Me again, guys. More story...ok...no more jeers please
Chapter Three
The turbolift deposited the ship’s commander in the midst of the main engine room. The intermix chamber rumbled along, accompanied by the roar and grate of the generator turbines and EPS converters they fed. Several of Bornet’s men were donning radiation suits. Two, including Bornet himself, were in hazardous environment suits.
Body armor…
Not a good sign.
“Mister Bornet, a word.”
The round bodied Tellarite nodded and waddled in his armor over to the captain.
“Aye?”
“You’re heading into the nacelles?”
“To see what the current problem looks like, yes.”
“Is that really wise, given the ‘current problem’ and the general condition of those nacelles?”
“No, Captain, it isn’t.” The gruff alien responded. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”
“I figure you’ll take it whether I offer it or not, Lieutenant. Speak your mind.”
“Captain, these problems are just going to get worse. But Starfleet, in its grand wisdom, deemed it necessary to send us back out into space in this flying death trap. She’s old, and not just past her prime. We did everything possible back in space dock to revamp the old girl. Battle repairs, weapons upgrades and some fancy new consoles. But Fleet didn’t give me the go-ahead to transplant newer nacelles on her, and they won’t grant us the yard time for me to go scavenge newer coils.
“We’ve asked all we really can out of these old coils, sir. They’re nearly done. And when they go, no more warp drive. We’ll be damned lucky if they don’t take us with them. I’m going to do what I can to make sure that when they do go, it’s as quietly as possible, and hopefully it won’t be when they’re really needed. Like, during an evacuation or a tactical situation.
“Since, as I noted, Fleet has willed us to keep this ship operational for a bit longer, and since you’ve also noted that we are the slowest ship in the fleet, I’m going to try and improve our performance. But there’s going to be a time when the best I can do won’t cut it any more.”
“I understand, Engineer. Our current problem remains. We have a patient to deliver, and warp three isn’t going to cut it. I need options.”
“I know. I’m going to check the coils visually and take my readings. If there’s something I can do, I will. But fair warning, you might want to look for a another solution.”
The chief engineer had just covered nearly everything that had been on the captain’s mind. At the very least, his questions were answered. He nodded his understanding.
“How long can we keep her going?”
The Tellarite shook his head and hefted his armored helmet.
“That remains to be seen, Captain.”
“Coils temperatures…now at 2.3% over nominal in starboard warp pod.” Mister Ford was telling his partner in a low voice. Mister Davenport nodded. His sensors showed the same. “And 2.7% in the port pod.”
“Why the hell aren’t we in a repair yard with this thing?”
“Fleet needs the ships on the frontier.” Chevis replied. “The Klingons have us tied up near the Neutral Zone.”
“I heard about all that. But is our fleet so badly undermanned that we have to field this ship in its current condition?”
“The Constitutions aren’t rolling off the assembly line nearly as fast as they were expected. We’ve only got twelve of ‘em.”.
“You think if they decommission this ship soon, we might be assigned to one of those?”
“I doubt it. We ain’t kissed near enough brass ass for that to happen.”
A loud tapping along the corner of their wrap-around console drew the two men’s conversation to a close as the XO passed quietly by. She tapped the station’s edge with a sharp fingernail till she elicited an apologetic glance from Ford.
The men’s voices were starting to garner unneeded attention from the bridge officers. Everyone had plenty of doubts about this ship. They didn’t need ‘brass ass’ comments on top of that.
“Current ETA to Vulcan?”
“Four days, twelve hours, forty-seven minutes, Commander. At present speed.” Replied Davenport.
The navigator’s eyes met his XO’s, then faltered, falling to her bosom, then ducked back to his board. Ellyson blinked when she noticed. Was he turning just a bit red?
Lonely, perhaps?
The commander continued her circuit around the bridge and ended up at the command chair. More than four days till the colony. That figure troubled her. Ensign Lania’s condition was a possibly fatal one. Could she afford the delay?
“Mister Fujiwara,” she called to the man currently manning comms. “Update the current listing of Starfleet vessels within range of us and Vulcan. Also include any available information on their current missions.”
“Aye, sir.”
They might have to hand off their charge to someone else’s care. She wasn’t about to consider sending the ensign alone, though, especially aboard any civilian ship. She thought about her candidates for a possible escort.
The scent of smoke made her whirl the command chair about. A thin gray cloud was building about the foot of the engineering console.
“Engineer! Secure your station!”
The rating was quick to jump out of his seat and sent his companion in the secondary seat bolting as well. Both dropped to a knee, warily watching the smoke twist and curl.
What the hell else could go wrong?
The day had worn on. Its end found Captain and XO sitting at the head of the table in the officer’s ward, the remnants of small meals finished before them. The rest of the senior staff were either in their racks or on late duty.
“Doctor Goodnight agrees that Lania doesn’t need to wait more than two days to receive…her treatment.” Ellyson was saying, drink still in hand.
“I stopped by to check on the ensign this afternoon.” Jon said. “I’m not doing so again without female escort.”
Susan blinked, a blatant smile shining.
“That bad?”
“Let’s just say I’m glad I work out.”
“That might have been the problem to begin with, Captain.”
The CO frowned.
“We probably shouldn’t be making light of the situation.”
“Hr-mm. No, sir.”
“And I agree with the Doctor.”
Ellyson had read Mister Fujiwara’s report. The information she’d requested hadn’t solved any of their problems. “Problem is, none of the faster ships in the area can drop what they’re doing, head out to us and make it to Vulcan any faster than we can get there by ourselves.”
“We do have one option.”
The commander’s face went blank as she strained to think of something she’d missed.
“Do we?”
“Shuttle 8.”
“The warp courier? It’s a two man craft!”
“It has the speed to get her there in less than two days and the fuel to get the pilot there and back.”
Silence filled the room while both considered the idea.
“And what brave soul do we stick in there with her?”
“Our options are myself, Ford and Davenport.”
Ellyson made a musing face.
“Male pilots? You have two female pilots rated for that ship and long distance flights. I’m one of them.”
Sharp cleared his throat.
“As you just noted, it is a long-distance flight. And things can go wrong.”
“Um-hmm.”
“And if that something should go wrong…a…female pilot will be useless to the ensign.”
Susan fought the urge to waltz down several obvious and open avenues of unbecoming jocularity. “So…a male pilot…would be like a final…failsafe.”
Jon Sharp was very uncomfortable with his own idea. He cleared his throat again of the imaginary frog in it.
“Something like that, Number One. And for obvious reasons, I’m electing to remove myself from the candidate’s list.”
“Leaving Ford and Davenport.”
“Indeed.”
“Lucky boys.”
“Not so much. She’s going to be unconscious for the duration of the trip, unless there is a problem.”
“Are we going to brief them on what’s expected of them, because I really want to be in on that one.”
“No. Their orders will be to convey her to her people and return to the ship. If there is a problem, the ensign will wake up…and I figure nature will take its course from there.”
Ellyson had to smile.
“Good plan, Captain.” Sarcasm dripped from every syllable.
Sharp’s expression was not one of gratitude.
“I’ll leave the final pilot selection up to you, Number One.”
“So I am being taken home by shuttle?”
Ensign Lania’s nature had become sultry. Her tiny undershirt covered next to nothing, clung to her. Sweat poured from her. It was unclear if she’d been exercising or if it was simply another sign of her condition.
Sharp felt quite uncomfortable standing before her. As though he were being sized up for consumption. In a way, he was. The ensign pressed in close, leaning from the frame of her hatch, arms held high to better show off her chest.
Commander Ellyson stood behind the captain. Her amusement had morphed into concern. This was just unnatural. Lania simply wasn’t in control of herself.
Lania ignored her. Her eyes were only for the male before her. They were aflame with lust.
“So…who’s my pilot?” Her hand dropped, finger trailing over the captain’s muscular chest. “You?”
“Afraid not, Ensign.”
Complete and utter disgust washed over her angular features.
“Not her!”
“Not the Commander, either. We’ve selected Ensign Davenport. He’s readying the shuttle now.”
Lania smiled devilishly. It was like looking at someone bewitched with a totally new personality. “Mmm, lucky boy. Are you sure he’ll have the stamina? He is only human.”
Sharp smirked.
“He’ll do fine.”
“Did he volunteer? Or have you even told him what he’s in for? We may not make it to Vulcan.”
The ensign was licking her lips, her smile touching her eyes. It was like waving bloody meat before a wolf, or promising it unwary prey. Sharp stepped in just then, pushing close enough to force Lania to step back or fall. She made sure to not give way too much. Her bosom pressed into the taller human. Her hands caressed the frame of his shoulders.
“Of course…I don’t have to leave the ship…”
The hiss of the hypo-spray at her abdomen made her leap away from him like she’d been stung. She wiped her slim fingers across the sweaty mid-riff where he’d injected her, then glared up with hateful accusation.
“f*cker!”
Even drugged, she moved like a bolt. Her kick shot straight in on Sharp, and he had only enough time to bring up his forearms to protect his head. Had he not, she’d have snapped his neck. As it was, the impact threw him back out the hatchway and into the waiting XO’s arms.
Jon dropped his guard low enough to see. Lania was coming on, staggering and teetering now. The level of sedative had been enough to drop two human men. Damn Vulcans and their low blood pressure.
She made it just past her cabin’s threshold, and came to a rest in a heap at the open hatch.
Lieutenant Fujiwara, five meters down the corridor, holstered his phaser with a smirk. “At least you didn’t need my services.”
“For a minute, Captain, I feared for your virtue.” Ellyson joked.
“So did I.” He knelt to heft the tiny comm officer’s form into his arms. “Grab her some clean clothes and her boots. Meet me in sickbay. I’ll have Goodnight give her a once over before we ship her out.”
“You sure you don’t want to warn Mister Davenport about what he’s getting into?”
“No I don’t, XO. He’ll be fine so long as he keeps her sedated. And truthfully, I don’t want to send her out with anyone who would actually volunteer to go.”
“I get your drift.”
Topic: Cleopatra #3 (Read 16690 times)