Admirals

[Rov 0]

At the height of the Dominion War, Starbase 48....

 

"I'm sorry Commander, but the fall of Betezed has disrupted our supply routes in your sector. It will be a week before you'll have your parts."

 

Rov scowled, "I'll make sure the Jem'Hadar know to expect them... since they'll probably be the ones in charge by the time they get here."

 

The Admiral squared his shoulders. "Scavenge parts off any derelicts and keep the fleet running. Admiral Scotts out."

 

Shaking his head, Commander Rov slowly looked over to the status board pulled up on his desk monitor. "Admirals," he grunted to himself. He had twelve ships in drydock waiting for parts. Four were going nowhere, their main reactors completely shot. For the fifth time Rov scrolled through the damage reports and material requisitions. He would have to sacrifice three of the ships to get just one operational again.

 

Holding his head in his hand something glinted outside his office in orbit. The reflection of the nearby nebula danced across the gleaming sides of Admiral Shu'naka's flagship. Rov smiled. "Edwards! Get in here! I have an idea."

later...

 

Rov whistled merrily as he entered the drydock central command. Lt. Commander Edwards smiled as his commanding officer strode in. Lt. Rios glanced between them, attempting to restrain her grin. Rov turned to Rios, "Am I to understand that the LaRouche is testing the new warpcore settings today."

 

Innocently, "Yes sir, just as ordered."

 

"Good, good. Commander Edwards. Dispact a workbee with a class 3 tractorbeam....just incase there are any incidents." Edwards nodded, already having the small craft on standby.

 

Rios, "Sir, they're started."

 

Rov nodded, listening intently to the radio chatter now broadcasting throughout the command center.The low drole of routine commands was interupted by the splitting alarm klaxon. Now the comm was a little more lively. He could make out some of what was going on.

 

"...Injectors locked!"

"...bypasses not responding..."

"...EPS pressure rising...."

"....EJECT THE CORE!!"

 

Rov, along with everyone else in the comand center looked out the large viewport towards the Admiral's flagship. There was a flash of light along the dorsal edge of the ship and then the whole of the warp core assembly shot out from the belly of the ship. Not saying a word Rov nodded to Edwards.

 

"Retrieval operations underway."

 

"Good, I'll be in my office."

later...

 

"As I informed your chief engineering, we retreaved the core but as regulations dictate we can not hand over any parts until they are processed and inspected."

 

The Andorian Admiral barked from the desktop monitor, "That was 38 hours ago!"

 

"Yes Admiral. But, we are also under parts rationing. Priority has been given to the ships with the highest combat ratings. I'm afraid all the Intrepid class ships will have to wait, even the Admiral's flagship."

 

"I want my warp core back, NOW COMMANDER!"

 

"I can't. It has already be disassembled."

 

"WHAT!?!?!?!"

 

"The Sarsfield has your Anti-matter injector. The Royal Oak will be installing the matter injector in the morning. Jupiter is having the reaction chamber fitted as we speak and the Kershaka is...."

 

"WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!!!!! I've suspected you've been pilfering parts from my ship for the last six months...but this has gone Too Far!!! You will return all those parts to my ship AT ONCE."

 

"No, I won't. You've been sitting on your blue butt for the last eight months. You've logged more hours in the officer's club than in deep space in that time. I'm sure if the Dominion does come here your crew will be perfect for repelling invaders since they must know every inch of that station by now. Rov out." He could see the Admiral's face go from blue to a dark purple and his mouth agape in a roar just as the channel closed.

 

Letting a low sigh out, "Admirals".

 

One month ago....

 

Rov sat in the defendants chair trying to look like he cared anymore. It took him years but Admiral Shu'naka had finally gathered enough evidence against Rov and it came down to this. The proceedings from here on out were mear formalities though. He had taken a deal to protect those that surved under him. It was his idea anyways and it was him alone that had sold the extra parts to a certain Orion of a wanted status in exchange for FTL conduits and a phaser coupling.

 

"Commander Rov. This court has accepted the plea bargain. You are hereby demoted in rank to Ensign and we will be asking for your resignation. This court is adjurned."

 

Rov now sat in the starport observation lounge. He wasn't sure where he was going from here. He was torn between a fear of waisting to nothing in some boring job on Earth, Vulcan, or some other mainstream world and a fear of being let loose unsupervised into the depths of space. Another fine mess he thought.

 

"Enjoying the view?"

 

Rov turned towards the voice. Another Admiral, great. "Errrr, yeah...something like that."

 

"We never met and I didn't get a chance to thank you."

 

"For what?"

 

"Repairing the Jupiter. If you hadn't gotten those ships up and running Starbase 48 would of fallen. And, I'd never of made Admiral."

 

"So, you're Captain Sullivan. Well...glad I could help. Goodbye." Rov turned his head back to his mindless starcounting.

 

"You want back in?"

 

"Errr?"

 

"I've got a place for you back in the fleet. They made you resign. Nothing was ever said about your reapplication. You'll be starting all over again...which might not be a bad idea. It should also be a posting that will keep you out of the way until Shu'naka and his friends forget about you."

 

"Oh and what lovely hole have you for me?"

 

"USS Manticore. I believe you served under Atragon on Illustrator."

 

Rov turned slowly. He thought hard for a second. Smiling, "Manticore you say. I think I could deal with surving under ol' Captain A9 again. I'm in."

 

"Good, I'll get the paperwork started. Oh, and it's Admiral Atragon now." Sullivan smiled.

 

......Admirals, heaven help us all.