To Infinity

[Wes Roberts 0]

Starship Revenge

February 2, 2387 1001hrs

 

Wes stood in the transporter room, dressed in his usual shipboard uniform. As the transporter hummed, the forms of Captain Chirakis and CDR JoNs coalesced on the platform. “Captain, Commander, welcome aboard the Revenge. The last of our supplies have finished beaming aboard, and we’ll be departing for Romulus momentarily.

If you’ll follow me to the bridge, please.”

 

As the trio left the transporter area, JoNs immediately went into ‘standard formation’ mode, deferring to the two senior officers while she fell into the rear guard position. Sharp eyes took in the layout of the vessel on their walk, making mental notations on access hatches and the corridor layout. The Commander had never been much of a techie, but she definitely liked what she was seeing. Nice vessel.

 

Captain Chirakis’ face was drawn. Hours of intense logistical planning with the allied powers had taken its toll, and now she had been ordered closer to the action: to Romulus. It seemed that some allied ships had become overenthusiastic to the point that the High Command’s vocabulary had become peppered with coercion, opportunistic, and hostile takeover. It was her job to sort it all out, to make sure an evacuation assist did not turn into an interstellar war.

 

Joy.

 

Her pace was firm and steady and her eyes sharp despite the strain she’d been under. Her lips were as taught as her focused thoughts - wound tight with anticipation of what might happen in the next few hours. Or days. Or never.

 

“You’re certain the Revenge will get us there in time?” she said, falling in step with Roberts. ‘In time’ of course, was relative.

 

“She’s even faster than the Wild Stallion, and that’s the fastest hunk of junk in the SOCOM inventory.” Wes had a small, knowing smile on his face. “We’ll get there in time, Commodore.”

 

She stopped abruptly, giving Wes a sharp look. “Commodore?”

 

“A time-honored tradition, as there is only one Captain on a ship, Ma’am. And Revenge does happen to be mine.

 

“I was hoping you and the Commander would enjoy a nice...pleasure cruise for a couple of days.”

 

Her eyes remained on his for a long moment before she turned to resume her pace toward the bridge. “A time-honored tradition,” she repeated, as though mulling it over, leaving the rest of what he had said uncontested. “But contemplating the possible destruction of entire star systems will hardly make it a pleasure cruise... Captain.”

 

“Yes, Commodore, I realize that it won’t be. However, our ‘official’ VIP quarters are much more comfortably done than standard Fleet ships. Besides, you’ve been chomping at the bit ever since I returned to the Station to get some off time, and let another capable officer take the reigns.” Left unsaid was there was only one Romulan he trusted with his life and his ship, but Khaiell was currently aboard the Wild Stallion, not on the Revenge.

 

Seeing and hearing everything, yet remaining deaf and blind out of respect and SOP, the Caitian security officer did allow a gentle smile to play at her muzzle regarding the interplay of tradition.

 

-=-=-

 

Mai was already curled into the seat on his left, as Wes settled into the center seat, the various other ship’s officers seated at their stations, motioning for Kirel to take the seat to his right. Frank Roberts took up a station behind tactical, running the ship’s sensor suite. He hit the intercom button on his seat. “All stations, stand by for departure. Egeanin, thrusters astern.”

 

“Aye aye.” The Betazed helm and operations officer’s fingers flew across her panel. “Moorings are clear. Thrusters firing.” The deck vibrated slightly as the ship backed away from the station. “We’ve cleared the station, external inertial dampeners offline. Ready for warp.”

 

“Belay warp, standby slipstream drive. Set Condition 1, Blue throughout the ship.” Wes turned and looked at Chirakis. “Commodore, I would like to point out one thing. Once we enter slipstream, we’re out of radio contact until we exit the other side. When someone develops a slipstream transmitter-receiver, then we won’t have to worry about that.”

 

Kirel nodded, settling into her position. “I’ll have SubCommander Jorahl get right on it as soon as Romulus is delivered from imminent catastrophe,” she added with a hint of sarcasm - enough to get her point across, but not enough that his bridge crew would count it a reprimand.

 

“I know Sub Commander Jorahl is a most capable officer, but pushing a carrier wave into the quantum slipstream is not like integrating an AQS or cloak into a Federation power grid.”

 

Kirel glanced at him askance, restraining her retort. His ship. His crew.

 

Tapping a couple of buttons on her panel, the lighting on the bridge dimmed, as blue alert trace lights began flashing, as Egeanin tapped the intercom. “All hands set Condition 1, Blue, throughout the ship.” Lights began popping up on her panel. “All stations and sections reporting Condition 1, Blue set throughout the ship.”

 

CDR JoNs maintained a guard posting on the bridge, off to Commodore Chirakis’ right hand side. The felinoid, standing at parade rest, provided a security escort for Chirakis...even if the station commander wasn’t thrilled with the arrangement. She’d also managed to professionally butt heads with the Revenge CSEC, a Tellarite by the name of ‘G.W.’ who insisted he was always right. The Cait female and porcine male kept eyeing one another across the bridge expanse.

 

“Slipstream drive--all ahead flank.”

 

“All ahead flank, aye.” Egeanin’s fingers traced along the throttle strips for the experimental drive system. The Revenge rumbled slightly, before drilling a hole into the quantum slipstream. The forward bridge had a muted blue glow as the vortex was visible through the main viewscreen. “Slipstream is stable, no phase variances detected. ETA to Romulus...35 minutes.”

 

-=-=-

Tarod Sector

1031hrs

 

Wes leaned forward in the command chair, his right elbow and left hand resting on their corresponding armrests. It was a pose his bridge crew remembered from many hunting expeditions. “Do we know what we’re getting into yet?”

 

“No idea, sir,” 2d Officer Roberts called from the science terminal. “Sensors are showing both Romulus and Romii to be clear at this time. Except for the evacuation fleet.”

 

The master of the Revenge began issuing his orders. “Gareth, bring us up to yellow alert, shields to standby, once we drop back into normal space. Egeanin, coordinate with Seamus to allocate the necessary power to the cargo transporters. G.W., take appropriate precautions. You know the drill.”

 

“Wes, reverting to normal space in 5...4...3...2...1...Dropping out of slipstream now.” As smoothly as transitioning from warp, the Revenge reverted back to normal space...