"Dread Rising"

[Col. C.E. Harper 0]

"Dread Rising"

ISS Agincourt

Imperial Trade Corridor Alpha-4

 

 

The Imperial starship ISS Incursion approached the ISS Agincourt from behind. Dread rode upon the Incursion. The bulky, yet powerful Galaxy-class ship paused above the Agincourt, and the signal the Agincourt crew had been waiting for finally came.

 

On the bridge of the Agincourt, a console chirped. "Colonel, the Incursion is signaling," said Ensign Holt. "Admiral Puckett's envoy is ready to beam aboard."

 

"Very well,” Harper replied. "Have a security detail meet him in transporter room one, and inform the captain."

 

A few moments later in the transporter room of the Agincourt, the brilliant, familiar flash of a transporter materialization filled the room. The first thing the security detail noticed was that there were three bodies, not one – two of them Nausicaans. In the center of them, Captain Jack DeChevel stood sternly.

 

"Take me," he said, his voice cold as the void of space, "to Captain Davies."

 

"Welcome aboard, sir," the detail's head said brightly, ignoring the alien brutes entirely. "Shall we escort you to the captain's ready room?"

 

Nodding his head slightly, letting the dark colored dreadlocks hanging from a pony tail swish slightly, the Captain replied, “I believe that is what my orders were, yes.”

 

"This way, sir." He swept a hand towards the door as one of the other guards stepped through to check the hallway. Letting visiting captains get assassinated was bad form. Once DeChevel had stepped down from the transporter pad, the rest of the security detail formed up, delicately trying to avoid getting too close to the Nausicaans, who smelled.

 

It was a tight fit in the turbolift; half the detail needed to take another car, since the captain refused to be separated from his hulking escorts. Burne was relieved to reach the bridge, at which point the captain was no longer his problem.

 

Arriving at the bridge, the captain and his guards allowed the Agincourt detail to lead the way. Glancing around the bridge, DeChevel seemed to be making some sort of detailed mental notes as he walked past Colonel Harper and stopped a few feet from her, throwing the security detail off.

 

Harper looked up from the PADD a science officer had been showing her. "Problem, Captain? Captain Davies is expecting you.” She motioned to the door left of the viewscreen.

 

"We'll speak... later," there was an eerie note in the voice as he resumed walking towards the ready room.

 

With a mental shrug, she turned back to the science officer's report.

 

Approaching the door, DeChevel waved the Nausicaans off and entered. They promptly took up position on either side, standing stonefaced to any who would enter.

 

Davies greeted DeChevel with a look of polite interest that somehow still gave the impression of boredom. "What is this about, Captain?"

 

"Where to begin." DeChevel didn't bother asking to sit, he simply strode forward and picked up a stray PADD. Pausing a moment, "Actually that is a good question. Where do we begin?"

 

Reaching across the desk, Davies plucked the PADD from DeChevel's hand. "Please, have a seat," he said dryly, setting the PADD out of reach. "And then perhaps you can explain why you're here."

 

Lifting his hands to his chest and steepling them, DeChevel took a seat. Clearing his throat slightly, "Admiral Puckett asked me to come here."

 

"We gathered that when he sent the orders to rendezvous with the Incursion."

 

"So he did," DeChevel's voice took a note of hardness. "Quite simply, I am here because there are those who don't feel you are serving the interests of the Empire."

 

"And how do they see that?" Davies wore a small smirk.

 

"Frankly, Captain, your handling of certain events has led the Admiralty to rethink your posting as captain of the Agincourt. In particular, your handling of the recent 'viral' incident."

 

Stiffly, Davies replied, "That situation was hardly one that could be anticipated. We quarantined everyone as soon as the virus was known to us, and the situation was contained quickly."

 

"From the reports I read,” DeChevel now produced his own PADD. "'Captain Davies acted indecisively.' And then to make it all better, you didn't even bother getting information out of the traders before handing them over. For all you knew they could have been terrorists."

 

"They were given to the proper authorities for questioning," the captain said between his teeth. "May I see that report?" He extended an expectant hand.

 

DeChevel lifted a brow slightly. "No, you may not. It's classified beyond your current clearance."

 

He blinked. "My clearance is --"

 

"Currently revoked."

 

"Revoked!" Frankly staring, Davies continued, "That's impossible!"

 

"Actually," DeChevel leaned forward, "it’s only a matter of tapping a few buttons."

 

A fierce scowl settled on the captain's features. "I am the commander of one of the fleet's lead warships. I have access to all important data from Starfleet Intelligence."

 

"Were. Were the Captain of the one of the fleet's lead ships.” DeChevel leaned back, grinning slightly.

 

"I am this close to ordering you out of my ready room, DeChevel."

 

"Actually," DeChevel finally slid the PADD across the table. "It’s not your ready room anymore."

 

Davies took the PADD, skimming through it quickly. "This is... this is outrageous!" he sputtered.

 

Stroking at his chin thoughtfully, DeChevel shrugged slightly. "I suppose, were I in your situation, I might say the same thing. But I am not. So, you can either get out my ready room, or I can have dragged kicking and screaming your little guts out by the Nausicaans right outside. Your choice."

 

He touched a control on his desk, activating the communications system. "Security to the ready room," ordered Davies curtly. Flicking the comm off again, he tossed the PADD at DeChevel. "I want you off my ship, now."

 

"Your ship. Your ship. You keep saying that," DeChevel leaned forward once more. "Let tell you a little secret..." His voice dropped to a whisper. "It's not your ship anymore. It's mine."

 

Outside the Ready Room, the hulking Nausicaans raised their weapons in the general direction of the security officers on the bridge.

 

"Ridiculous!” Davies snapped. "You don't have the authority to remove me from command – even assuming such a thing were warranted!"

 

"Read the PADD, Capt... Commander Davies," DeChevel rose from his seated position. "Under the Authority of the First Lord of the Admiralty, you are hereby relieved of command, summarily demoted to the rank of commander, reassignment... pending."

 

"Admiral Johnson will hear about this," warned Davies, rising as well. "Jumped-up half-breed, how dare you think you can take my ship from me?"

 

Ignoring the remark to the Daliwaken half of his lineage, DeChevel remained calm and collected. "Oh, he already has,” DeChevel added. "In fact, he said you'd have the same response."

 

He knew his face had gone slack. "Impossible!" he whispered. "The admiral would never --"

 

"Be dragged down with the failure of his protege," DeChevel finished the sentence. "You're right."

 

Moments later, the bridge crew were startled to see their captain being escorted to the turbolift with either arm held firmly in the grip of a burly Nausicaan.

 

Jack strolled onto the bridge a few moments later. "Place me on ship-wide."

 

Not budging from the command chair, Harper raised one brow on an otherwise impassive face in a maneuver more typically seen on Vulcans. "This is in relation to your assignment from Admiral Puckett, Captain?"

 

Nodding ever so slightly, he replied, "Very much so."

 

The brow dropped. "Very well." She nodded to the OPS officer, who collected his jaw from the floor and poked quickly at his console. "Proceed, Captain."

 

"Crew of the Imperial Warship Agincourt," the notable French pronunciation of the ship's name seemed out of place with the otherwise hard sound of DeChevel's voice. "This is Captain Jack DeChevel, it is my duty to inform you that Captain Simeon Davies is no longer in command of this vessel. As of now I am assuming command per orders of the Admiralty. There will be a command staff meeting at 1500 to discuss new orders. That is all."

 

The OPS officer was boggling at the captain again, so Harper closed the channel from her own panel. "Assuming command, Captain?" She kept her tone carefully neutral.

 

"Yes," He directed his glance towards the command chair. "Duty officer, note this in the ship’s log. Have the Incursion signal when Commander Davies has been transported."

 

"May I review your orders, please, Captain DeChevel?" The colonel said coolly, still not relinquishing her seat. "This is rather sudden, you understand."

 

Handing her the same PADD he'd given Davies earlier, he nodded. "You can verify them, if you desire."

 

"Be assured I will," she murmured, skimming the information quickly. "In the meantime, this seems in order. I'll have the department heads prepare summary status reports for your review."

 

"That would be acceptable. As soon as you've verified the orders, set course for the Vorana system, warp 7."