.“ Hayman fell silent.
„Bad news“, Riker said, his voice sounding hollow.
„Mareyka's dead“, Hayman whispered.
Nobody knew what to say. Only the hissing of the static broke the silence.
Then, after a while, Riker said: „I'm sorry.“
„I know. What's your status on Earth?“, Hayman asked in an attempt to bring the conversation back on track. It was easier to focus on professional matters than to think about how senseless this all was. The Borg were a force of nature. They didn't even care about military tactics. They didn't need to. Every attempt to stop them had failed. The Borg just rush in and crush every resistance. Holding on to regular protocols was the only thing one could when the universe was falling apart.
„We've started evacuation procedures. The President and the Council have already left, and Starfleet Command is preparing to install a new headquarter on Betazed.“ Riker paused. „Still, we don't know how fast the Borg advance. With you're report on Khitomer, the lost of thirteen more systems this week has been confimed. And there are still several battlegroups missing."
Hayman had a clue what the Admiral was talking about. Obviously, Starfleet needed someone to cover their retreat. „I understand“, she just said with a flat voice.
„Your orders are to gather whatever is left of the fifth fleet, to unite your ships with the rest of the twelfth at Regulus and to resume command of this battlegroup. If the Borg advance, engage them in battle. Because of Admiral Vash'krye's death, you'll be promoted to Rear Admiral, field commission only. But I think Starfleet Command will confirm this promotion when you return - I'm sorry for you Judith, but someone has to do this. We've lost contact to most units out there. You called us, so you got the job.“ While saying so, Riker's face became painfully distorted.
„If“, Hayman managed to say, feeling a deadly exhaustion creeping through her body.
„I beg your pardon?“
„If we make it back, Will.“
„If.“ It was Admiral Riker who ended the transmission.

 

[Mistral]

okay-this was riveting! that being said-if you have a doubt-split into 2 words. Command Base 6.
Question-how do you make your quotes appear on the bottom of the word? That's weird.

While its a big thing to say(in terms of necessary effort and personal ego) if you would like me to, I will edit your story-just make sure its in WORD and I'd be happy to help. If you want me to do this-PM me and I'll give you my e-mail. I really like what you've created and any grammar mishaps are simple things that barely detract from the exciting story you are creating. Good job!

 

[HoundDog]

I'm not using Word, but OpenOffice - but no problem to transfer texts into doc-format.
The quote thing: Well, in German it's normal that the quotation marks at the beginning of a quote appear at the bottom - and I didn't change that in my writing program to fit the English-standard, so that's the mistery's solution...

 

[Mistral]

ok-you Germans are weird-got it. No problem here...... Seriously, that was bugging me-I couldn't figure out how to make my quotes do that-had my poor wife messing around in Word for about 45 minutes!

 

[HoundDog]

Ok, here's an edited version of what I've got so far - thanks to Mistral for his effort. Unfortunately, I have little time right now to finish writing, so it might take some time before I can post a satisfying conclusion - I'm posting in segments again.


STAR TREK – THE 25TH CENTURY

#1 LEGENDS – „teaser"
There it was. The one ship whose name was, in some parts of the galaxy, synonymous with Starfleet, hanging in space majestically. Shuttles swirled around it and one could make out the repair teams crawling all over the seriously damaged hull like little ants. It wasn't in its best shape for sure, with all of her primary systems seemingly offline. But still, it was a sight.

„She's beautiful, isn't she?", the pilot of the shuttlecraft asked.

It took John Morris some time to answer. It was beautiful. And yet, there was talk of decomissioning it. The recent damage had been too severe to be repaired. It was said that Starfleet was planning to tear it into pieces that could be used to refit other ships.
„She's been heavily damaged", Morris managed to say dryly.

„Yeah", the pilot answered, „but still, what a ship."

Morris didn't answer to that. He wasn't eager to be engaged in a chat right now, he just looked out of the shuttlecraft's window and watched the repair teams doing their work. If the talk was true, they wouldn't be busy much longer – just long enough to check out which of the ship's systems could be used as spare-parts for other vessels.As the shuttlecraft passed the ship's saucer section to reach its destination, the Command Base 6, Morris was barely able to recognize the registration number on the hull. The hull sections on which it was written had partly been blown away in the last battle. Still, he managed to read the letters – not that he had to, they were known to every spacefaring being in the charted galaxy. They said:
USS Enterprise NCC 1701-F.

 

[HoundDog]

#1 LEGENDS – pt. one

DEFENSE PERIMETER-COMMAND BASE 6 / JULY 2428
John Morris, Captain of the Starship USS Alexandria until two days ago, had been ordered to report to Command Base 6. Nobody had told him whom to report to, nor what the matter regarded. The communiqué had just said that he was relieved from his duties as Captain of the Alexandria and should report to receive new orders at Command Base 6. Further information would follow after his arrival. Morris had been deeply surprised by this. The Alexandria was undergoing repairs at the momen, and unlike the Enterprise, she was definitely going to be reassigned to front line service. That being the case, Morris had expected to oversee the repairs on his ship, and then continue his service patroling the defense perimeter. Instead, he was relieved of his duties and ordered to report here immediately. And, here he was, still not knowing what this was all about.

As Morris left the shuttlecraft, a rather unusual sight awaited him at the inner side of the docking port. A Ferengi wearing a Starfleet uniform with the rank insignia of Commander was impatiently waving a pad. He approached Morris in a seemingly brisk manner.

„Captain John Morris? Please follow me. The Admiral is already waiting for you", the Ferengi said without introducing himself. He didn't wait for Morris to verify his understanding, instead he just turned and walked down the corridor, obviously expecting the Captain to follow him. Morris did.

There weren't many Ferengi in Starfleet service, and the Captain had never met one as high ranking as this Commander. On the other hand, this particular Ferengi did not behave like others. His brisk attitude was very different from how Morris had expected him to behave. There was none of the usual sleazyness one usually associated with the Ferengi. The Commander seemed to be all straight-to-business, no fuss. Not that this trait made him more sympathetic, but certainly it made him exceptional among his kind.

To Morris' surprise, they didn't take the way down to the core of the base, where the command center was situated. Instead, they stayed on the peripherial ring.

„The Admiral awaits you in the Observation Lounge", the Ferengi said as if he had read Morris's mind. He didn't look back, so the Captain didn't answer. Still, it felt like the Commander was testing him. Either way, Morris was not in the mood for such games. Thus, they reached their destination without further talk. As the doors to the Observation Lounge opened, another surprise awaited Morris. It was empty except for a very old and wrinkled woman sitting on a couch and looking out into space through the Lounge's huge windows. She was obviously watching the ship's that were assembled in space around the Commandbase – Klingon cruisers, Cardassian warships, freighters coming in with supplies and, of course, the deadly-wounded beauty that bore the name Enterprise. The old woman seemed especially fascinated by that ship.

„Captain Morris is here, Admiral", the Ferengi Commander said. His voice seemed to soften as he spoke to the wrinkled woman. It was not until now that Morris realized that she was indeed wearing an Admiral's uniform. Looking at the two arrivals as if she had been floating through space with her mind for quite some time, she managed to refocus back on reality quickly. She rose up from her chair and Morris couldn't help but think that she was a very small and fragile person. And she seemed familiar to him, though he was sure he had never met her before.

„Thank you, Commander Gorna", the woman said to the Ferengi. „You're dismissed." While the Ferengi Commander nodded and left, she turned to Morris and pointed at the chair next to hers: „Take a seat, Captain. We have something to talk about." Speaking these words totally changed her appearance – she didn't look fragile anymore, but suddenly developed a very dominant presence that filled the whole observation lounge. She certainly was an Admiral. At this point, Morris recognized her. She looked far older than on the pictures Starfleet usually provided, and there were rumours circulating that already had declared her dead – but there she stood. Alive. Breathing. And smiling like a teenager as she noticed that Morris had finally recognized her. The first Captain of the Enterprise-F.The only Starfleet Admiral never defeated by the Borg in open battle. Vice-Admiral Judith Hayman.
---------

„Please Captain, sit down." Admiral Hayman wasn't able to suppress her smile while she repeated her offer to Morris. She had gotten used to people's reactions regarding herself years ago. In fact, she had come to a point where she was making her own private jokes about being a legend. Her favorite was to sign reports with the line:Vice-Admiral Hayman, still undefeated by the Borg. It was silly, and it surely could be interpreted as pure arrogance because it wasn't entirely true: Hayman had been involved in battles were the Borg had defeated Starfleet more than once – but she had not been the commanding officer in those battles. The one time she had, she'd beaten them. So being Judith Hayman, still undefeated by the Borg was at least technically true. But it was something that drove Challis mad. And seeing the Bolian Commander-in-Chief get into one of his famous outbursts over this line was quite amusing for Hayman. So she continued doing it. In the end, they hadn't much to laugh at in the High Command at all.

Morris finally sat down on the chair she had offered him. The Admiral returned to her chair as well. She decided to make some small talk first. „You seem surprised to see me, Captain."

„Frankly, I am, Admiral. I heard rumours about your death."

„I'm sure you didn't believe those rumours." This is going to be fun, Hayman thought.

„Of course not", Morris said. It looked like he was regaining his balance. „But some of them sounded quite convincing."

Hayman couldn't help but give Morris a bright smile. „Actually, it was I who spread the most devastating ones. For example, that I had been assimilated by the Borg and the High Command is keeping this secret because they think it'll cause a significant drop in the Fleet's morale. Thus I'm able to increase morale far better just by showing up on surprise inspections from time to time. Not that I've been doing this very often lately. But when I do... You won't believe how those people look at me. Especially the young crewmen – but I've been rude, Captain. I still haven't introduced myself to you properly -" the Admiral straightened herself and put on her most serious face „- Vice-Admiral Judith Hayman, still undefeated by the Borg. And as you see – in contrast to all rumours circulating – still in active service as well."

Now it was Morris turn to show his amusement: „Is this another trick of yours to increase morale?"

„Believe it or not, it works. At least, it increases my morale", Hayman answered. She was enjoying this banter. But she could not allow this to distract her. She was here because she had a job for Morris. On the other hand, a few minutes more of this light conversation wouldn't hurt either.
Evidently, Morris appeared to have a different opinion on that matter.

„Now that you've made clear that you really are who you appear to be, Admiral- What's this all about?" Straight-to-the-point. No fooling around. Not afraid of making the tough decisions. And surely not afraid of asking a legendary Admiral to get to the point. That was exactly why Hayman wanted Morris for this job in the first place. Nevertheless, she was going to keep the Captain in suspense for just a little longer.

„You don't seem too delighted about being relieved from your duties as the Alexandria's commander", she said, keeping her light tone in spite of Morris' obvious irritation. „I do understand that. It's a fine ship. A fine crew. You feel responsible for them. You care about what might happen to them." She paused.

„So this is going to be a permanent reassignment?", Morris asked.

„It is. And before you're asking, Commander Idris will be promoted and take command of the Alexandria. She has the necessary experience and will make a fine captain – you don't have to worry about that."Hayman paused again, but this time continued before Morris could pose another question: „I know that you want me to tell you what I have in mind for you. And I will. But first I have to make sure that you understand the importance of your new assignment." Finally, Hayman decided to switch from small talk to the visionary Starfleet-hero manner of speaking she had developed for such occassions over the years. „In the end, Captain, this is all about legacy." And while saying that, Hayman's mind drifted back to the time she had the very same command she was going to offer Morris now. Back when she became a legend

 

[HoundDog]

LEGENDS – pt. two

USS ENTERPRISE NCC 1701-F, KHITOMER-SYSTEM – TWENTY-NINE YEARS EARLIER
„Retreat!", Captain Judith Hayman of the Starship Enterprise shouted through the thick wall of smoke that cut her off from the rest of her bridge crew. Another blast hit the ship and threw her almost out of captain's chair. Somewhere a console exploded.


„Aft shields are down", someone shouted, probably Dalen, the ship's tactical officer.

„We're losing warp plasma from our port nacelle!" Another voice.
Someone screamed in agony.

„Hull breaches on Decks 22, 24 and 25." Dalen again, Hayman guessed. She couldn't see anything. Just silhouettes running through the smoke. Everything around her was falling apart. And nobody had heard her order. So that's how it's going to end, she thought. There was nothing she could do anymore. Pure chaos. Again, the Enterprise was hit.

„We've lost our com-link to Admiral Vash'krye. The Shran... is gone!" Hayman was already beyond panic. An imperturbable feeling of calmness crept over her. Acceptance. At least, going out like this was better than being assimilated.

„Captain?" It was Mareyka, the ship's XO, who brought her back into reality. This wasn't over yet. They had the duty to survive – to build up a new line of defense. Hayman nodded to her First Officer: „The Admiral is obviously dead. We must get out of here." She rose up and almost stumbled over a corpse lying before her. She tried to identify the crewman, but the explosion that had killed him had burned him beyond recognition. The Enterprise was shivering again, hit by enemy fire. The few lights still gleaming on the bridge fluctuated wildly.

„Structural integrity is reaching critical levels," the tactical officer stated the next bad news. As Hayman approached him, it became obvious to her that he was running on auto-pilote. He wasn't thinking about what was happening around him anymore – he just kept on with his senseless task of stating his unnerving damage reports after each blast the ship took – as if it wasn't obvious that the Enterprise was falling apart.

„Dalen", Hayman said to him.

„Multiple hull breaches on Decks 20 and again, 22. Forward shields are down to seventeen per cent." Another hit, another damage report.

„Dalen", she said again. But the tactical officer wasn't listening. He didn't even look up from his console. Hayman grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him. Finally, he looked at her and his eyes seemed to clear a little. „Lieutenant Dalen", the Captain insisted. „Is it still possible for us to go to warp?"

„Why, Captain... structural integrity is critical and... Admiral Vash'krye has not ordered our retreat", Dalen stammered.

„Listen, Lieutenant." Hayman spoke as if she was trying to convince a child that there were no monsters living beneath its bed. „The Shran has been destroyed. The Admiral is dead. And if we don't retreat now, we'll be too. Is this ship still able to go to warp?"

„I can't guarantee... structural integrity... the port nacelle has been severely damaged...We could be blown apart if we go to warp!", Dalen said, his voice becoming more shrill with each syllable.

„We surely will, if we stay. Send a signal to all ships: Retreat to the appointed coordinates."

„But Captain..."

„Do as ordered!", Hayman shouted him down.
He nodded. Hayman noticed that his hands were shivering as he handled his console. But he followed her orders. The Captain turned to the conn. „Helmsman. Lay in a course to retreat coordinates alpha. Warp one. Engage."

The Enterprise jumped to warp, seriously shaking. „Structural integrity is holding. And it appears the Borg are not pursuing us," Lieutenant Dalen said, still irritated. Hayman dropped herself into the captain's chair and sighed. Then, without any warning, the conn console exploded in a sudden gleam of light. Something was thrown across the bridge, directly into Hayman's arms. The smell of warm, burned flesh spread all around her. As the smoke from the explosion vanished, the Captain of the Enterprise noticed that she was holding the dead body of her First Officer. She still was when the medical team reached the bridge.
---------

Hayman took the pad Dalen – who was now acting XO – had brought her when they had discussed the ship's status. It was the full report – including a survey of all identified casualties so far. She browsed through the list until she found the name she had been searching for. Mareyka T'mb'Ok, Commander, Executive Officer, dead. Thousands of casualties in the battle, at least millions in the whole system and billions since the attack began. But when it came to choosing one to mourn for, she took Mareyka. As if her death had been different from all the others. Talk about death becoming a face, Hayman thought. She scrolled further through the list, but the names blured before her eyes. And her thoughts kept going back to Mareyka. She hadn't been just her XO, she had been a friend.
Hayman's communicator beeped. It was Ensign Teemyal, a young Denobulan who was now Acting Chief Engineer.

„Repairs on subspace communications are finished, Captain. We should be able to reestablish our com-link with Starfleet Command now. The warp engines, however..."

„Thank you, Ensign. Go on with the repairs. The warp-drive has absolute priority", Hayman said. Due to the damage received in the battle, the Enterprise had to drop out of warp regularly on it's way to the retreat coordinates – the engines had been on the brink of overloading several times. Fortunately, the Borg didn't pursue them. They were too busy assimilating Khitomer. The Captain put the pad aside and activated the terminal on her desk. It was hard for her to focus in what she was doing. Since the retreat – since she had sat in the captain's chair with Mareyka's dead body in her arms, a strong sense of unrealness surrounded her. Like she was dreaming all this. Or maybe it was the sedative the doctor had given her. Either way, Hayman had to report to Starfleet Command. Khitomer had been taken by the Borg, and it was unknown yet how many ships had been lost. Possibly only the Enterprise made it out. It took a while before the subspace-com-link went online. Even as it finally did, the connection appeared to be on the verge of fading. Hayman tried to shake off her numbness.

„Judith?" It was Admiral Riker, barely recognizable through the static. „I can hardly ... you." The transmission fluctuated violently, and Hayman already thought that she had lost it. But then it stabilized. „... better now", she heard Riker finishing his last sentence. He looked considerably older than the last time she had seen him. His hair had turned white, and there was no trace of his infamous charming grin left. Instead, his facial features seemed flabby. As if he was just tired.
„How bad is it?", he asked.

„We've lost Khitomer. The Shran has been destroyed, Admiral Vash'krye is dead – at least, as far as we know. We're on our way to the retreat coordinates. No information about the status of the Klingon fleet. And I can't give you a full casualty report yet – we don't know what's left of our fleet either." Hayman fell silent.

„Bad news", Riker said, his voice sounding hollow.

„Mareyka is dead", Hayman whispered.

Neither knew what to say. Only the hissing of the static broke the silence.
Then, after a while, Riker said: „I'm sorry."

„I know. What's your status on Earth?", Hayman asked in an attempt to bring the conversation back on track. It was easier to focus on professional matters than to think about how senseless this all was. The Borg were a force of nature. They didn't even care about military tactics. They didn't need to. Every attempt to stop them had failed. The Borg just rushed in and crushed every resistance. Resistance is futile. Holding on to regular protocols was the only thing one could do when the universe was falling apart.

„We've started evacuation procedures. The President and the Council have already left, and Starfleet Command is preparing to install a new headquarters on Betazed." Riker paused. „Still, we don't know how fast the Borg advance. With your report on Khitomer, the loss of thirteen more systems this week has been verified. And there are still several battlegroups missing."

Hayman had a clue what the Admiral was talking about. Obviously, Starfleet needed someone to cover their retreat. „I understand", she just said with a flat voice.

„Your orders are to gather whatever is left of the Fifth Fleet, to unite your ships with the rest of the Twelfth at Regulus and to assume command of this battlegroup. If the Borg advance, engage them in battle. Because of Admiral Vash'krye's death, you'll be promoted to Rear Admiral, field commission only. But I think Starfleet will confirm this promotion when you return. I'm sorry for you, Judith, but someone has to do this. We've lost contact with most units out there. You called us, so you got the job." While saying so, Riker's face became painfully distorted.

„If", Hayman managed to say, feeling a deadly exhaustion creeping through her body.

„I beg your pardon?"

„If we make it back, Will."

„If." It was Admiral Riker who ended the transmission.

 

[HoundDog]

LEGENDS – pt. three

DEFENSE PERIMETER-COMMAND BASE 6/ JULY 2428
„Admiral?"
It wasn't until then that Hayman realized that she had drifted away for a few seconds.

She put on a smile and said: „Sorry, Captain. Apparently, I'm getting old, and this drifting into memories is just another sign of it. As if the present is just a layer to cover the growing store of memories one has. And the older you are, the thinner this layer becomes. Barely able to hold back the past from breaking through."

„You were telling me about legacy, Admiral", Morris reminded her.

„Indeed", Hayman said, focusing on her task again. „I was telling you that this is all about legacy. But that's not entirely true. It's also about getting old – at least from my point of view." She moved herself into a more comfortable position. „We've been in this for thirty years. Thirty years, Captain. When the Borg first attacked, I was forty-two. I'd just received my first big command. We prepared for a science mission and then, suddenly, all hell broke loose. It was absurd. Like we were living in a bad dream. But we survived. Well, in fact, we were lucky to survive. The Borg just stopped. Apocalypse postponed. But why am I telling you – you do know all this. You were on the Savannah back then, weren't you?"

„Battle of Qo'nos", Morris said affirmatively.

„One battle I missed. But there've been more than enough others."

„Regulus", Morris stated.

„The one I am remembered for. And the reason why I'm telling you all this."


USS ENTERPRISE NCC 1701-F, REGULUS-SYSTEM, TWENTY-NINE YEARS EARLIER
Rear Admiral Judith Hayman, field commission only, was counting ships. And the result wasn't too impressive. Out of the Fifth Fleet, only fourteen ships had arrived at Regulus, the T'Pau being the last one only thirty minutes ago – barely held together by ducktape and bubble gum. The other ships weren't in any better shape. Some of them didn't even have much of a crew left. The Twelfth was in a slightly better state, as Captain Baricosa of the Greyhound had told her via subspace transmission. It still consisted of thirty-seven vessels, most of them completely manned and battle-ready.
That made fifty-one ships. Not enough, if the Borg decided to advance further. This won't be a very memorable last stand, Hayman thought. The Borg would rush in and crush their resistance within minutes. The only thing Hayman could do was try to buy as much time as possible. But that wouldn't change anything about the fact that they were all going to die. Escaping Khitomer to die at Regulus. Can it be anymore senseless?And what for? To buy Starfleet Command enough time to build up another line of defense that the Borg will eventually crush.
Suppressing these thoughts, Hayman tried to focus on her immediate duties. She had to make sure that this stand against the Borg would last as long as possible. Protocol. Tactics. Thinking about such things kept her running. „Make sure that all ships are manned with minimum-crews at least. Transfer personnel if necessary", she said to Dalen after scrolling through his newest devastating status report. Dalen didn't look convinced. It seemed as if he wanted to say something, but didn't dare to do so. „You want to add something, Lieutenant?", Hayman asked her acting XO, already anticipating Dalen's plea.

The Lieutenant seesawed on his feet nervously. After a few seconds, he forced himself to phrase his objection.„Permission to speak freely, Admiral?"

„Please, Mr. Dalen", Hayman invited the Lieutenant to speak his mind.

„This is madness, sir!" Dalen exploded. „We cannot withstand the Borg! If they approach Regulus, we'll be dead within minutes."

„So you want me to disobey my orders from Starfleet Command?", Hayman asked calmly.

„These orders condemn us to death!", the Lieutenant shrieked, panic in his voice. Then, in more quiet tone, he continued: „With all due respect, Admiral. We won't stand a chance. This war is over. Lost. Starfleet Command will not be able to install a new line of defense, because there is nothing left of Starfleet. The Borg will either kill us or assimilate us into their collective. It's just a matter of time."

Hayman hesitated. Dalen was right, there was no doubt about that. She had had similar thoughts herself for quite some time, especially since Mareyka had died. On the other hand, she didn't know what to do except follow orders. Surrendering to the Borg didn't seem like much of an option. „What do you want me to do, Lieutenant? Surrender?", she asked her acting XO.

Dalen shook his head: „No. We should leave, Admiral. The Bajoran Wormhole..."

Strange that this idea has never occured to me, Hayman thought. Since the attack began there had been a constantly increasing stream of fugitives through the wormhole. They were trying to start anew in the Gamma Quadrant. „The answer is no, Lieutenant", she interrupted Dalen. „Think about it. If the Borg assimilate Federation space, they will eventually reach the Bajoran Wormhole and advance straight into the Gamma Quadrant. If we retreat now, it won't change anything. The only chance of ending this is to defeat the Borg here and now." Her reasoning sounded hollow to herself.

„But they will kill us!" Dalen practically screamed.

Again, Hayman felt this deadly exhaustion inside. She was sure that Dalen wasn't the only one who thought of deserting. „Someone has to buy some time for Starfleet to evacuate the inner systems. It's us. This is not a matter of further discussion", she said plainly. And then, trying to look straight into Dalen's eyes, but knowing that she was failing: „Can I count on you?"

Dalen swallowed hard. „I'm a Starfleet officer. I know my duties", he said.

„Alright", Hayman replied. „Then carry on with those duties. Dismissed."

Dalen didn't appear convinced, but nodded. Hayman was sure that he was not going to stirr up a mutiny. Not that she cared much. She was too tired, and seemingly, Dalen was as well. Still, before he turned to leave her ready room, the Lieutenant said: „And what about the miners?"
The miners. Hayman had almost forgotten about them. Explaining to people that they will die soon seems to be my primary duty since they promoted me to Admiral, she thought bitterly.
---------

Supervisor Barik, a thick Tellarite bureaucrat, obviously didn't understand. „And when will Starfleet be able to spare some vessels for our evacuation?", he asked stubbornly, as if Hayman hadn't already told him twice that evacuating the miners from the Regulan asteroid belt was beyond the means of Starfleet.

So she told him for the third time: „Supervisor. Starfleet cannot afford to launch a rescue operation for you. As you might have noticed, the situation is severe. The Borg are still advancing, and Starfleet needs all ships available to evacuate the inner systems. I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

„But you have fifty-one ships in this system", the Tellarite supervisor shouted more in anger than in panic.

„This battlegroup has been assembled to engage the Borg when they decide to advance further. And when they do so, I need every single ship. As I already said, I'm sorry", Hayman said.
Barik slammed his fist on the conference table. Suddenly his behaviour became clear to Hayman: It was his anger that kept him going. Being angry at her distracted the Supervisor from facing the inevitable.

„This is not acceptable!" he shouted. „I'm a Federation citizen and I demand to be evacuated to a safe Federation planet. Or Starbase. Or Colony. Whatever. You are Starfleet! You have the duty to protect citizens of the Federation!"

„I don't disagree with you on that, Supervisor", she replied, staying calm. There was no use in arguing with Barik. Trying not to show how numb she felt, Hayman continued: „And that is exactly what I'm doing here. I'm buying Starfleet as much time as possible to keep safe as many people as possible. Your mining crews should stay in their asteroids. When this is over, I'll see what I can do."

„When it's over, we'll be dead... or worse!" With these words, the supervisor jumped up from his chair and tried to grab Hayman. For the first time, she could see Barik's mask of anger falling off and revealing the pure horror in his eyes. Appalled, Hayman pulled back, but the security guard standing behind Barik had already cleared the situation. He held the supervisor in a tight grip. The Tellarite was gasping for air, trying to regain control of himself. He said: „This is your last word?" almost beseeching.

Hayman nodded. „I'm sorry, Mr. Barik. I cannot help you." Then she turned to the guard: „Would you please escort the Supervisor back to the Transporter Room?" When she was alone, she activated her terminal. The monitor was showing a three-dimensional map of the Regulus-System. The Fleet was located near the system's asteroid belt, fifty-one Starfleet transponder signatures drifting over her monitor. This is about buying time, she thought. She had to come up with something to keep the Borg busy. If only I wasn't feeling this fatigue. And if Mareyka wasn't dead. She closed her eyes, attempting to clear her mind. When she opened them, after some time, she started counting ships again.